Wizards of the Coast

Tag Archive: Wizards of the Coast

borg 10-year celebration–The Not-to-Miss Top Books of the Decade

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June 12, 2021

We’re continuing our ten-year celebration of borg today with our favorite genre books. If you missed them, check out our Top 40 movies here and our Top 40 TV series here.

We reviewed thousands of books and comics that we recommended to our readers since June 2011, and some even made it onto our favorites shelf. We don’t publish reviews of books that we read and don’t recommend, so this shortlist reflects only 23 of the Best of the Best books and book series reviewed from June 2011 to June 2021.

So let’s get going!

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Tags: A Bond Undone, A Snake Lies Waiting, Abrams Books, Abrams Books for Young Readers, Algonquin Young Readers, All You Need is Kill, Anna Holmwood, Anno Dracula, As Told at the Explorer's Club, Best in Print, borg, borg tenth anniversary, borg.com, borg.com benchmarks, borg.com Facebook, borg.com staff, borg.com tenth anniversary, borg.com tumblr, borg.com Twitter, borg.com Year 10, borg.com year 11, Chris Perkins, Chronicles series Weta, Curtis Craddock, Daniel Falconer, Daniel Godfrey, David Petersen, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Firestorm, Donald E. Westlake, Dracula Cha Cha Cha, Elizabeth C. Bunce, Firefly: The Ghost Machine, first decade of borg, Forever and a Death, George Plimpton, Gigi Chang, Greg Keyes, Haikasoru, Hard Case Crime, Harper Design, Hiroshi Sakurazaka, How to Get Away with Myrtle, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, IDW Publishing, Insight Editions, Jacobs Brown, Jin Yong, Kenneth Grahame, Kim Newman, Legends of the Condor Heroes, Lyons Press, Marc Cushman, Masquerade for Murder, Max Allan Collins, Michael Mammay, Mickey Spillane, Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen, Mike Hammer, Moviemaking Magic of Star Wars Ships +Battles, Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery, Original Topps Trading Card Series, Paula Block, Planetside, Premeditated Myrtle, St. Martin's Press, Star Trek costumes, Terry Erdmann, The Living Dead: A New Novel, The Synapse Sequence, The Wind in the Willows, Titan Books, Tor Books, Wizards of the Coast

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The Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Curriculum of Chaos–Next two Dungeons and Dragons adventures available now for pre-order

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June 8, 2021

The latest from Dungeons & Dragons following Candlekeep Mysteries and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft are now available for pre-order. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is D&D’s next big adventure storyline that “brings the wicked whimsy of the Feywild” to the 5th Edition for the first time. Wizards of the Coast invites you to tune into D&D Live 2021 presented by G4 on July 16 and 17 for details including new characters, monsters, mechanics, and story hooks suitable for players of all ages and experience levels. Later in the year, look for the next Magic: The Gathering crossover with D&D in Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos. You can pre-order The Wild Beyond the Witchlight with the standard cover here from Wizards of the Coast at Amazon now (or order the alternate soft-touch edition from your local game shop) and pre-order Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos here.

Dungeons-Dragons-The-Wild-Beyond-The-Witchlight-Main-Cover

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Tags: Candlekeep Mysteries, Curriculum of Chaos, Curriculum of Chaos preview, D&D 5th Edition campaign sourcebooks, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons 2021, Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition, Strixhaven Curriculum of Chaos, Strixhaven pre-order, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight preview, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft preview, Wild Beyond the Witchlight pre-order, Wizards of the Coast

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Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft–The darkest dive into horror in the 5th Edition yet

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May 10, 2021

Review by C.J. Bunce

Wizards of the Coast and G4 are partnering for D&D Live 2021, a special two-day streaming event on July 16-17 and continuing with four all-new limited-run campaign series to premiere on G4 this Fall. The two-day event will feature four games with star-studded casts playing with expert DMs, as well as hosted content featuring games, interviews, special product announcements, a Dungeon Master roundtable, and exclusive giveaways. Watch the Wizards of the Coast website for more details.

A new sourcebook is heading your way next week: The new Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition campaign sourcebook Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft may just be the D&D your mother warned you about. Okay, not really, but it is the darkest exploration yet of horror in the world’s most popular roleplaying game. But it’s not for younger kids, going beyond R.L. Stine horrors and skipping ahead from the dark corners of Stephen King to the gorier realms of Clive Barker… slasher realms and beyond… but only if your gaming group so chooses. It’s all part of the mysteries of Ravenloft, mist-shrouded lands where infamous Darklords lurk among ageless vampires, zombie hordes, cosmic terrors, and bloodier things. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is still a place for heroes to succeed, but not without mucking their way through terrors on their journey. It all arrives next week. You can pre-order the standard library cover here from Wizards of the Coast at Amazon now, or order the alternate shimmering, soft-touch edition from your local game shop.

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Dungeons & Dragons treasure trove–IDW tie-in comics present offer for fantasy fans

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April 14, 2021

DnD IDW 4

Humble Bundle has launched its latest content bundling opportunity with IDW Publishing, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons tie-in comic book adventures. The “Humble Comics Bundle: Dungeons & Dragons by IDW Publishing” will run through May 3, 2021, and it features a large selection of Dungeons & Dragons adventures, including up to 28 full graphic novels, plus individual issues of IDW’s latest D&D series, Infernal Tides and At the Spine of the World. As with past Humble Bundle promotions, readers can simply pay what they want, starting at only $1.00 to purchase a basic tier, then increase their contribution up to $25 to add more graphic novels to their collection. Take a look back at previews and reviews of several of these here at borg.

You have four tier opportunities to choose from:

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Tags: B Dave Walters, D&D, D&D comics, D&D graphic novels, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeons Dragons comic books, Humble Bundle, Humble Comics Bundle: Dungeons & Dragons by IDW Publishing, Ibrahem Swaid, IDW Publishing, Jay Fotos, Sword & Sorcery, Swords of Sorrow, Tamra Bonvillain, Tess Fowler, The Dark Crystal, Wizards of the Coast

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Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft–Create a horror-themed adventure with next Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook

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March 11, 2021

The mists of Ravenloft are rising. Overcome your dread or forever be its prisoner!

Hot on the heels of this month’s release of Candlekeep Mysteries, the new Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition campaign sourcebook Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft explores the mysteries of Ravenloft, mist-shrouded lands where infamous Darklords lurk among ageless vampires, zombie hordes, cosmic terrors, and worse. Create your own Domains of Dread, settings to host endless terrifying adventures, or join the ranks of haunted heroes who embrace macabre lineages, dual-edged Dark Gifts, haunted subclasses, and other forbidden powers. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft contains everything you need to craft a horror-themed campaign for Dungeons & Dragons, and unleash a treasure trove of new story hooks, character options, and campaign customization. You pre-order the standard library cover here from Wizards of the Coast at Amazon now, or order the alternate shimmering, soft-touch edition from your local gameshop.

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Tags: Candlekeep Mysteries, D&D 5th Edition campaign sourcebooks, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons 2021, Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition, Guide to Ravenloft preview, Ravenloft preview, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft preview, Wizards of the Coast

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Candlekeep Mysteries–A collection of Dungeons & Dragons adventures hinged on a cool idea to expand your campaign

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March 8, 2021

Review by C.J. Bunce

Not just a new adventure for your next Dungeons & Dragons campaign, the new 5th edition adventure anthology Candlekeep Mysteries is a different way to enhance gameplay from Wizards of the Coast. First, it opens up the realm of creators creating the stories behind your next adventure. It’s 17 contained adventures all centered on a visit to the Forgotten Realm’s renowned towering library fortress of Candlekeep. Each adventure has a book– a rarity, serving as a clue, a key, a totem or token, a container, or treasure–at the center of a mystery. And each adventure can be played as a standalone, or, it can supplement another campaign, so a Dungeon Master can splice in one of these stories to places like the Soltryce Academy of Wildemount, the Library of Korranberg in Eberron, the University Library in Sharn, or the Great Library of Greyhawk. Plus new monsters. New magic items. New characters.

Which adventure will you begin with?

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Infernal Tides–Join the Heroes of Baldur’s Gate in their latest Dungeons & Dragons adventure

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February 16, 2021

Review by C.J. Bunce

The Forgotten Realms have never been more fun, as the familiar setting continues to expand and flesh out fun characters like warrior Minsc and miniature giant space hamster Boo, half-elf/thief/poet Krydle, cleric Nerys Kathon, halfling rogue Shandie Freefoot, and Delina, the young moon elf wild magesorcerer, all in the pages of IDW comics. Writer Jim Zub is back partnering with artist Max Dunbar in Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides. IDW Publishing and Wizards of the Coast have brought forward the best from the D&D game books and card games, and combined good fantasy storytelling with classic artwork like you’d find in D&D manuals and great humor fantasy like Mike Wieringo’s Tellos. It’s also the closest thing to Don Bluth’s video game Dragon’s Lair since Dragon’s Lair. The latest D&D graphic novel and next adventure in Baldur’s Gate arrives in comic shops and online stores this week.

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Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2021–A celebration of the game and fandom

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February 3, 2021

This next Dungeons & Dragons offering is a British twist that may interest some U.S. players. Not a product of Wizards of the Coast like the typical D&D book or accessory set, the Dungeons & Dragons 2021 Annual–the first of its kind–is now available to U.S. buyers. Neither a rule book nor an adventure book, this is more an overview of the past year, a typical, traditional annual that the UK genre market has seen for years across major fandoms including Star Wars Annual 2021 and the Doctor Who Annual 2021. Think of it as a yearbook or souvenir book, an introduction for new players, and a look back at the releases over the past year.

Take a look inside, courtesy of Egmont Books in the UK:

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Tags: Doctor Who Annual 2021, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2021, Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons Annual 2021, Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition, Dungeons Dragons annual preview, Egmont Books, Star Wars Annual 2021, UK annuals, Wizards of the Coast

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Candlekeep Mysteries–Add 17 mystery adventures to your next Dungeons & Dragons campaign

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January 17, 2021

Candlekeep attracts scholars like a flame attracts moths. Historians, sages, and others who crave knowledge flock to this library fortress to peruse its vast collection of books, scribbled into which are the answers to the mysteries that bedevil them. Many of these books contain their own mysteries–each one a doorway to adventure. Dare you cross that threshold?

The new Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition adventure anthology Candlekeep Mysteries explores the Forgotten Realm’s renowned towering library fortress with 17 new mystery themed mini-adventures–each tied to a book in the library. These can be run as standalone adventures or tucked into your latest campaign. Including a poster map of the library fortress and detailed descriptions of Candlekeep and its inhabitants, you can pre-order the library cover here at Amazon now, or pick up the Victorian-inspired variant cover via your local gameshop.

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borg’s Best of 2020–The Best Comics and Games

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes — Leave a comment

December 18, 2020

Our borg Best of 2020 list continues today with the Best in Comics and Games. If you missed them, check out our review of the Best Books of 2020 here, the Best Movies of 2020 here, the Kick-Ass Heroines of 2020 here, and the Best in Television 2020 here.

We reviewed comics from every major publisher this year, and were pleasantly surprised with all the new characters and content available. You’ll find both some new creators on the list this year and some fan favorites who keep making better comic books each new year. We also include some great games and more from 2020.

Let’s get started with The Best in Comics…

Best Comic Book Series – Bounty Hunters (Marvel Comics). Writer Ethan Sacks and artist Paolo Villanelli played with the entire Star Wars universe in a single series, bringing back the cyborg Valance and a host of our favorite bounty hunters. The result is a great series full of action and throwbacks.

Best Sci-Fi Comic Series, Best Limited Comic Book Series, Best Interior Artwork – Strayed (Dark Horse Comics) by writer Carlos Giffoni and artist Juan Doe. In the future a military-industrial complex reigns over all humanity and actively destroys distant alien worlds. The galaxy’s only hope can be found through an unlikely pair: an astral-projecting cat named Lou and his human Kiara. Honorable mention: Rogue Planet by writer Cullen Bunn and artists Andy MacDonald and Nick Filardi (Oni Press).

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