If you played Dungeons & Dragons in the ’90s and early 2000s, the word Planescape likely stirs some strong memories inside you. For me, a player just barely into my teens among several much more experienced TTRPG fans, it was like a whole new game had been released inside this game I didn’t get to play nearly enough. The concept of a multiverse has existed in some form across short stories, novels, comic books, television and movies for almost a hundred years. But if you were to ask many of the creators of multiverse stories today where they found inspiration, there’s a good chance Planescape would be one of the top answers.
In its continued highly successful efforts to modernize some of what is now considered classic D&D, Wizards of the Coast has breathed new life into Planescape with a new campaign collection called Adventures in the Multiverse. After spending two weeks and one slightly rushed campaign in these new books, I feel it’s important to warn would-be owners of this collection: If you buy these books, they will consume what remains of your free time for quite a while.
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is a three-book collection in a box set complete with a DM screen, with a fairly standard $59 set or the $85 limited edition upgrade. Each set includes a ton of artwork by an incredible group of artists, as well as cover art by Tony DiTerlizzi, one of the original artists in the first release of Planescape.
The three books are broken out in a familiar fashion. Sigil and The Outlands explores the lore and physical spaces Planescape happens in; Morte’s Planar Parade offers in-depth looks at all of the creatures, monsters and characters you need to know; and Turn of Fortune’s Wheel is an adventure you can play within this setting. You need all three books to DM a Planescape game, but if you’re a player interested in learning or just staring at all of the very pretty pictures without story spoilers, the first two books in this series are a great read.
