With the recent release of the new Monster Manual, all three Dungeons & Dragons 2024 rulebooks are now available. After a thorough read through and some playtesting, I realize that D&D 2024 has a lot to offer not only to new players, but to OG players as well. D&D 2024 is not only a good starting point for new players; it is also a chance for long-time D&D players to rediscover the game they love.
The thrill of Experiencing Dungeons & Dragons for the First Time (Again!)
Purchasing your first D&D rulebook is a special thrill; opening it and reading its content is not unlike falling in love with a favorite novel. For me, that special moment came when I picked up the Basic Boxed Set in the ’70s. The cover art by Errol Otus fascinated me. It was like something out of The Lord of the Rings, except that here, I could take the place of Aragorn or Gandalf and go on my own adventures. I wanted to be in that scene, fighting the dragon alongside the wizardess and the warrior. Some call Otus’s work stark and apprehensive, but it hooked me instantaneously. To this day, a framed print of that 
artwork still graces my office wall.
Opening the box and discovering its content was as satisfying as plunging into a very good sword & sorcery novel. Reading such novels provided a rare feeling; a mix of enjoyment, discovery, excitement and anticipation. The same can be said about D&D books; every time a new edition of the game comes out, you get to experience that thrill for the first time (again!)
My first D&D party played through the Basic version for years. (Fans refer to this version of the game as BECMI, for the Basic, Expert, Companion, Master and Immortal boxed sets that made up that “edition” of the game.) I still play it today, but when Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (i.e., “first edition” D&D) came out, my group and I just had to take the plunge and try that new version of the game. I remember reading through the Player’s Handbook. Flipping through those pages, I felt the same excitement I had experienced when I read the BECMI rulebooks.
The day I cracked open the 1st edition Player’s Handbook, I discovered that Dungeons & Dragons would always have something new to offer. When 2nd edition came out, the experience was just as intense. The game had changed somewhat significantly, but it did not matter; it allowed me to rediscover the game. Everything old was new again. The older versions had not grown stale, but here was a chance to experience the game differently and play some new adventures.
Dungeons & Dragons 2024 gives us that opportunity once again. Fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons is (arguably) the most popular edition. It is still eminently playable more than 10 years after its release. There are enough adventures to keep 5th edition players occupied for years to come, but Dungeons & Dragons 2024 is a chance to re-experience the excitement of discovering the game all over again.
Illustrations in the Best D&D Tradition
This might not be considered an important point by many D&D players, but I am impressed by the cover art of the new books.
Art by some of the greatest fantasy artists has graced the covers of D&D books. However, the artwork for the last few editions paled in comparison with the earlier incarnations of the game. The covers of the various rulebooks were always a strong selling feature. While the cover art for 5th edition D&D was outstanding in many ways, they felt stagnant and dark compared to the dynamic and colorful covers of some previous editions. Fourth edition covers felt
even more stilted, and editions 3.0 and 3.5 covers were hopelessly static.
The covers for the 2024 edition feel like a return to the grand days of the 1st and second edition covers by legendary artist Jeff Easley. In marketing, it is well known that a book’s cover is an important selling point. This also goes for gaming books. The works of legendary artists like Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson and Clyde Caldwell (The Fab 4) were a key component of D&D’s earlier success. I can’t count the number of D&D players who told me that the 1st and 2nd edition covers were what attracted them to the game. (The same can be said about the Erol Otus and Larry Elmore art for the BECMI boxed sets.) Gazing at the covers of the new books, I see a return (or, at the very least, an homage) to those days. The colors are more striking; the feeling of a dynamic scene unfolding is more vivid; the characters feel more alive.
The cover of the new Dungeon Master’s Guide features some classic villains that will strike a nostalgic chord with many players. The covers for all three books are highly evocative of epic adventures, great danger and lots of fun! On the Monster Manual, the beholder seems more powerful and dangerous than ever before. The art opens up the appetite for adventure and discovery. It makes you want to open the book and find out what the game is all about. You want to open those books no matter how many other editions of D&D you’ve played in the past. D&D is a game of the imagination, and nothing sparks the imagination more than highly evocative illustrations.
A lot can be said of any game by its use of images. The 2024 edition of D&D feels like a return to the heydays of 1st and 2nd editions and the amazing artists who brought the rules, character classes, monsters and dungeons to life.
High-Level Adventures
The D&D 2024 designers have endeavored to make the game more attractive to players who yearn to adventure beyond level 15. Most of the official adventures released for 5th edition seem “stuck” in the levels 1 through 15 range (with the notable exception of Vecna: Eve of Ruin). Unless DMs are willing to write high-level adventures (not an easy feat), players have to abandon characters they nurtured to level 15 and reroll a brand new character for the next campaign. This is particularly frustrating for, say, a wizard who has to retire shortly after learning to cast 9th level spells for lack of challenges or skill advancement beyond their current level. D&D 2024 gives me the feeling this won’t happen anymore.
This high-level element in the new edition is more evidently reflected in the creation of epic boons (high level, nearly godlike skills) granted to player characters above level 20; and in the addition of a number of high-level monsters that can give even the most experienced characters a run for their money. While we wait for high-level D&D 2024 adventures to be released, DMs can adapt existing high-level adventures (for example, the Bloostone adventures) and give them another run using the new rules.
This will appeal not only to OG players who dream of tangling up with godlike opponents, but also to new players who will immediately see that the sky is the limit for their characters.
Access to New Material
The first adventure I played using D&D 2024 was Uni and the Hunt for the Lost Horn (exclusively available through D&D Beyond), which turned out to be a very pleasurable adventure for nostalgic reasons. Those characters from the animated D&D TV show are making a strong comeback, appearing in comic books and even making a cameo in Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves. The nostalgic tone of the adventure went very well with the overall homage tone of this new D&D edition.
While it would be easy to adapt any 5th edition adventure to the 2024 rules, I think players are looking forward to new adventures Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) will release. The publication of new D&D adventures, sourcebooks and accessories is always reason for excitement. Although details of upcoming material were scant around the time the Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide were published, WoTC has now released the complete list of books to be published in 2025.
The first new adventure slated to come out is actually an anthology: The Dragon Delves Anthology will offer 10 short adventures, each centered around a particular dragon. This will be highly welcomed by new and existing players who have been clamoring for “more dragons” in Dungeons & Dragons.
Most exciting for new players hoping to ease into the game’s rules (and also interesting for the more nostalgic OG players) is the release of the new Starter Set, simply because it will feature an adventure titled, “Heroes of the Bordelands,” inspired by the “Keep on the Bordelands” adventure published in the ’70s for the original BECMI rules. This adventure was the introduction to D&D for many players. It will allow OG players to relive some great role-playing moments and new players to discover and experience the same great adventure that brought legions of players to D&D.
This is only the beginning. If WoTC produces as many adventures for D&D 2024 as it did for 5th edition, the next few years will definitely keep OG and new fans playing for several years to come.
Return to Greyhawk
The new Dungeon Master Guide (re)introduces players to one of the older (and most beloved) D&D world settings: Greyhawk. Although The Forgotten Realms was the world setting “of record” for 5th edition, Greyhawk is making a comeback for D&D 2024 (although it never truly went away).
The new DMG does a great job describing this OG world setting. The material it covers is a bit scant, but this is by design. It’s meant as a mere introduction, inviting DMs to flesh out the world by doing a bit of worldbuilding. DMs can also research Greyhawk more thoroughly using source material from previous editions of D&D.
This is a great opportunity for older players to get reacquainted with the grandeur of the Greyhawk world setting. Reading the chapter on Greyhawk in the
new DMG felt like a homecoming. For players who have been adventuring in the Forgotten Realms for over 10 years under 5th edition rules, Greyhawk will be a nice change of pace.
Greyhawk is also a great world setting for new players. You can rapidly get a good grasp of its geography, major powers and history and be ready to discover its forgotten keeps and hidden dungeons in a snap while continuing to immerse yourself in its lore for years to come.
Two Words: Rules Glossary
From a more rules oriented point of view, D&D 2024 is a godsend for players and DMs who constantly have to look up rules in the Player’s Handbook. The game, even though it has always been heralded as being “easy to play,” is considerably more complicated once you get into the details. While the rules are organically introduced in the various chapters of the new Player’s Handbook, the rules glossary is the book’s most welcomed new feature. Both new and existing players will appreciate it and come to rely on it.
Embrace Change
While the old saying “the best things never change,” may sometimes be true, some changes are always good. Change, after all, is one of the reasons D&D has been around for 50 years. The release of a new ruleset will inevitably ruffle some feathers; some players will continue to profess their undying loyalty to any one of the previous editions, while others will embrace the changes and adopt the new rules; others will elect to play both new and old iterations of the game.
D&D is in constant evolution. Even D&D 2024 is already changing with each new Unearthed Arcana release. I, for one, do not want to miss those changes. I can’t wait to see what awaits D&D 2024 over the next few years. I’ll still play my cherished BECMI, 1st edition and 3.5 edition, but I will also forge ahead with the latest edition because I can’t wait to see what new things it brings to the game.
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