Even if I'd set aside a week to browse every board game at UK Games Expo 2026, I don't think it'd be enough. Walking into the show is like being faced with a buffet including every delicious meal you can think of; as one of the biggest tabletop shows around, and certainly the biggest in the UK, there's no shortage of cool shit jostling for your attention. That includes secret projects and hits-in-waiting which are primed to set the industry on fire. Trying to make your way around the show is even harder when all you can think about is a game tailor-made to eat up your free time.
I was able to playtest my way through the show while quizzing developers on the board games that visitors were loving, and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft was the most popular game at publisher Ravensburger's booth by a long way. Actually, it became so sought-after that more playtest tables had to be set up to cater for demand. Having now seen the D&D crossover in person (and having followed it since we exclusively revealed the project a couple of months back), I understand the hype. Classic horror fans, pay attention. Besides resurrecting mechanics that draw inspiration from the best board games, it's sublime gothic eeriness in a box.
You can currently pre-order Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft for $29.99 at Target. Meanwhile, UK fans can get it cheaper for £23.99 via Wayland Games instead of £30.
If you're new to the Horrified series, think of it as a cross between Pandemic and Betrayal at House on the Hill. It challenges you to defeat a collection of monsters – ranging from classics like your garden-variety werewolf to legends from Greek myth – before they chow down on innocent civilians. This serves as your countdown timer, and it leads to a masterful balancing act. You've got to juggle each foe's unique takedown quest (they can only be defeated after completing specific objectives) with making sure you protect villagers at the same time. If too many innocents die, it's game over… so some difficult sacrifices may need to be made.
That concept carries over to Ravenloft, but there are some twists in the tale you should beware.
For starters, it builds on the class mechanics that helped last year's Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons stand out. These provide unique powers for each hero that are activated using D&D's iconic d20 die, and Ravenloft provides a host of extra classes not included before – the Warlock, Ranger, Druid, Sorcerer, and Paladin are being brought to bear this time around. Their abilities range from adding a bonus to your dice rolls or ignoring damage to a character, but that's not the interesting bit. No, the thing that caught my attention was the ability to furnish them with 'Dark Gifts' from eldritch patrons. These provide a vital boon such as moving monsters or characters out of danger, but they come at a literal cost that may see you discarding cards… or worse. Plus, this requires flipping over your character card to reveal a 'corrupted' version of the hero. You may save the day, but you aren't coming out of it a paragon of virtue.
This ties into the second change Ravenloft introduces. To be precise, it exchanges high fantasy from the last D&D Horrified for a more gothic approach. That's because it's based on the most popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign of the current edition, Curse of Strahd. This is basically Dracula meets D&D, so expect big Van Helsing energy. Vampires and a Baba Yaga-style walking hut are just some of the enemies you'll face.
Curious about the game's inspiration? Curse of Strahd is essentially a remake of an adventure first written in the 1980s, and its aim was to make vampires scary creatures of the night once again. It certainly does that, and Count Strahd von Zarovich is one of the game's most compelling villains. I've run the campaign twice, so here's my advice for anyone hoping to give it a try.
Such classic horror vibes mean their mechanics are rooted in the unsettling. The demonic Gulthias Tree has the power to keep summoning hordes of Twig Blights that'll overwhelm your party, for example, and it won't stop until you've torn it right out of the ground like a weed.
I adore the original Horrified thanks to its similarly gothic tone, and it's still my favorite entry in the series. As such, Ravenloft harkening back to that vibe is music to my ears.
In much the same way, its aesthetic is doused in the macabre. Shadow-drenched artwork, baroque stained glass depicting the heroes, and a color palette that says "you can never have enough eerie purple" make it feel like wrapping yourself in a blanket of pure Halloween. Similarly, the board's locations (which are pulled directly from Curse of Strahd) echo the OG Horrified's Transylvanian backdrop. While they don't always tally with what we get in the D&D campaign, it's all about vibes here – and Ravenloft passes that particular check with aplomb. Why not stick skulls on our architecture or construct every house from sagging gray stone that looks as depressed as our villagers, it says.
In other words, it'll go down very well if you love classic horror – and because it arrives in July, it'll be more than ready for spooky season once summer turns to fall.
I just hope we'll be able to get our hands on a copy, considering how popular it was at the UK Games Expo…
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