Magic: The Gatheringhas finally crossed over with its sister seriesDungeons and Dragonsin the form of theAdventures in the Forgotten Realmsset. However, according to headMagic: The Gatheringdesigner Mark Rosewater, this first major crossover came close to missing out on the flavor ofDungeons and Dragons.
According to Rosewater at theMagic: The Gathering’s San Diego Comic-Con @ Home 2021 panel, which was shared to the official Comic-Con International YouTube page as a nearly 40-minute-long video titled “Magic: The Gathering Panel with Mark Rosewater | Comic-Con@Home 2021,“Dungeons and DragonsandMagic: The Gatheringhave had a very distant relationship for a long time. Reportedly, the two properties have been kept at arms' length from each other because Wizards of the Coast didn’t want fans to get the two fantasy series confused. This decision caused some trouble when figuring out themechanics for the newDungeons and Dragons/Forgotten Realmscrossover set.
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The reluctance to “cross the streams” kept theMagicteam distant even asDungeons and Dragonsbegan incorporating small nods to the other franchise over the years, but things eventually came to a head withAdventures in the Forgotten Realms. After the developers felt that initial attempts to craft aMagic/Dungeons and Dragonscrossover ended up too similar to existingMagic: The Gatheringsets, theMagicteam finally went to theDungeons and Dragonsteam for help building the series' first major crossover. As a result,Adventures in the Forgotten Realmsdoesn’t just incorporate iconicDungeons and Dragonscharacters–it features some experimental mechanics designed to bring in as many of the famous trappings ofDungeons and Dragonsas possible.
Some of these early attempts led toexperimentalMagic/Dungeons and Dragonscardsframed as if a Dungeon Master was establishing a scenario for an adventuring party, while others offer enchantments that allowed players to adopt aDungeons and Dragonsclass that they could level up to gain themed abilities. Some cards even called on players to perform some of the most iconic, primal acts ofDungeons and Dragons, like rolling a D20. However, in playtesting it appeared that players didn’t care if the set played likeMagic: The Gatheringas long as it felt likeDungeons and Dragons.
The adventurous and often amoral feel ofDungeons and Dragonsis iconic, having gone on to form the basis of many other tabletop games, video games, books, and more. The cast oftheIcewind Daletrilogy, including Drizzt Do’Urden, are featured inAdventures in the Forgotten Realms. WhileMagic: The Gatheringappears to have had slightly less of a cultural impact, this crossover may be the beginning of a larger splash for the franchise.
Magic: The Gatheringis available now in-game shops and digitally throughMagic Arena.
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