This Redwall-style spin on D&D is everything I didn't know I needed
Feb. 15, 2024Humblewood is now on D&D Beyond
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When it comes to D&D, I’ve always felt that we’ve been missing something. A ‘cute anthropomorphic animal world like Redwall’ kind of something, to be precise.
Enter Humblewood, an original campaign setting using D&D rules.
I missed its original launch via crowdfunding a while back, and now that it’s available for the first time on D&D Beyond (you can get itfor $39.99for a limited time), I’mobsessed. This is basically Redwall or the Deptford Histories pasted over one of thebest tabletop RPGs. Cute birdfolk and woodland creatures? Check. A cozy countryside setting? Check. Swords, sorcery, and adventure? Double check.
Humblewood isn’t an oversized human world that’s zoomed in on the animals scurrying around its forests; it’s a place where human-sized creatures rule the literal roost. There are many species coexisting in the Wood and the capital city of Alderheart (from pigeon-folk and foxes to diminutive mice), but it’s not all peaceful. A calamitous, magical fire is spreading across the land, and it’s your job to stop it.
While there’s plenty to sink your teeth into when it comes to the campaign setting book featured on D&D Beyond, it isn’t the only Humblewood product out there. In fact, I fell down a rabbit hole researching all this and found plenty of adventures, extras, and even miniatures for printing on thebest 3D printers. You can find all these on the official Humblewoodwebsite, and I’ve lost more time than I’d like to admit “ooo” and “ahhh”-ing over it all.
I’m deadly serious when I say this is probably the setting I’ll be using when I eventually introduce my daughter to tabletop roleplaying games. I mean, that’s alongway off, but I’m a forever Dungeon Master – we love to plan ahead.
Either way, it’s looking to be a big year for fans of this kind of story. D&D’s sister franchise, Magic: The Gathering (which is arguably one of thebest card games) is launching its Bloomburrow set later this year. That takes a very similar approach in combining cute animal adventurers with classic fantasy.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
For more animal-friendly adventures, check outRoot– it’s one of thebest board gamesand one of the betterboard games for adultsif you love strategy.
Now is the best time to try the biggest D&D rival, Pathfinder
Fresh off Arcane season 2, Project K is a League of Legends trading card game, but it’s not just a physical version of Legends of Runeterra
Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand devs say Baldur’s Gate 3-style level caps help make games shorter, because not everybody has “time for 100-hour RPGs”
