Dungeons & Dragons celebrated its 50th anniversary at Gen Con, the largest tabletop game convention in North America, by pulling in Baldur's Gate 3 stars Neil Newbon and Samantha Béart for a one shot campaign role-playing as their actual characters from the game: Astarion and Karlach.
The adventure saw Critical Role alumnus Aabria Iyengar act as Dungeon Master while Anjali Bhimani and Brennan Lee Mulligan joined Newbon and Béart as players. "Hey soldiers, my name's Karlach Cliffgate," the latter said when introducing herself, to immense cheers from the crowd.
"Tonight I have decided I'm going to play a certain paler vampire type out for a good time," Newbon said on his turn. "So my name's Astarion. Hello darling." The entire campaign can be watched on the Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel.
It began as Astarion and Karlach, alongside fellow adventurers Miriannan and Dorbin Kragstone, arrived at a shady tavern hidden amongst the jagged rocks and mushrooms of the Underdark, a region featured in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3.
The campaign also previewed the next generation of Dungeons & Dragons rules — which come into effect with the revised Player's Handbook on September 17, 2024 but won't launch fully until the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual arrive on November 12, 2024 and February 18, 2025 respectively — alongside the upcoming digital 3D battle map software called Project Sigil.
Baldur's Gate 3 was the surprise hit of 2023, as the Dungeons & Dragons based game captured the attention of fans in unprecedented ways with its seemingly unlimited ways to tackle a seemingly unlimited number of situations. Beloved characters like Astarion and Karlach were at the heart of the experience, and the release of several major subsequent patches has kept interest high.
In our 10/10 review of the game, IGN said: "With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur's Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
