What do you think when you hear the words “steampunk” and “Dungeons & Dragons” together? What about “noir” and “Dungeons & Dragons”? If your mind immediately goes to campaign ideas for high-stakes train heists, detective rogues with trench coats, and magical technology, then you’re going to love what’s happening on DMs Guild this month.
Alright, so reducing the setting of Eberron to “steampunk D&D” is disingenuous. Popular official material of the setting does outline the use of airships, prototype machine men, and a world broadly caught between medieval social systems and rapidly-developing tech powered by magic. It’s a wonderfully diverse world that breaks the bonds of standard fantasy stereotypes–orcs can be good guys, wizards can be cowboy-style wandslingers, and halfling barbarians make sense in the lore. And Eberron is only expanding its possibilities with recent DMs Guild releases.
The big news is that Eberron’s Oracle of War storyline is nearing its epic end. The campaign has been years in the making, taking players through humble beginnings as level one scavengers to level 20 heroes facing a prophecy of war. Adventures have been released once a month, with several delays due to the pandemic. There’s always the option to homebrew with the excellent Salvage Bases and Missions guidelines, but it’ll be nice to finally have a complete Eberron story to play through.
DMs Guild currently has the first 15 adventures for sale. 16 should be coming soon, but those who are caught up are in for a treat: Oracle of War 17-19 will make their debut at August 13th-15th’s D&D Virtual Play Weekend. Anyone can buy a ticket to play, but you should sign up soon - seats tend to fill very quickly.
Those wanting a full-on Eberron campaign right now should check out Dread Metrol: Into the Mists and Exploring Eberron. The first is a crossover with Ravenloft that brings horror to Eberron. The second is a huge expansion that fleshes out the deepest corners of the world, and offers players new races, subclasses, and powerful magic items. Hardcore Eberron fans have probably already scooped these up. But if you’ve been waiting, now’s a great time to give them a second look. Exploring Eberron is currently running a sale on its PDF/hardcover bundle.
But what if you happen to own all of this material, are already signed up to play 17-19, and still want more Eberron? StartPlaying happens to have two campaigns that will meet your needs. Evan’s Into the Reaches will take players on an epic journey that starts at level 2 and flexibly evolves with them. Keith Langley’s Korranberg Chronicle follows newspaper reporters who have a knack for getting into high-level danger. Both have seats available and welcome players of all experience levels.
