Marcon
First Post
There has been a lot of talk on the Boards (Albeit less than I expected) about Expedition to Castle Ravenloft but still no reviews per se. Having read the book from cover to cover, I'll try to give you a good idea of what it's all about. Bear in mind that I started playing AD&D 4 years before WotC released 3rd Edition so I HAVEN'T played in the original module. This will not be a comparison; I am reviewing this product just as I would Red Hand of Doom, for instance.
Full-Color 224-page Hardcover, including 3 pages of ads and/or survey. The book retails for 34.95 US$. The quality of the layout is impressive, as is the case with most WotC products. The font, sidebars, page-numbering, etc. follow the standard Wizards has been using since 3e. I am somewhat disappointed with the art; I'm no specialist, but some images are disappointing : Strahd himself is Okay, even though he's really different from how he appears on the cover; Ireena looks like a man; Sasha and her zombies really look like they were PhotoShop'ed over a background; The primitive temple below the castle is overly simple. On the other hand, Kavan the Grim looks downright scary and Sir Urik really looks like he's fighting for his life. WotC has posted the complete book art on their website so have a look for yourself.
Now, the maps : I was disappointed with the map of the village of Barovia and the wilderness map : From what I've read, they seem to be similar with the ones from the original module but, since the year is now 2006, is that really a plus? The tactical maps are very impressive though : There are lots of details on them and they will really ease the life of the DM (More on that later). The 3-D maps of the castle itself are nicely done : This is not your everyday "You climb the stairs to Level 2" building and I believe the complexity of the castle's architecture demanded such a concept.
These technical details now set aside, let's explore the book chapter by chapter, starting with the 1st : Adventures in Ravenloft. It opens up with Strahd's stats, probably because nostalgic DMs would have flipped the pages until they saw them anyways. So, from the start, you know the villain your players will have to knock out and let's just say he lives up to his reputation. Even if your characters exploit all his weaknesses, their last meeting with him shall be a battle to remember. Strahd has a whole bunch of servants he will most likely send after the heroes when they snoop around the village of Barovia and these are detailed on the next few pages. Nothing really striking here.
Next up are Strahd's potential goals in the adventure. You can randomly choose one or pick the one you like most from the list. This basically sets which "fake" handout you will give to your players, a plea for help presumably sent by the (now-dead) Barovia burgomaster. But the moment the characters arrive in Barovia and learn the mayor has been dead for weeks now, they will probably just assume that this letter is a random pile of lies and figure out they need to kill the big-bad-vampire in his castle. The fact that Strahd, when he appears before them, shouts "I'm mad!", "I wanna build a zombie empire!" or "Please help me get rid of the hags!" won't change their minds so this sounds like something that would be awkward to fit in.
Following are options to scale this adventure depending on what you want to do with it : From a one-night-session interlude to your current campaign or a painful Level 6-10 stretch for your intrepid players. I wouldn't advise bringing newbies that have just reached level 6 for the first time of their life through careful playing and have their eyes filled with hope : Unless your players are veterans and know the horrors they will have to face, keep them away from this castle or allow them to use pre-generated characters and show them how pitiless D&D can be.
One page is dedicated to how you can adapt the adventure to Eberron, Forgotten Realms and even D20 Modern and then we move on to Chapter 2 : Village of Barovia. The village can be summarized in one word : Zombies. The undead are clogging the streets and the population is litterally cowering in some public buildings. Actually, this is how it SHOULD be, but some of the NPC descriptions really suggest that they don't give a damn whether or not the invasion will be repelled. Instead of being hailed as heroes, PCs are welcomed as if this is just another boring day in Barovia. The encounters, taken individually, should not be that tough to overcome but if you follow the book to the letter, it seems PCs can't move 10 feet or open a door without triggering another encounter with the zombies, which can obviously become annoying.
Let's take a pause here to talk about the already-famous tactical encounter format. What's this anyway? Well, every sizable encounter is described at length at the end of the chapter. Each has been allowed 2 pages side-by-side including :
The EL Level;
The Read-Aloud text along with basic info about the encounter;
Monster descriptions and statistics : Nearly 90% of the encounters include at least one creature that is not in the core books, my only complaint being that they don't tell you from what book the monster is from;
Monster tactics;
A small tactical map along with a description of the features of the area, that is, special benefits or hindrances from a piece of furniture or type of terrain.
The concept here is : All right, combat is starting, go to page 42 and you have EVERYTHING you need. No more Monster Manual covering your map, no more DMG getting in the way of your dice rolls, no more "Well, how about your PCs start at the eastern edge of the map and the monsters are... well... one is here and the other is, hum, well, I guess he could be here...", etc. Being a new concept, it is surprisingly mature and one would think that published adventures have been like that for years. The thought that WotC (And even other publishers) could build on that shows a lot of promise.
Your players should move on to Chapter 3, The Lands of Barovia, with one thing in mind : Finding Madam Eva so she can tell them more about Strahd and where to look for important items to use against him. This chapter is split into 2 main parts : Wilderness encounters and the original module's innovative idea : Live Fortune-telling in a D&D session. The encounters feel really plain - It's as simple as : "When the characters enter these woods, go to Tactical Encounter xx on page yy". It's as if the authors wanted DMs to run the areas around the Castle as they would a typical dungeon-crawl. There are 3 specific sites in the Wilderness that have been tied to Strahd, thereby enhancing his already-impressive abilities. If the characters travel to these sites, get rid of the creatures protecting them and perform a specific ritual there, they will hamper the vampire in some ways like lowering his AC.
The fortune-telling part of the chapter is really nice though. You can run it with a 3-Dragon Ante, tarot or normal playing cards deck. Each quintessential question the PCs may have at this point is answered by the intriguing Madam Eva. Of course, your players may suspect that, whatever the card you pull from the deck, your answer was made up from the start. After all, why would a Red Dragon means that Strahd will make his last stand in his Tomb whereas the Silver Dragon means he will do it in the Chapel instead? It would give a sense of realism to this whole setup if the events foreseen by Eva would have been more accurately illustrated bu the cards, but then one would need a custom-tailored deck. Still, I can see this specific encounter to be really enjoyable. There is even a scenario where the card drawn means the PCs must kill all 3 Hags in the wilderness (Including Eva herself) to cut Strahd's tie to the lands and if the old woman ever draws it, needless to say, she quickly loses her calm and the fortune-telling session turns into a rumble at the Vistani camp!
The last chapter (From p.90 onward) is Castle Ravenloft itself. No encounter in this realm of evil has to be taken lightly, especially since Strahd can show up virtually anywhere on the DM's whim. The gaseous form ability will probably get on the nerves of your PCs quickly, even if they know the vampire will be helpless in his tomb for an hour after reaching it, they actually have to get there and this is no small feat. As I said earlier when I talked about the tactical encounters format, this is basically an undead showcase. It seems like every monster from Libris Mortis and similar books have found a niche in Castle Ravenloft. You get enough details to run the encounters, though you will probably miss the monsters' images if you don't have the extra books, since it seems every description end up as being "A pale, moaning, decayed corpse..."
The monsters have deadly tactics and I can't see a party surviving this undertaking. Grab a PC, use Greater Teleport 2,000 feet above the castle and drop him? I'm not complaining about this, this is meant to be a tough one and it isn't disappointing as such. An average party with "A little bit of everything" will have a hard time dealing with the threats that seem to constantly target the same weaknesses. They will wish their cleric can spontaneously cast Lesser Restoration instead of Cure spells and could turn undead 30 times a day. Don't expect too many NPCs in there, though the ones that are depicted are colorful.
The book somewhat lacks a conclusion - I understand the even the authors don't know where or even when Strahd will fight the heroes for good but still, you literally flip the last tactical encounter page and find yourself staring at the appendix. Speacking of which, the last few pages detail prestige classes, weapons of legacy, new magic items, spells, etc. and is a welcome addition.
This is a dense book, well worth the price. If you want your players to leave the quiet and lovely little village they have been adventuring around since the beginning of their careers and have them witness what real Hell can be, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is the answer. The new tactical encounters are so well fleshed out, it ensures you can pick any of them and drop it straight into your campaign.
Full-Color 224-page Hardcover, including 3 pages of ads and/or survey. The book retails for 34.95 US$. The quality of the layout is impressive, as is the case with most WotC products. The font, sidebars, page-numbering, etc. follow the standard Wizards has been using since 3e. I am somewhat disappointed with the art; I'm no specialist, but some images are disappointing : Strahd himself is Okay, even though he's really different from how he appears on the cover; Ireena looks like a man; Sasha and her zombies really look like they were PhotoShop'ed over a background; The primitive temple below the castle is overly simple. On the other hand, Kavan the Grim looks downright scary and Sir Urik really looks like he's fighting for his life. WotC has posted the complete book art on their website so have a look for yourself.
Now, the maps : I was disappointed with the map of the village of Barovia and the wilderness map : From what I've read, they seem to be similar with the ones from the original module but, since the year is now 2006, is that really a plus? The tactical maps are very impressive though : There are lots of details on them and they will really ease the life of the DM (More on that later). The 3-D maps of the castle itself are nicely done : This is not your everyday "You climb the stairs to Level 2" building and I believe the complexity of the castle's architecture demanded such a concept.
These technical details now set aside, let's explore the book chapter by chapter, starting with the 1st : Adventures in Ravenloft. It opens up with Strahd's stats, probably because nostalgic DMs would have flipped the pages until they saw them anyways. So, from the start, you know the villain your players will have to knock out and let's just say he lives up to his reputation. Even if your characters exploit all his weaknesses, their last meeting with him shall be a battle to remember. Strahd has a whole bunch of servants he will most likely send after the heroes when they snoop around the village of Barovia and these are detailed on the next few pages. Nothing really striking here.
Next up are Strahd's potential goals in the adventure. You can randomly choose one or pick the one you like most from the list. This basically sets which "fake" handout you will give to your players, a plea for help presumably sent by the (now-dead) Barovia burgomaster. But the moment the characters arrive in Barovia and learn the mayor has been dead for weeks now, they will probably just assume that this letter is a random pile of lies and figure out they need to kill the big-bad-vampire in his castle. The fact that Strahd, when he appears before them, shouts "I'm mad!", "I wanna build a zombie empire!" or "Please help me get rid of the hags!" won't change their minds so this sounds like something that would be awkward to fit in.
Following are options to scale this adventure depending on what you want to do with it : From a one-night-session interlude to your current campaign or a painful Level 6-10 stretch for your intrepid players. I wouldn't advise bringing newbies that have just reached level 6 for the first time of their life through careful playing and have their eyes filled with hope : Unless your players are veterans and know the horrors they will have to face, keep them away from this castle or allow them to use pre-generated characters and show them how pitiless D&D can be.
One page is dedicated to how you can adapt the adventure to Eberron, Forgotten Realms and even D20 Modern and then we move on to Chapter 2 : Village of Barovia. The village can be summarized in one word : Zombies. The undead are clogging the streets and the population is litterally cowering in some public buildings. Actually, this is how it SHOULD be, but some of the NPC descriptions really suggest that they don't give a damn whether or not the invasion will be repelled. Instead of being hailed as heroes, PCs are welcomed as if this is just another boring day in Barovia. The encounters, taken individually, should not be that tough to overcome but if you follow the book to the letter, it seems PCs can't move 10 feet or open a door without triggering another encounter with the zombies, which can obviously become annoying.
Let's take a pause here to talk about the already-famous tactical encounter format. What's this anyway? Well, every sizable encounter is described at length at the end of the chapter. Each has been allowed 2 pages side-by-side including :
The EL Level;
The Read-Aloud text along with basic info about the encounter;
Monster descriptions and statistics : Nearly 90% of the encounters include at least one creature that is not in the core books, my only complaint being that they don't tell you from what book the monster is from;
Monster tactics;
A small tactical map along with a description of the features of the area, that is, special benefits or hindrances from a piece of furniture or type of terrain.
The concept here is : All right, combat is starting, go to page 42 and you have EVERYTHING you need. No more Monster Manual covering your map, no more DMG getting in the way of your dice rolls, no more "Well, how about your PCs start at the eastern edge of the map and the monsters are... well... one is here and the other is, hum, well, I guess he could be here...", etc. Being a new concept, it is surprisingly mature and one would think that published adventures have been like that for years. The thought that WotC (And even other publishers) could build on that shows a lot of promise.
Your players should move on to Chapter 3, The Lands of Barovia, with one thing in mind : Finding Madam Eva so she can tell them more about Strahd and where to look for important items to use against him. This chapter is split into 2 main parts : Wilderness encounters and the original module's innovative idea : Live Fortune-telling in a D&D session. The encounters feel really plain - It's as simple as : "When the characters enter these woods, go to Tactical Encounter xx on page yy". It's as if the authors wanted DMs to run the areas around the Castle as they would a typical dungeon-crawl. There are 3 specific sites in the Wilderness that have been tied to Strahd, thereby enhancing his already-impressive abilities. If the characters travel to these sites, get rid of the creatures protecting them and perform a specific ritual there, they will hamper the vampire in some ways like lowering his AC.
The fortune-telling part of the chapter is really nice though. You can run it with a 3-Dragon Ante, tarot or normal playing cards deck. Each quintessential question the PCs may have at this point is answered by the intriguing Madam Eva. Of course, your players may suspect that, whatever the card you pull from the deck, your answer was made up from the start. After all, why would a Red Dragon means that Strahd will make his last stand in his Tomb whereas the Silver Dragon means he will do it in the Chapel instead? It would give a sense of realism to this whole setup if the events foreseen by Eva would have been more accurately illustrated bu the cards, but then one would need a custom-tailored deck. Still, I can see this specific encounter to be really enjoyable. There is even a scenario where the card drawn means the PCs must kill all 3 Hags in the wilderness (Including Eva herself) to cut Strahd's tie to the lands and if the old woman ever draws it, needless to say, she quickly loses her calm and the fortune-telling session turns into a rumble at the Vistani camp!
The last chapter (From p.90 onward) is Castle Ravenloft itself. No encounter in this realm of evil has to be taken lightly, especially since Strahd can show up virtually anywhere on the DM's whim. The gaseous form ability will probably get on the nerves of your PCs quickly, even if they know the vampire will be helpless in his tomb for an hour after reaching it, they actually have to get there and this is no small feat. As I said earlier when I talked about the tactical encounters format, this is basically an undead showcase. It seems like every monster from Libris Mortis and similar books have found a niche in Castle Ravenloft. You get enough details to run the encounters, though you will probably miss the monsters' images if you don't have the extra books, since it seems every description end up as being "A pale, moaning, decayed corpse..."
The monsters have deadly tactics and I can't see a party surviving this undertaking. Grab a PC, use Greater Teleport 2,000 feet above the castle and drop him? I'm not complaining about this, this is meant to be a tough one and it isn't disappointing as such. An average party with "A little bit of everything" will have a hard time dealing with the threats that seem to constantly target the same weaknesses. They will wish their cleric can spontaneously cast Lesser Restoration instead of Cure spells and could turn undead 30 times a day. Don't expect too many NPCs in there, though the ones that are depicted are colorful.
The book somewhat lacks a conclusion - I understand the even the authors don't know where or even when Strahd will fight the heroes for good but still, you literally flip the last tactical encounter page and find yourself staring at the appendix. Speacking of which, the last few pages detail prestige classes, weapons of legacy, new magic items, spells, etc. and is a welcome addition.
This is a dense book, well worth the price. If you want your players to leave the quiet and lovely little village they have been adventuring around since the beginning of their careers and have them witness what real Hell can be, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is the answer. The new tactical encounters are so well fleshed out, it ensures you can pick any of them and drop it straight into your campaign.
