Created by Mike Mearls (Wizards of the Coast’s Senior Manager of D&D Design and Development, who also contributed to the Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game), Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate combines the proven mechanics of Betrayal at House on the Hill with the themes, monsters, and magic of Dungeons & Dragons. Like its predecessor, the game begins with a party of adventurers working together to investigate a mystery in the iconic Forgotten Realms city of Baldur’s Gate. During the course of the adventure, one of the “heroes” may betray the rest of the party, turning against them to further the game’s storyline.
Each player assumes the role of a character that has the skills of one of the standard D&D classes, such as rogue or wizard. They explore the buildings, streets, and catacombs of the city using modular tiles while fighting monsters and gathering treasures. Eventually, the game’s storyline or “haunt” will be revealed, prompting the players to read sections of the game’s two adventure books and setting up the victory conditions for both the heroes and the betrayer. The game includes 50 different haunts to maximize replayability.
Wizards of the Coast also announced a new Dungeons & Dragons storyline during the “Stream of Annihilation” event (see “Next ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Storyline Announced”).
