D&D’s New High-Level Adventure Is A Tribute To Its Players
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Dungeons & Dragons is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The epic tabletop role-playing game has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1974. Over the last half-century, D&D has been played by more than 50 million people worldwide, inspired movies, books, comics, and video games, and united friends, family, and strangers. In tribute to its far-reaching and enduring legacy, Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Dungeons & Dragons for the last 27 years, has released Vecna: Eve of Ruin. In this high-level adventure, the fate of the D&D multiverse lies in players’ hands as they face the Undying King.
The creative team behind D&D has always been mindful of catering to both new and old fans. The game’s long history and carefully constructed multiverse can intimidate newcomers. There is so much to learn about D&D’s rich and complex lore, not to mention the mechanics of leveling up, the intricacies of character races and classes, and the art of rolling your way into and out of sticky situations. The Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide are all invaluable resources for first-time players, not to mention the wealth of knowledge and support on D&D Beyond. Knowing someone who knows someone who knows how to play Dungeons & Dragons and is happy to be your Dungeon Master (DM) has been the starting point of many an epic campaign. Fresh ideas and new perspectives are part of what keeps this game in its place as the best RPG.
Vecna: Eve of Ruin, however, is not a game for beginners. This is a high-level adventure designed for characters levels 10-20; an adventure described by Polygon as “the dessert course for those who’ve feasted on D&D’s best campaigns.” Chris Perkins, Game Design Architect for Dungeons & Dragons, has said it is “a celebration of D&D writ large: its classic villains, classic settings and locations, some very famous characters… The game was really a deliberate attempt on our part to reinforce that idea that D&D has this legacy and this range to it.” Eve of Ruin is a gift from the team at Wizards of the Coast to the players and fans; a showcase of everything we love most about this game.
Vecna has existed in the Dungeons & Dragons universe almost since its beginning. The first whispers of him came in Eldritch Wizardry in 1976, one of the first supplementary Dungeons & Dragons rule books. At the time, he was known for two magical artifacts: the Eye of Vecna and the Hand of Vecna. His remains offered immense power to those who used them – at a steep and grisly price.
Over the years, Vecna has appeared in different editions and adventures. His path has taken him from powerful lich (a spellcaster who defies death by magical means) to demigod, and his ambition now is to claim dominion over all worlds. In many ways, he is the ultimate D&D villain and poses the ultimate threat to the multiverse: not its destruction, but its remaking in his evil image. Amanda Hamon, Senior Designer for Dungeons & Dragons, commented, “What better way to get players and DMs excited than to bring Vecna back with a vengeance for a 20th-level adventure?”
Eve of Ruin is an homage to the many campaigns, characters, stories, and locations that have evolved over 50 years of D&D. Players will journey through many of the most popular campaign settings, from the Forgotten Realms to Planescape, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Greyloft, seeking the scattered elements of the Rod of Seven Parts. They will need help along the way, offered in part by powerful non-playable characters (NPCs) from previous stories across many planes of existence.
It’s clear that the creative team has poured their shared passion and love for the game and its players into this adventure. It is painstakingly crafted in intricate detail, using Dungeons & Dragons’ own mythology, lore, and magic systems to raise the stakes, and drawing on the past to shape the present and project doom for the future – unless Vecna can be stopped.
Vecna: Eve of Ruin is not the only celebration of D&D’s 50th anniversary. Revised editions of the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide are coming in 2024, with the new edition of the Monster Manual following in early 2025. Wizards of the Coast appears committed to keeping the game fresh and up-to-date while also honoring the past. Eve of Ruin is paying homage to the campaigns, stories, characters, and players who have made D&D what it is today.
So, what do you think? Are you looking forward to Vecna: Eve of Ruin? What are some of your favorite D&D campaigns, characters, and settings? Let us know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to sign up to our email list to get Finds of the Week and our free newsletter, PopPulse Digest, delivered straight to your inbox.
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