It’s the beginning of a new month (sorta), and with it comes a fair sized pile of new swag. While it seems like quite a few companies are holding back their heavy hitters for holiday releases, there’s still a good bit coming down the line this November.

From their crystal castle in scenic Renton Washington, Wizards of the Coast has a few new D&D accessories.

• Sort of an addition to the ongoing environments series (featuring titles like Stormwrack and Sandstorm) Cityscape is subtitled “An Essential Guide to Urban Adventuring”. Being “essential,” the 158-page hard cover presents lengthy discussions on types of cities, how certain races get on in cities, styles of government, and a bunch of tips and new rules for adventuring in urban environments. Cityscape also does the new feats, prestige classes, spells, and monsters thing (with cute beasties like the cesspit ooze). Perhaps most interesting, though, the book presents a number of ready made, fully mapped cities, like Blackwall (the military city) and Sutulak (the slaver city). On the other hand, probably most unnecessary: potholes. Actual rules for stepping in pot holes and falling down (page 32). Now there’s adventure for you!

• From the radical world of Eberron comes Dragonmarked, a detailed look at the magic-blooded noble families of that setting. What it boils down to is that “dragonmarks” are magic tattoos that appear on members of a few powerful families and give them special powers (and make them look more-awesomer). Dragonmarked takes a look at each of Eberron’s dragonmarked houses, talks about their members, doings, and dealings, and then goes on to give players a bunch of new feats and prestige classes, many of which relate back to dragonmarks. Catching the theme here? Best new prestige class name: “nosomatic chirurgeon.” Sounds pretty fetching until you read the description starting, “A nosomatic chirurgeon is a halfling student of sickness.” Way to make halflings even creepier.

• Lastly from WotC is Scourge of the Howling Horde, a new adventure with a pulpy name. Supposedly the adventure is designed a starter adventure for new DMs, but is just as fun for experienced players (smells like spin to me). I actually really like the idea of a product that walks you though DMing. It turns out that nowhere in the 900+ pages of the core rulebooks does it ever just sit you down and tell DMs how to make their games fun. Scourge also touts the new “easy-to-use” adventure format from Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. So, aside from all these special features what is the adventure about? All the write-up really says is that it’s got goblins. Umm… yay, goblins?

Next up, from White Wolf this month we’ve got a few World of Darkness supplements and some bits from other worlds.

• Exalted’s new addition, Scroll of the Monk takes another look at martial arts in the already wuxia -inspired campaign, detailing a new warrior culture, new martial arts abilities, and a bunch of new weapons and artifacts. As per usual with Exalted, I’m not 100% sure what the book is all about, but oh boy does it look pretty.

• Hitting all the bases for the WoD, there’s Tome of Mysteries for Mage, The Pure for Werewolf, and Strange Alchemies for the new Promethean world. Tome of Mysteries is a big-old hardcover that explored the nature of magic, offers new spells and magic items, and details how to creature your own incantations. Another hardcover, The Pure is a new (?) tribe of werewolves detailed for you to play as or oppose. Lastly, three for three with the hardcovers, Strange Alchemies sounds much like a book of golem philosophy with a new story, a “Detailed discussion of each of the Lineages and Refinements, including new Transmutations and Bestowments” and “Thoughtful essays discussing many issues important to Promethean chronicles.”

• Taking a step back from the grim and gritty (it’s a small step, but it’s still a step), White Wolf has a new live action game coming out called Long Live the King. In the game, the GM takes on the role of an ailing monarch and the players vie for control of his not quite empty throne. The winner is whoever is best poised to take control when the king finally dies. The game is described on it’s catalog page as “Think How to Host a Murder meets Diplomacy,” and comes with “rules, character boards, 100+ game cards and a stack of gold ducats to pay for “services rendered”.” I have to admit, I’m intrigued. I’ve never been a big LARP fan and those How to Host A Murder games have always seemed a little daunting (any game where I have to make dinner for eight to go along with the night’s festivities is Off the List), but the mixing of roleplaying and party game elements makes it sound like there’s a lot of potential. Hail to the king, baby.

• Last up is a new title for the truest of the true World of Warcraft addicts—the folks who play it without computers. The mirror-image of the Alliance Player’s Guide, the World of Warcraft: Horde Player’s Guide delves into greater detail on the Horde, presenting new races (forest trolls, half-orcs and mok-nathal), a bunch of new prestige and core classes, and two new adventures. The glaring oversight I’m seeing, though: No Blood Elves. I thought pretty boys with fantastic hair was the whole reason to play the Horde.

Not much coming out from the folks over at Goodman Games this month. It does look like Talons of the Horned King, which we talked about on last month’s preview, got pushed back a bit to this month, though. Just forewarning before you go out looking too early.

• Dungeon Crawl Classics #37:The Slithering Overlord. I like that name, it makes me laugh. In this hackfest players head down into the “underdeep” to hunt down weird creatures, reclaim treasure, and rescue hostages—but mystery and intrigue ensues. The cover is pretty creepy too, with a fanged old-man-headed naga. Actually, on second look, maybe it isn’t fanged, maybe it just left out its dentures.

While this isn’t everything, that’s it for now. Check back in a day or so to see what’s up from Wizkids, Green Ronin, and some of the other big names in the table-top biz.