Mastering Dungeons Inside Heroes of the Borderlands: Justice Arman on creating D&D’s new starter set! (MD 258)
Sep 17, 2025
Justice Arman, managing game designer at Wizards of the Coast who led the new Heroes of the Borderlands starter set and began as a DMs Guild creator. He discusses updating a classic module for modern play. Topics include design goals for onboarding new players, tactile class boards and components, playtest-driven tutorials, adapting Keep on the Borderlands, and courting board game audiences.
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Core Books Are Multiversal, Settings Get Specific
- D&D's core books present a multiversal, open-ended baseline for species and options.
- Setting books can then narrow truths to match fans' expectations and established lore.
From DMs Guild To Wizards
- Justice built a career by publishing small DMs Guild supplements while working multiple jobs.
- That early pay-what-you-want success led to freelancing and eventually a Wizards design role.
Use Components To Speed Onboarding
- Use tactile components to teach play and speed up onboarding for new players.
- Design adventures as bite-sized, switchable sessions so players and DMs can swap roles quickly.
