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