A secret Rebel crew is getting ready to take on the Empire around a tabletop near you. Wizards of the Coast and Lucasfilm have revealed the first two Star Wars books for Dungeons & Dragons, D&D | Star Wars, Tyro Squadron: Adventures and D&D | Star Wars Core Rules, both arriving in 2027. The reveal came during the Disney and Lucasfilm publishing panel at New York Comic Con on October 9, where select artwork was also shown, including the cover of the adventure book.
The Dungeons & Dragons account followed up with the announcement on X shortly after the panel. Check it out below:
A Rebel Crew In The Original Trilogy
The first adventure is set in the most iconic era of the saga, the years of the Galactic Civil War between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. In Wizards' own words, "In D&D | Star Wars, Tyro Squadron: Adventures, take the fight to the Empire as part of a secret Rebel crew. Set during the Original Trilogy, these new stories unfold as Luke and Leia fight their own battles across the galaxy." Players will fly daring missions, visit new corners of the galaxy, and help shape the Rebellion's story in their own way.
Running the party's story alongside the films is a smart way to handle such a well known stretch of the timeline. Luke, Leia, and the rest of the heroes are busy with the battles fans already know, which leaves room for a new crew to run its own operations against the Empire. With "squadron" right there in the title and daring missions in the description, starship combat looks like it will play a big part in the campaign.
The cover leans fully into that era, showing armed Rebel heroes, stormtroopers, a droid, and Darth Vader looming over them. Among the artists working on the books are Amir Zand, the sci-fi illustrator behind work in the Halo Encyclopedia and the box art for Dune: Imperium, and Kieran Yanner, a longtime Magic: The Gathering artist. Pieces from both were part of the reveal.
Groups who would rather tell their own story somewhere else in the galaxy are still free to do that. The adventure book offers a ready-made campaign for anyone who wants to start playing in the Rebellion era right away.
A Rulebook Built For The Galaxy
D&D | Star Wars Core Rules will be the main rules set for playing fifth edition D&D in the Star Wars universe. That gives the galaxy far, far away its own core rulebook, which is a different approach from the first D&D crossover, Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft, a gameplay expansion that builds on the revised 2024 Player's Handbook. Wizards has not said yet how the Force, lightsabers, blasters, or classes will work, and more details on the Core Rules are coming later.
The next look is already scheduled. Wizards confirmed a starfighter encounter for Star Wars Celebration, which runs April 1 to 4, 2027, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Celebration is marking the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars film next year, so a game set in the era of that first movie fits right in at the show.
Wizards senior game designer Makenzie De Armas also shared her excitement about the project on X, writing "I'm so proud of the entire team behind D&D | Star Wars. I've never had so much genuine fun, joy, and catharsis working on a project. More soon!" She added a line any prequel fan will recognize: "This is where the fun begins."
Star Wars Returns To Tabletop Roleplaying
Star Wars has one of the richest histories of any sci-fi franchise in tabletop roleplaying. West End Games launched Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game in 1987 using the d6 system. Wizards picked up the license in 2000 for a d20 game that ran until 2010, including the well loved Saga Edition, which makes this the company's second time publishing a Star Wars RPG.
Fantasy Flight Games was next, splitting the galaxy into three lines with Edge of the Empire for smugglers and scoundrels, Age of Rebellion for the war against the Empire, and Force and Destiny for Force users, all using its Narrative Dice System. That line moved to Edge Studio in 2020 and has stayed in print without any new books since then.
The Star Wars books are part of D&D Universes Beyond, a crossover line Wizards announced during its D&D Vision Keynote at Gen Con on July 30, borrowing the name from the Universes Beyond sets Magic: The Gathering has released since 2021. At Gen Con, Wizards confirmed the Star Wars collaboration for the Season of Rebellion in 2027. The line begins this year with Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft, made with Blizzard Entertainment, which releases November 17.
Wizards has not announced exact release dates, prices, or preorders for either Star Wars book yet, and 2027 is the only window confirmed so far. More should be revealed around Star Wars Celebration in April.
Would you rather roll up a scrappy smuggler or pilot for the Rebellion, or are you holding out to see how the Core Rules handle Force users and lightsabers?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.