Taking place from August 21st to 22nd, the event is presented by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, in collaboration with AEG Presents, and will feature live gameplay, panels, traders and more.

The expo kicks off on the Friday with a headline performance from the High Rollers, who will present a live one-shot adventure on stage. A full programme of panels and Q&As will also run throughout the day.

On the Saturday, The O2 will host a Live Actual Play, featuring some of the biggest names in D&D and voice actors behind Baldur’s Gate 3. This includes Samantha Béart (Baldur’s Gate 3), Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3), Devora Wilde (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Theo Solomon.

Actual Play shows bring the game to life for audiences, combining improvised storytelling, character performance and ‘dice-rolling drama’.

Generale sale is available from Friday March 6th at 10am at www.dndfanexpo.com.

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Well, that’s one of the things that caught my eye at New York Toy Fair: your extraordinary line of licensed CATAN products… How did they come about?
I ended up meeting Guido Teuber, CEO of CATAN, who’s one of the sons of CATAN’s inventor, Klaus Teuber. Guido and I had a great conversation about a number of things… It turns out he’d had some bad experiences with Kickstarter in the past, with people who said they were going to launch stuff but then couldn’t do it. So when I proposed we do some CATAN products, I promised him that I’d make one of everything and show them to him before we did the actual Kickstarter.

Wow! That’s a significant commitment!
And a huge investment! I also said – as someone who has my own brand, one that I’m going to leave to my kids – that I will treat his family’s brand the way I treat my family’s brand. In other words, when you’re working with me, you’re not working with a faceless corporation… You’ll be working with a person who takes responsibility. And now, I’m thrilled to say the two of us have developed a really nice friendship. We really like working together and are both pleased with the CATAN Masterpiece series. The only thing I wish I’d done a little differently is rein in some scope creep – because I get excited.

I want to hear more about your own brand shortly; for now, you said “Scope creep…”?!
Ha! Yes, by scope creep, I mean that we agreed that we’d do a certain size Kickstarter. But then somebody said, “What about making it for five to six players? You don’t have an expansion set yet…” And I thought that was a great idea. So in the middle of the Kickstarter, I added a lot of SKUs! Then I got thinking about something Guido said to me: that we couldn’t touch anything with language on it because it gets translated – and that complicates things for their other partners.

So I knew that I couldn’t do anything with the words and, technically speaking, the cards. But I really wanted to do a nice version of the CATAN cards, so I came up with the idea of doing metal cards without any words on them… This was about halfway through the Kickstarter! I was so in love with the idea that we added it in as an unlock. It did great, but by the time we were done, there were 70 different SKUs in the Kickstarter.

And obviously, CATAN just turned 30 so now is an especially good time for this. What do you think it is about that brand that makes it exceptional, Neal?
I’ve thought a lot about this. I think – for many tabletop players – CATAN was the gateway to hobby. When I talk to people, most of them top off at Monopoly, or they’re going after these $100 really hardcore games in their local store… But if they didn’t get into tabletop through those $100 games, they went through the path of CATAN. On top of that, it’s an innovative game… And people just love it! They have great memories of it; it holds a special place in their hearts because it opened their eyes to what board games can be.

Great answer. How did you come to be doing this, Neal? What’s your background?
I started off at Procter and Gamble – and I hated it! I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to spend my life doing because I’m just like a big kid… All I wanted to do was make toys and make people happy. But back then, Hasbro would only hire you if you had a master’s degrees. So – with the sole aim of wanting to make toys for Hasbro – I went back into education and got a master’s degree…

That’s amazing! When was this, roughly?
I got a job with them in 2005. I stayed there six years, working on GI Joe and Transformers vehicles. Then, my wife – whom I met at Procter and Gamble – got promoted back to Cincinnati, so I had to leave Hasbro. I was devastated because that really was my dream job… But I left the job – and I still have the wife, which is good! After that, I started doing some jobs that were outside toys. I didn’t love them!

Now, just for background, I should say that my wife is Catholic, and I’m Jewish. So one day – about 14 or 15 years ago – my son was with me in a store… He ran up to me with an Elf on the Shelf and said, “Daddy, can I have an Elf on the Shelf?” And I was like, “No, man… You’re Jewish! You can have a mensch on a bench…”

A mensch on a bench! Ha!
So I then created – ha! – the brand: Mensch on a Bench. I went on Shark Tank with that, which is what you guys called Dragon’s Den… And I got a deal! We’ve since gone on to be the most publicised brand ever to come out of Shark Tank. People love talking about Mensch on a Bench! We play into the holidays, obviously, and that gives us another bite of the apple every year. I’ve expanded it by introducing one new character a year; there are now ten in the line. We’ve probably sold over $5,000,000 worth of toys there.

And when were you on Shark Tank?
That’s about ten years ago; 2014. I now run it from my house… It’s just me. I have no employees; I do it for fun. But at some point, I realised I’m only putting out one item a year. I’m not working very hard – and I’m young enough that I have it in me to step up and do it again. Around that time, I had the opportunity to buy a company called Metallic Dice Games. They focused on tabletop products, mostly in Dungeons & Dragons, and had seen an opportunity to make metal dice…

Which – to be clear – was unusual?
Right. Everyone else was doing resin and other materials. They were the first to market with metal. They expanded into metal dice trays and towers, and eventually other materials. They really became known for high-quality products and great customer service. The business had grown to a couple of million dollars, and the owner had taken it about as far as he could…

So that was really a perfect situation for me to come into. With my background of storytelling and brand building, and my connections with Hasbro and Shark Tank, I knew I could open a few doors. So I ended up a partner and bought the company.

Who was originally behind Metallic Dice Games?
It was guy called Adam Hackett and his two cousins. Adam stayed on after I bought the business; he runs product. And actually, a lot of the family that worked for the company are still on board. Now we focus on bringing innovation to the tabletop as well as brands.

What an extraordinary way to end up running your own business! How did you transition into early licenses, Neal?
We started off with some smaller licenses – Pathfinder and Kobold Press – to prove what Fanroll could do. We also rebranded Metallic Dice Games as Fanroll, then we got Invincible and Walking Dead. After that, we got, Hasbro and Avalon Hill – who do Hero Quest – with the goal of eventually getting to Dungeons & Dragons. As it happens, we ended up – through a combination of good products and good relationships – getting Dungeons & Dragons and CATAN much earlier than I thought we would.

Good answers. And let me ask you this… In terms of giving the reader a better insight into what the CATAN Masterpiece Series, what was your basic pitch to Guido?
We started off by making really lovely inclusion dice and metal sets. You’ll find these store right now. This is a gemstone robber. It looks like metal, but it’s actually hematite; and these are really heavy metal dice… So we started off with that, then had a conversation asking: what if we took this approach of upgrading to every single element of the board? And we broke down every element and carried on asking “What if…”, “What if your ocean tiles on the were sparkly outside?”, “What if they were wood?”, “What if your tiles were gemstones?”

And some of that fell away, and some of it stayed?
Exactly. So at our top level, we do have gemstone tiles! Then, “What if the number buttons fit right inside and nested together? What if we made them hex shaped?” For the settlements and cities, we ended up going beyond different colours so that you can play with civilisations: Egyptians, Incas, the Greeks… We started with four civilisations but – and this is on me – ended up with six.

This would be your scope creep!
It would! And on that, we asked, “What if we did them not only in plastic, but also, for those that really want to collect, in metal as well?” So what you’ll find is that we chose to offer different options in terms of both colour and material. For example, we did robbers in resin, metal and gemstone – then we did cards, too.

And these components are all available individually, are they not? I can’t come to you and buy the ultimate, super-deluxe CATAN?
That’s a great question! But no… Because what Guido told me was that they have partners that make the games so we wouldn’t be able to make an entire, ready-to-go game because it would take sales away from someone else. So what we do isn’t available in one box, but we are giving people the opportunity to upgrade their current CATAN game to whatever degree they like.

Well, that’s very even minded. What’s next for you, Neal?
A lot of the stuff we’ve been planning is going to be ready this fall… We have, eight new products coming out; maybe a few more. I’m really excited about them! What we’ve got to do immediately is fulfil the Kickstarter. We’re going to moulds and doing the final packaging right now. Unlike other Kickstarters, we’re doing really high-end packaging…

From there, we’re going to bring the best three or four items to retail. There are 70 in the line, but we’ll have the most approachable available for the everyday player. After that, we’ll really be doubling down on Dungeons & Dragons. We have some really cool blind-pack concepts coming out later this year. We also have the holy grail of dice! Nobody has ever figured out how you make an individual die collectible… But we’re doing a line of oversized D20s called Fizban’s Treasury; themed to Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons… Each die is correlated to a specific dragon. So you’re not only collecting dice but also collecting dragons.

And you have Dungeons & Dragons dice currently, do you not?
Yes, some have come out this year; liquid-core Dungeons & Dragons dice. We also have our Beholder’s Orb of Possibility… It’s an automatic dice spinner; you press that button – it’s electronic – and it whips the silicone die around inside! It’s crazy bouncy! Something else currently on the market in D&D is our signature series. That takes the best artwork from the ’70s and ’80s and puts it on dice towers and dice trays.

Oh, these are amazing! The quality’s great!
Thank you – this is one area where licensing with people like the D&D team really pushes you to be better. They care so much about their brand and the details. Hats off to them!

Presumably, this is why you needed to rebrand, Neal? Because you want your range to be larger and more diverse?
Exactly right. Fanroll can cater to anything with a fandom… We still make dice, but I’ve been in the toy industry for 20 years now. I can make dice, I can make plush, I can make games… I can come up with whole new concepts and ideas.
If we imagine something ‘out there’, we have the knowledge base to make it.

Fantastic. Well, this has been terrific, Neal. You’re obviously a huge fan of these brands; your passion comes through in everything you do!
Absolutely, Deej. I’m a collector; I’m a pop-culture guy; I’m a comic-book guy! So thank you… I love putting in extra details so that – when someone sees something I’ve made – it blows their minds. I love it!

I hope you’ll keep us posted on your new releases when they’re ready. Thanks for joining us.

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The two-day symposium aims to help D&D players to become ‘confident, creative, career-ready Dungeon Masters.’

The first event will be hosted at Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University in January 2026 and will focus on four tracks: Skill Building, Campaign Building, World Building and Career Building.

“Dungeon Master University is more than a workshop – it’s a chance to level up your storytelling, whether you’re a veteran DM or taking your first go behind the screen,” said Greg Bilsland, Executive Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.

“DMing is one of the most creative and rewarding ways to engage with D&D, and DMU gives you tools, the community, and the inspiration to grow your skills. We’re proud to support that journey alongside Tabletop Vacations.”

Tara Rout, Co-Founder of Tabletop Vacations, added: “For years, we’ve brought unforgettable D&D experiences to castles across Europe. DMU is the next evolution – an intensive, high-quality symposium crafted to build mastery and community among aspiring DMs.”

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The D&D-inspired Miraball Surprise toy line will debut in Q2 2025.

Each blind-packed Miraball Surprise features a surprise maxi plush expanding from 2¾ inches to 4 ¾”. Collectors will also find three stickers and a leaflet.

The Miraball Surprise has sold over 2.5 million units within the first few months, is available in 40 countries and featured in more than 20,000 retail locations worldwide.

“D&D has captivated generations, and we’re delighted to expand our relationship with Hasbro to bring its magic to the Miraball Surprise line,” said Julian Jacob, CEO of Wyncor.

“This collaboration blends imagination, affordability, and innovation, creating a one-of-a-kind collectible experience for fans of all ages.”

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The album was created by composer Michael Gatt in celebration of the 50th anniversary of D&D and features 12 original tracks – each designed to evoke locations within the Forgotten Realms

It will be available in fall 2024 in vinyl, Dolby Atmos and digital formats.

The physical album release will feature a double vinyl (180g, gatefold) that boasts artwork and bespoke designs by renowned agency, TBWA\Chiat\Day.

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Forming part of its Dragon’s Milk line, the limited edition D20 Brew Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout and Origin Mead Cask Bourbon Whiskey will launch in November. A merchandise pre-sale including limited wearables and glassware is live now at dragonsmilk.com/dnd.

“Brewed with the same passion that fuels D&D adventures, Dragon’s Milk has a nationally renowned reputation as a bold, legendary beverage,” said Brett Vanderkamp, CEO and founder of New Holland Brewing Company.

“Not only does our work with Hasbro allow us to honour D&D’s 50-year history, but it also underscores our shared values of creating savoured moments and forging lasting friendships.”

Jess Lanzillo, Head of D&D Product and Franchise at Wizards of the Coast, added: “D&D isn’t just a game – it’s this amazing community that’s all about bringing fantasy and wonder to life, whether that’s in living rooms, backyards, or wherever folks want to play.

“We’re super excited to be teaming up with New Holland for D&D’s big anniversary. Together, we’re building on what makes D&D so cool – bringing people together through the shared experience of adventure.”

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The stamps have been illustrated by British artist Wayne Reynolds, with 11 images being specially commissioned for this set. Reynolds has produced illustrations for D&D games, handbooks and guides for more than 20 years.

The main set of eight stamps features a selection of monsters from the game: Red Dragon, Owlbear, Vecna, Gelatinous Cube, Mind Flayer, Mimic, Displacer Beast and Beholder. When an ultraviolet light is shone over the stamps in the main set, a special surprise will be revealed.

Four stamps show the D&D ampersand logo, while the other four show a graphic that is relevant to the monster featured on the stamp. Each of these four fluorescent graphics was created for the 50th anniversary.

A further six stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, depict images of a party of adventuring heroes that might be played in the game, including Tiefling Rogue, Human Bard, Halfling Cleric, Elf Fighter, Dwarf Paladin and Dragonborn Wizard.

“For 50 years, Dungeons & Dragons has enabled millions of fans across the world to enjoy using their imaginations and immersing themselves in a magical world,” said David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy at Royal Mail.

“We are delighted that this creative and exciting role-playing game is celebrated using Britain’s Wayne Reynolds’ unique illustrations.”

Dan Rawson, Global Play Lead for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast, added: “Building on Hasbro’s existing work with Royal Mail, we’re honoured to release this beautiful collection of stamps, officially approved by HM King Charles III, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game.

“With stunning art from long-time D&D artist Wayne Reynolds showcasing our adventuring heroes and fearsome creatures, we’re sure these items will be treasured by D&D fans and stamp collectors alike.”

Artist Wayne Reynolds said: “Being asked to design the D&D stamps for Royal Mail was a massive honour for me. As a British artist it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to contribute artwork that I’d created as a long-running D&D fantasy artist to something I consider to be an iconic institution. I get the opportunity to see my artwork on stamp!”

The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from today at www.royalmail.com/dnd and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 14 stamps is priced at £24.40. The stamps go on general sale on July 25th.

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The set has been designed in collaboration with Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast and Daniel Quasar, the creator of the Progress Pride flag. A limited run of only 1,500 units has been made, celebrating diversity, inclusion, and progress within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

For every dice set sold, $30 will be donated directly to The Trevor Project.

“Playing tabletop RPGs has changed my life significantly so getting to experience them from a different perspective has been amazing,” said Daniel Quasar, creator of the Progress Pride Flag.

“My hope with this dice set is that LGBTQ+ players will feel seen, represented and proud as they roll, knowing that someone on the inside is just like them and just as excited to play.”

Dan Rawson, Senior Vice President and General Manager for D&D at Wizards of the Coast, added: “For 50 years, Dungeons & Dragons has cultivated a strong sense of community, welcoming players who share a common enthusiasm and love for roleplaying and tabletop gaming,

“As inclusivity is an integral part of this iconic fandom, we are honoured to work with partners and organisations that mirror our core values of inspiring creativity, forging friendships, and fostering communities that are representative of its fans.”

Tina Trenkler, Co-Owner at Sirius Dice, continued: “Our partnership with Daniel Quasar and the creation of the Progress Pride Dice Set reflect our commitment to fostering inclusivity and supporting organisations that champion the well-being of LGBTQ+ young people.”

For more information on the Progress Pride Dice Set visit https://siriusdice.com/pages/dnd-progress-pride-dice-set-limited-edition.

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While we’re most known for our popular collectible miniatures game HeroClix, we design and develop a variety of tabletop games, high-quality collectable miniatures, life-size foam replicas, resin statues, book accessories and more… We bring famed monsters and characters to life in physical form.

This year sees D&D celebrate its 50th anniversary – and WizKids has new launches tied to the occasion! Can you talk us through the highlights of this line?
Absolutely! We are happy to announce a series of exciting releases this year, celebrating 50 years of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Our line-up spans a variety of product categories, including pre-painted miniatures, unpainted miniatures, plush toys, foam replicas, statues, action figures and more. There’s something for everyone across all price points.

“Most members of the RPG team at WizKids are seasoned D&D players.”

One of the many highlight releases is our 50th Anniversary pre-painted collectible miniatures set. This set pays homage to the rich history of D&D by including a collection of classic creatures and characters drawn from both 1st and 5th edition illustrations. In fact, this release marks the first time that several of these monsters are depicted in colour.

Amazing!
Right!? Working on this set has been an awesome experience for our entire team, which is comprised of all ages and experience levels. This set includes 10 secret rare miniatures and is scheduled for release this July at local game stores.

The miniatures are super impressive. Can you shed light on the design process here? What’s the key to authentically bringing these characters to life in this way?
Thank you! Once we identify which character or set piece we would like to bring to life, we begin with ideation. We typically start with original D&D artwork provided by Wizards of Coast. When specific artwork isn’t available, we may have a concept artists create preliminary sketches for us.

After establishing a vision of what the character could look like, we move on to 3D sculpting. This process continues until we feel all the little details are incorporated to bring the characters – and monsters – to life. Wizards then reviews our sculpt and once approved, we proceed to tooling and production.

Focusing on one mini for a moment: the Red Dragon, as depicted on the 1977 D&D Basic Set. Why did this stand out as a great character – and version of this character – to include in your anniversary line?
Dragons are of significant importance in the world of D&D, and we have taken great pride in creating and releasing very exciting 3D dragons over the past few years. From Bahamut to Tiamat, each dragon has a unique story to tell. The classic red dragon is no exception – it’s iconic: the beast among monsters, the tyrant among kings, the dragon among dragons.

We wanted to ensure our 3D version translated well when compared to the 2D version. We homed in on the classic art style with smaller wings and an expressive face. And, of course, made sure the dragon sits atop a pile gold coins!

Of course! Now, what makes D&D an exciting IP to build product around?
Most members of the RPG team at WizKids are seasoned D&D players, with some having played the game since its earliest editions. Some even played with their parents; it’s very multi-generational over here! Although D&D utilises ‘theatre of the mind’ for gameplay, we are thrilled to bring the beloved characters and creatures of the D&D universe to life in physical form.

Another line that jumped out are your Replicas of the Realms Trophy Plaques. It must be a lot of fun creating these kinds of ‘left field’ product launches that resonate with fans. How did these come about?
I mean, who doesn’t want a dragon head hanging on their wall in their game room?! This is the fun part of the job, where we brainstorm and dream up new ideas for interesting products. If our team values the idea and it’s something we would purchase as consumers of these types of products, we feel our customers would likely be interested as well. It is more than just a passion project though. We gather feedback from our distribution and retail partners which helps us establish that there truly is a demand for it.

Sara, this has been great. I have one last question: why do you feel D&D has continued to grow and thrive across the past 50 years?
So many of our friends and family have grown up with D&D, and they now get to share their love of the franchise with their children. As I mentioned previously, it’s truly generational. The expansion of social media and live streaming has made it more accessible than ever. Watching a group of players experience the game in interesting ways can be quite fun and addicting. I believe it will continue to captivate multiple generations to come.

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This year sees DUNGEONS & DRAGONS celebrate its 50th anniversary. What makes D&D an exciting IP to build product around?
For a dice company, D&D is the ideal IP. Play is done with dice and D&D fans love to display the tools of their trade. We feel so honoured that we have been chosen to represent such an integral part of the IP.

Dice is a category that I imagine doesn’t get the credit it deserves in terms of the quality and design-thinking that goes into your products. Can you tell us a little bit about how you authentically translated D&D into dice?
We like to say that many companies bring dice to D&D, but we’re bringing D&D to dice. What we mean by that is that it is easy to put a logo on D&D and call them D&D dice, but it’s important to understand how players use the dice.

“There is a consumer segment that is affectionately known as the ‘Dice Goblins’.”

We think of product design in two ways: the visual design and the composition of the product. For our non-licensed products, we try to find new dice manufacturing techniques and colour combinations that make the sets unique and appealing to our customers. For D&D, we want the dice to evoke the aspects of a character or gameplay.

We often start with the D&D IP and try to fill a gap or a desire by the player to reflect the circumstances of their campaigns. There are a number of products coming out this year that reflect this process much more than our first D&D release.

Yes, let’s dive into some of the range. The D&D Acererak’s Treasure Packs bring the ‘blind bag’ experience usually associated with toy collectibles into dice, with some sets out there rarer than others. It’s a really interesting idea! Why opt for this approach?
Much of the D&D game is about chance – the luck of the roll. Blind purchase gives that same excitement of the game within the buying experience. Both Sirius co-owner Lax Chandra and I come from a collectible gaming background, and we felt it was a natural fit for the D&D brand.

In addition, there is a consumer segment that is affectionately known as the “Dice Goblins”. These are people who love the beauty and uniqueness of dice. Many own hundreds of dice sets… So, this approach appeals to them as well.

Dice Goblins! Fantastic! I have one last question: Why do you feel D&D has continued to grow and thrive across the past 50 years?
The core of D&D is community – people uniting together for a common mission. It’s something that people have wanted to get back to and, we feel, has helped to drive the growth of D&D.

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