Since the fifth edition of the "World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game" debuted 5 years ago, it has become entrenched in modern culture. More people are getting into tabletop RPGs than ever before. Dungeons and Dragons 5E focused on accessibility, eliminating the complex, often intimidating game of +1s of prior editions and put the focus on the narrative and roleplaying aspects of the game. One of the first major products was the Tyranny of Dragons adventure. Tyranny of Dragons was a full campaign, taking players from 1st to 16th level
Last Saturday, during Comic-Con International: San Diego, Wizards of the Coast announced a new product. After incorporating five years of player feedback, Tyranny of Dragons is back. The 224-page volume combines both parts of the adventure: Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat. Featuring rebalanced encounters and previously online-only supplements, the new edition of the campaign is sure to highlight the system's growth.
Tyranny of Dragons features the players fighting cultists of Tiamat. Tiamat, queen of the evil chromatic dragons, is an iconic figure in the D&D mythos. She and her worshipers frequently appear as antagonists in published adventures. She even featured as an antagonist in that old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon (the one we don't talk about). It is little surprise, then, that an adventure starring her would appear in the latest edition. Many players, especially newcomers to the series, noticed a high difficulty curve and unbalanced fights. Many of these issues were ironed out with later adventures (such as the equally-iconic Curse of Strahd), but Tyranny of Dragons showed some of the clumsier early design aspects of the new edition.
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons 5E, players are currently sharing their experiences and stories using the hashtag #5yearsof5E. The video announcement is available on their YouTube channel. The re-release also features new artwork by Hydro74.
Tyranny of Dragons releases on October 22 and will cost $49.95.
