EXIT PURSUED BY OWLBEAR is a collection of five adventures inspired by the works of William Shakespeare.
Five stories, told throughout the ages. Five plays, written and rewritten for every medium under the radiant sun. Five new adventures, each waiting for you to join the table and play out their action like actors upon the storied stage, exploring their worlds from angles heretofore unseen.
From the midst of the European Renaissance to the day you’re reading this introduction, the works of William Shakespeare have resonated in the hearts of readers, writers, actors, and audiences all over the globe. Something about the works of the Bard of Avon—something vital that peers into what it means to be human—have allowed them to live far beyond their original performances. Even in other mediums, the Bard persists: his plays have become books, paintings, operas, films, and so on. If you can think of a medium, Shakespeare’s work has probably made a home there.
This collection is a continuation of the long tradition of converting Shakespeare’s works to new mediums, adapting five of his most famous plays into adventures for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. These adventures will approach the Bard’s stories from angles you’ve never seen them, allowing you to prevent the tragedy of Hamlet, help Katherine escape her “taming” and enact revenge, and play in the presence of Puck, among other dramatic delights. But enough preparation: adventure awaits. In Shakespeare’s own words, “if music be the food of love, play on”—and where food and music play, games are never far behind.
- from the publisher's blurb