The world of Krynn needs heroes once more, as the Dragonlance campaign setting is returning to Dungeons & Dragons. The return of Dragonlance to D&D was recently hinted at in an Unearthed Arcana article, which featured playtest material for different races, backgrounds, and subclasses from the setting.
Dragonlance is set in the world of Krynn, which was once one of three main campaign worlds of D&D, alongside Oerth from Greyhawk and Faerun from the Forgotten Realms. The world of Krynn has gone through a lot of changes, but it started out as a planet that had been abandoned by its gods, resulting in an apocalyptic event, known as the Cataclysm. The evil goddess Takhisis (an aspect of Tiamat) returns to Krynn with an army of evil dragons in tow, to take over the world. The good and neutral gods return to the world to oppose her, beginning the conflict known as the War of the Lance. The Dragonlance setting is best known for its novels, which kicked off with the Dragons of Autumn Twilight in 1984, and are still going to this day, with Dragons of Deceit launching in August.
Wizards of the Coast announced the return of Dragonlance during the first-ever D&D Direct event, with an animated trailer showing a massive conflict, featuring familiar elements, such as the draconian race, and one of the floating citadels used by the Dragonarmies. The return of Dragonlance will happen in an unusual way, as it's being released in an adventure book and a battle game, both of which are set to launch in late 2022.
The Dragonlance adventure book is called Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen and it will tell a new story from the opening of the War of the Lance. The battle game is called Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn and almost nothing is known about it. The contents of Shadow of the Dragon Queen and Warriors of Krynn have options that can link them together. It seems that Warriors of Krynn will feature mass-battle rules, and the idea is that the group will be conducting both a large-scale conflict, as well as small-scale adventures, giving Dragonlance's War of the Lance an epic scope seldom seen in a D&D adventure.
The Dragonlance adventures in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons told a story that spanned continents, with the Heroes of the Lance facing some of the most powerful beings on Krynn. Dragonlance's campaign structure was ground-breaking at the time, and it's incredible to see it brought back for D&D 5e. It's also a smart choice to return to the storyline to the start of the War of the Lance, in order to give new fans the same entry point as those who started adventuring in Krynn back in the '80s. Fizban heralded the return of Dragonlance to D&D in 2021 and the world of Krynn is ready to return to a prominent role in the D&D multiverse.
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen and Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn will launch in late 2022.