| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Sage |
Posted - 15 Oct 2006 : 10:55:27
Since it doesn't strictly carry the RL logo, this particular accessory is classed as a D&D product. So, it fits here...
I know there are some of you who, like me, are RL fans, and have been fans since the original I6 module. I'm assuming you'll find this interesting. It's a brief review from one of the regulars over at the Fraternity of Shadows website:- Expedition to Castle Ravenloft
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Uzzy |
Posted - 19 Oct 2006 : 18:54:25
Very intresting Knight. That wet my appitite for the book even more. Looks like a must buy for me. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 19 Oct 2006 : 16:58:55
I sat down and looked over this a bit when I was in Border's yesterday. I was actually pretty interested in the things I saw in here. It is set before ANYTHING that would have been in the Ravenloft campaign setting, but I'll come back to that.
First off, they have a short (paragraph or two) set up section for Eberron, Forgotten Realms, and d20 Modern(!) to get you started in this adventure (BTW, Forgotten Realms notes place Barovia in the hinterlands of Damara, in case anyone is interested).
I was most concerned with the new encoutner format, because I was concerned that it would be a lot of room devoted to something that most people could figure out pretty handily themselves, but in all honesty, they don't take up as much room as I feared they would, and they serve the dual purpose of showing a tactical encounter map and running through strategies and tactics for the encounter itself. In the end, it does take up more room that a "normally" formatted encounter would, so I'm still a little ambivalent about it, but it looked good and made sense in this product.
The book is set up to be a "mini-campaign" more so than an adventure, and there are notes on using the information as a campaign, a "standard" adventure (lasting several sessions), or as a one night adventure. A lot of story line was added to make the adventure into a mini campaign, and it does deviate from the old module, but a lot of the core stuff from it still exists in this version.
As far as running it as a campaign, most of the things that were restricted in general in Ravenloft still function in this book (divinations, etc.) and Strahd himself is the one that has certain effects in place to keep him from being detected, etc.
I would say that this would actually make for an interesting campaign to run, especially from the standpoint of it reflecting an "early" version of Ravenloft. You might be able to use this version of Barovia to represent the Demiplane of Dread before it had incorporated any other realms into its mists.
My thought was that it would be fairly easy to have players caught up in the mists and drop directly into this mini campaign, although I have wondered, is Ravenloft temporally linked to the other Campaign Settings? i.e. would it be possible to be taken by the mists into Ravenloft's past instead of its present?
At any rate, I was plesantly surprised when I looked through this book, although there is a lot that I just had to skim over since I was just doing a quick evaluation of the book. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 16 Oct 2006 : 16:47:16
Since my players, or at least some of them, usually run when I let only a slightly thicker fog appear, and I own almost all of the RL sourcebooks from 2e, I won't bother with it. |
| Lady Kazandra |
Posted - 16 Oct 2006 : 16:13:06
quote:
Originally posted by silverwizard
Anyway, isn't "Expedition to Castle Ravenloft" a remake of the original "I6: Ravenloft" module (by Tracy & laura Hickman)?
As I understand it, this new book actually breaks away from the original I6 module a little. It's not a complete re-make . . .
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| Bakra |
Posted - 16 Oct 2006 : 13:38:25
They are not ignoring anything, it is meant to be a module. Just like the original it can be placed in any campaign setting. It can turn into a full campaign that could (if the DM is willing) lead into the creation of Demiplane of Terror. I have played the original several times and have quite a few characters lurking about as zombies in Castle Ravenlofts dungeons’. The same can be said with the revamped second edition of the Ravenloft module too. My only problem with it so far is the way they handled the priest and the conclusion. In the original if you were able to defeat Strahd there was a nice closing paragraph. In this new version once the vampire is defeated, you get a sentence or two mentioning the players can keep playing to gather all of the treasure and defeat any remaining encounters. If there is a paragraph that describes the mists lifting and the sunlight breaking through the crowds with the villagers throwing a big party for the adventurers, can someone please point the page number out to me. Maybe I overlooked it.
So far we have a game streamlined using the 3.5 rules that anyone can run. |
| silverwizard |
Posted - 16 Oct 2006 : 13:34:06
I was under the impression that Ravenloft was rejuvenated under White Wolf. Or at least so I heard. I don't have a personal opinion on the matter, since I'm sticking with AD&D 2E and haven't played much of Ravenloft (although it's so enjoyable a setting).
Anyway, isn't "Expedition to Castle Ravenloft" a remake of the original "I6: Ravenloft" module (by Tracy & laura Hickman)? If so, then it makes sense to disregard much of what ensued after Ravenloft was promoted to the status of a fully fledged campaign setting. What I'm more interested in is to see what will follow (if anything)... Oh, and they're reprinting some novels,. There are four novels to be reprinted (at least according to the series listing in "Vampire of the Mists"): Vampire of the Mists (already out), Death of a Darklord (likewise), I, Strahd: Memoirs of a Vampire (November), and To Sleep With Evil (March 2007). Logically, these novels should be backed up by relevant gaming material. Anyone know anything? |
| Lady Kazandra |
Posted - 15 Oct 2006 : 14:59:57
That's a little too brief for me.
And I'm not sure whether I am happy with the fact that WotC have apparently ignored the Ravenloft material published by White Wolf, if that is true.
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