Wizards of the Coast has been scaling back its release schedule for Dungeons & Dragons as of late, ostensibly to focus on improving the quality its products. I have a feeling, however, that the change is meant, at least in part, to allow the company to build more integrated multimedia experiences around its D&D brand. Still, I count that as a good thing all around. It makes the game more engaging for potential new players, while existing players have a chance to more fully explore the latest options before moving on to the next.

The newest Dungeons & Dragons products take players to the city of Neverwinter, jewel of the north in the Forgotten Realms setting. Each product tells part of Neverwinter’s story of recovery from the brink of ruin. The Neverwinter Campaign Guide details the setting for the RPG, providing a gazetteer, adventure hooks, themes, domains, and racial variants, mostly aimed at the heroic tier. To go with this and the newest D&D Encounters season, which takes place in Neverwinter, are Neverwinter Fortune Cards. Heroes of Neverwinter is a Facebook game. And the legendary Drizzt Do’Urden visits Neverwinter in R.A. Salvatore’s latest novels, as well as in an upcoming comic and scenarios of the Legend of Drizzt board game.