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We’re all a bit surprised that we’re getting a Baldur’s Gate TV show. While the announcement seems to be focused on the fact that it was inspired by the popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3, the title and setup make it feel like it is going to be more of a continuation of Descent into Avernus than the hit video game. And that’s great for me since I still think Descent into Avernus is one of the best D&D adventures I’ve played in.

If you’ve not had the chance to play Descent into Avernus, it is an adventure module for D&D 5th Edition that sees the entire city of Elturel teleported into the first layer of Hell, inhabitants and all. Players journey into Avernus and go on adventures across the plane starting at around Level 5, which is far sooner than most adventurers get involved in planar travel. The adventure takes inspiration from Mad Max: Fury Road as players run around Hell in haphazardly constructed death vehicles and fight off various factions. While it doesn’t always deliver on the mechanical side of things, the actual story of Descent into Avernus is very fun. Travelling across Avernus on a vehicle that is made of devil parts and that could explode at any moment is my ideal evening, in fact. 

Trapped in Hell, they need to try to recover the Sword of Zariel and potentially save an entire city of refugees from being dragged into the Blood War. Some of those words might have been familiar to those who played Baldur’s Gate 3, as it takes place directly after the events of Descent into Avernus, while being exceptionally careful not to say definitively what happened at the end of that adventure. After all, this is D&D and players can make any number of decisions that force the DM to crumple up their notes and throw them out the window. 

It is entirely possible that Elturel remains in Hell for eternity if the players make certain decisions. In Baldur’s Gate 3, it is assumed players will be heroes and save the city, since most of Act 1’s conflict is built upon the player having to save a group of tieflings who have become exiled from Elturel, but the game is careful not to base too much of its story on the adventure path itself.

The Baldur’s Gate TV show has a similar issue, since it is itself a sequel to a game that has multiple potential endings. My suspicion is that it will refer to the events of Baldur’s Gate 3 as “The Mindflayer Trouble” and keep any references to those who saved the city suitably vague, similar to how BG3 dealt with Descent into Avernus as its prologue. But one thing that I hope the show does deal with is the fallout of an entire city on the Sword Coast suddenly popping into Hell. 

There are economic and political ramifications here that will be fun to explore. Descent into Avernus starts with refugees flooding into Baldur’s Gate and causing political unrest, which is, admittedly, a bit on the nose in today’s climate, but that isn’t a problem that will suddenly go away. Elturel will presumably still be in the rebuilding process, with a whole city of people living with Hell-induced PTSD. There are story beats that can be a good launching point for the Baldur’s Gate show’s plot.

This isn’t a problem that is unique to Baldur’s Gate either; the Prime Video Fallout series explored the New Vegas region years after the events of Fallout: New Vegas. The solution they came up with is not dissimilar to what I expect HBO to do with Baldur’s Gate. They’ll have enough time pass that they don’t have to make any of the game’s endings canon. A few familiar faces or groups can show up: we’ll almost certainly get to see the Harpers or The Flaming Fists show up as they have a long tradition in the Faerun setting, after all.

I know that the name of the show is Baldur’s Gate and it is only really getting made because of the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, but it is honestly better to think of this show as a sequel to Descent into Avernus rather than the video game. Especially with Chris Perkins on board as a consultant, this is going to be more of a D&D adaptation than a video game one. And that’s a good thing, in my mind. I really enjoyed the story of Descent into Avernus, even if the specific mechanics could be frustrating at times. The plot provides a great setup to the show, creating a city rife with intrigue and unrest.

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