Finally got the new Ravenloft.

[Vocenoctum]

I also think it's a good book, despite the flaws I discussed above. It's not 100% to my taste as a Ravenlofter, but it's not bad.

Joël

I also think it's a great book, though we may not agree on what good/bad points might be, there's more than enough for everybody to like I think.

 

[Dykstrav]

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is going to be my bedtime reading for the next week or so. I have found some stuff to like about it, but I'm just looking for a reason to play this version instead of an updated I6.

The more I check it out, the less I like the tactical encounter format. It's a good idea in theory, trying to put everything you need in one spot and all that. It's a welcome change from the 30+ page glut of stat blocks at the end of adventures. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, City of the Spider Queen, anyone? But overall, it eats up ALOT of page space. Going back and forth from a room description to a seperate page for encounters still keeps you either Xeroxing or sticky-noting things. Not only this, but I feel like having EVERY little detail plotted out for the critters is kinda redundant. As a DM, I feel more like I'm watching the battles unfold than I'm plotting them. I expect the major villains, critters with complex abilities, and big fish to have tactical layouts approaching this degree of complexity. But this level of detail isn't necessary for a pack of zombies, for crying out loud.

The other things I've already said about it still stick in my craw. Of course I can wikipedia/google/whatever around to patch together a physical description of Chernovog and all (not to mention the motivations, personality, goals and cults of a brand-spanking-new demon prince that's been dropped smack dab into the adventure as little more than a footnote to an encounter), but I really don't think I should have to. Getting a stat block and calling it a "creature" is like someone handing you a box of cake mix and some eggs when you order dessert at your favorite restaurant. Okay, maybe something got FUBARed in the editing. Whatever. In all fairness, there was no credited proofreader on the title page. Little things like this make the veins in my forehead pound when I see a MSRP of $34.95 on a hardcover adventure that's designed to span 5 levels. This cries out for a web enhancement or an errata to patch these gaps.

I don't know if it's because they crank out so many new products over so short a time or what, but the overall quality of the proofreading has gone way down in the D&D line. People in my FLGS even bet on how many typos or rules errors they are going to find in a new splatbook when it comes out. I know that I can't speak for everyone, but I am recommending that you take a second look at Expedition to Castle Ravenloft before you buy it.

 

[Monkey King]

As someone did say, I also find the non-reference to esoteric / not well known monsters very annoying. There are some weird monsters in it and I have no idea which source book they were taken from, or EtCR doesn't have a picture to show me what it's looking like.

ex: a Troll stalker (large air elemental) ??? Rot reavers?

Allow me to recommend World of Sulerin's monster index . They've got everything catalogued, and I mean everything.

Rot Reaver =MM3
Spirit Troll = 1E FF

 

[Treebore]

Thanks Monkey King, I have never seen that site before. Very, very useful.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I wasn't able to find a description for him either, so i'm going to describe this since it's the same name, more or less, and it fits thematically.

He really needs to have a hammer instead of being a warlock.

I picked it up, even though I'm a player, because there's crunchy bits in the back, and either of my DMs who'll run it will change things up radically. We're rather powergamery, and a CR 15 BBEG with 65 HP is begging to be put down fairly quickly. If the DM for the Birthright game ran it as is, Strahd would spend most of the adventure in his casket while we looked for it.

Brad

 

[Ruined]

Thanks for the small reviews posted here. I was intrigued enough about the encounter format to pick up the book, and I'm pleased. I like the 2-page layouts, personally. I'm sure they can use some work as others have posted above, but it can be a great boon to GMs like myself. I know my games well and I feel that I can be very creative. But sometimes I lack prep time and my encounters miss out because of it. I forget details, or the tactics tend to become the same for creatures. Or worse, I spend too much time flipping through pages of various books to look up details that should be handy.

I haven't put this module to an actual gameplay test yet, but I think it's going to help greatly.

 

[Vocenoctum]

The more I check it out, the less I like the tactical encounter format. It's a good idea in theory, trying to put everything you need in one spot and all that. It's a welcome change from the 30+ page glut of stat blocks at the end of adventures. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, City of the Spider Queen, anyone? But overall, it eats up ALOT of page space. Going back and forth from a room description to a seperate page for encounters still keeps you either Xeroxing or sticky-noting things.

Like I said, this encounter style would be great for either important combats, or as a seperate book. (For instance, a boxed set with the Delve Encounters in a book and the rest of the descriptions in another, and a map you can actually use while the book is open.)


As for having too much of the stuff plotted out, I never really cared about that, as long as I had enough to go by. I can ignore information pretty easily.

 

[Endur]

I posted a review on Expedition to Castle Ravenloft.