There has been a lot of official content from WotC for D&D since September.
Fancy running a campaign in the first layer of the nine hells of Baator? Then the big release of the year Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus is the campaign for you. For those of us that don’t want to visit there, or won’t do for a while because of current campaign commitments then this is still of use.
Apart from the campaign itself there is a gazetteer for Baldur’s Gate. Which is of use for any campaign in the Forgotten Realms, and for any homebrew campaign that needs a ready rolled city.
The part that really interests me is Appendix A: Diabolical Deals. It’s all about making a deal with the devil! It’s an interesting story element that I think can be used in many campaign settings. I like the idea of getting something awesome but at a heavy price, and the ramifications it could have further down the line. At some point that devil is going to want to cash in on the deal.
I like the new magic items and monster stats also in their own appendices. Although aimed at the campaign, I think they can be used outside of it.
Want to take on dragons? Then the reprints of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat in a single volume called Tyranny of Dragons has recently been released. Once again for those running their own campaigns the appendices with the extra monsters and magic items are of main interest.
Just about to hit the shelves of your FLGS is Eberron: Rising From the Last War. For me running a campaign in the Forgotten Realms may not be of much interest. Eberron is a new world completely, more a steampunk meets fantasy setting. I’m not sure yet how I could use this in my campaign at the moment.
Not only has there been the excellent D&D Essentials Kit with it’s Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure. Which is worth the price alone if you ask me. But as I have mentioned in my DM prep posts there is at least one quest I can use in my own campaign. And that is what I love about this adventure in the kit. It’s so easy to take any of the quests and drop them into a campaign. Plus you get the awesome colour map of that area of the Sword Coast the adventure is set in. But more importantly the player friendly map of Phandalin. Which makes a great town/village to repurpose in other campaigns.
Finally for fans of Rick and Morty there is the Dungeons & Dragons vs Rick and Morty: Tabletop Roleplaying Game Adventure Boxed Set landing on the shelves of your FLGS any day. A ‘one shot’ fun break from an existing campaign.
As you can see that’s a lot, and I’ve not mentioned the many spin off products official and by third parties such as minis etc. And if you can afford it (it’s not cheap) the official D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set!
I think apart from a couple of the above, the majority can be used as part of an existing campaign in some way. Or even spark ideas for a campaign.
I’ve already briefly talked about Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus and the bits I think I can potentially use in my campaign. But I also like the idea of some of the monsters escaping from Avernus to the Forgotten Realms causing havoc. Almost creating an adventure that is like an episode of Supernatural. Or having that Blood War spill over into the Forgotten Realm and draw in Angels with humanoid kind stuck in the middle. A bit like AvP, but done right ;)
Out of the campaign books I think that the Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus is the most use to myself and my homebrew campaign.
My mileage out of Tyranny of Dragons may vary, it certainly interests me. It’s just how much can I use in my campaign? I already have Hoondarrh, the Red Rage of Mintarn for my players to encounter. Could that develop into the party having to deal with Tiamat? Maybe have cultists from the Cult of the Dragons avenge/help Hoondarrh. I like the dragon mask idea.