Ravenloft - your experiences?

[TerraDave]

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.

Ah yes, I still remember them being fireballed by Strahd the first time (again, lots of fire in that one)

I think my PCs where at the low end...but this is one of the best "thinking player" adventures. (There is also magic in the module to reverse level loss (or even bring back the dead)). I think a key element is Strahd: as a villian he can hunt down the PCs and reak havoc, but he also has his own motivation and (it actually depends) may very well need something from them: they are his guests after all. This can help to keep the PCs alive. But bull headed PCs, even well beyond 7th level, may find it deadly indeed.

 

[adwyn]

I loved this module. I still love it, and am constantly amazed at how many current players have never played it, but are terrified of the mere name.

Thus when I run it this summer I'm using D20 past and setting it in 1930's Nazi Germany. With all of the Nazis running around the town the setting will be firmly mixed in the players' minds and nothing else will need to be changed. It'll be fun to see their faces when they realize where they are.

 

[cmanos]

I got this mod very soon after it came out. I read it and read it and read it over and over and over again. I hadn't read Dracula yet, or seen a good movie of it, but I knew it was cool story. Haunted castle on the hill, sleepy hamlet down below terrorizd by some night creature. Ran it 5 times with 5 different groups. Every single party had a very difficult time with the wraiths hiding in the dark passageway that would touch attack, level dran and then pass insubstantially through the closest wall before the characters could do much to them.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

My memory is all the red dragons in the courtyard!

 

[Morte]

Odd data point: I've never read, GMd or played Ravenloft using D&D but "Spires of Ravenloft" remains my favourite fan-made Neverwinter Nights module. It's old, and it's got no fancy graphics or clever scripting, but the atmosphere comes in buckets and the story is cool as hell. It's relatively open-ended by NWN standards too.

I must admit, I could quite fancy reading it. Do I want the standard version or the Silver Anniversary Edition? [1e vs 2e doesn't matter.]

 

[Celebrim]

I must admit, I could quite fancy reading it. Do I want the standard version or the Silver Anniversary Edition? [1e vs 2e doesn't matter.]

I've never seen the Silver Anniversay Edition, though I've heard negative comments about the 2nd edition 'House of Strahd' which may be the same thing.

I'd go with the original - that way you are safe.

Running the module is fairly straightforward for a 1st edition module. There is a straight forward outline of what Strahd can do and how often he can do it, and a method for randomly setting Strahd's goals, weaknesses, and the location of several minor artifacts important to the story. Most of the module is an elaborate dungeon crawl in a big spooky haunted castle, and requires only minor tweaking to suit your taste.

My biggest gripes with the module and suggestions for developing it would be:

a) The gypsy camp's placement on the map makes it far to easy for the player's to just skip over. This would be a big shame, so consider moving the gypsy camp way from the castle and put it on the approach to Bavaria. The fortune teller scene is a good mood setter, and I usually even move it outside of Bavaria to the village before the PC's enter the mists. It's one of the few dramatic problems with the otherwise exceptional maps in the game. In fact, Ravenloft itself is probably the best dungeon map in the game's history.
b) Bavaria seems to be by the implication of the map a days journey from whereever the character's start out. You would think then that the locals would have some rumor about Bavaria. I think its better to add at least day or two of journey to the map according to the world in which you are going to drop the game into. In particular, read Dracula and Jonathan Harker's account of his journey through Romania. Sensible PC's are going to want to investigate the Baron/Bavaria before leaving, and you best be prepared. Moving the starting point of the journey far enough back can help prevent hook dodging by untrusting PC's.
c) The town is underdeveloped. Given the size constraints of a published module, this is completely understandable (and in fact in many ways preferable). You will need to add a cast of townsfolk, both sympathetic and dispicable. In particular, I always add a few orphaned children, a caretaker figure, a ruined priest, a gypsy vagabond, a spy for the baron, a ghoulish would be vampire, and so forth. By all means, run the funeral to its utmost. It's one of the most dramatic scenes in published adventures. Remember that it is not necessary for the first appearance of the Baron to be beligerent unless the PC's demand it, and that there are alot of different ways to run this module depending on your tastes and the personality of your players. The Baron could be disguised amongst the townsfolk engaged in some conspiracy, or could relay some made up story about a family curse as if he was the victim and setting the PC's to some quest in his own castle, or any number of things initially depending on how you want to run the adventure.
d) Carefully control your wandering encounters - especially within Ravenloft itself - so that they enhance the mood rather than destroy it. Depending on how you've been playing out the module, some of the wandering encounters simply don't do alot to enhance the feel of the module and can make the big creepy castle seem a little bit overcrowded. The PC's should not be made to feel as if every Tom, Dick, and Svetyana in Bavaria are trapsing around in the castle. Considering how often Strahd is able to sic his creatures on the PC's, you won't need alot of random encounters in the castle IMO unless things get too slow in thier search for the coffin and you need to liven things up.

Like I said, the dungeon map is a marvel. Even though its an open ended map, its very good at moving the PC's through it in a structured fashion, so that very early on my players always end up in the dining room. This can be a dramatic encounter for any number of reasons (depending on what has happened before), so by all means play it up in detail. It's creepy, its freaky and its one of many many ways you can put Strahd 'on stage' as the adventure nemesis.

 

[Fiasco]

This is a fantastic module. I ran it 2 years ago for and experienced group. They had never been so scared before!

Below a link to my review of this module in the Dragonsfoot D&D site.

I6 Ravensloft Review

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I played in that module twice. I DMed it once.
In the first game, my 10th level druid Cyndelle (half elven female) ventured into the realm of Ravenloft along with a large group of 1st through 3rd level characters.
You did hear that right: 1st through 3rd level characters. I do not think our DM was being quite reasonable here: nobody had higher level characters but me, and he wanted to run a high level module, but would not allow pre-generated higher level characters. The result was inevitable.
A few things stick out in my mind:

1. The map. Even after I finished the 2nd experience in Castle Ravenloft, and then studied the map as a DM, it took me hours to memorize it, to be able to visualize it in my mind. A nice setup: the family lived in the castle, and their guards and servitors lived in the castle, but the twain never met except through a few, specially designated entryways. In effect, the castle had two completely separate floor plans, intertwined but never actually meeting, spread out over many levels.
Of course, we had a wee bit of difficulty trying to map Castle Ravenloft as players. Indeed, I would daresay it was an epic endeavor. When we had mapped half the castle, the DM asked to see our map. He took a look, got this look on his face, and kindly commented we should throw the map away at once.
After all, our map showed that we had come in a complete circle, and should have been walking into familar territory. And, as you might guess, nothing at all looked familiar.

2. The maid. The words maid and maiden took on a new and terrifying significance for us, because the Castle Maid of Ravenloft - being a vampire - killed half the party. The other half lived, because we ran away.

3. We finally challenged Count Von Strahd to a personal battle. He agreed (we yelled until everything for miles was awakened.) In that final battle, we all died. Only Cyndelle died a natural death, falling from - 3 hit points to - 10. Everyone else, became servitor vampires.

-

My second venture into Ravenloft was with Edena (the character, not my SN here.) Edena was a cleric of around 25th level at the time. Cyndelle had been his half sister, and word had finally somehow reached him of her death at Strahd's hands. He went in to avenge her, and to retrieve her body if possible (or, slay the vampire she had become, if that was what was decreed.)
Edena successfully killed Strahd, and it caused the barrier around the realm to temporarily relent, allowing Edena to leave with Cyndelle's body. He then resurrected her.
Edena never did find the bodies of the other adventurers from the first disastrous game, unfortunately.

-

I then DMed Castle Ravenloft for someone.
I made the Castle Maid into the spokeswoman for the Count, and she went with his magical carriage to 'invite' the PCs to the Castle. I created a Son of Kyuss (nasty things) as the High Clerist of the Castle (he even sat at the formal dinner engagements!) And Strahd was most happy to welcome and greet the PCs ... and inform them that they were now his servants; loyal servants would be well rewarded, and disloyal servants would be punished.
The angry PCs left the dinner party, then saw the chapel ... in which a holy relic still remained, untouchable by any of it's dark guardians and an eternal reminder to Strahd of his downfall.
The PCs - to my dismay - rushed the chapel (taking the gargoyle and dragon guards by complete surprise) grabbed the relic, then dived through the stained glass windows. Unfortunately, as I had previously stated, Castle Ravenloft sat on a cliff, and it was a several hundred foot drop right beyond the window ... and they had charged through that window blindly, and so could not stop, and ...
Well, I gave them a chance to grab at things, and they did. Strahd did not send his flying minions after them: Strahd was astounded and bemused by this audacity, and determined they would make fine servants indeed, given the proper training and breaking process (sorta like seeing a proud horse, and determining you will break that horse into meekness.)
The PCs, after a mountain climbing type experience, made their escape.

Strahd invited them to dinner again, relic and all. (Strahd was hardly afraid of it, since in his own castle he considered himself supreme.)
This time, all war broke loose.
The party used magical items to kill the Son of Kyuss. They did battle throughout the castle. The Maid evaded them (the Maid, always looked out for Number One first, and her master Strahd second.)
Finally, they killed Strahd in the classic way, stabbing him with a stake while he slept. They cut off his head, put holy waffers in his mouth, the whole kit and kobottle.

And then, the Maid returned and with a Scroll of Undead Resurrection, proceeded to return Strahd to unlife.
Which shows that, in the case of vampires, you need to do the job THROUGHLY, if you are going to do the job at all. Vampires are just too smart, too clever, and have too many contingencies for anything else. Did I mention most of them are mages and/or clerics? That doesn't help matters.

My now VERY frustrated and angry players returned to Castle Ravenloft. They entered through secret lower levels. Then something akin to Total War occurred as they systematically destroyed the place room by room, monster by monster.
They finally got Strahd. This time, they didn't leave anything of him to resurrect (alive or undead.)
And this time, they chased the Maid down ... but the Maid offered an alliance with them against Strahd, if they would free her from his mastery, and they accepted it. Of course, as a result, the breakin of Castle Ravenloft was thus enabled, the overthrow of Strahd and his minions was easier (a vampire helping out is no small thing), and the Maid survived ... to resurrect her master yet again ...

 

[JohnBiles]

I have run it several times successfully with a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the one time I played in it was a catastrophe as we became so paranoid from all the dangers that finally, we spent 2 hours arguing over whether to go left or right at an intersection while wandering monsters slowly ate away at us. Two REAL hours, that is.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I ran Ravenloft once; it was the end of my very first campaign.

This module suffers from wrong advertising; it's not for levels 5-7, but for 7-5.

As a running gag we had the Tower of Halberds. One player had lost his character just before we started Ravenloft. Tempted by being able to create a 6th level character (not sure about the actual level) he created a monk, who was proficient with the halberd.

After a few sessions the players were in one of the high round towers with a staircase running up its length and an open space in the center. On the staircase they encountered some level-draining undead, and the monk got drained. This caused him to lose one weapon proficiency, and with a deep sigh the player threw the halberd down the stairwell. Several encounters later, the character was dead, and the player rolled up a new character, again a monk. In exactly the same tower the stroy repeated itself: Undead encountered, monk hit, halberd thrown down the stairwell.

At about the same time I decided to waive the rules on gaining a level (training for several weeks and paying tons of gold) in order to be able to continue with the adventure. So the characters gained a level, the monk picking up the halberd proficiency again, and - nice DM that I am - even got a magic halberd.

To maker a long and painful story short ... you guessed it. Granted, the players picked up the habit of throwing all weapons their characters were no longer proficient with in said stairwell, but I don't know how many halberds (and other weapons) ended up there.

Despite all my efforts, the game had turned into a farce. We ended the campaign somewhere Ravenloft, leaving the characters to their grisly fate.