New DRAGON+ Delves Into Ravenloft; Includes CURSE OF STRAHD Preview Adventure

The brand new issue of DRAGON+, WotC's D&D news app, is out - and it's full of Ravenloft goodness. This issue contains an interview with Jum Zub (writer of the upcoming Minsc in Barovia story in the D&D comic), a talk with Tracy and Laura Hickman, who created the original Ravenloft module, a 'travel piece' on Barovia, some video game content (top six warlock features in Sword Coast Legends), a copy of the recent Unearthed Arcana Mystic class, a look at D&D board games, and interview with Acquisition Inc's Patrick Rothfuss, an article on disabled characters in D&D, and some recent Sage Advice from Jeremy Crawford.

You can get Dragon+ from the iOS and Android app stores, or view it on your desktop. The issue also includes a preview adventure for Curse of Strahd called Death House. It's a 12-page PDF is a min-adventure designed to get characters to 3rd level as they explore a haunted townhouse, while introducing characters to the land of Barovia. "This preview introduces characters to the land of Barovia. The Curse of Strahd book includes the original adventure, as well as expanded material developed in consultation with Tracy and Laura Hickman. It expands what we know about the lands around Castle Ravenloft and sheds new light on the dark past of the castle’s lord. The lands of Barovia are from a forgotten world in the D&D multiverse, and this adventure gives glimpses into that world. In time, cursed Barovia was torn from its home world by the Dark Powers and bound in mist as one of the Domains of Dread in the Shadowfell."

 

[wedgeski]

Rothfus! That's timely -- I just finished the second part of Name of the Wind! (Only to find out there isn't yet a third part ( )

 

[dave2008]

They really seem to be hitting there stride with Dragon+ now. I realize much of the content has already been released, but even with that it is nice to have it assembled in one place. Of course there is lots of new content as well. Starting to feel something like the old magazine

 

[Queer Venger]

awesome, we get our first look at Barovia. Im ⅔ through the Name of the Wind now, great novel.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Can't download death house right now for some reason but the preview page is interesting in that it describes CoS as containing the original adventure plus some additional background to, and adventure hooks within, Barovia.

So potentially not overwriting the original I6 then.

 

[TwoSix]

That map on page 16 of the issue is straight up baller. I might actually have to get this book.

 

[sidonunspa]

If they ever got around to doing a windows app, it would be amazing

the only apple device I have is my phone (Tablet runs windows 10, and computer windows 10)

 

[Tesla's Ghost]

Can't download death house right now for some reason but the preview page is interesting in that it describes CoS as containing the original adventure plus some additional background to, and adventure hooks within, Barovia.

So potentially not overwriting the original I6 then.

Mike Mearls said in an interview that it was "Ravenloft remastered". More "expand" then a change of the original.

 

[darjr]

Web version is at http://www.dragonmag.com/5.0/#!/articles/106375

 

[thorgrit]

For those who want to skip straight to the adventure, the direct link is http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/Curse of Strahd Introductory Adventure.pdf - It's a regular page sized PDF, not requiring a tablet or the Dragon+ web viewer to read.

It seems to be missing some information it directly refers to. In addition to not including any of the monster statistics (there appears to be at least one custom monster), it refers to various ways to get the PCs into Barovia (but only mentions 1), and refers to an additional player background (but doesn't include it). It's not as printer-friendly as it could be either.