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Explore the perilous locales of Dungeons & Dragons in new guidebook for young adventurers
If you're a newcomer to Dungeons & Dragons, Ten Speed Press has you covered with a series of guidebooks to the creatures, weapons, spells, roles, and locales of the iconic tabletop RPG. We've already covered Monsters & Creatures and Warriors & Weapons, so it's time we talked about Dungeons & Tombs, which goes on sale next week.
"Each of the iconic dungeons we chose for Dungeons & Tombs is an entire adventure sourcebook all on its own, so figuring out what to focus on was much more difficult than summarizing creature profiles, character classes, or equipment," says Jim Zub, the book's co-author. "There are six famous dungeons we profile in the guide along with tips on creating brand new dungeons and drawing dungeon maps."
"It was a lot more challenging [than the other books] because we had such a deeper pool of locations to choose from and so much information we had to condense down for each one," adds co-author Stacy King.
Below, you'll find three exclusive spreads from the publication, all of them featuring eye-popping artwork from Conceptopolis, a studio that handles the interior illustrations for these books.
"We put together pretty extensive art notes for Conceptopolis, the art studio that illustrates the series. We want to show iconic moments and exciting scenes, but also visualize things that gamers may not have seen before in the Player's Handbook or Monster Manual," continues Zub.
"Even though there's already a huge pool of artwork in Dungeons & Dragons, I've been impressed with how Conceptopolis has been able to give a new spin to some classic places and creatures," King adds. "The art team has a really good eye for making these scenes feel fresh for young readers and new players but not losing sight of where it all comes from."
So what's the best advice for staying alive in the dangerous dungeons and tombs of the game?
"It's about finding the right balance between being cautious and being bold. If you spend too much time inspecting every inch of a dungeon, the monsters will probably hear you coming and be ready, but if you just charge in without being careful, your bravery could easily get you killed," offers King.
Zub thinks you should: "Always look up! Adventurers always forget to do that. On the ceiling is where some of the nastiest creatures and traps hide."
Dungeons & Tombs: A Young Adventurer's Guide goes on sale next Tuesday, Nov. 26. You can pre-order a copy here.
Yet another installment in the series, Wizards & Spells, goes on sale in March 2020. To help whet our appetites for that release, we asked Zub and King to tease what they could.
"[The book] covers the six spell-casting classes with the same kind of format we used for the martial classes in Warriors & Weapons. This time we profile Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards along with showcasing a cross-section of potent spells," Zub explains.
"Wizards & Spells also covers some of the famous magic items and artifacts heroes may come across during their adventures. It's an enchanted guide from cover to cover!" concludes King.
