A new edition of the 40 year-old role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons is on the way this summer. Now, this isn’t news to anyone following the world of gaming for the past few years. Wizards of the Coast announced plans for a new edition a good three years ago. But, today WOTC finally announced concrete dates and showed product images for the initial lineup.

WOTC will be releasing a new D&D product each month for 5 months to drive fans back to their local game stores, starting with a new Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set on July 15th (Thank you, WOTC. That’s my birthday!). This will be followed by the Players Handbook along with the first adventure Hoard of the Dragon Queen in August, the Monster Manual in September, the Rise of Tiamat adventure in October and finally the Dungeon Masters Guide in December.

Personally, I’m incredibly excited about the new edition and myself, along with some friends, are planning on jumping in. For them it will be their first experience with tabletop role-playing, but for me it will be a return to an old friend.

I was first introduced to D&D as a freshman in high school back in 1979. The game was a mere 5 years old at that point. There was an afterschool Dungeons and Dragons Club at my school and a classmate invited to come check it out. I was hooked instantly and played the game for years after that. But, life and other interests got in the way eventually and I stopped playing. It’s been since the mid-90s since I last played Dungeons and Dragons. So, a new edition on the horizon seemed like a perfect opportunity to go back.

I will certainly be picking up the Starter Set on July 15th and begin flexing my Dungeon Master muscles again! There be adventure and good times ahead!