D&D's Sourcebooks Are Shrinking, But The Forgotten Realms' Architect Just Cast A 'More Content' Spell
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Bloody hell, Ed Greenwood's cooking up something special with RealmsBound to fix D&D's shrinking sourcebook problem, promising a deep dive into the Forgotten Realms that feels like a true magical adventure for content-hungry DMs.
Right, so you know that feeling, don't you? That pure, unadulterated joy of walking out of a game store – supporting local commerce, naturally – with a brand-new, thick-as-a-brick Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook tucked under your arm. A tome promising endless adventures, obscure lore, and enough stat blocks to choke a dragon. For a good while there, mate, my mantra was 'more is better' when it came to these glorious guides. The thicker, the happier. Fair dinkum.
But lately, something feels... off. Like someone accidentally cast a 'Shrink Item' spell on our beloved tomes. Case in point? Wizards of the Coast's *Forge of the Artificer*, which seems to be leaning into the 'less is more' philosophy. And who better to weigh in on this than the digital wizard himself, Ed Greenwood – the bloke who quite literally built the Forgotten Realms? As uncovered in a fascinating chat with Polygon's Francesco Cacciatore (massive thanks to Polygon for digging into this, by the way!), Greenwood reckons this isn't just a modern blip; it's a corporate curse that harks back to D&D's earliest days.
Greenwood traces this 'thinning' trend right back to the old 'corporate' TSR era, after Gary Gygax’s initial free-wheeling days. Imagine the scene: Gygax just chucking whatever cool stuff he wanted into a book, because, well, he *could*. Then, the suits stepped in – specifically Brian and Melvin Blume. And according to Greenwood, the new corporate directive was clear: 'You should make the books a lot shorter, put a lot less in them to make people buy more.' Bloody hell, talk about a cynical spell! It’s less about enriching the player experience and more about... quarterly reports, eh? And if you look at *Forge of the Artificer* today, it’s hard to argue that mentality has vanished entirely. It’s a smaller supplement, designed to sit alongside *Eberron: Rising from the Last War*, rather than a full-fat meal.
Another major shift Greenwood points out, one I've definitely noticed myself, is the increasing prevalence of art over text. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good dragon illustration as much as the next gamer who accidentally summoned a demon lord in their living room. Art makes books pop on a shelf, draws the eye, and yes, it truly brings worlds to life. But as Greenwood sagely puts it, 'art is expensive — and text is cheap.' And for a 'greedy gamer' like me – and I reckon many of you out there – who's shelling out hard-earned cash, we want *maximum text*. We want the lore, the crunchy bits, the intricate details that let us truly *play* in these worlds. If I'm paying for it, I want everything in it, mate! Corporate thinking prioritises that shelf appeal, but often at the cost of the sprawling narrative and mechanical depth we crave.
So, what's a wizard to do when the official channels are shrinking? Well, if you’re Ed Greenwood, you cook up your own counter-spell! Enter **RealmsBound**, a massive, ambitious project designed to 'give back the Realms' to players. This isn't just a dabble; it’s a full-on commitment, promising a yearly collection of *four* regional sourcebooks, each focusing on a different corner of Toril. It’s a strategy that’s wonderfully, optimistically chaotic in its ambition, and completely at odds with the current 'less is more' trend. It’s like discovering a hidden library of forbidden texts after everyone else thought the only books left were instruction manuals for enchanted toasters.
RealmsBound aims to cover the vastness of the Forgotten Realms – or most of it, which is saying something! – through these regional deep dives. Forget just the Sword Coast (not that I don't love it, but come on, there's a whole world out there!), Greenwood and his team are casting their net far wider. Each year’s quartet of books isn't just a random assortment; it’s a thoughtfully structured expedition:
1. **A Regional Guide:** Your comprehensive overview, setting the scene. 2. **An Inn Sites book:** For all those juicy social encounters and memorable NPCs. Because sometimes, the most dangerous adventure is navigating a tavern full of suspicious characters. 3. **A Dungeon Delves book:** Self-explanatory, really. Time to get down and dirty in some subterranean horrors! 4. **An Adventures book:** From quick encounters to full-blown campaigns, ready to be dropped into your game.
This modular approach is brilliant. It means each area gets explored to its fullest potential without hitting those pesky single-book page count limits. Plus, for DMs like me who spend half their prep time flicking through indexes, having dedicated books for different types of content sounds like a literal godsend.
Greenwood touches on an interesting point: the beauty of the internet. Back in the day, you couldn't just 'put web enhancements or PDFs out there on the internet saying, ‘Here's the stuff that wouldn't fit.’' And he’s right, that's a powerful tool! While RealmsBound won’t *directly* leverage this for cut content just yet, it highlights a broader opportunity for TTRPG publishing. Contrast that with Wizards of the Coast’s recent *Adventures in Faerûn* and *Heroes of Faerûn* duology (due out in 2025), which came with underwhelming digital-only tie-ins like a Netheril adventure or one focused on Baldur's Gate 3’s Astarion. Now, I love a good thirst trap as much as the next gamer, but these didn’t meaningfully expand the main product. Imagine if WotC had used those digital avenues for *actual* cut content, battlemaps, or extra stat blocks. Talk about a missed opportunity to genuinely serve the players, rather than just provide a thin, thematic snack.
Even so, Greenwood isn’t entirely dismissive of Wizards’ work. He noted he was 'very pleased with what they came out with, considering how many pages they had to cram everything into that.' And that’s the rub, isn’t it? The 'corporate mentality' again: trying to squeeze an entire world into too few pages, focusing on popular areas like Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate (again, love 'em, but there's more to the Realms!) to maximize immediate sales. It’s the classic 'give them something now, so they’ll buy more later' strategy. Except, in this case, there often isn’t much 'more' on the horizon. Especially with official D&D’s 2026 slate currently looking like a blank scroll, RealmsBound is set to arrive in Q1 2026 at a rather opportune moment. It's stepping into a content vacuum with a promise of abundance.
But here’s the kicker, the bit that truly resonates with the chaotic good wizard in me: Greenwood’s vision for the Realms has always been collaborative. He said, 'The published Realms has always been a collaborative thing where gamers get together and play in a thing they love.' Even as the original architect, he understands that his creation has become a playground for millions. 'One of the things you have to do when you share your world with everybody is accept the fact that other people are going to have other takes on it,' he wisely observes. 'It's everybody looking at things differently and doing things differently. That is the richness of life, the thing we can all harness to make us all better.' That, mate, is the genuine spirit of TTRPGs right there. It’s not about absolute control; it’s about shared creativity and infinite possibilities.
So, while some might see D&D's current book trends as a disappointing regression, Ed Greenwood, the grand wizard of the Forgotten Realms, is busy proving that the well of creativity is far from dry. RealmsBound isn't just another product; it's a statement. It's a defiant roar that players deserve depth, detail, and true expansion, not just glossy art and thin promises. It’s a genuine attempt to put the 'fantasy' back into 'Forgotten Realms' and ensure our shelves remain happily burdened with tales untold. Get ready to dive deep, adventurers, because it looks like we’re finally getting the comprehensive lore dump we've been craving. And honestly, it's about bloody time.
Tags: D&D, TTRPG, Forgotten Realms, Ed Greenwood, Tabletop Gaming
Original article: Polygon