Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicFrom horror movies to FPS games, characters have been featured in several interesting and outright bizarre projects upon entering the public domain. However, seeing Winnie the Pooh and all his friends rolling for initiative and fighting monsters in the woods is an unexpected surprise.
Writer and game-creator Jerry Joe Seltzer released this trailer for his original 5E campaign, Adventure in the Hundred Acre Wood, and it should definitely get any Disney fan’s attention. But as popular as the roleplaying game has become, did anyone expect the Pooh crew to get involved?
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Speaking as a current Dungeon Master, the idea of an adventure into that wonderful world of make-believe brought to life by A.A. Milne isn’t that far from a traditional campaign. There might not be orcs, goblins, or bugbears waiting in the thickets, but Heffalumps and Woozles could impose a beastly threat for a certain willy-nilly-silly-old-bear.
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Published in October 2023, the campaign sees Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and all the rest embark on a quest to find a cure for Christopher Robin, who lies sick in bed on a summer day. Seltzer writes the following description of the adventure at hand,
“Wishing to ease their dear friend’s ailment, the collective of Hundred Acre Wood inhabitants turned to wise Owl. With his customary air of gravitas, Owl produced a recipe for a potion, believed to have the power to remedy Christopher Robin’s condition. Yet, the ingredients for this elixir were scattered in the very nooks and crannies of the wood that the animals often whispered about in hushed tones. And so, with the doctor’s impending arrival casting a shadow of urgency, our friends embarked on an expedition, encountering not just their innermost fears, but also the very woozles, heffalumps, and jagulars they had heard tales of. In his feverish state, such frightening creatures are as real as Pooh and his friends.”
While the idea of Pooh and company encountering creatures like Beholders and the dreaded Tiamat in the Forgotten Realms might be a bit bizarre, the one-shot adventure captures all the imaginative elements of both the books and poems by A.A. Milne and the Disney cartoons.
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The campaign also comes with a light air of darkness periodically felt in many of Pooh’s stories and shorts. While Christopher Robin’s furry friends might not encounter anything incredibly gruesome and grim, the fear of the unknown is often a heavy element in many of their adventures.
Fascinated by the ambitious project, Inside the Magic reached out to Seltzer regarding the project, and he had this message to share with potential players.
“Growing up, the original Winnie the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne were a vivid part of my bedtime routine, their adventures and lessons resonating in my young mind. In creating this game, I was deeply committed to preserving Milne’s intentions for these cherished characters. Equally important was staying true to E.H. Shepard’s iconic pen and ink style, a signature of this timeless work. This project became a labor of love, blending my respect for the classic tales with my passion for D&D. My goal was to create an immersive and challenging adventure that resonates with fellow D&D enthusiasts while honoring the spirit and charm of the Hundred Acre Wood.”
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The idea of having one’s imagination run away with them is seen in both Dungeons & Dragons and the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and the union comes to full fruition in this campaign. Fans of both the characters and roleplaying games certainly shouldn’t be without this enchanting one-shot.
Would you play this Pooh RPG? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!