Hey everyone,

We had a great first day here on Dragon Rider's Primer! Greetings to everyone who has jumped in to pledge. It's nice to have you here!

The first stretch goal is cleared: pterodactyls as an aerial menace. Let's keep the momentum going in day 2!

To kick things off for all you 5E fans, we have our first Storytime with Chris! Chris Lindsay, our head of 5E development, Chris Lindsay, worked at Wizards of the Coast for many years. We asked him to tell us some stories about working on D&D at WotC. Of course he has one related to aerial gaming. It's during the 4E era but we won't fault him too much for that (har har)...

Story Time with Chris: Temple of the Sky God

By Chris Lindsay

Starting with the 1981 Moldvay “Blue Box” and shortly thereafter transitioning to AD&D (1E), I’ve played nearly every edition of this glorious game over the course of 4+ decades of fandom. While I’ve enjoyed some versions more than others, 5E is, in my humble opinion, the best version of the game. All of that said, my first experience with mounted aerial combat occurred during an in-house playthrough (at Wizards of the Coast) of the 4E Lair Assault: Temple of the Sky God.

Setting aside the fact that 4E is far from my favorite edition of D&D, this play experience opened my imagination to the concept of tactical play in three dimensions, and specifically in the context of a tabletop rpg. It’s safe to say that not every player (or even the GM) was accustomed to visualizing their game with that level of complexity, which in large part contributed to my character’s success in the course of the scenario. Even when the map flipped and the challenge level skyrocketed, I could use the aerial terrain (mostly floating rocks and such) to my advantage. and the level of immersion I experienced was altogether unprecedented, and thoroughly awesome.

So… here I am… 15 years older and chasing the dream that you can have the same amount (or more) fun with this style of play as I plan to. I would encourage all y’all to not miss out on this glorious opportunity to get everything you need to play your game in three dimensions, and who knows? Perhaps, sometime, I’ll see you in the sky!