Ravenloft - your experiences?

[Davelozzi]

Fantastic module, one of the best of all time. Weis & Hickman did some great module writing until they took up Dragonlance...

Actually, this wasn't Weis & Hickman, it was Hickman & Hickman (Tracy & Laura). Tracy Hickman wrote the books with Margaret Weis but back in the days, he was doing modules with Laura. To my knowledge, Margaret didn't get any RPG credits of her own until much later.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Tracy Hickman wrote the books with Margaret Weis but back in the days, he was doing modules with Laura.

IYKWIMAITYD ...

 

[billd91]

You mean like this?

Help yourself.

Oh, and I made Strahd a 10th level wizard, but if you like it, you can have it.

Awesome. I was working on a conversion myself (version 3.5) to run after the PCs finish with Scourge of the Slavelords (so I'm expecting 4-6 8th-9th level PCs). I'm taking some liberties though because I'm planning on stained glass golems in the church and using caryatid columns instead of iron golems. Maybe when I'm done, I'll get a chance to link it on the boards for discussion.

But with the discussion at hand, I've run Ravenloft twice so far, once in 1st edition, once in 2nd (the only really germaine difference was having a specialty priest who was really good at turning undead).

The first time, one of the player's girlfriend's was along as a player and that ended up being pretty disruptive. She wasn't really into it and the boyfriend player, normally very good, was highly distracted.
In both cases of running it, I ended with a TPK that led into I10 and the fever-induced deliriums and confusion about which reality is the right one. In the first running, we didn't get far before interest waned in continuing the adventure (largely due to the distractions).
But in the 2nd case, we finished that adventure off too.
Overall, the main module I6 pretty much defines classic D&D modules (along with the A series) and is well worth playing. I used Strahd to harass the characters continually, particularly when he managed to catch lone PCs. Eventually, they were whittled down that a single stand-up fight took them down.
THe House of Strahd update for 2nd edition, unfortunately, doesn't stack up as well. There were some changes made to it that just don't feel right. I don't have them committed to memory, but in my conversion research and comparing I6 to House, House makes some changes that just don't feel right.

When I run Ravenloft in upcoming months, it will just be I6, no I10. Hopefully, my players will have so much fun that they'll forgive me.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Given all this talk about conversions (and at least one example)...

Over Christmas I had the chance to go back through a lot of my AD&D 1e and 2e stuff and reminisce about the "good ol' days", and decided that I would, finally, run Ravenloft - in 3.5e. However, the party consists of five 12th-level PCs, so it won't exactly be a standard conversion from 1e monsters/spells/traps to equivalent 3.5e monsters/spells/traps. At this stage, all I've got is the whole of Castle Ravenloft subject to both forbiddance and unhallow, and Strahd's likely to be a high-level fighter/necromancer/eldritch knight. Anyway, when I'm done I'll post the conversion to the Coversions pages.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[David Howery]

I bought this one way back when, but sadly, never got to run it or play it. The thing that sticks in my mind the most was the really great artwork, both cover and interior....

 

[TerraDave]

All. Time. Great.

Not only so many good stories (...the former pc theif being intentionally teleported crypt to crypt; the use of a wish spell to preserve the party's worg cloaks; the party's shock that Strahd could cast spells, had a real motivation, couldn't be defeated just like that...fire, lots of fire...) but such a big impact on the campaign, as the party basically defined themselves based on what happened in Raveloft, and Barovia become the base for many more adventures. And yes it did have really good maps.

The last and best of the classic modules

 

[TheNovaLord]

Brilliant adventure


vague memory of when DMing it in 1e, rolled a random encounter as soon as they had entered the courtyard and it was something like 2d8 wights and rolled 11 or 12 of them, back in the days when energy drain was nasty....The parties poor little faces when they looked at what was ahead of them....

ah, sweet memories

JohnD

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Speaking of the 'Loft, does anyone know where I can get a copy of the 2E reprint of the Ravenloft module? I'm looking for the maps.

 

[Celebrim]

All time best module ever. I've played it once and ran it twice.

But one thing people absolutely have to undertand. If you play this module with 4-6 PC's of 5-7th level, and the DM plays Strahd to his fullest, you will suffer a TPK. In my opinion this is maybe the most difficult module ever printed considering the suggested party size and character levels. You may have heard that S1 is lethal, or that RttToH is a blood bath that chews up characters by the fist full, but do not for a second think that just because Ravenloft does't have that same reputation that this module isn't of the same standard. Energy drain in 1st edition is HARSH, Strahd has every possible advantage in one of the most fiendishly clever dungeons ever devised, and since Strahd is one of the most active opponents in the history of the game the PC's will NOT get a prolonged chance to rest and recover. Strahd regenerates hit points far faster than PC's of this level can heal themselves. If Strahd plays 'drain and run', there isn't alot that the PC's can do about it. Moreover, the number of traps designed to split the party up is astonishing, and no 7th level PC can handle Strahd - or virtually any other encounter in the module - one on one.

And not only do player character die, but generally speaking they are going to die in some truly horrible ways. How many players here have had characters buried alive in the wights tomb and were unable to escape? How many players here have had Strahd throw them off the towers (its a long long way down)? How many have been turn apart by the gargoyles trying to flee the castle, or disolved by the one way green slime trap? That polymorphed into a chicken and then turned into vampire food story is a new one by me, but its pretty typical of my experiences with the module.

 

[devilbat]

The original Ravenloft module was my introduction to D&D, and to this day is my fondest gaming memory.

We had many battles with Strahd, but in the end, the DM was merciful and allowed us to take down the Vampire Lord. We thought we found away around his regenration ability by chopping him into "Strahd bits", putting them in a bag, weighing it down with rocks and throwing it in a nearby river.

But like the proverbial cat, Strahd came back, the very next day.

We fled.