Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures Vol 1

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures Vol 1

ISBN: 9781684059430

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: IDW, 2023

Writer:  David M. Booher, Sam Maggs 

Artist: George Kambadais

Rating: 4/5

Five friends from our world have been transported to the land of the Forgotten Realms and, after fighting so many monsters and escaping many times from the Big Bad, Venger, they’re looking forward to possibly having a good night’s rest along with their pal Uni the Unicorn. But their sleep is interrupted when monsters attack their camp and a portal opens up. On the other side, find themselves in Waterdeep and trying to save a young girl cursed with Wild Magic that can surge at any time, a labyrinth with Beholders, and other monsters that test them to their limits!

The trade feels like it begins at the end of the last adventure from the TV show but without any sort of segue or introduction for brand new fans who haven’t watched the last episode which aired in 1985. Since the comic takes the same tone as the cartoon, there is a good chance it will be picked up by younger audiences, and it could have benefitted from some sort of introduction to bridge for new readers who are jumping in at this point. Aside from this, the story feels just like an episode of the cartoon, so fans of the original series will feel like they're on another adventure with the gang. Younger fans getting into playing Dungeons and Dragons might get a kick out of recognizing familiar game monsters and items included in the story.

The illustration team has beautifully captured the spirit of the original cartoon and brought the characters into a 2-D format. The coloring is especially beautiful when comparing the cartoon cels to the panels. The overall pacing and panel layout keeps the energy up throughout the story just like an episode.

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins - Caleb Widogast

Title: Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins - Caleb Widogast 

ISBN: 9781506723747

Price: $17.99

Publisher/Year: Dark Horse, 2022

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Selina Espiritu

Rating: 4/5

Caleb Widogast is perhaps one of the saddest characters with one of the darkest backstories in Critical Role, or at least he was before Campaign 3. The Sad Wizard is a fan favorite among the denizens of “Critical Role Land” and perhaps one of Liam O’Brien’s most dramatically tragic characters. And for Liam, that’s saying something.

Being a comics fan and a Critical Role fan, these lovely character centered comic collections are one of my favorite things Critical Role is doing to enhance their brand’s world. What better way to do a lore drop than in the form of comics written by your friends? This particular book is written by Jody Houser who was a guest of Taliesin Jaffe’s Wednesday Club comic show on Geek and Sundry, one of the writers for Vox Machina Origins, the writer of the future Mollymauk comic, and a fantastic comic book writer of non CR books (seriously check her out, she’s awesome). With help from Liam himself and the DM Matthew Mercer, they’ve created a heart wrenching slice of Caleb’s beginnings.

I would call Caleb’s origins traumatic but I don’t think even that word is enough. However it is worth mentioning in that the content of this book is probably going to be triggering for some. Abuse, manipulation, murder, and violence are all par for the course here so beware if this kind of content might trigger you.

I loved Caleb’s book. I would love for CR to expand this prequel into a full YA novel like they did with KITH AND KIN and are doing with the release of NINE EYES OF LUCIEN come November. I love these little slice of life prequels that CR is doing, be it comic book form or YA novel.

I feel like the content here would be out of place for a new reader, having no basis for why this story is being told or its place in the larger story. Caleb’s story benefits from the foresight of what is to come for him and I wonder if it would seem odd to an outsider as to why we are bothering to tell this story. But the beautiful art and wonderful storytelling may be the hook someone needs to explore the larger universe. I’m just not sure this is a great starting point. But for an established fan this book is a must!

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins - Jester Lavorre

Title: Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins - Jester Lavorre 

ISBN: 9781506723761

Price: $17.99

Publisher/Year: Dark Horse, 2021

Writer: Sam Maggs

Artist: Hunter Severn Bonyun

Rating: 4/5

Of the Mighty Nein I think most people would agree that Jester Lavorre is the most chaotic of its members. Of course that rather comes with the territory when you’re a cleric of Trickster domain. Jester is mischievous, fun loving, and a delightful prankster which comes through beautifully in the art and writing of this comic. So what does a young prequel Jester look like?

MIGHTY NEIN ORIGINS- JESTER LAVORRE follows a young Jester as she meets her beloved Traveler, gets up to mischief, and has to leave her mother and Nicodranas behind. We get to see her grow from a tiny child to a precocious teenager, the air of loneliness following her until she meets The Traveler.

The art of JESTER LAVORRE is absolutely gorgeous. The Traveler has NEVER looked this good in his life and I want to draw him myself after flipping through this book. Jester too looks better than she ever has, the colors are bright and full of whimsy, a perfect fit for the title character.

I love the way her mother, Marion, also gets some nice page time. The character design and concept of The Ruby of the Sea has always interested me and I almost wish we could get a “side quest” comic just about her. It was also fun to see the incident that got Jester thrown out of Nicodranas and how it tied into what she had gotten herself into earlier in the book. Funny how those things always seem to be connected when Matthew Mercer is involved.

Now normally I’m not a huge Jester fan in the campaign. I love Laura but Jester is A LOT to deal with and a level of chaos that I personally find to be a bit much. That said, this comic made me appreciate her a lot more. There is sadness and loneliness to Jester’s past that explains a lot of her mannerisms and while I still don’t really love her I can appreciate her better after having seen it in comic form. Sam Magg’s FAN GIRL’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY was my first introduction into her as a writer and though I haven’t read much of her work she did a great job with Jester.

While JESTER LAVORRE doesn’t leave us with the same poignancy Caleb’s book did, it was a nice look into Jester’s past and her beginnings with the Traveler. It made me want books like this for some of the NPCs like Jesters mom and The Traveler. A Traveler comic? Sign me up!

Dungeons & Dragons: Wizards & Spells

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Wizards & Spells 

ISBN: 9781984856463

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards Of The Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

The Young Adventurer’s Guide series is intended to introduce young readers to the world of Dungeons & Dragons in an easily digestible fashion. Each book hits on topics such as the basics of race, class, equipment, monsters, and locations in a broad, non-rules-focused approach meant to inspire its readers. Wizards & Spells, as the name might imply, dives into magical classes and magical equipment not yet covered in the previous books.

Wizards & Spells has perhaps the hardest job of all, because it needs to make the complex mechanics of magic easy for a young audience to understand. Instead of trying to quantify the millions of different combinations and abilities, the book instead chooses to take a “best of” approach, showing off some of the coolest and most classic spells to give readers an idea of what magic can do. The approach is effective; it creates evocative scenes instead of turning into a slog of repetitive information.

Structurally, this book follows a similar format to the Warriors & Weapons book which initiated the series; however, it replaces the racial section with an in-depth look at spell casting. While I think this was a wise trade off, the class pages could have been expanded. Unlike physical classes, which all fulfill very different roles, the spellcasters of D&D can sometimes blend together. Even an additional page for each would have been appreciated to help them stand out from each other. It’s a subtle change, but even I, as an experienced player, still sometimes struggle to find ways to separate sorcerers, wizards, and warlocks.

The artwork accompanying each class is just as beautiful as ever. Four books into this series, and I still don’t know how to properly express how much I love the art. The cover alone should sell you on the series. Something I noticed this time around is the volume of high-quality art that readers receive. Every page seems to have at least one detailed illustration of one of the spells or magicians contained within. The legendary cleric Bel Vala seems to be the all star this time around, getting no less than four separate pages dedicated to her exploits.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m recommending Wizards & Spells. In fact, I recommend the whole series. At a mere $12.99 per book, they provide plenty of value individually or as a whole. The Young Adventurer’s series is the perfect introduction to the art of character creation, and each installment is written with poise and care that may be enjoyed by both children and adults. If you’re looking to get someone into D&D but are worried they might find it daunting, try picking up one of these volumes; it may just be enough to get them hooked.

YouTube Recommendation - Dungeon Craft

 

Another constant source of inspiration for the RPG side of me are the videos from Professor Dungeon Master of the YouTube channel Dungeon Craft. While I don't always 100% agree with his opinions, I do 100% enjoy what he has to offer to the TTRPG community.

There was a brief time, before I rebranded to The Nat 20, that I was considering taking my blog to the next level and making it a podcast rather than just the written word. Professor DM shows what I would have liked to have accomplished. He obviously has way more insight into the TTRP community than I do, so I'm glad that I decided to stay in the written word format of this blog.

Professor DM makes me not only appreciate being apart of the TTRPG community, but also gives me the occasional kick-in-the-pants I often need to not only work on my own content here, but also push forward on my other RPG projects that have been languishing in the recesses of my mind and in a variety of notebooks for years.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Tombs

 Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Tombs

ISBN: 9781984856449

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards Of The Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

Dungeons & Tombs, like its predecessors, is written to strip away the complexities of D&D and focus on the core concepts that make up the game. Coming in at a mere 100 pages, this book is a quick dissection of what makes a good dungeon in the titular Dungeons & Dragons setting. By calling up a few classic examples from D&D lore, presenting monsters that could inhabit them (including the mimic which I felt was sorely missing from Monsters & Creatures), and even giving examples of how to build a dungeon, this book serves as a crash course in the Dungeon Master experience.

The writing of Dungeons & Tombs is the same tight structure that I appreciated in the earlier installments. Jim Zub, the author, has this remarkable talent for writing simply without feeling like he’s speaking down to the reader, which is especially important when writing for younger audiences. Despite this, I found the writing this time around a little drier than the previous books. Then again, crumbling ruins and underground caves might just lack the same dramatic appeal as knights and dragons.

The artwork is still top notch, and this time around brings with it the added bonus of being comprised primarily of beautiful landscape shots. The bestiary contained within does have its own fair share of beautiful art; the Water Elemental Myrmidon is a particular beauty. Dungeons & Tombs really flexes one of the biggest advantages D&D has over other tabletop systems which is its vast array of incredible artists practically falling over themselves to provide visual intrigue to the world.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Tombs is a strong addition to the Young Adventurer’s Guide series. The book stands on its own as an introduction to dungeon crafting, but its greatest value will be as part of a set. Collectively, these books make for a beautiful introduction to the world of fantasy gaming and, as I said back in July, would make an effective tool even for older audiences who were less than familiar with the tropes and ideas of tabletop fantasy. I’d recommend the entire set!

Dungeons & Dragons: Monsters & Creatures

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Monsters & Creatures

ISBN: 9781984856401

Price: $12.99

Publisher/Year: Wizards Of The Coast, 2019

Writer: Jim Zub

Rating: 4.5/5

Access to Dungeons & Dragons was so restricted when I was growing up due to the stigma it held at the time. But now that everyone has (finally) realized that playing is not going to damn their souls, Wizards has opened the floodgates of marketing and has begun creating some amazing books for younger potential gamers. 

This small hardcover spans a bit over 100 pages and covers a decent selection of the more common creatures an adventurer might encounter. From Bugbears to Vampire Lords, Centaurs to Storm Giants, and a plethora of Dragons, this book covers not just a description, but also includes a bit of advice for each. Advice any adventurer would be glad to have when they come face to face with them in combat. Using a point system to rate the dangers of these beings, the guide gives young readers an idea of the strengths, size, and habitats of each of the 33 listings. The points range from 0 (harmless) to 5 (incredibly dangerous) and even a rating of 1 can be a decent threat to a new adventurer, so be careful! Outside of this range exists a few larger than life creatures and because of their power and abilities, they receive an Epic rating to show that only the bravest heroes with the mightiest weapons would be able to successful vanquish them. Chances are, if you see one of those, you should run!

Monsters & Creatures is broken into five sections as dictated by the areas one might run into the specific monsters. “Caverns & Dark Places” deals with underground enemies, while “Forests, Mountains, & Other Terrain” covers a lot of ground (pun intended), too! “Moors, Bogs, & Boneyards” deals with the spookier sections, “Oceans, Lakes, & Waterways” is pretty self explanatory, as is “Mountain Peaks & Open Skies.” Within each of these sections is also a short written Encounter to help illustrate how one might introduce the creature in a game. In these you’ll get a wonderful description of unicorns, Green Dragons, and more!

Adding to all of this, there are several Legendary personas like Demogorgan, Count Strahd, Tiamat, and Duke Zalto! These are just a few of the big bads that might be encountered further in an adventuring party’s career. This is where you might be inclined to run; in fact, many of these unique creatures inspire fear to such an extent that you might not be able to help yourself. But, if you are prepared and well enough equipped, imagine the legends that would be told about your character should you defeat one of them. Of course, many have tried and failed, but heroes will do what needs to be done, right?

Monsters & Creatures is a fun introduction for early readers and gamers, simplifying the information so it can be understood. This in no way replaces the core rule books for actual tabletop game play, but imagine the fun that could be had as you create some scenarios for them to get their feet wet, so to speak. Oh, and no dice are needed for this introductory level, folks. It is fun for fun’s sake. I hope you take the time to look one of these over. Who knows, you might inspire someone to take up gaming in their spare time!