Dungeons & Dragons New Era And Setting Officially Announced

Best known for his role as Alcide Herveaux in HBO’s True Blood, Joe Manganiello is back, and this time it is to celebrate his love for all things Dungeons & Dragons. In recent years, the actor has released his very own clothes line titled “Death Saves” and now, he has revealed his brand-new D&D setting with the same name.

Taking place at GenCon later this week, the Death Saves event will feature an official mainline setting for Dungeons & Dragons, and is described as a “dark fantasy” world. Created by Manganiello as well as Mike Mearls, the co-lead designer for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, as well as being the former creative director of the franchise, Death Saves already appears to me the go-to event. Not only has it been years in the making, but this marks the first D&D project Mearls has been a part of since he was let go from Wizards of the Coast back in 2023.

News of the upcoming event was recently shared over on Twitter/X by Manganiello himself. Although the project has been teased previously, this is the first time that official details have been shared, alongside a date and time for the Death Saves campaign. According to the actor and D&D superfan, it will take place on 31 July at the Indiana Repertory Theater. Better yet, tickets are completely free.

“I’ve spent decades playing in Dungeons & Dragons worlds created by legendary game designers, and now I’m drawing from D&D’s past to chart its future… The next chapter in D&D gaming begins at Gen Con 2026,” the post reads.

THE BLOOD WAR has ended. The forces of darkness won. Gods lie dead in droves. The world hangs on by a thread… JOIN my band of god-killers as we take the battle to the doorstep of the Demon Lords, in this first ever live play for the newest Dungeons & Dragons “Black Label,” dark-fantasy setting… DEATH SAVES!

There is no denying that this setting will put a unique spin to the Dungeons & Dragons universe, as death metal has hardly been the influence over the past few decades. However, it is clear that Death Saves is a passion project. Not only that, but with tickets to the event being completely free, there is no doubt that hundreds of D&D fans will be flocking to the TTRPG and experiencing the dark-fantasy setting in the flesh. With no more details available at this time, we can only hope that this Dungeons & Dragons experience will live up to the hype created by its celebrity host.

Created by

E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley

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