D&D: So THAT’S Why Vecna Sounds So Familiar – He’s Astarion
In the new trailer for Vecna: Eve of Ruin, Neil Newbon, aka the voice of Astarion, provides the veiled threats of the V-man himself.
I don’t know if anyone actually refers to Vecna as the V-man; I just wanted to seem cool in case Neil Newbon is reading this. But, the meat of the story remains the same. The voice of everyone’s favorite vampire spawn with dreams of escaping or possibly furthering the cycle of abuse, depending on how you treat him (we’re talking about Astarion here, in case you were thinking of someone else), also provides the voice of Vecna in a new trailer for the upcoming adventure Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
Looks like Astarion got to be a god after all. At any rate, you can hear the award-winning Newbon in the latest trailer where he Vecnas it up as good as any might. Aristocratic and evil, absolutely. But this sounds like the kind of Vecna who would tempt mortals as well.
Neil Newbon, Astarion’s Actor, Voices Vecna in New Trailer
Vecna: Eve of Ruin is due out on May 21st, though if you pre-order it, you can gain access to it two weeks earlier so you can start trying to stop Vecna, aka the V-man or the big V, or “an anagram of Jack Vance whose stories of The Dying Earth gave us the magic system which has every DM try to explain to new players why they can only cast two spells before having to lie down.”
Cumbersome nicknames aside, it’s great to see the cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 get more involved with D&D. After all, they are as much responsible for the generation of a new series of favorite characters. The creations of the performers, writers, animators, and everyone else involved have won the hearts and minds of literal millions. Neil Newbon won Best Performance at The Game Awards in 2023 for his portrayal of Astarion.
But the point is, these characters have left a lasting mark beyond just their role in the game.
To the point where Karlach was Athena’s chosen intro at a big Pay-Per-View event just a month ago. I think we’re only seeing the beginnings of the impact these characters and their actors have left on D&D. They’re so memorable. Even if all they did was make Baldur’s Gate 3 the generational milestone that it is, it’d be plenty. But here’s hoping this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Astarion or all the rest.
Vecna: Eve of Ruin comes out May 21st!
