D&D 3 News

Well, it here. Hasbro/WotC/TSR officially released the new Dungeons & Dragon Players Handbook 3rd Edition yesterday (Aug 10). How's it look? Not to bad actually. Personally (and probably due in no small part to my preference for a certain other heroic game system) I would have liked to have seen more/bigger changes to this somewhat dated rules system, but insofar as what TSR was trying to accomplish (update their flagship system without alienating all of their installed userbase) they did a pretty good job.

The core design team was almost a D&D Dream Team, being composed of Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monte Cook's name should also be familiar to the Hero/Champions fans here - he was once the series editor for Hero Games when I.C.E. was publishing it.

Big changes? Not really big, but some are noteworthy.

• First off, there is no longer the word "Advanced" in the name of the game (the product formerly know as Dungeons and Dragons or Basic Dungeons and Dragons has been discontinued).
• Level limits for non-humans are gone.
• Psionics have been yanked out of the Players Handbook.
• Greyhawk is now officially the "default world".
• The experience award system has been overhauled significantly to include things like Ad Hoc XP Awards, Free-Form Experience, Story Awards, Noncombat Encounters, Mission Goals, Roleplaying Awards, and even Experience Penalties

Hype about the new books - What's available and what's in the immediate future for D&D3.

Buy the new books - Out mail-order D&D3 catelogue page. Order (or pre-order) everything and anything D&D3.

D&D 3rd Edition pre-relase FAQ - This document was prepared in response to questions from the playtesters of 3rd Edition, and questions we anticipate beingasked during the lead-up to the 3E release. Our intention prior to the release of the game is to answer some of the "what" questions, but not the "how" or "why" questions.There are still a lot of surprises in the 3rd Edition, and wedon't want to spoil all the fun surrounding the release.

FREE D&D Fast-Play Game - Caves of Shadow – Your Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons by Monte Cook. This fast-play game is designed to give you a feel for playing the Dungeons & Dragons game. The full game contains all sorts of options that will help you create your own fantasy characters and play many swords-and-sorcery adventures. We call this a fast-play game because you can begin playing right now. Just gather your friends and get ready for adventure! After all, the villagers need you to handle those orcs for them!

Online Support - Wizards of the Coast's 3rd Edition D&D Downloads