Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) has been around for a while, but the Dragonlance setting has been around almost as long, first appearing in 1984 with the release of the Dragonlance Chronicles.
Dragonlance takes place in the world of Krynn, and it's a complex setting with a rich and storied history. Many things have taken place here over the years, but Krynn is a big planet - the stories of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen happen in tandem with other stories from elsewhere in the universe.
The timeline is vague by design, meaning that DMs and Players familiar with the setting are free to place it as they see fit, with a few minor constraints set by the story.
For players unfamiliar with the setting, there are a few prelude adventures that can be played. Aside from that, the world is explored through play, much like in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen is the name of the campaign. It comes as a physical book, but can be purchased alongside the digital version.
Players who purchase the Shadow of the Dragon Queen Book Bundle will receive access to the digital version on D&D Beyond two weeks early.
So to make it clear - when people talk about "the Campaign" or "the Adventure", they're talking about Shadow of the Dragon Queen.
It's the Fifth Edition return to Krynn, and the players begin the campaign in a small fishing village new to the setting. The players arrive during the Kingfisher Festival, a celebration of the community, and will likely ultimately fall in love with the village and its inhabitants, just in time for them to catch wind of strange rumours.
Something big is coming - a huge army of dragons and other creatures, and the village is to be the first step for the dragon incursion from the east.
The players are then in the very beginnings of a war of epic proportions, with the opportunity to shape the conflict greatly.
Unfortunately, the village is not well prepared or defended, so an evacuation is in order. This is the first "scenario" that can be crossed over into the Board Game.
Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn, is the board game that accompanies this campaign. The campaign can be played without it, and it can also be played standalone without the adventure, but the two fit together nicely.
Shadow of the Dragon Queen has a new rule subsystem for mass combat sessions - encounters happening inside of the greater combat. The book will also lead you to the board game to resolve certain encounters, and then the outcome of the board game will determine how you proceed in the book.
What is Warriors of Krynn?
Warriors of Krynn is a board game that allows player characters to be put onto the field of battle with hundreds of people around them. There are cards, commanders, custom D6s, event cards, tokens, a rulebook and a scenario book.
To prevent spoilers, some of these items are in sealed packages that don't open until a specific point in the adventure.
The premise is fairly simple, but it's important to bear in mind that it's not a traditional war game. You don't command units, and the battle is much greater than you as the players.
Rather, the party is a tactical force that makes things happen. The scenarios begin with the heroes being given a speech in a command tent and a special mission. In the first scenario, for example, their mission is to help evacuate the village, and perhaps do a few side objectives along the way.
The scenario can finish as a Win, a Loss, or a Hold, and once this is decided the book then tells the DM how to proceed.
Thematically, the board game fits together with the campaign perfectly, with NPCs you roleplay within the adventure becoming key figures in the board game scenarios.
Enemies you parleyed with before may become enemy commanders or the mayor of that cute little fishing village you had tea with the session before might suddenly be the allied commander in the board game.
As you progress through the campaign, the scenarios played out in the board game to become bigger, with more "flanks" being added. The first scenario has two, but as many as six are added as the story escalates.
It's a cooperative board game, with the dragon forces just following mechanics and rules set out in the rulebook to resolve their turn. They don't make decisions and no one needs to play them, freeing up the DM to play as a missing player or to roleplay commanders or NPCs.
During their turn, players on the board get 4 actions. They can use these to move, or do things like call for reinforcements. Commanders themselves may also have actions.
Each class gets its own card, which indicates what abilities they may have, and what they're good at. If your class is good at Strength for example, then your character can take Strength-related actions for one less action than indicated.
The rules of the board game are fairly complex, and allow a lot of room for strategy. Players can use actions to buy extra dice for example, which will allow them to do more damage and potentially "overkill" - defeat the enemy with a dice spare. This rewards them with equipment.
Enemy champions on the board can also be ignored completely by the players if they think they have bigger priorities, but this might turn out to be a dangerous choice later on.
Some areas also have icons indicating that certain classes might have an advantage there, such as rangers or druids.
The outcome of the scenario is permanent - defeated commanders won't show up again, and parts of the campaign will change drastically depending on whether the battle is won or lost.
Players will also get reputation and medals for holding and winning, which might be used to help them out later.
Do you need Warriors of Krynn to play Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen?
In short no - the book has contingencies and, if you think about it, the scenarios that might be played out in the board game aren't exactly new, so the DM can just resolve them like they normally would.
The board game adds an extra layer to the game, giving players the chance to visualise what's going on and feel a part of it. It also arguably caps the power of the players and makes them feel like pawns in the battle rather than these great forces capable of turning the tide of battle in a single swoop.
The campaign itself is supposed to feel huge, with double-page spreads of artwork at the beginning of each chapter, and far-reaching consequences of the players' decisions.
The players will have a lot of world-first encounters with particular characters, races, and situations, and they will learn the lore as they play. They'll find themselves at the forefront of the dragon incursion, but won't be looking to repel it themselves.
Instead, they'll be trying to prevent damage and losses to their friends and allies, while performing specific tactical objectives to aid the war effort.
The new campaign comes in three options - the book on its own, the "Book Bundle", which contains both the physical book and the digital book, and finally the "Deluxe Edition Bundle", which comes with both versions of the book, plus the board game and a DM screen.
As always with D&D, it's up to the players how they want to play the campaign. You don't need the board game to play the campaign, but it promises to being a lot to the table.
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen launches December 6, 2022, and can be pre-ordered now to give early access to the digital copy on D&D beyond from November 22, 2022.
