D&D 5E (2024) The Crooked Moon - an alternate Ravenloft?

[Stormonu]

I just ran across this weekend, and picked up a book called Crooked Moon. Lots of player's options in the front, as well as a whole setting and campaign outline. They have versions for 2014 & 2024 apparently. The book is THICK!

It strikes me as having many of the elements of Ravenloft - domains, dark fantasy, darklords, "trapped" souls forced to rebirth, and even an overarching "Dark Power". However, it leans more into the fantasy side as there is a variety of species (I think my favorite by appearance is the living scarecrows), tuned to fit to the realms, where Ravenloft was originally conceived around human PCs (with, perhaps the exception of Sithicus, maybe Darkon). As much as I love Strahd, I get the impression this may be better for long-term campaigns than the one-shots I tend to run for Ravenloft.

I'm still in the starting section reading it, but have flipped through the whole thing. Has anyone else picked this up and started using it? What are your thoughts?

 

[General_Tangent]

One of my friends backed it on Kickstarter and we're having fun playing through it. It certainly has it's moments.

 

[Remathilis]

However, it leans more into the fantasy side as there is a variety of species (I think my favorite by appearance is the living scarecrows), tuned to fit to the realms, where Ravenloft was originally conceived around human PCs (with, perhaps the exception of Sithicus, maybe Darkon).

This is a misconception that can't die in a fire fast enough. There is nothing inherent in Ravenloft that requires human centric PCs except that, for whatever reason, as Ravenloft became more and more codified, it got forced more an more into the "burn the elves on sight" style of xenophobia and racism. You absolutely can run Ravenloft with all the PHB species and Ravenloft has taken great pains to diversify not only it's domains and dark lords, but PC options with dhampir, hexblood, reborn and now lupin.

Honestly, I find it fits the weird, nightmare like logic that locals would be just as weary of a human, tiefling, elf or lupin that walks into their town; not exactly a warm welcome but also not the sundown town most later 2e and especially 3e products tried to paint it as.

As to the rest, I think you could do a lot with Crooked Moon, either as it's own thing or mixed with Ravenloft. I've heard the PC options are a little on the weak side, so take that for what you will.

 

[Selas]

Crooked Moon started as a homebrewed domain of Ravenloft on the Edge of Midnight live-play from Avantris, which they turned into a campaign book. This is still the case for the published version.

 

[Ashton van Richten]

This is a misconception that can't die in a fire fast enough. There is nothing inherent in Ravenloft that requires human centric PCs except that, for whatever reason, as Ravenloft became more and more codified, it got forced more an more into the "burn the elves on sight" style of xenophobia and racism. You absolutely can run Ravenloft with all the PHB species and Ravenloft has taken great pains to diversify not only it's domains and dark lords, but PC options with dhampir, hexblood, reborn and now lupin.

Honestly, I find it fits the weird, nightmare like logic that locals would be just as weary of a human, tiefling, elf or lupin that walks into their town; not exactly a warm welcome but also not the sundown town most later 2e and especially 3e products tried to paint it as.

As to the rest, I think you could do a lot with Crooked Moon, either as it's own thing or mixed with Ravenloft. I've heard the PC options are a little on the weak side, so take that for what you will.

I agree with your stance on the racism side of things for sure, but I feel like for Ravenloft or campaigns like Curse of Strahd, at least for me personally, some races/lineages/etc are too "out there" or weird like idk say a Tortle or something, snd it sort of takes away from the things in Barovia (for example, couple be another Domain too) being the weirdest thing. Sorry if my wording is off.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I agree with your stance on the racism side of things for sure, but I feel like for Ravenloft or campaigns like Curse of Strahd, at least for me personally, some races/lineages/etc are too "out there" or weird like idk say a Tortle or something, snd it sort of takes away from the things in Barovia (for example, couple be another Domain too) being the weirdest thing. Sorry if my wording is off.

I think you make a very good point. As much of the point of Ravenloft is "horror" and trying to do things meant to "frighten" the players of the game... having PCs be Human gets them a step closer to that.

If you are playing an elf or a tortle or a tabaxi... you have that additional layer of "fantasy species" you have to try and get in the mindset of as you play-- which means you are less focused on the fear and horror going on around you. There are two levels you are dealing with in the roleplay: the fear and horror of the setting; and the weird species with different mental processes and things they care about. Whereas if you play a Human, you already know the mental processes of what being a Human is, which means you only need to focus on the fear and horror. Your time and focus is less split.

It's not insurmountable by any stretch... but that split focus is still there. And at least for me personally... there's a certain amount of "goofiness" that comes with most of the various species one can play in the game, and thus I get held even more at arm's length to what is meant to be scary. I'm wandering around Barovia and I look over to see a 7 foot tall grey-skinned Goliath standing next to an Aarakocra flapping their wings and squawking... my suspension of disbelief to what is meant to be scary has to work just a little bit harder, LOL.

 

[Remathilis]

I agree with your stance on the racism side of things for sure, but I feel like for Ravenloft or campaigns like Curse of Strahd, at least for me personally, some races/lineages/etc are too "out there" or weird like idk say a Tortle or something, snd it sort of takes away from the things in Barovia (for example, couple be another Domain too) being the weirdest thing. Sorry if my wording is off.

I can see your point. But I see it also as something that can add to surreal aspects of Ravenloft. Bear with me for a moment.

When I run Ravenloft, I try to emphasize that the world has a dream like, surreal quality to it. In a normal D&D world, a dwarf would be viewed with no suspicion, a tiefling might get some second takes, and a tortle might elicit gawking. But in Ravenloft, all three are given the same indifferent treatment. And why is never explained. A tortle isn't any more or less welcomed than a human, neither are given a warm welcome. And if the tortle came from Faerun, he'd probably think it was odd he's not given any greater difference than his human companion. But that's the nature of a dream. It doesn't make sense from a logical perspective.

I tend to drive this home on other ways too. Nobody questions fact most domains do not have enough farmland to feed their population, the markets just always have enough food to keep them from not starving to death. The Autumn stretches on far too long, longer than spring and summer put together. Full moons feel like they happen far too often. Everything has a macabre theme: art, music, theater, literature, architecture, even shops feels like it would be at home in a Spirit Halloween. To outsiders, it's weird. To natives, it is what it is.

I find that this mix of "mundane surrealism" does two things: it moves past a whole lot of "that shouldn't work" arguments when people point out the logistical issues and is reinforces Ravenloft isn't a natural world but an artificial twisted version of it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Honestly, I find it fits the weird, nightmare like logic that locals would be just as weary of a human, tiefling, elf or lupin that walks into their town

It’s not just Ravenloft. when a gang of heavily armed strangers walk into any village in any world they will be met with fear and mistrust. Adventurers are the fantasy equivalent of a biker gang.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But in Ravenloft, all three are given the same indifferent treatment. And why is never explained

I do exactly the same. The very fact that no one notices how weird the PCs are emphasises the off-kilter nature of the setting.

 

[Remathilis]

If you are playing an elf or a tortle or a tabaxi... you have that additional layer of "fantasy species" you have to try and get in the mindset of as you play-- which means you are less focused on the fear and horror going on around you. There are two levels you are dealing with in the roleplay: the fear and horror of the setting; and the weird species with different mental processes and things they care about. Whereas if you play a Human, you already know the mental processes of what being a Human is, which means you only need to focus on the fear and horror. Your time and focus is less split.

If that is true, you could easily make the same argument for the various Crooked Moon species, all of which are essentially "play a monster" types. There aren't just elves or tabaxi, they are gargoyles, bog trolls and living dolls.