D&D’s next anthology is written entirely by Black and brown authors

The next book published for Dungeons & Dragons will be an anthology of 14 adventures penned exclusively by Black and brown authors. The title Journeys through the Radiant CitadelIt will also add an unknown floating city to the original game. It will be released on June 21.

In a presentation for the media, co-lead design Ajit George said that the project grew out of his experience working as a freelance designer for D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast in 2020. George was one of many writers who were involved in the creation of this website. Van Richten’s Guide to RavenloftThe 2021 publication of the critically-acclaimed Sourcebook was. In our review, Polygon called it “the best D&D book of this generation.” During that project, George became the first person of Indian descent to write Indian-inspired material for Wizards’ tabletop role-playing game. According to George, he wanted more from that experience.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Image: Wizards of the Coast

“I couldn’t shake the idea of a whole book written by Black and brown writers inspired by their own cultures, myths, and stories,” George said. “I pitched the idea of a book [filled with] lands and cultures inspired by their own lives, background, and history.”

You will enjoy the adventure story anthology Candlekeep Mysteries, which focused around a library on Faerûn’s Sword Coast, Journeys through the Radiant Citadel It revolves around its titular site in the Ethereal Plane. The city is carved from a massive fossil of mysterious origins — an ancient, likely extinct creature that no one has yet been able to identify. George claimed it was inspired from his understanding of Indian rock-cut architecture. The Royal Diamond, a massive gemstone shard is at its heart. A constellation of 15 small gemstones known as Concord Jewels surrounds the city. Each of those gems is connected to the Material Plane, and serves as a gateway to 15 of the Citadel’s founding civilizations. They allow for rapid transport to and from the Citadel — but 12 of those gems are missing, and their locations are currently unknown.

“This was done so that we could allow DM freedom to place a Concord Jewel wherever makes sense,” George said, “either in your homebrew campaign or in an established D&D world. […] You could link your location to the Radiant Citadel and to the adventures in this book, or just between different worlds and by using the Radiant Citadel as a waypoint.”

Unlike other cities from the modern D&D lore — places like Baldur’s Gate and Waterdeep — the Radiant Citadel isn’t overrun by crime lords, demons, or mind flayers. Instead, it’s a place where people can live together in peace.

“The Radiant Citadel is not a place of backstabbing, and lurking monsters, and crime just around the corner,” George said. “The Radiant Citadel was meant to give players a real hope, a respite, a place to regroup and rebuild after facing the worst and most tragic challenges […]They could create amazing adventures and stories. [across the multiverse].”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t enough lore in the book to create more traditional, urban adventures that take place inside the Citadel. However, that’s not where the narrative momentum of the anthology is focused. Expect adventures that take place in locations never before seen in D&D — and guidance on how and where they could fit in with previously established locations and lore.

Image by Sija Hong/Wizards of the Coast

“This is also set up in such a way that we’re not trying to show [that] you can just stick these adventures on the other side of the world, or a place nobody’s ever heard of,” said co-lead F. Wesley Schneider, senior game designer at Wizards. “This guidance is more [about]These locations can feel as if they are part of existing worlds. What are some opportunities within a place like the Forgotten Realms or Eberron where you could place this location and have this place, its culture, and the elements around it be central to your world — or just as much a part of those worlds — and have it feel like a vibrant part that’s been there all along?

“If you want to then take those [adventures] and expand it into something more,” Schneider continued, “the opportunities are completely there.”

George said: “With luck,” Journeys through the Radiant CitadelIt will allow players to have a deeper sense of belonging in the game they so love.

“What’s going to be most exciting is that players are just going to be able to sink their teeth into these new lands,” George said. “‘Oh, my character could be from there! Oder my lover. My sister. My parents might also be present. I didn’t know where I came from before, but now I know where my [character’s] heritage is!’ And that’s kind of exciting.”