Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Review Round-Up – What the Critics Say

Now that you've had time to read my review of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, and the book officially arrived in game stores on May 18, it's time to take a look at what other RPG reviewers thought of this guide to horror.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: An In-Depth Review

The last few D&D books had a lot for DMs. Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft tops them all. Players will get a lot out of it, too, but VRGtR is a feast of useful, imagination-sparking material—and that's not entirely limited to those who like horror. The Demiplane of Dread known as Ravenloft is...

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Terrifyingly Awesome...​

Games Radar not only ranked VRGtR one of the best D&D books ever, they also praise it for taking a fresh approach to the decades-old RPG. GR notes that the chapter on domains could have become repetitive quickly, but instead it's packed with creativity.

VRGtR transformed the reviewer at The Gamer from someone uninterested in horror into someone planning a horror masquerade adventure. While they praise VRGtR for its player options, they like the information for DMs even more. That ranges from the new mechanics that replace the old madness rules to advice for DMs on how to create compelling villains.

Bell of Lost Souls praises VRGtR for how it makes players think about their character's stories, not just in terms of backgrounds but also through the Gothic lineages, how they came about, and impacted the character. They also like all the tools DMs get plus an abundance of inspiration for games. They actually like the fact that Darklords don't have stats because if they do, players will always find a way to kill them. Overall, they deem VRGtR “indispensable” for DMs and as having great information for everyone, which makes it “a hearty recommendation.”

Polygon was more effusive calling it “the biggest, best D&D book of this generation” and that “it has the potential to supercharge the role-playing hobby like never before.” As you can tell from those two phrases, Polygon gushes over VRGtR praising everything from the new character options to safety tools to its overflowing creativity, and more. They compliment the book for being packed with useful information for players and DMs.

...And Scary Good​

Tribality broke down VRGtR chapter by chapter listing the content, and then summed up the book as being both an outstanding setting book and horror toolkit. They especially like that the various player options, such as Dark Gifts and lineages mean that death isn't necessarily the end of a character, but rather the start of a new plot.

Gaming Trend also praised VRGtR, especially the parts that discourage stigmatizing marginalized groups to create horror. They also considered the information on how to create your own Domain of Dream and Darklord inspiring. For example, it got them thinking about the role of space in creating horror, and how the mists allow a DM to drop players into a Domain for a one-shot if they don't want to run a full campaign. GT deemed VRGtR “excellent” and then pondered what other genres D&D could tackle next, like comedy adventures.

Strange Assembly loves the fact that VRGtR revives a classic D&D setting, and especially focuses on the Domains of Dread. They like the flavor of the Gothic lineages but not that some abilities are only once a day, preferring always-on abilities. Still, that's a small complaint when SA praises everything else, especially the short adventure, The House of Lament. VRGtR is considered an excellent value and worth checking out if you like scary D&D.

Geeks of Doom doesn't buck the trend of round-up. They really enjoyed the adventure inspiration and DM advice but especially appreciate the player options. agrees They really like the flexibility that's encouraged – and the new version of the loup-garou.

The Final Grade​

While none of these publications give out a letter grade, the superlatives VRGtR has earned makes it pretty easy to associate ratings to each review. Games Radar, The Gamer, Polygon, and Bell of Lost Souls are so effusive in their praise that they would obviously be A+. Gaming Trend, Tribality, Strange Assembly, and Geeks of Doom also praise VRGtR, though their language isn't quite as strong or they have a very minor critique. That would make their reviews at least an A. Adding in the A+ from my own review, and Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft grades this product by which all others will likely be judged in the future:

A+​

 

[imagineGod]

To be honest this is one of the best splat-books that is not a traditional splat book.

 

[imagineGod]

Basically, if you have the original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Ravenloft sets, or even the Sword and Sorcery 3rd Edition Ravenloft, this new 5th Edition Ravenloft has more than half the book still useful, which is more than many traditional splat books offer, because those get too bogged down into system specific games mechanics.

The lack of Star blocks for Darklords also makes the book more open for use by other older Ravenloft editions.

 

[Tonguez]

After having read the Create a Domain chapter, Id say its not only a great Horror toolkit; its a great Adventure Design toolkit across any genre - indeed its a better guide than the DMG

 

[R_J_K75]

Id say its not only a great Horror toolkit; its a great Adventure Design toolkit across any genre - indeed its a better guide than the DMG

I browsed the book and read some of the first chapter, so I agree it looks like a good toolkit. One could easily read a small portion, pick a domain and create a good game.

One of my players started playing in June 2018 with 5E. I've been hoping that he'll take over DMing for awhile. Lately hes been DMing for a small group of other people, sort of a test run for our larger group. I gave him my original copy of CoS after I picked up the CoS Revamped. I looked through it Tuesday, and after thatI bought him a copy of this book too. Those 2 book seem perfect for a new DM and someone could easily run a campaign for years and need nothing else except the PHB, DMG and MM.

 

[Aaron L]

I very much like the book, with a few big caveats. For one thing, I greatly dislike how the Domains are now floating islands in the Mists with no physical connections nor roads between them for common people to travel from Domain to Domain. This eliminates far more story possibilities and play opportunities than it creates. No native travel or trade, no inter-Domain political intrigue, no more plotting of one Darklord over another. Each Domain is its own little world isolated from all the others, and it just makes the setting far more bland.

I saw no mention of The Morninglord anywhere, which is rooted in another great dislike I have, that Strahd is now supposed to be the very first vampire in existence. That is just stupid. Jander Sunstar was several centuries older than Strahd, both as an Elf and as a Vampire, and Strahd even used him as a tutor in vampiric abilities. But I suppose in order to retcon Strahd into being the First Vampire something that was never true before (when Strahd said that it was either an empty boast or it was related to his preeminence, not to his literal chronological existence.) Jander's story therefore apparently had to be retconned from existence, which also meant retconning away The Morninglord, which was a fascinatingly skewed Ravenloft-filtered splinter of Lathander. Again, it is just taking away fascinating elements from the setting and making it more bland.

I do like how they have dealt with Ezra. Ezra was one of the best additions to the Ravenloft setting from the late-2E Domains of Dread setting book.

I actually liked the Dhampyr and Hexspawn, not being actual races but rather things that characters can be altered into... although the Dhampyr does make far more sense as an actual race; Dhampyrs are actual real-world mythology, and it was something you were born as, not made into (as recently as the late 1800s there were still people in Eastern Europe claiming to be Dhampyrs and offering their services as Vampire Hunters.) But I will never be able to wrap my head around Dragonborn, or especially Teiflings, walking around free in the Land of the Mists. Ravenloft has always been 99% Human, frightened and xenophobic, and even Elves and Dwarves were considered frightening alien things; blatant Dragonpeople and Devilpeople showing up in a place like Barovia would be immediately hunted down with torches and pitchforks and burnt at the stake.

And before anyone says "the xenophobia was eliminated because xenophobia is bad and we are more enlightened about such things today" the xenophobia was always presented as being bad; this is a Horror setting (Vampires and Werewolves are also bad.) Xenophobia is a product of fear, which is heightened in the Land of the Mists, and frightened, clannish, xenophobic people are a long-established element of many types of Horror. When people are frightened they tend to clan up and stigmatize outsiders... it's unpleasant but it is a truth about humanity, and it would be especially prevalent among all the Ravenloft P-Zombies. Horror is about confronting awful things and the way fear affects people, and if try to whitewash out all the underlying social problems that arise as symptoms of the fear only to concentrate on the literal monsters then you eliminate most of the Horror, and instead you just end up with a fascile cartoon version of "Horror."

 

[imagineGod]

I very much like the book, with a few big caveats. For one thing, I greatly dislike how the Domains are now floating islands in the Mists with no physical connections nor roads between them for common people to travel from Domain to Domain. This eliminates far more story possibilities and play opportunities than it creates. No native travel or trade, no inter-Domain political intrigue, no more plotting of one Darklord over another. Each Domain is its own little world isolated from all the others, and it just makes the setting far more bland.

I saw no mention of The Morninglord anywhere, which is rooted in another great dislike I have, that Strahd is now supposed to be the very first vampire in existence. That is just stupid. Jander Sunstar was several centuries older than Strahd, both as an Elf and as a Vampire, and Strahd even used him as a tutor in vampiric abilities. But I suppose in order to retcon Strahd into being the First Vampire something that was never true before (when Strahd said that it was either an empty boast or it was related to his preeminence, not to his literal chronological existence.) Jander's story therefore apparently had to be retconned from existence, which also meant retconning away The Morninglord, which was a fascinatingly skewed Ravenloft-filtered splinter of Lathander. Again, it is just taking away fascinating elements from the setting and making it more bland.

I do like how they have dealt with Ezra. Ezra was one of the best additions to the Ravenloft setting from the late-2E Domains of Dread setting book.

I actually liked the Dhampyr and Hexspawn, not being actual races but rather things that characters can be altered into... although the Dhampyr does make far more sense as an actual race; Dhampyrs are actual real-world mythology, and it was something you were born as, not made into (as recently as the late 1800s there were still people in Eastern Europe claiming to be Dhampyrs and offering their services as Vampire Hunters.) But I will never be able to wrap my head around Dragonborn, or especially Teiflings, walking around free in the Land of the Mists. Ravenloft has always been 99% Human, frightened and xenophobic, and even Elves and Dwarves were considered frightening alien things; blatant Dragonpeople and Devilpeople showing up in a place like Barovia would be immediately hunted down with torches and pitchforks and burnt at the stake.

And before anyone says "the xenophobia was eliminated because xenophobia is bad and we are more enlightened about such things today" the xenophobia was always presented as being bad; this is a Horror setting (Vampires and Werewolves are also bad.) Xenophobia is a product of fear, which is heightened in the Land of the Mists, and frightened, clannish, xenophobic people are a long-established element of many types of Horror. When people are frightened they tend to clan up and stigmatize outsiders... it's unpleasant but it is a truth about humanity, and it would be especially prevalent among all the Ravenloft P-Zombies. Horror is about confronting awful things and the way fear affects people, and if try to whitewash out all the underlying social problems that arise as symptoms of the fear only to concentrate on the literal monsters then you eliminate most of the Horror, and instead you just end up with a fascile cartoon version of "Horror."

Nobody stops you adding the things you love.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is literally the best toolbox that looks like a Campaign Setting because of the Van Richten and allies letters within, but still, this book is more a toolbox than anything.

Nobody stops you linking the domains. The roads and pathways are considered wrapped in most for those who want them separate , there is that, and for those wanting them linked, no problem, go ahead

 

[R_J_K75]

I very much like the book, with a few big caveats. For one thing, I greatly dislike how the Domains are now floating islands in the Mists with no physical connections nor roads between them for common people to travel from Domain to Domain. This eliminates far more story possibilities and play opportunities than it creates. No native travel or trade, no inter-Domain political intrigue, no more plotting of one Darklord over another. Each Domain is its own little world isolated from all the others, and it just makes the setting far more bland.

I thought the Vistani were the only people that could freely cross domain borders in previous editions? I think I'd make the domains separate doesnt means they cant drift next to one another and touch for a period of time as the DM needed . I kind of like the idea that the setting is fluid.

 

[Prakriti]

Have any of the reviewers listed here ever given a negative review to a 5E hardcover? Honest question.

 

[Istbor]

I very much like the book, with a few big caveats. For one thing, I greatly dislike how the Domains are now floating islands in the Mists with no physical connections nor roads between them for common people to travel from Domain to Domain. This eliminates far more story possibilities and play opportunities than it creates. No native travel or trade, no inter-Domain political intrigue, no more plotting of one Darklord over another. Each Domain is its own little world isolated from all the others, and it just makes the setting far more bland.

I saw no mention of The Morninglord anywhere, which is rooted in another great dislike I have, that Strahd is now supposed to be the very first vampire in existence. That is just stupid. Jander Sunstar was several centuries older than Strahd, both as an Elf and as a Vampire, and Strahd even used him as a tutor in vampiric abilities. But I suppose in order to retcon Strahd into being the First Vampire something that was never true before (when Strahd said that it was either an empty boast or it was related to his preeminence, not to his literal chronological existence.) Jander's story therefore apparently had to be retconned from existence, which also meant retconning away The Morninglord, which was a fascinatingly skewed Ravenloft-filtered splinter of Lathander. Again, it is just taking away fascinating elements from the setting and making it more bland.

I do like how they have dealt with Ezra. Ezra was one of the best additions to the Ravenloft setting from the late-2E Domains of Dread setting book.

I actually liked the Dhampyr and Hexspawn, not being actual races but rather things that characters can be altered into... although the Dhampyr does make far more sense as an actual race; Dhampyrs are actual real-world mythology, and it was something you were born as, not made into (as recently as the late 1800s there were still people in Eastern Europe claiming to be Dhampyrs and offering their services as Vampire Hunters.) But I will never be able to wrap my head around Dragonborn, or especially Teiflings, walking around free in the Land of the Mists. Ravenloft has always been 99% Human, frightened and xenophobic, and even Elves and Dwarves were considered frightening alien things; blatant Dragonpeople and Devilpeople showing up in a place like Barovia would be immediately hunted down with torches and pitchforks and burnt at the stake.

And before anyone says "the xenophobia was eliminated because xenophobia is bad and we are more enlightened about such things today" the xenophobia was always presented as being bad; this is a Horror setting (Vampires and Werewolves are also bad.) Xenophobia is a product of fear, which is heightened in the Land of the Mists, and frightened, clannish, xenophobic people are a long-established element of many types of Horror. When people are frightened they tend to clan up and stigmatize outsiders... it's unpleasant but it is a truth about humanity, and it would be especially prevalent among all the Ravenloft P-Zombies. Horror is about confronting awful things and the way fear affects people, and if try to whitewash out all the underlying social problems that arise as symptoms of the fear only to concentrate on the literal monsters then you eliminate most of the Horror, and instead you just end up with a fascile cartoon version of "Horror."

I mean... you can still run Ravenloft as you'd like. (Barring any AL stuff as that is the only time I can think you'd HAVE to be true to whatever meta is going on).

Personally, the isolated domains is always how I pictured and ran Ravenloft. When I first discovered that lore that people could just travel between them, I was like... "Well that's dumb, aren't these eternal prisons or torment?". I won't hate on anyone that prefers it that way, but I find that isolation as pretty terrifying.