Everything old is new again! This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, and it also marks the release of the new core rulebooks for the game. In updating the rulesets for the first time in 10 years, Wizards of the Coast has also decided to return to D&D‘sroots, choosing Greyhawk as the primary campaign setting for its new Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Greyhawk is a fictional world that is one of the very first campaign settings for Dungeons & Dragons, located on the planet called Oerth. It’s a creation of D&D creator Gary Gygax and has seen many adventures set within its environs throughout the years. Greyhawk was largely discontinued as a campaign setting after the 3rd edition ruleset, but now with the 50th anniversary, it has been revived.
What Is the Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection?
Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection is a standalone Map Vault from Beadle & Grimm’s, with full-color realizations of the black and white maps in the appendix of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. It also comes with 2 canvas area maps and a DM screen tailored to the Greyhawk campaign setting. The Premium Map Collection is available from the Beadle & Grimm’s webstore and retails for $160 but is currently discounted for preorder for $144. It is due to ship in December.
Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection Components
The Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection comes in a sturdy box that features a magnetic closing panel and will fit on a bookshelf. There’s even a nice little surprise inside, once you take out all of the contents:
DM Screen
Beadle & Grimm’s has assembled a 4-panel Dungeon Master screen tailor-made for the Greyhawk setting. On the player’s side it of course features more of the gorgeous artwork from the Dungeon Master’s Guide:
The interior of the screen has reference tables filled with Greyhawk details such as the gods of the realm, the calendar, the geography of the land, and names of important NPCs.
Here’s a closer look at the panels:
Canvas Area Maps
The two included area maps are each 21″ x 30″, and printed on spill-resistant canvas. There is a map of the city of Greyhawk:
As well as a map of Eastern Oerik, part of the largest continent on Oerth:
Here’s a closer look at part of Eastern Oerik, to see the detail on the canvas:
Battle Maps
There are 30 battle maps included in the Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection, printed on double-sided, thick laminated stock. While the original monochrome maps are to be found in the appendix of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, the ones included in this collection are beautiful full-color reworkings of those maps, done by Moonlight Maps, The Voyager’s Workshop, and Stinky Goblin. All of the maps have a grid overlay with 1″ squares for encounters.
Barrow Crypt – 2 maps
Dragon’s Lair – 2 maps
Dungeon Hideout – 3 maps
Mine – 4 maps
Underdark Warrens – 2 maps
Volcanic Caves – 2 maps
Caravan Encampment – 1 map
Farmstead – 1 map
Frontier Keep – 2 maps
Manor – 3 maps
Roadside Inn/Tavern – 2 maps
Ship – 1 map
Spooky House – 3 maps
Wizard’s Tower – 2 maps
Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection – The Verdict
Beadle & Grimm’s always delivers on TTRPG products that enhance the gameplay for both the players and the DM, and this certainly continues with the Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection. If you’re building a campaign set in Greyhawk, you’ve got a fantastic set of resources all in one box.
I’m a big fan of the canvas maps, which have also appeared in some of the other Beadle & Grimm’s sets such as the Legendary Edition of Phandelver & Below: The Shattered Obelisk. They look great both on the game table and can also be mounted on the wall in your game room or office.
I appreciate that the DM screen has 4 panels. The extra real estate allowed Beadle & Grimm’s to include much more information on the screen for use by the Dungeon Master and also helps conceal a larger bit of table real estate from the players. Now, if only they could figure out a way to make the print larger as well, for us old-school DMs with aging vision!
The battle maps are printed on a satisfyingly thick paper stock, allowing you to unfold them and have them still lay mostly flat on the table without assistance. The color artwork is a significant upgrade from the monochrome images in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and it brings a lot of atmosphere to your game table. And while the DM screen and canvas poster maps are specifically for Greyhawk, these battle maps can be used for encounters in almost any setting.
At the risk of repeating myself from previous Beadle & Grimm’s reviews, the Dungeon Master’s Guide: Premium Map Collection is an excellent addition to a DM’s toolkit. A lot of care has been put into the presentation, and the quality of the maps really shows on the table. You will get your maximum value from the box if you’re planning a Greyhawk campaign, but the bulk of the map vault, the 30 battle maps, will always be of use no matter what campaign you run. And speaking from experience, as a DM it’s fantastic to be able to put a nicely illustrated map down on the table for players, instead of staining your fingers black by hastily drawing one on a dry-erase grid.
For more information or to make a purchase, visit the Beadle & Grimm’s webstore!
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Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
