Update on the Ravenloft Board Game

[Catman Jim]

Bill Slavicsek has commented on the upcoming Ravenloft Board game in his 'Ampersand' column on Wizards site: here

"Perhaps the biggest package we’re releasing next year is the Dungeons & Dragons Castle Ravenloft boardgame. This big box full of D&D goodness contains more than 40 plastic playing pieces, including a Huge dracolich, as well as thirteen sheets of interlocking dungeon tiles, two-hundred cards, and a booklet full of adventures. This cooperative D&D experience plays in about an hour and can be enjoyed as a solo game or with up to five players. Even better, this D&D experience doesn’t require a Dungeon Master. It’s a great way to introduce new players to the concept of D&D, as well as being a fun and exciting way for longtime players to interact with the brand.

Mike Mearls, Peter Lee, and I are busy putting the finishing touches on the game and the dozen-plus adventure scenarios included in the box. We've taken on a dracolich, matched wits with a kobold sorcerer, run a gauntlet of skeletons and zombies, and even gotten our backpacks handed to us by the vampire lord Count Strahd himself! Great times! Even better, when a Total Party Kill takes place in under an hour, there’s more than enough time to enter the castle and try again. Look for this big package next August.

Dungeons & Dragons Castle Ravenloft boardgame is the first in a series of themed boardgames using the same basic mechanics. This way, when the second game comes out in November of next year, it will be fully compatible with the first game. Scenarios, monsters, encounter cards, and heroes can easily be interchanged between the two games to create a multitude of new challenges not available using either game separately. Watch for these games late next year."

[EO]

That sounds pretty cool.

[Strahdsbuddy]

And the second one will be a House on Gryphon Hill board game, right? We'll get our setting back one checkerboard at a time!

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Wow! That sounds very cool indeed. Pretty much all I'd hoped for. Let's hope the co-op mechanics are sound. With no DM at all, it could be tricky.
If nothing else, hopefully the strahd mini will be better than the last one. <shudder>

[Ail]

I'm interested, and might buy it, now that I'm entering the board game scene.

[Jester of the FoS]

I just hope the tiles and plastic gaming pieces are equivalent in scale and/or quality with the D&D mini line. I'll take unpainted as long as I can harvest it for gaming material.

[LadySoth]

This sounds fantastic!!!!

I'm super excited for this! So is it coming out August 2010, or would that be 2011? Hope its 2010. Great way to end the summer!!! Castle Ravenloft here I come!!!!

. . .


Ok, maybe a bit too excited . . .

[Catman Jim]

More details on the Castle Ravenloft Board Game were given at the D&D Experience Convention this last weekend, at the 2010 D&D Product Overview seminar. The podcast of that seminar is available here:

http://media.gleemax.com/podcasts/DNDXPSeminar1.mp3

The Ravenloft segment starts at 26 minutes in, and runs just 4 minutes.

From the sound of it, it seems similar to the old "Hero Quest" game, with Ravenloft scenarios.

[Jester of the FoS]

Un-painted minis, but a large number (ala Descent) but still no word of scale. But apparently a tile-based game.

[Matthew L. Martin]

The cover's up on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Castle-Ravenloft- ... 578&sr=8-2

[Le Noir Faineant]

Preordered.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Well, at least they left the old boy's Dread Pirate duds in the closet for the cover art....

[Isabella]

Strahd: It was a costume party with some old friends! Can we please let that rest?

[HuManBing]

they left the old boy's Dread Pirate duds in the closet

[Ail]

The cover's up on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Castle-Ravenloft- ... 578&sr=8-2

Any idea if and when this will be available from an European seller?