Review by C.J. Bunce
Back in 2019 we previewed the first mash-up of Dungeons & Dragons and Stranger Things with the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set–Stranger Things Edition (still available from time to time at online stores). But with the fourth season introduction of Stranger Things’ new hero, D&D gamer Eddie Munson, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro knew a tie-in was a must. Eddie’s Hellfire Club started as a haven for outsiders, free spirits, and dice-slingers, but Eddie’s final campaign was left unfinished… until now (if there’s any justice they’ll find a way to bring Eddie back in the coming fifth and final season).
Dungeons & Dragons: Welcome to the Hellfire Club is available now here at Amazon, so let’s look at the new boxed set, its retro vibe and the not one but four adventures sure to take fans of D&D and the show back into the Upside Down to relive the 1980s nostalgia the show is known for.
Before we take a look at the adventures, let’s look at what is inside the box:
Vintage Look
You get vintage style adventure booklets, retro cards, character sheets, and a Dungeon Master’s screen. You may recall back in 2024 D&D doubled back to the 1980s with its update of classic adventures in its Quests from the Infinite Staircase (reviewed here at borg). With that, old-time D&D gamers got an opportunity to revisit some classics in a new way. But Welcome to the Hellfire Club is all about immersion. As in Stranger Things, everything about the set was smartly designed to take you to the 1980s–and if you played back then, recall something of what it was like.
As for the cards and character sheets, more recent players might never have seen anything like this before. That’s three copies each of five pre-generated character sheets in vintage yellow cardstock, featuring Lady Applejack, Nog the Dwarf, Sundar the Bold, Tayr the Paladin, and Will the Wise–all tied to characters in the show. The cards are all explained in the Play Guide, and you also get a tear-out combat tracker. You get ninety-one cards in all with Spells, Magic Items, and Monsters. The sturdy cardboard screen is nicely decorated in comic book style art featuring both Munson’s image and the merry band of characters–it has a D&D animated series feel.
The quick-start guide and play guide
We’ve seen some recent updates to the periodic Starter Kits from Wizards of the Coast, and they continue to strive to make onboarding new players easy. Nothing so far has been as concise as the new Quick-Start Guide. But even more useful and necessary for first-timers is the new Play Guide. It’s 32 pages of the core rulebooks pared way down. It mimics in part the experience you get watching gamers on a YouTube video. And let’s face it–an experienced Dungeon Master and/or watching some games in action will only make your first campaign easier to get into. The Play Guide is basically a glossary that regular players might appreciate incorporating into their book stack. It features Eddie and friends creating scenarios as examples of play. And yes, this is designed for all skill levels to enjoy.
Play pieces and props
The requisite set of eleven playing dice is here, in translucent red. The dice fit with the cards in a plastic game tray that matches the size of the box. DMs can incorporate the included Hellfire Club poster and poster maps to enhance play, along with four handouts and a note from Eddie. The 72 punch-out cardboard tokens will probably remind you of past decades of those collectible pogs. Each features a player characters or monsters.
Four Adventure Booklets
The adventures are designed for three to five players, one serving as DM. As any Stranger Things fan who has been paying attention would expect, you’ll find featured the show’s monsters: Demogorgons and Demodogs, eerie dockside murders, and the Vale of Shadows.
The Vanishing Gnome
The game is about helping Eddie finish his campaign. In the adventure The Vanishing Gnome, your band of players are in search of Flizzlebin, the Vanishing Gnome. Which key monster will stand in the way? We’re not telling. But this game is for first level characters. The map for this adventure might be the best in the box, a full color gameboard featuring one of the titular dungeons.
Scream of the Crop
For second level characters you’ll find the adventure Scream of the Crop. If the first adventure was about the fantasy featured in the show, this leans into the horror. Think Children of the Corn. The setting involves creepy tunnels and the map is awesome. That’s all you need to know, right?
Ballad of the Rat King
In this adventure your characters progress to Level 3 play. Ballad of the Rat King is a murder mystery set in the Oakshore Docks. Believe it or not, it loosely ties in Steve Harrington’s sailing themed, mall ice cream parlor job character. Plus it has fantasy-favorite ROUS creatures–rodents of unusual size.
Devil, Metal, Die!
The final adventure in the box leans into Eddie’s heavy metal image as big-hair guitarist. Also a Level 3 character pursuit, this is gamers’ way to get into the Hellfire Club in a battle at Hellfire Dome. As the title Devil, Metal, Die! implies, it’s do or die to defeat a major foe from the D&D game and Stranger Things TV series.
It’s all a great introduction to D&D targeted at fans of the show with plenty for experienced players, too. Track down the Ultimate Bundle here to save on the physical game and digital adventure pack, and to be able to unlock the exclusive Upside Down Digital Dice Set and the Upside Down Digital Map and Sticker Pack.
Revisit Dungeons & Dragons of the 1980s. Revisit the Upside Down like you were there with the teens in the series. Order Dungeons & Dragons: Welcome to the Hellfire Club, available now here at Amazon.
