New Explorer’s Dice and a Mystery Book Announcement from DnD

It’s been an exciting week for fans of the world’s greatest roleplaying game: first, it was announced that a new dice and adventurer’s pack would be released in mid-may (similar to the Dice and Miscellany box from Descent into Avernus), called Forgotten Realms Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Pack, second, a new book was teased (??!!).

The Explorer’s Pack is very similar in concept to the aforementioned Dice and Miscellany box: it includes a standard set of dice (two d20s, a d12, two d10s, a d8, four d6, and a d4), a double-sided map of the Sword Coast and the City of Waterdeep, 20 double-sided cards detailing lore from the Forgotten Realms, and comes in an attractive felt lined box whose top and bottom serve as dice trays.

The character of Laeral Silverhand (who some adventurers may have met in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist), is the Open Lord of Waterdeep, an archmage of incredible power, and the daughter of the goddess of magic, herself. Through the 20 double-sided cards, Laeral Silverhand shares her wisdom on key characters, locations, and more from across the Forgotten Realms.

The Explorer’s Pack releases on March 17, 2020, and will retail for $29.99 (US).

If Dice and Miscellany is any indication, the production quality of Forgotten Realms Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Pack, will be very high. Laeral’s dice look like they will be sharp as well, with a beautiful turquoise finish, and white numbering that appears easy to read. The full name of the product is a bit of a mouthful, but the flavour is strong with this one.

My only modest complaint about the Explorer’s Pack is that the price point is slightly high at $29.99 ($5 higher than Dice and Miscellany), which may to be closer to $38 or $39 Canadian once the exchange rate kicks in…

Mystery book

The team at Wizards also teased a book announcement this week, but clarified and said that the announcement would be made on Monday, instead.

Speculation has been rampant the next book would be a character supplement along the lines of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, given the amount of Unearthed Arcana material that has been released over the past few months.

No hints have been released as yet, except the Explorer’s Pack; if that’s even a hint. Maybe it’s completely unrelated. Maybe the new book IS a character supplement. It could also be an adventure, and, if WERE an adventure, would it be shocking if it were a wilderness based story set in the wilds of the Sword Coast?
Who knows. Every guess is valid, at this point. Will it feature extraterrestrials from a distant moon seeking to take over the land (or is that not even a moon, but a space station!)? Impossible to rule anything out, though the moon thing is probably unlikely…

Once we hear something, we’ll let you know.