Dungeons & Dragons is about to release a new module for 5th edition – and it’s a recreation of Tracy and Laura Hickman’s famous 1983 Ravenloft module, The Curse of Strahd. And to give it the best treatment possible, they’ve asked the Hickmans for help.
Reviving the Undead
The new module will revive one of Ravenloft‘s most iconic villains, the vampire Strahd von Zarovich – as well as bring one of Dungeons & Dragons‘ darkest campaign settings to the game’s latest edition. Principle designer Chris Perkins told Polygon in a recent interview:
“Prior to the release of this adventure, D&D adventures kind of followed a format where they were basically location-driven dungeons that you went into in search of treasure. … Ravenloft changed that. It expanded your mind in terms of what a D&D adventure could be [when] driven by the machinations of a truly, truly horrible villain.”
Rather than starting from scratch, Perkins enlisted the aid of the Hickmans as the original module’s creators, so they could brainstorm ways to resurrect the perennial favorite for a new audience.
Will fortune favor the bold, or lead them to dark, untold horrors? – Image source: D&D Adventurers League.
The famous 32-page module, released nearly a decade after Dungeons & Dragons was first published, will now be over 255 pages. It will have an expanded playing area (half the size of Rhode Island, according to Perkins) and new ways to keep the story fresh through multiple tabletop campaigns, thanks to the inclusion of the tarot-like “tarokka cards,” which will be published by the folks at Gale Force Nine. These cards will let the Dungeon Master read the fortunes of the players at the table, while also guiding the DM through interesting ways to reveal the secrets of Barovia to them.
Curse of Strahd will be releasing for 5th edition online and in stores on March 19, so you don’t have long to wait. Will you be playing the new module? Did you play the original? Tell us all about it in the comments.
