D&D’s Dragonlance reboot takes its inspiration from Saving Private Ryan, 1917

polygon.com:

Most games of Dungeons & Dragons feature a plucky band of adventurers trying to solve problems by themselves or with the help of a few key friends. Wizards of the Coast is changing that scope with the release of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, which is taking inspiration from war movies like Saving Private Ryan and 1917.

The 244-page hardcover campaign chronicles the early days of the War of the Lance from the 1980s Dragonlance setting, where the forces of the Dragon Queen Takhisis, also known as Tiamat, are marching against the knights of Solamnia.

“Dragonlance is really D&D’s setting for war, for massive conflicts, for these world-sweeping, world-changing battles,” D&D senior game designer Wes Schneider said during a Tuesday press conference. “The players are going to find themselves at the forefront of this battle in the defense of Solamnia against this evil wave of tyranny. It’s not just the fate of a town, it’s not just the fate of your pocket book. The fate of the entire world is really at stake in this.”

D&D principal art director Kate Irwin said she tried to bring that epic scale to life through the adventure’s art. Chapters open with double-page pieces often inspired by photos from World War I and World War II. For instance, an image of an adventuring party gathered around a captive red dragon is meant to be reminiscent of soldiers posing with a captured tank. Another shows the knights of Solamnia heading for war.

“This is the beginning of the conflict,” Irwin said. “They are leaving their home, heading off to an uncertain future, but knowing that they have to do what they have to do.”

The book will be sold alongside Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn, a cooperative board game from veteran wargame