Strahd von Zarovich is undoubtedly one of the most famous characters ever to emerge from Dungeons & Dragons, the iconic tabletop role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast.
Strahd was introduced alongside Ravenloft, a Gothic mod for Dungeons & Dragons that debuted in 1983. Since the release of the original Ravenloft, the setting has appeared in several follow-up mods, video games, novels, and more.
The 2016 adventure module, Curse of Strahd, remains one of the most popular adventures ever released for Dungeons & Dragons. The breakout success only enhanced Strahd's legacy in Dungeons & Dragons and gave him a status in the community that few non-player characters can boast.
Chris Perkins – former lead designer of Dungeons & Dragons – recently weighed in on Strahda's legacy during an interview with Wargamer.
Dungeons & Dragons, forever intertwined with Strahd von Zarovich
“Vampires are an easy sell to people because we can relate to them as human beings,” Perkins explained. “We can see something of ourselves in these monsters that were human but descended and basically became the embodiment of hell in the mortal world.
Gothic horror remains a popular muse for creatives, and vampires are a staple of the genre, dating back to Bram Stoker and Dracula. Perkins, one of the authors of Curse of Strahd, credits the original Ravenloft writers and Stoker for creating the environment that allowed Strahd to shine in the 2016 module.
“Here you have this tragic figure who literally can't see himself in the mirror. He can't see himself, so he keeps making the same mistakes because he doesn't know who he is. He has a psychological turmoil swirling around him that radiates from him,” Perkins continues, analyzing Strahda. “He represents every abusive, power-driven human desire. He's possessive, obsessive, and embodies all of humanity's worst traits—so he's relatable.”
Curse of Strahd is so popular precisely because it is entirely driven by the corruption of one character, a singular focus that unifies the entire setting and unifies everything in the module.
“Strahd is forever linked to D&D at this point,” Perkins declares. “Because it's so resonant, I think there's definitely an appetite for more. I don't know if it would be a refresh of the original, a sequel, or something parallel. Because we have to be very careful with the 2024 rules, you don't really need a new Curse of Strahd for compatibility reasons, but you could certainly do it to take care of them every year.”
Ravenloft is indeed making a comeback this year with a new sourcebook, Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, which comes out during the board game's horror season, which runs from April to June. There has been some criticism from fans who believe the sourcebook is unnecessary and would rather have a new adventure module.
Chris Perkins now works at Darrington Press, a desktop company founded by Critical Role, as Creative Director.
- Original release date
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1974
- Number of players
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2+
- Age recommendation
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12+ (although younger can play and enjoy)
- Length per game
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From 60 minutes to hours.
