Several Ex-BioWare Writers are Making Their Own Dungeons & Dragons Campaign

A group of former writers for game studio BioWare have banded together to create their own Dungeons & Dragons company. And their first product, a campaign setting, is available now for free.

Dungeons & Dragons: the original role-playing game. Dating back long before the rise of video games, it holds a special influence in retro culture. But as the tabletop game continues to see a rise in modern popularity, so does the influence that modern media over it. I've not forgotten about the Rick & Morty D&D Comic Book. In an announcement by James Ohlen, the lead designer of Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age: Origins, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, he and several other ex-BioWare writers have found a new publishing company called Arcanum Worlds.

The company's focus is to create third-party content for Dungeons & Dragons, starting with a campaign they call Odyssey of the Dragonlords. To promote this upcoming project, they've released a Player's Guide to the setting on DriveTruRPG, a custom campaign website, for no cost.

Odyssey of the Dragonlords takes place in the mythological world of Thylea. Full of mountains, peninsulas, and islands, the landscape is heavily inspired by Greek lore and legend. As such, you can expect centaurs, Cyclops, and maybe a naga or two.

The Player's Guide gives the reader a short summary of Thylean history and some precursor information about the prophesized apocalypse. It details a battle between ancient gods and dragonlords, an organization dedicated to defending what cities and towns remained in the harsh landscape. Eventually, a peace treaty was set. The official campaign takes place nearly 500 years later when the treaty expires and a new set of heroes is needed to protect the local people.

Aside from the standard array of playable races, Odyssey of the Dragonlords also introduces two more races, a satyr-like race and the centaurs.

Odyssey of the Dragonlords is being written for D&D 5e. You can download the Odyssey of the Dragonlords Player's Guide for free on DriveThruRPG. The full campaign will release at an undisclosed price sometime in May 2019.