Ed Greenwood Announces 4 New Forgotten Realms Sourcebooks for 2026 Via DMsGuild

The father of the Forgotten Realms himself, Ed Greenwood, has just dropped a massive announcement that is going to define the tabletop landscape for 2026.

In a move that returns to the “hearth fantasy” roots of the setting, Greenwood has announced a four-part series of sourcebooks dedicated to one of the most beloved regions in D&D history: The Dalelands.

The Announcement: Introducing “RealmsBound”

Five days ago, via his Patreon, Greenwood revealed he is partnering with Mythmakers Studio to launch a new creative imprint called RealmsBound.

Unlike the official hardcovers published directly by Wizards of the Coast, these books will be released on the Dungeon Masters Guild (DMsGuild). This allows Greenwood and his team—led by Creative Director Eric Menge—to dive deeper into the lore, secrets, and local color than a standard sourcebook typically allows.

The project is ambitious: a quarterly release schedule throughout 2026, with each book offering a different pillar of gameplay focused entirely on the Dales.

The 2026 Lineup

Here is the breakdown of the four books coming next year:

Q1 2026: Guide to the Dalelands

• Focus: Regional Sourcebook

• What to Expect: This is the foundation. Expect comprehensive lore, updated maps, and a deep dive into the politics, geography, and culture of the Dales. For DMs who felt the Sword Coast has hogged the spotlight for too long, this is your new bible.

Q2 2026: Inn Sites of the Dalelands

• Focus: Social Encounters & Roleplay

• What to Expect: A fascinating pivot from standard “monster manuals.” This book focuses on the “hearth” aspect of the setting—inns, taverns, festivals, and tournaments. It promises new mini-games and NPC interactions, perfect for DMs who want to make the world feel lived-in and vibrant between dungeon crawls.

Q3 2026: Delves of the Dalelands

• Focus: Dungeons & Danger

• What to Expect: For those who prefer the “dungeon” part of D&D. This volume will detail dangerous locations, forgotten ruins, and the darker secrets buried beneath the pastoral surface of the Dales.

Q4 2026: Adventures in the Dalelands

• Focus: Campaign Anthology

• What to Expect: A collection of adventures ranging from levels 1 to 12. This book ties the previous three volumes together, giving DMs ready-to-play modules that utilize the lore, locations, and social settings introduced earlier in the year.

Why This Matters

This announcement comes hot on the heels of Wizards of the Coast’s official Heroes of Faerûn and Adventures in Faerûn (released earlier this month). While those books provided a fantastic high-level overview of the continent for the 2024 rules update, they couldn’t possibly cover every region in microscopic detail.

Ed Greenwood’s RealmsBound project seems designed to fill that gap. By focusing purely on the Dalelands—a region often considered the “heart” of the Realms—Greenwood is offering a level of granularity and authorial voice that longtime fans crave. It’s a return to the classic “gray box” era of detail, updated for the modern 5th Edition (and 2024 revision) ruleset.

The Bottom Line

For Dungeon Masters, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the Dalelands. Whether you are running a cozy cottage-core campaign or a gritty crawl through elven ruins, having Ed Greenwood guiding the lore ensures that the content will be authentic, surprising, and deeply magical.

Release Platform: DMsGuild (PDF and likely Print-on-Demand) Launch: Q1 2026