Ravenloft vs. Call of Chtulu

[Jaws]

One way to see which you and your players will prefer is to look at your movie and TV preferences:

Do you like Vincent Price movies, Hammer films, Dark Shadows? Go with Ravenloft 3e.

Do you like X-Files, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, sci-fi B movies? Go with d20 CoC.

Admittedly, these examples aren't perfect matches to the two settings, but it might give you a general idea.

Fortunately, either way, you won't be disappointed.

I think that the choices you wrote could go either way. I think that The Mummy movies are more Ravenloft like. And most Vincent Price are more Cthulhu-ish. Whatever you get your inspiration from I bet you can find stuff for both settings. Unfortunately d20 Ravenloft wasn't written as well as d20 CoC.

Peace and smiles

 

[jaerdaph]

I think that the choices you wrote could go either way. I think that The Mummy movies are more Ravenloft like. And most Vincent Price are more Cthulhu-ish. Whatever you get your inspiration from I bet you can find stuff for both settings.

I was thinking more of the Vincent Price movies based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe - those are good examples of the tone of the Ravenloft setting. As for getting inspiration for both settings, I agree. DnD Chick certainly proved that with her d20 CoC version of Price's Dr. Phibes

Unfortunately d20 Ravenloft wasn't written as well as d20 CoC.

I don't agree with that. While I won't compare the two as to which is "better" because ultimately that's up to the individual, and in a sense it's kind of like apples and oranges, d20 Ravenloft is certainly not an inferior product, IMO. But to each his own

(Modified): I should point out that I was one of the founding members of the Secrets of the Kargatane Web site, the official Ravenloft Web site, so I might be a little biased, but regardless of that, it still is a good book.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

I thought d20 Ravenloft sucked, TBH, but then I never liked the execution of the original version, either. Good idea, sloppy execution. "Let's just throw one of every evil movie or folklore monster into this one evil demiplane no one can escape from." It's retarded; the kind of setting a twelve year old might dream up on an off-day. Reminds me of Monster Island in those old Godzilla movies where all the giant monsters live in one place. Pure schlock.

On the other hand, d20 CoC presents its horror trappings intelligently, creatively and as interpreted by over nine decades of stories from some of the greatest "weird fantasy" authors of the century (Lovecraft, Bloch, Howard, Lumley, etc.). Plus, the rules are by Cook and Tynes, two of the best RPG designers ever. It can be easily adapted to any time period in history or to any fantasy setting. Palladium did a lovely half-assed job of ripping off the Mythos for their Old Ones book (Book II) of the Palladium FRPG.

Your choice: monster mash or monsters with class. YMMV.

 

[jaerdaph]

Speaking of Eldritch

The word "eldritch" is a favorite of H.P. Lovecraft's -- along with "cyclopean", "non-Euclidean", and other odd terms. [/B]

Hey, FDP James if you're listening, I think this is the point where you come in to pimp Fiery Dragon Productions upcoming product Eldritch Horror Toolkit!

 

[jaerdaph]

I thought d20 Ravenloft sucked

Yeah, but you think everything sucks. You're like Mikey, that Life Cereal kid (and now I'm dating myself) I'm kidding - no hard feelings

Seriously, I don't see Ravenloft as a "Monster Mash", but again, IMO.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

I think d20 Ravenloft had a few crunchy bits in it, but a golden opportunity to revise the franchise into a more realistic, sensible and mature setting for the new rules set was missed. I think Avalanche's forthcoming Vlad The Impaler sourcebook on medieval Transylvania will prove a much more effective setting for a Gothic Horror campaign than Ravenloft.

The original Ravenloft module (I6?) for 1e was brilliant; it was when TSR tried to cash in on its popularity with the lame sequel, House on Gryphon Hill (followed by the 2e box set, ad infinitum) that everything fell apart for making the setting into something more. The Van Richten's Guides were well-written and useful, however. I own the compilation of VRG vol. 1-3 SC (vampires, werewolves and "the created") and can say I enjoyed it very much, but it is useful to me OUTSIDE the Ravenloft setting.

And I don't hate everything, LOL. I just tend to have very polar opposite opinions on RPG products: Love it or Hate it. Frex: I loved Spycraft, CoC, Pulp Heroes, Spells & Spellcraft, Fading Suns... to name a few d20 products I've raved about recently. You must have only tuned into my threads bashing Kalamar, Bluffside, Skraag, or whatever.

 

[jkantor]

As I mentioned in a couple of other threads, if I were running a Cthulhu game, I'd use the Fear/Horror/Madness rules from Ravenloft for short-term effects and the rules in the Book of Broken Dreams supplement (from Netherland Games) for longterm sanity effects.

 

[Victim]

How the heck is Mummy Returns CoC? IMNSHO, the whole thing had the feel of someone's odd 20s DnD game.

I agree that the idea behind Ravenloft was pretty stupid, especially as it seemed that the PCs wouldn't be able to escape or stop the evil overlords. Even if you can't beat Mythos creatures in CoC, you can still block the summons and stop the cults.

 

[jaerdaph]

How the heck is Mummy Returns CoC? IMNSHO, the whole thing had the feel of someone's odd 20s DnD game.

Alright, maybe not the best choice of movies for either setting, Ravenloft or CoC. The reason I listed it was because of the setting - 1920's-1930's, which is the classic CoC time period and the era of Lovecraft.

Originally posted by Victim I agree that the idea behind Ravenloft was pretty stupid, especially as it seemed that the PCs wouldn't be able to escape or stop the evil overlords. Even if you can't beat Mythos creatures in CoC, you can still block the summons and stop the cults. [/B]

When's the last time you looked at Ravenloft? The focus of PCs in Ravenloft hasn't been about outsiders trying to escape for some time now, even before 3e D&D/d20 came about, or WotC bought TSR. PC creation focuses more now on natives of the Demiplane of Dread. Like CoC, Ravenloft is sometimes about the small victories, defeating the minions or lesser evil beings. There have also been adventure modules where Dark Lords can be defeated.

I invite Fimp and everyone else interested to check out the Secrets of the Kargatane Web site to learn more about the Ravenloft setting. Visit the message boards there to interact with folks who are running Ravenloft campaigns. In some of the threads, some of them are even mixing RL with CoC, which might be of interest. Most fans there are quite friendly, really know about the game, and will gladly answer all your questions.

http://www.kargatane.com

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Re: Speaking of Eldritch

Hey, FDP James if you're listening, I think this is the point where you come in to pimp Fiery Dragon Productions upcoming product Eldritch Horror Toolkit!

Yes, please enlighten us! Sounds like a product worth checking out.

I finally made my SAN check, and I have started planning my RPG purchases, so any advance notice about products is welcome. This is the first I've heard of this tome, but I certainly don't have time to keep up with every d20 publisher out there....

I just hope jaerdaph wasn't joking about the existence of this product.