In the canon of Dungeons & Dragons, there are a handful of characters that have been around since the fantasy tabletop role-playing game’s inception in the 1970s.
One such character is the human archmage Mordenkainen, a scholar of the arcane and a wizard who has traversed the multiverse. He’s met monsters and dragons and watched as close friends took dark paths toward evil in the search for godhood.
Because of his history, and the fact that he’s been around since Gary Gygax conceived the game, Mordenkainen plays tour guide in Adam Lee’s new book, “Dungeons & Dragons: Worlds & Realms Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerun and Beyond.” In it, readers are taken on a journey throughout the 11 featured worlds and planes featured in the book and rely on Mordenkainen’s own impressions of each. Lee will visit Village Books Friday, Nov. 1 to speak about the inspiration for the book, which goes on sale this week.
“He’s going to give you an overview of the world, but he’s also going to give you the major players, the battle between good and evil, the battle between law and chaos, and all the cool things that are going on in the world,” Lee said.
“Worlds & Realms” celebrates 50 years of D&D since its launch in 1974 by Gygax and co-creator Dave Arneson. Since then, the game has had many iterations as more game designers got involved.
Nowadays, it’s experiencing a renaissance of sorts. From appearing in the opening scene of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” to the popular D&D streams such as Critical Role and Dimension 20, the game has captured the hearts of a new generation of nerds.
Wizards of the Coast, the company that has owned D&D since 1997 and a subsidiary of Hasbro, made $1,457.6 million in 2023, according to financial reports from Hasbro. The company also estimates more than 50 million people have played D&D over the decades.
“It’s all the feelings,” Lee said of having the opportunity to be a part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. He also worked as a former D&D game designer and is described as a worldbuilding expert.
“It’s a great honor, it’s humbling, it’s terrifying,” Lee said. “My little kid is bewildered that I’m actually working on this game that I played when I was 11 years old.”
A different approach
Experienced players and their dungeon masters (those who orchestrate the storytelling for a campaign) are well aware of the D&D campaign guides that are published every few years describing new worlds, characters, races (elves, humans, dwarfs, etc.), classes (from classics like druids and fighters to the newer artificers and blood hunters), spells and magical items.
But Lee wanted to take a different approach when writing “Worlds & Realms.” He wanted to stay away from the encyclopedia entries about the 11 worlds and planes featured in the book. (Each plane is a universe with specific rules regarding gravity, geography, magic and morality.)
“I wanted to do something new that old players and new players had never seen before,” he said, “and then learn something about the world that they might not have known and some things I made up.”
Mordenkainen also serves as an unreliable narrator since over the 50 years, the game also has conflicting canon depending on the edition being played. Many debates have broken out over the pros and cons of the five editions of gameplay that have been published and the subsequent backstories of characters and worlds.
“It can be whatever you want it to be,” Lee said.
“Worlds & Realms” also celebrates the art style of D&D over the years. From the original pen and ink drawings to the vibrant digital fantasy creations of today, readers are treated to a variety of artwork and different interpretations of what worlds and characters look like.
Reflections on the real world through fantasy
While Greyhawk, the Shadowfell and the Nine Hells may seem the furthest thing from the real world, Lee said writing the book acted as a therapy for processing what’s happening at the moment in a time where a pivotal American election is playing out and the concern of climate change remains in people’s minds.
“I’m working out some of my stuff through this character who, in the game, is worried about the balance of the multiverse,” he said. “… Being concerned about what will happen to these worlds should chaos and evil take over or should absolute law take over.”
Lee said through Mordenkainen, a reader finds hope that different beings, real or otherwise, who have conflicting beliefs and ways of life, can get along and find balance despite the pulls of law and chaos, good and evil.
“He’s wrestling with it in a human way,” Lee said. “At the same time, he’s exalting the beauty of the average person and the beauty of the human spirit.”
Lee will appear at the Fairhaven bookstore at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 and said he’s happy to talk about people’s own D&D adventures. Tickets are on sale for $5. After the event, Cardhaven will run tabletop games at its store in McKenzie Alley.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
