A preview of D&D’s Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel level 1 adventure

Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is the next anthology of adventures for Dungeons & Dragons. The project was conceived of and co-led by designers Ajit George and F. Wesley Schneider, and it will be the first book written entirely by people of color in the nearly 50-year history of D&D. It will be a completely new take on the first-level adventure.

If you’ve ever played through an introductory adventure from a Dungeons & Dragons starter set, you know how awkward that experience can be. Sure, there’s always a few green players at the table, but that’s not really what I’m talking about. The stakes at Level One always feel a little higher to me than they should. It is an excellent opportunity Dungeons & Dragons Essentials KitYou are, in effect, responsible for the protection of an entire territory from a marauding daemon. That’s a heavy lift, even for a bunch of heavily armed newbies. But what if that first taste of D&D was a bit more focused on … let’s call them soft skills?

Designer Surena MarieAs a member of the Rivals of waterdeep, a play program which began in 2018, she got her start at Wizards of the Coast. Since then, she has been the Critical Role’s marketing and communications manager. Marie is an illustrator as well as a performer, with a background in Chicago’s improv theater scene. That’s partly why co-lead designers George and Schneider tapped her for Radiant Citadel’s level-one experience, an adventure titled Salted Legacy.

Salted Legacy tells the tale of two families that live in rival homes. They make their living at a bustling night market filled with in-fiction races such as dragonborn and kobolds. These two families’ fates will ultimately be in the hands of players. But don’t expect this adventure to play out like it usually does in mainstream D&D, which traditionally leverages a multiverse born out of Eurocentric tropes and deep Tolkien and Tolkien-inspired lore.

“My mom is from Thailand, and that’s where largely this adventure is inspired from,” Marie said during a presentation for the press. “With being first-generation, there is this strange duality that you have to navigate where you want to, like, live the big American dream; you want to live the life that your parents had come from a different country to give you. But at the same time, there’s a large part of us as being first-generation that worries about losing our culture, or we aren’t even granted full access to it because of the pressure to be more Americanized.”

Marie says her adventure uses those two ideas as a fulcrum, while at the same time setting the story against larger thematic idea of “the push and pull between industry and tradition.”

“I think it was important to also focus on more intimate adventure,” Marie said. “It’s not about saving the world necessarily. The stakes aren’t as high as some other amazing, incredible adventures in the [book], but I believe that everyone can empathize and understand what it’s like to care about your family, or [identify with]The idea of a family rival to yours […] they’re part of this this vibrant community. […] To me, it’s just more personal.”

Reality television is a big inspiration for the adventure, particularly in regards to cooking shows. Get Chopped. Marie said that this will be the ideal starting point to other tabletop play troupes.

“One of my biggest goals when I was writing this was not only for it to be accessible to new players,” Marie said, “but also with streamers and content creators in mind. […] I wanted these themes and the sense of chaotic wonder and ridiculous challenges to be reflected in the story.”

The Radiant Citadel: JourneysThe item will go on sale in retail stores starting June 21st and online at $49.99 The product will be also available digitally, such as on Roll20. Fantasy Grounds, and through the D&D Beyond toolset.