Scott Baird is a CBR contributor with over a decade of experience talking about video games, board games, and tabletop RPGs. Scott's career includes contributing to Dexerto, Cracked, Dorkly, and Gamepur. 

The Mists of the Domains of Dread have returned to claim more unfortunate souls, as Ravensburger has announced Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft, a board game that features the infamous Strahd von Zarovich and the horrors of his twisted realm of Barovia.

The vampire Strahd is easily the most famous Dungeons & Dragons villain, with countless players clashing blades against the wicked ruler in the depths of Castle Ravenloft. Appearing in numerous adventures throughout the game's history, Strahd traps adventurers within the pocket plane of Barovia, where he hopes to break their spirits, before consuming their blood. It's up to the players to uncover the lost relics of the realm, and use them to overcome the vampire, lest they become his next victims.

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft Features The Villains Of Barovia

Strahd is set to return once more, only this time, as the villain of a board game. Ravensburger has opened pre-orders for Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft at Target, which is set to launch this summer. Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft is a spin-off of the Horrified board game series, which are co-op titles that involves players fighting powerful monsters and trying to protect innocent people.

In Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft, 1–5 players must defend the civilians of Barovia as one of Dungeons & Dragons character class archetypes (Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, or Warlock), each with their own special abilities. Barovia is being plagued by four villains: the living doll Carrionette, the monstrous Gulthias Tree, the witch Baba Lysaga in her sentient hunt, and the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich.

As the Horrified games are compatible with each other, the creatures from Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft can be used with other sets, and vice versa. This means the Universal Movie monsters from the original Horrified can be unleashed upon Barovia, or even the creatures from Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons, which was the previous crossover between the board game franchise and the famous tabletop RPG.

Players Can Use The Dark Gifts In Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft

One new mechanic that's being introduced in Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft is Dark Gifts. These will be familiar to players who have finished Curse of Strahd, as it's possible to make deals with ancient beings in exchange for their favor, granting a character incredible power, but usually at a steep price, such as becoming corrupted by evil, or transforming into a hideous monster.

The details of the Dark Gifts mechanic are unclear, but they're sure to add a new element to the classic Horrified gameplay that will offer something fresh for returning players. The launch of Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft is also close to that of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, a new sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons that revises and updates the Domains of Dread, making it the ideal time for Strahd to terrorize foes in the world of board games.