This Redwall-style spin on D&D is everything I didn't know I needed

A racoon armed with a sword tosses dice into the air in Humblewood art by Paul Canavan

(Image credit: Hit Point Press, Paul Canavan)

When it comes to D&D, I've always felt that we've been missing something. A 'cute anthropomorphic animal world like Redwall' kind of something, to be precise.

Enter Humblewood, an original campaign setting using D&D rules.

I missed its original launch via crowdfunding a while back, and now that it's available for the first time on D&D Beyond (you can get it for $39.99 for a limited time), I'm obsessed. This is basically Redwall or the Deptford Histories pasted over one of the best tabletop RPGs. Cute birdfolk and woodland creatures? Check. A cozy countryside setting? Check. Swords, sorcery, and adventure? Double check.

Humblewood isn't an oversized human world that's zoomed in on the animals scurrying around its forests; it's a place where human-sized creatures rule the literal roost. There are many species coexisting in the Wood and the capital city of Alderheart (from pigeon-folk and foxes to diminutive mice), but it's not all peaceful. A calamitous, magical fire is spreading across the land, and it's your job to stop it.

A market of animalfolk, with creatures ranging from crows to owls and racoons — (Image credit: Hit Point Press, D&D Beyond)

While there's plenty to sink your teeth into when it comes to the campaign setting book featured on D&D Beyond, it isn't the only Humblewood product out there. In fact, I fell down a rabbit hole researching all this and found plenty of adventures, extras, and even miniatures for printing on the best 3D printers. You can find all these on the official Humblewood website, and I've lost more time than I'd like to admit "ooo" and "ahhh"-ing over it all.

I'm deadly serious when I say this is probably the setting I'll be using when I eventually introduce my daughter to tabletop roleplaying games. I mean, that's a long way off, but I'm a forever Dungeon Master – we love to plan ahead.

Either way, it's looking to be a big year for fans of this kind of story. D&D's sister franchise, Magic: The Gathering (which is arguably one of the best card games) is launching its Bloomburrow set later this year. That takes a very similar approach in combining cute animal adventurers with classic fantasy.

For more animal-friendly adventures, check out Root – it's one of the best board games and one of the better board games for adults if you love strategy.

As the site's Tabletop & Merch Editor, you'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news. I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and can normally be found cackling over some evil plan I've cooked up for my group's next Dungeons & Dragons campaign.