castle ravenloft ... again?

[Felon]

You seem to want to start a fight every time I mention anything that I find annoying about any aspect of 3e, I dunno why, did I kick your dog or something? When my opinion is asked for, I give it. For some reason, you think I'm evil for doing so.

I don't want to start a fight. I want to challenge unfounded criticism of stuff I like, and you feel compelled to snipe at Ravenloft in every darn thread that crops up about it. If you issue an extreme opinion, particularly a negative one, and you even go so far as to state it as a matter of fact (which you seem to really like to do), then why would you be surprised if somebody asks you what the basis of your opinion is? You think it's commendable to give your opinion when asked, but how commendable is it if you won't back it up? Give people something they can take away from your criticism other than your intense but highly non-specific disdain for X.

 

[Welverin]

But do you have it yet?

I don't get items right away, so even though this is the week for it, I might not get it for a while. So, for me at least, it will be a while before I can compare it to anything.

I saw in store on Monday, so not it wasn't an out of line question to be asking today.

 

[kenobi65]

If it's possible to play this new version of Ravenloft "by the book" and not suffer a TPK, then it'll be more fun to play than the original was.

 

[Felon]

If it's possible to play this new version of Ravenloft "by the book" and not suffer a TPK, then it'll be more fun to play than the original was.

My friend, flipping through this book, I don't think anyone can promise that. Scary stuff.

 

[jezter6]

Unless your PCs are prepared to run, and possibly use magic to escape...I'm not sure it's possible to avoid one.

Without magic...it's an absolute if you don't tone it down a bit.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Being prepared to run (repeatedly) and using all the NPCs' help -- but not making the mistake of trusting any of them too completely -- and never, ever, ever moving forward without a plan, it's probably possible, but I still think it highly likely that characters are going to die.

 

[TarionzCousin]

There are monsters in the crypts of Castle Ravenloft that some of your players will decide you just made up simply to screw them over. (They're not, though: They're from Libris Mortis and some of the MM sequels.)

You've really piqued my curiosity. I can't wait to find out what these monsters are...

Plus, there's probably a half-golem gelatinous cube monk in there somewhere.

Oh, never mind.

 

[Nyeshet]

I ordered it about four-five days ago on Amazon, and it came in today, so I'm happy.

I have never played in the original I6 version, so I do not know how to compare this version with its prior edition version. All in all, I like it. It could have been better, but it could also have been worse, so - at first glance - I would give it an 8 / 10. I need to read it through entirely a time or two before I can really hope to give it more than that (or less, although it would have to have quite a bit of disappointing problems / errors for that to occur, I think).

As already stated the maps are small. The largest of them - the Main Floor, the Court of the Count, and the Catacombs - take up half a page - and the first two have about an inch of empty space around them. Actually, the first two are sepia / brown tinted but otherwise colorless (as are about half the maps, although some are tinted in gray rather than sepia / brown). I've wondered a time or two if these might not be the old maps with new lettering, north symbol, and squares (for room size, etc), but that seems unlikely to me. Not impossible, but certainly unlikely.

Having the encounter information separate from the descriptive text is odd, but I may be able to get used to it. I think the first time someone runs a campaign based on this book it may require a bit of page shuffling to work out, but it might not be as bad as it currently seems.

The generic-ness of the setting means it can be placed in many settings without much trouble, but I think if I were to use it in such a manner I'd likely make some changes beyond merely names and location. Ravenloft - the 3e / 3.5e setting - has some interesting creatures, vampire variants, rules, etc. And there are several 3rd party options for vampires that sound like they could make Strahd and his servants even more interesting (specifically, The Immortal: Vampires and Vampires: Lords of the Night. (I wish the creator of the latter would sell on ENWorld, as I am curious about his Zombie book and would prefer to buy it off ENWorld.)

 

[billd91]

Well, WOTC's track record thus far at redoing classic modules is, well, pretty crappy. And undead are just not scary without a real level drain mechanic.

I dunno. Them Con draining (note: that's drain, not damage) wraiths with incorporeal attacks sure do cause some consternation. Same with other incorporeal undead like shadows and spectres that can attack and zip out of your reach and into a wall or floor.

If level draining is all works in D&D to create fear and loathing of undead, then I think the game's pony knows only one trick.
Fortunately, I do not believe that to be true.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've found some odd typos that got missed in editing. So far, it's only been in flavor text, but it's there.

I'm going to be fitting this into Praemal and inserting in Lothianism for the religion (which fortunately is already loaded with saints) and subsuming the Lightbringers into the Keepers of the Veil (but keeping the Lightbringers' crunch).