The new collectible Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook cover, revealed
When the revised 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons becomes available on Sept. 17, the world will finally get a taste of the seminal role-playing game’s upgraded mechanics. But D&D’s most dedicated fans will likely have a head start. The Player’s Handbook (2024), including a version with a special alternate art cover, hits brick-and-mortar shelves first on Sept. 3.
Polygon can now reveal the collectible’s cover art for the very first time.
Illustrated by Wylie Beckert, the alt art cover of the Player’s Handbook (2024)features a party comprised of D&D’s four iconic classes — the fighter, the wizard, the cleric, and the rogue — all gathered around a friendly gold dragon, sharing tea. This gentle scene stands in stark contrast to the mainline Player’s Handbook (2024), whichwill have a bright, bold cover by Tyler Jacobsen with similar characters posed in the moments before striking a blow.
“We liked the idea of making the alt cover something that has a sweeter, calmer version of that,” said Wizards’ head of art, Josh Herman, in a video interview with Polygon. “Something that’s not so aggressive, [with] combat [and] fighting right away. That’s certainly a [...] huge pillar of D&D, but sometimes a lot of what D&D is, is just storytelling.”
“I kind of wanted a coffee table book,” Herman continued, “but a book where I would sit and relax in that sort of hygge way, where you can relax and just cozy up and read something.”
Fans will likely recognize Beckert’s style from the alternate art cover of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, which was released in 2020. The artist, who works in ink and watercolors as well as with oils and powdered graphite, was Herman’s first choice for the project. He praised both the softness of her textures as well as the motion in her composition. You can see it first in the momentum of the smoke over Tasha’s cauldron, and in the movement of her arms.
On the Player’s Handbook (2024), Beckert’s prowess and style are expressed through the sinewy curves
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