Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is a D&D horror masterclass you need on your shelf

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is a D&D horror masterclass you need on your shelf
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is messed up. In fact, it's depraved. But that's a good thing. This D&D sourcebook is a masterclass in horror, and it weaves cliches into unsettling new shapes.

Much like Tasha's Cauldron of Everything or Candlekeep Mysteries, it's overflowing with barely-contained creativity as well. Despite rattling through genres on a whistlestop tour of everything that scares us, the worldbuilding in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is second to none. This is Dungeons and Dragons at its best. 

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Ravenloft is one of D&D's most enduring locales, but we don't often get to step beyond the lands of arch-vampire Strahd Von Sarovitch (an homage to Dracula that was created during the 80s and revitalized in Curse of Strahd Revamped). Van Richten's Guide changes that. It resurrects many of the horror-themed realms inspired by Ravenloft, all while adding to them with new ideas that go beyond gothic influences.

It resurrects many of the horror-themed realms inspired by Ravenloft, all while adding to them with new ideas

Collectively known as the 'Domains of Dread', they serve two purposes. In-universe, they're pocket-dimensions that act as a prison for the game's most dangerous villains. For us, they're a playground based on specific tropes. Want Wicker Man creepiness or cosmic, Cthulhu-style shenanigans to screw with your party? It's all here.

Better ways of creating horror

Van Richten's Guide doesn't threaten horror burnout either. It could have become repetitive at 200 pages long and after almost 40 unique Domains, but each one is given a unique flavor that helps it stick in the mind. Plus, it isn't just exposition. Every realm has an abundance of quest hooks to draw inspiration from, and many of these could sustain full-blown adventures (including a kid who goes missing in the impossibly large space under their bed and abductions that characters can barely recall). None exceed three or four pages, though - you get just enough to whet your appetite without being overwhelmed by fluff.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

The same is true of the book's tips for creating your own Domains, not to mention advice on making horror-inspired adventurers. Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft could have gone overboard with detail, but it opts for a more focused approach instead that emphasises the most evocative - yet most flexible - origin stories.

You get just enough to whet your appetite

It's equally thoughtful about stereotypes. More specifically, it calls out harmful takes on mental illness and disability before providing better ways of creating horror stories that don't punch down. Developer Wizards of the Coast has been open about its mission to be more inclusive, and it continues to make good on that promise.

What we're left with is one of the best Dungeons and Dragons books so far; it allows the game to grow in exciting new directions, all while breathing new life into one of the best tabletop RPGs that's been around for decades.

Benjamin Abbott
Tabletop & Merch Editor

I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and now manage GamesRadar+'s tabletop gaming and toy coverage. You'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news.

Read more
A selection of the best Dungeons and Dragons books, with a GamesRadar+ cross in the middle
Best D&D books 2025 that need to be on your shelf
Screenshots from the Dolmenwood TRPG
Dolmenwood Review: "A beautifully dark array of narrative seeds waiting to be sewn"
Both versions of the Monster Manual laid out on a wooden surface
The new 2025 Monster Manual continues D&D 4E's redemption arc
Photo of the Glumdark book
Come all ye metalheads, behold this system-agnostic TRPG sourcebook for my fellow chaos goblins
An adventuring party points at a tower in the distance
New D&D not piquing your interest? Dragonbane's newest free old-school quickstart adventure will surely sate your appetite instead
HeroQuest box, models, tokens, board, and cards on a wooden table
HeroQuest review: "The grandaddy of dungeon crawlers"
Latest in Tabletop Gaming
Arcs board game box on top of the board alongside tokens, dice, and cards laid out on a wooden table
Time to destroy cities and provoke some outrage, apparently, 'cause the Arcs board game is on offer
Screenshots from the Alien Evolved Edition TRPG teaser trailer
Alien Evolved Edition TRPG just burst through the million dollar crowdfunding mark with the vigor of a face-hugger on steroids
The Horrified: World of Monsters box close up
Save 56% on the run-up to Halfoween with this board game that lets you fight Cthulhu face-to-face
Stardew Valley: The Board Game being played
Roll up farming sim lovers, Stardew Valley: The Board Game is 25% off as we trundle into the spring sales
Quacks: All-In Edition box art
Fellow witchcore weirdos, prepare your cauldrons for a classic potion-making board game refresh with Quacks: All-In Edition
Pokemon Destined Rivals booster box and Elite Trainer box against a blue and purple background
Where to buy Pokemon Destined Rivals before resellers snap up the latest TCG set
Latest in Features
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?
Google Pixel 9a smartphones on a beige background
One Google Pixel 9a feature could make it a better gaming phone than most budget mainstream models
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 3
Reacher season 3 ending explained: Who dies, does Reacher get his revenge, and how does it set up season 4?