[UPDATED AGAIN!] CURSE OF STRAHD Will Be Available March 15th

The new Dungeons & Dragons storyline will be called Curse of Strahd. I'm hearing that Tracy and Laura Hickman, who wrote the original 1983 Ravenloft adventure, have some involvement, and it will be set in Castle Ravenloft. The PCs will be sent to Strahd's realm by Madam Eva (using a tarokka deck). While the Ravenloft name is being used, I don't know if it's actually set in a demiplane or if it's set in the Forgotten Realms, but the land of Barovia certainly exists. More if I hear it!

Ravenloft was originally an adventure in 1983, and later became an entire campaign setting set in a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread. The original adventure, for AD&D 1st Edition, has Strahd von Zarovich, master vampire, as its main villain. The land of Barovia is surrounded by a magical fog, and Strahd rules the domain. The adventure featured an interesting card-based random generation process which determined the locations of items, NPCs, and Strahd's motivation, making the adventure replayable. Strahd was an intelligent villain who loomed over the entire adventure, taunting the PCs throughout. Strahd is probably one of the most well-known D&D characters, after Drizzt and Elminster, and possible some Dragonlance characters.

I don't know how much of that old adventure matches the new storyline. I hear that Strahd's love story is at least cited, if not part of the adventure, and that it is shorter in scope than the previous adventure paths. WotC has sent some preview images to various outlets, as I reported yesterday, and the announcement is coming on Monday.

Personally? I am really excited about this. I can't wait to run it! Out of the storylines so far (and I really liked the Underdark whimsy), this one probably hits me right in the sweet spot. I was hoping for this.

The book is on Amazon already, albeit with no cover image, and is available for pre-order. 224 pages, $49.95, March 15th , 2016. With these 'placeholder' Amazon pages details sometimes change; but here's the product description:

Unravel the mysteries of Ravenloft® in this dread adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game

Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Far below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd’s face forms the barest hint of a smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came — all according to his plan. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.

Some more snippets of info:

• There's going to be a twitter campaign hashtag thing called #DNDFortune during the lead up to the adventure. You can get a 'reading' each day from Madam Eva using her tarokka deck.
• The tarokka deck will be produced by Gale Force 9 and should be available when the adventure releases. It can be used to randomise locations in the adventure.
• ​The adventurers are trapped (I assume in Barovia by the mists, but maybe in the castle itself; not sure).
• Mike Schley has strongly hinted that he worked on maps for the adventure, as he did for the previous 5E adventures.

 

[CapnZapp]

OK, he just reposted what someone else has posted in another thread.

Do we know who was the original scooper?

(Credit where its due and all that)

(I can find a post by Ted23, but that might not be the first one.)

 

[CapnZapp]

Calm down please, guys. It's not worth getting upset over.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for this article, Morrus.

It goes a fair while of (re)asserting your site's independence and value to the community!

 

[Nickolaidas]

I think it is overwhelmingly likely that this book will BE the campaign info you will get for the foreseeable future.

All their "adventures" are not just adventures; they're part campaign material too.

No reason to think otherwise this time. After all, they hope everybody interested in "gothic" support for D&D will buy this, even if they aren't particularly interested in the specific Strahd adventure.

Besides. Isn't Ravenloft the archtypical "just one adventure" setting?

Except that Raveloft isn't just a campaign setting, it's a different world than Faerun, is it not? I find it really hard to have an adventure based on say, Athas, without having a book with its own monster manual and game rules.

Granted, Ravenloft is easier to pull off because the majority of monsters are undead and stuff which are already covered in the basic monster manual - less conversions are necessary. But I'm really skeptic about the adventure having enough material to play a non-forgotten worlds campaign setting. Out of the Abyss and Tyranny and Dragons and whatnot can be campaigns, but campaigns mostly based on Forgotten Realms lore. How would a Planescape or Dark Sun adventure book work as *also* a Player Guide / Monster Manual / Campaign Setting?

Not saying it cannot happen, I just find it hard to see.

 

[Celtavian]

I like Strahd.

 

[Jiggawatts]

For the love of the mists, please let this be actually in Ravenloft. If this ends up being set on Faerun I will be extremely disappointed. A trip to the Demiplane of Dread is just what the doctor ordered for 5E.

Also, as a companion book to go with this, I want a freaking Van Richten's Guide!

(Just for clarification, I am completely ok with this starting and/or ending on Faerun, as long as the mists come and whisk you away to the actual demiplane for the Ravenloft parts)

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

I think this will (cautiously) open the doors to other settings. I imagine an entrance to the realm of Ravenloft opens up at point X in the FR. This act of creating access to another (Demi) plane of existence implies that there may be another exit from RL that leads to, say, the Elemental Plane of Fire, or Dark Sun, or Eberron...why not?

And if not, in the book, why not leverage that idea yourself in your own game? Perfect bridge to scoot your party into the campaign setting you've always wanted to run.

Ok, so you'll need to do conversions, but isn't that a great hook?

I have to say, I'm excited for this one, first AP or adventure for 5e that I have got genuinely excited about. Plus, I'd imagine it will fill the niche of having an adventure that doesn't necessarily require the players to go form level 1-15, which has its drawbacks. I mean, Strahd has a James Brown soundtrack right? You'll need a more experienced party to take him on.

Is that a stake in my pocket or am I just pleased to hear this news?

(It's a stake. It's not that exciting)

 

[Von Ether]

Sorry, the damage was done back in the 90's when TSR shat out that horrid campaign setting & slapped the title of one of the best modules ever written on it.
Oh sure, they went on to wright some good individual modules & a series of even better source books with the various VR Guides. But the setting is still crap & it's rules worse.
(No, I'm not a fan of the setting. It ranks #3 on my D&D dislikes list)

So by all means, PLEASE set it in the FR. Or better yet, nowhere in particular - like the original module. And completely divorced from the Domains of Dread setting.

You forgot some pretty solid novels as well.

 

[HighlanderFrodie]

Very cool!!! Looking forward to this!!!

 

[fjw70]

Looking forward to this. Never played the original module and never played in the setting (didn't use many modules during 1e and didn't play during the 2e run).

 

[Umbrathys]

Loved Ravenloft (#3 after Spelljammer and Forgotten Realms)
Just pre-ordered on Amazon. Yay!