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wdkilpackiii's review
5.0
There are few modules I have played that my friends and I did not tweak at least a little to make them more challenging or exciting. Ravenloft stands alone in that regard. Absolutely solid, even when replaying it with different characters (or even the same ones again)! That is was written by Hickman is not surprising at all. If you want a full, robust experience with AD&D (nothing compares to a blend of 1st & 2nd Edition), go no further than this. Highly Recommended!
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is where it all began for Ravenloft and, in many ways, for serious D&D. The early days of Dungeons and Dragons had little structure to it, modules may have been set in Gygax's world of Greyhawk or other such places, but there was very little logic applied to the dungeon or effort made in making the villain plausible. A vampire would just happen to be hanging out in a dungeon room after a Owlbear and before a troop of goblins. It was just another monster. The Hickman's created a setting where a vampire makes sense.
Ravenloft I6 is a standalone adventure where party members are lured to the isolated village of Barovia and become trapped behind poisonous mist. The villagers live in fear of Strahd von Zarovich. The party must interview the villagers, perhaps gain an ally or two, and enter the castle. The module has a bit in randomizer in the form of a tarokka reading by the Vistani Madam Eva. The tarokka are divination cards easily adapted from standard playing cards. The DM can incorporate the reading into the module or simply use the reading as part of their preperations to determine where certain artifacts lie in the castle and where the party will confront Strahd. In this way the module can be slightly different and be played multiple times without growing stale.
Strahd is a villain with a history. A tragic past. He has motivations and desires for the party members and the villagers. There's a fair bit of humor in here too to lighten the mood. It's easy to see, while reading it today, why it was so popular in 1983 and eventually inspired the Ravenloft Campaign Setting. The module is so popular it has been reprinted in current times, but if you are patient enough, a vintage printing of the module complete with map cover can be found for a reasonable price online. I haven't had such luck with the sequel so far, but I'm willing to wait.
Ravenloft AD&D 1st Edition
Next: 'Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill'
Ravenloft I6 is a standalone adventure where party members are lured to the isolated village of Barovia and become trapped behind poisonous mist. The villagers live in fear of Strahd von Zarovich. The party must interview the villagers, perhaps gain an ally or two, and enter the castle. The module has a bit in randomizer in the form of a tarokka reading by the Vistani Madam Eva. The tarokka are divination cards easily adapted from standard playing cards. The DM can incorporate the reading into the module or simply use the reading as part of their preperations to determine where certain artifacts lie in the castle and where the party will confront Strahd. In this way the module can be slightly different and be played multiple times without growing stale.
Strahd is a villain with a history. A tragic past. He has motivations and desires for the party members and the villagers. There's a fair bit of humor in here too to lighten the mood. It's easy to see, while reading it today, why it was so popular in 1983 and eventually inspired the Ravenloft Campaign Setting. The module is so popular it has been reprinted in current times, but if you are patient enough, a vintage printing of the module complete with map cover can be found for a reasonable price online. I haven't had such luck with the sequel so far, but I'm willing to wait.
Ravenloft AD&D 1st Edition
Next: 'Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill'
akodoken's review
5.0
Man, what a classic! The gothic horror atmosphere of this module is perfect and the module is so well written.
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