The newest Dungeons & Dragons book will be Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, and it will release in May. As expected from D&D's Ravenloft setting, there are a lot of horror elements to be found. Some parents may be wondering if that means Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is still safe enough for families and kids. Here's everything they should know.

After the adored Curse of Strahd, arguably the most popular campaign from Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft returns players to the Gothic settings and horror aesthetics of Ravenloft. Bringing back the Ravenloft campaign setting is likely to please many fans, and the book boasts 30 settings and dozens of villains - so there's a lot of new content to check out.

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However, given Ravenloft's horror elements, some people may be wondering if the newest D&D book will be safe enough for kids. After all, it will certainly feature vampires, demons, and even a zombie apocalypse. The book will also add a number of new D&D subclasses, including Bards that can conjure up ghosts and the Undead Pact for Warlocks. Even with all these seemingly scary elements, Wizards of the Coast has assured fans that Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft will be okay for families to play, too.

How Families Can Still Enjoy Van Richten's Guide To Ravenloft

Van Richten's Guide To Ravenloft Key Art 1

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft will feature an extensive section on how to set safe boundaries while playing through its content. This way, everyone can still have fun. As with any Dungeons & Dragons campaign, a DM sets the tone of the adventure - no matter the source material - and it's in this way that the new Ravenloft book can still be perfectly fine for families and younger players.

So, while the Demiplane of Dread and Ravenloft's Darklords may seem antithetical to a family-friendly campaign, the DM can set the tone into a wackier, more cartoonish adventure. Wes Schneider, the senior games designer at Wizards of the Coast, explains:

"We understand that many folks these days play with their kids, play with younger players. Horror doesn’t need to mean an R-rated movie. It doesn’t mean for adults only. You don’t need to bring your parents with you to see this D&D experience. Horror can be cartoons like Scooby Doo or like the old Ghostbusters cartoon. Those sort of things have horror elements to them while also being action stories, adventure stories, mystery stories, suspenseful stories. It doesn’t need to be all gory and visceral.”

This is great news for anyone wondering how well Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft will work with younger players. Even if the source material is dealing with ghosts and vampires, the right kind of comical twist or lighthearted spin can turn this Dungeons & Dragons setting into a completely family-friendly adventure.

Next: Dungeons & Dragons New Ravenloft Campaign: Who Van Richten Is

Source: Wes Schneider/Polygon