Dungeons and Dragons announced a new Stranger Things crossover product on July 21. ‘Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club’ presents a compact version of the RPG in the style that Eddie Munson would have delivered to his Hawkins High buddies. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the boxed set will release on October 7 before the highly anticipated final season of Stranger Things debuts on November 26.
If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, D&D, or both, this seems like an exciting prospect. The set’s poster maps, five character sheets, and box art are a pretty badass homage to both IPs. With a quick-start guide, four adventures, and cards and tokens to represent everything from magic items to monsters, this seems like an ideal way for Stranger Things fans to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons.
The trouble is that Wizards of the Coast already pitched and created a near-identical product years ago. 2019’s Stranger Things: Dungeons and Dragons was a painfully fine starter set that capitalized on the growing interest in D&D that the show caused – without achieving much else.
The previous product was packed with neat art from the show, and it included two adorable Demogorgon minis. Beyond this, however, there wasn’t much for existing D&D fans to get excited about.
Its single adventure was simple enough that it could be finished in just one session. Plus, since the entire thing was printed in a font designed to look like handwriting, the content’s short length was seemingly disguised. The rules were presented clearly, and it was a perfectly playable adventure for newbies, but the lack of interesting content made it feel like the Demogorgon minis had pushed the starter set’s price point far above where it should be.
Wizards of the Coast has already addressed one of our hangups by promising more than one adventure in the Entertainment Weekly reveal. It also seems to have turned over a new leaf when it comes to starter sets, as both this and its upcoming Heroes of the Borderlands set come stuffed with cards, handouts, and tokens.
Now we just need these adventures to be more than the most basic dungeon crawls. That would place Welcome to the Hellfire Club leagues above its predecessor, and it’d make the whole thing feel less like a well-timed cash grab.
For more on upcoming 5e releases, check out this year’s DnD release schedule. We can also help you get ready to play with our guides to DnD classes and DnD races. Or, if you’d like to chat about all things Dungeons and Dragons, join us in the Wargamer Discord.