You can use Baldur’s Gate 3 characters in the new D&D virtual tabletop

It seems as if we’re not done with the Baldur’s Gate 3 cast just yet, because they’ll be making a surprise appearance in the new D&D virtual tabletop. 

As revealed in a press panel at GenCon 2024, party members from the hit video game will be available as digital miniatures in the upcoming D&D virtual tabletop known as ‘Project Sigil.’ Astarion and Karlach were amongst the Baldur’s Gate 3 characters shown off.

Although Project Sigil’s miniatures won’t be animated (the models can apparently have different poses, but are basically on-screen versions of your plastic minis), the system seems to have enough bells and whistles to keep players from straying to their social media feeds during a session. To begin with, spells are animated – as an example, fireballs hit their mark with an explosion. In addition, Project Sigil makes use of the Unreal Engine 4 video game system to realize its maps, effects and models.  

Head of Project Sigil Chris Cao describes it as “a 3D sandbox that brings your favorite franchises to life in a fast, fun, and immersive way.” More specifically, it uses “powerful tools for creating your favorite environments and character minis.”

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

It seems as if we’re not done with the Baldur’s Gate 3 cast just yet, because they’ll be making a surprise appearance in the new D&D virtual tabletop. 

As revealed in a press panel at GenCon 2024, party members from the hit video game will be available as digital miniatures in the upcoming D&D virtual tabletop known as ‘Project Sigil.’ Astarion and Karlach were amongst the Baldur’s Gate 3 characters shown off.

Although Project Sigil’s miniatures won’t be animated (the models can apparently have different poses, but are basically on-screen versions of your plastic minis), the system seems to have enough bells and whistles to keep players from straying to their social media feeds during a session. To begin with, spells are animated – as an example, fireballs hit their mark with an explosion. In addition, Project Sigil makes use of the Unreal Engine 4 video game system to realize its maps, effects and models.  

Head of Project Sigil Chris Cao describes it as “a 3D sandbox that brings your favorite franchises to life in a fast, fun, and immersive way.” More specifically, it uses “powerful tools for creating your favorite environments and character minis.”

Alongside plug-and-play adventures (Cao says that you can “easily import existing D&D Beyond maps, characters, and monsters, with built-in rules integration”), users can create their own custom maps for homebrew questing. In addition, Project Sigil will feature an adventure panel that can be used to pass notes to your players or drop info in real-time. 

While you can’t beat playing the best tabletop RPGs in person, that sounds pretty handy. I couldn’t say no to an all-singing 3D system, either; it goes without saying that 2D battlemaps are awesome, but Baldur’s Gate 3 and its use of the D&D mechanics made me daydream about pen-and-paper sessions run with a similar system. It seems like I’m getting my wish.

It’s unclear when, though. However, despite not having a release date yet, a closed beta for Project Sigil is on the way this fall. If you want to give it a try, you can sign up here.

For recommendations on adventures to try next, be sure to check out these D&D books. As for a change of pace, don’t miss the best board games.