 The cover of the originalRavenloft module, with art byClyde Caldwell. The artwork depicts villainStrahd von Zarovich atop Castle Ravenloft. | |
| Code | I6 |
|---|---|
| TSR product code | 9075 |
| Rules required | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons1st edition |
| Character levels | 5–7 |
| Campaign setting | GenericAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons |
| Authors | Tracy &Laura Hickman |
| First published | 1983 |
| Linked modules | |
| I1,I2,I3,I4,I5,I6,I7,I8,I9,I10,I11,I12,I13,I14 | |
Ravenloft is anadventure module for theDungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasyrole-playing game. The American game publishing companyTSR, Inc. released it as a standalone adventure booklet in 1983 for use with thefirst editionAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons game. It was written byTracy andLaura Hickman, and includes art byClyde Caldwell with maps byDavid Sutherland III.[2] The plot ofRavenloft focuses on the villainStrahd von Zarovich, avampire who pines for his lost love. Various story elements, including Strahd's motivation and the locations ofmagical weapons, are randomly determined by drawing cards. Theplayer characters attempt to defeat Strahd and, if successful, the adventure ends.
The Hickmans began work onRavenloft in the late 1970s, intent on creating a frightening portrait of a vampire in a setting that combinedGothic horror with theD&D game system. They play-tested the adventure with a group of players each Halloween for five years before it was published. Strahd has since appeared in a number ofD&D accessories and novels. The module has inspired numerous revisions and adaptations, including acampaign setting ofthe same name and a sequel. In 1999, on the 25th anniversary ofDungeons & Dragons, two commemorative versions ofRavenloft were released.
Ravenloft has won one award, been included on two "best of" lists, and was generally well received by critics of its era. In 1984, it won the Strategists' Club Award for Outstanding Play Aid, and it appeared second inDungeon magazine's list of the top 30D&D adventures. Several reviewers liked the included maps, andWhite Dwarf magazine gave it 8 out of 10 overall. ADragon magazine review praised the module, but felt that theD&D elements detracted from the Gothic horror atmosphere. In 2016, Wizards of the Coast publishedCurse of Strahd, an adaptation of the originalRavenloft module for the 5th edition ofDungeons & Dragons.
The story involves aparty ofplayer characters (PCs) who travel to the land ofBarovia, a small nation surrounded by a deadly magical fog. The master of nearbyCastle Ravenloft, CountStrahd von Zarovich, tyrannically rules the country, and a prologue explains that the residents must barricade their doors each night to avoid attacks by Strahd and his minions. TheBurgomaster's mansion is the focus of these attacks, and, for reasons that are not initially explained, Strahd is after the Burgomaster's adopted daughter, Ireena Kolyana.
Before play begins, theDungeon Master (or DM, the player who organizes and directs the game play)[3] randomly draws five cards from a deck of six. Two of these cards determine the locations of twomagical weapons useful in defeating Strahd: the Holy Symbol and the Sunsword. The next two cards determine the locations of Strahd and theTome of Strahd, a book that details Strahd's long-agounrequited love. In this work, it is revealed that Strahd had fallen in love with a young girl, who in turn loved his younger brother. Strahd blamed his age for the rejection and made a pact with evil powers to live forever. He then slew his brother, but the young girl killed herself in response, and Strahd found that he had become a vampire.[4] All possible locations are inside Castle Ravenloft.
The fifth and final card selected determines Strahd's motivation. There are four possible motivations for Strahd. He may want to replace one of the PCs and attempt to turn the character into a vampire and take on that character's form. He may desire the love of Ireena, whose appearance matches that of his lost love, Tatyana. Usingmind control, Strahd will try to force a PC to attack Ireena and gain her love by "saving" her from the situation he created. Strahd may also want to create an evil magic item or destroy the Sunsword. If, during play, the party's fortune is told at thegypsy camp in Barovia, the random elements are altered to match the cards drawn by the gypsy.
As the party journeys through Barovia and the castle, the gameplay is guided using 12 maps with corresponding sections in the book's body guide. Example maps and sections include the Lands of Barovia, the Court of the Count, five entries for each level of theSpires of Ravenloft, and the Dungeons and Catacombs. Each location contains treasure and adversaries, includingzombies,wolves, ghouls,ghosts, and other creatures. The main objective of the game is to destroy Count Strahd. The DM is instructed to play the vampire intelligently, and to keep him alive as long as possible, making him flee when necessary. In an optional epilogue, Ireena is reunited with her lover. They leave the "mortal world," as Ireena says, "Through these many centuries we have played out the tragedy of our lives."[5]
Tracy Hickman and Laura Curtis married in 1977. Soon after, while living inProvo, Utah, they wrote the adventuresPharaoh andRavenloft.[6] When they began work onRavenloft, they felt the vampire archetype had become overused, trite, and mundane, and decided to create a frightening version of the creature for the module.[7]Ravenloft was inspired by Bram Stoker'sDracula and advertised as "a classic gothic story."[8][9] They play-tested it with a group of players everyHalloween for five years before it was published in 1983 by TSR.[10] The plot combined elements of thehorror genre withDungeons & Dragons conventions for the first time.[11] At the time ofRavenloft's release, eachDungeons & Dragons module was marked with analphanumeric code indicating the series to which it belonged.[12]Ravenloft was labeled I6: the sixth in aseries of intermediate-level modules for thefirst edition ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D).[13] It consisted of a 32-page book, with separate maps that detailed locations in the adventure scenario.[5]
Tracy Hickman once ran the adventure as a Dungeon Master. According to him, the experience was like an oldscary movie, with "the obligatory castle high on the craggy cliff with the wolves howling in the woods. Sure enough, the vampire was up there in the castle. To most of the players, it seemed like a straightforward task: find the vampire and kill him."[4] One player discovered Strahd's backstory and was so affected by it that when it came time to kill the vampire at the end of the adventure, despite having a sword capable of dispatching Strahd, he refused, and his companions were forced to complete the task. Afterwards, Hickman asked him why. "He deserved to die better than that," his friend said, to which Hickman replied, "Yes [...] But that is how it is with people who fall from greatness. He chose his end when he first chose to kill his brother. How could it be any different?".[4]
According to a Wizards of the Coast article, Strahd has become one of the most infamous and well-known villains in theDungeons & Dragons game,[14] and he has appeared in a number of novels and rulebooks since his debut inRavenloft.[15] In an introduction to an online edition ofRavenloft II, authorJohn D. Rateliff described Strahd as a then-unusual fusion of a monster with the abilities of a playercharacter class; that is, avampiremagic-user.[11] This design enables him to combine his own powers with the surrounding environment, making him a difficult opponent to defeat.[7]
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of theDungeons & Dragons game in 1999, two additional versions of theRavenloft module were released. The first was a reprinting of the original adventure made available in theDungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Editionboxed set, with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from the original (for collecting purposes).[16] The second was the silver anniversary edition ofRavenloft that was adapted for use with the second editionAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast periodically alters the rules of Dungeons & Dragons and releases a new version).[17][18]
Ravenloft's success led to a sequel in 1986 titledRavenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill. Although Tracy Hickman was credited inRavenloft II, he had left TSR before the module was completed. The writing was done byDavid "Zeb" Cook,Jeff Grubb,Harold Johnson, andDouglas Niles, following the Hickmans' outline. Each writer pursued a different section of the module in order to meet the deadline.[11]Clyde Caldwell, who had done all of the art for the originalRavenloft module, provided the cover, but interior art was done byJeff Easley. The adventure is designed for first editionAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons characters of levels 8–10.[19] The adventure was 48 pages, and included a large color map and an outer folder.[20] It shared structural elements with the original, including variable NPC goals and variable locations for key objects, so thatGryphon Hill plays differently each time.[21] The module's plot features anartifact known asThe Apparatus that switches a monster's personality with that of an ordinary townsperson; player characters, therefore, are uncertain about the true identity of the people they meet. The module also introduces Azalin thelich, who later became a major character in the Ravenloft campaign setting.[11] This module is playable alone or as a sequel to the originalRavenloft.[21] The module describes the town of Mordentshire, as well as some haunted moors, and a manor house, all of which are mapped in perspective like the original module.[20]
In 1986,Ravenloft was adapted into thegamebookMaster of Ravenloft, #6 in theAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks series. In the book, the reader plays the role of Jeren Sureblade, apaladin, who must defeat Count Strahd von Zarovich to save a young girl from becoming one of the undead. The gamebook was written byJean Blashfield, with cover art byClyde Caldwell and interior art by Gary Williams.[22]
Ravenloft inspired acampaign setting ofthe same name,[3] published in 1990.[23] TheRavenloft: Realm of Terror boxed set was published as part of thesecond edition ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons and, according to its back cover, it is "rooted in the Gothic tradition" and contains "tips for adding fear to your games".[24] The setting of the module was expanded; Ravenloft is now ademiplane (analternate dimension). The boxed set's version of Strahd is similar to character in the original adventure, but his abilities were increased and his background explained in more detail.[15] The campaign setting has produced a number of spin-offs,[25] and this new version of Strahd was used as a major character in a number of novels.[15]
The originalRavenloft module has been revised and expanded multiple times. In 1993, TSR publishedHouse of Strahd (module code RM4). It was updated to include rules from the second edition ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons. The module credits the original work by the Hickmans,[1] but was revised byBruce Nesmith, who along withAndria Hayday created theRavenloft campaign setting.[11] Nesmith introduced new monsters, made further developments on Strahd's tactics, and added a Time-Track Table to help theDungeon Master plan for the sunset.[26] In October 2006,Wizards of the Coast released an updated and expanded version of the original module forDungeons & Dragonsversion 3.5 as a 226-page hardcover book entitledExpedition to Castle Ravenloft.[27] It was based on the original module, and not theRavenloft material made in the intervening years.[28]Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is designed to be played as a mini-campaign lasting about 20 game sessions, much longer than the original module, although it contains options for running long 8-session or short 4-session adventures. The book also includes suggestions for incorporating the adventure into an existing generic setting,Forgotten Realms,Eberron ord20 Modern campaign.[29] Wizards of the Coast released the board gameCastle Ravenloft in 2010 as part of the "Adventure System" series of board games using a simplified 4th edition rule set.[30] In 2016, Wizards of the Coast publishedCurse of Strahd,[31] an adaptation of the original Ravenloft module for the 5th edition ofDungeons & Dragons, which was generally well received, earning the 2016 ENnie Awards for Best Adventure and Best Art/Cover and runner up for Product of the Year.[32]
Ravenloft won one award, and was included on two "best of" lists. In 1984, it won the Strategists' Club Award for Outstanding Play Aid.[20] The bookDungeon Master For Dummies chose the module as one of the ten best classic adventures, saying it is "perhaps our favoriteD&D adventure of all time",Ravenloft "takes the Dracula legend and gives it aD&D spin", and praised the detailed yet concise plot andisometric maps. The book also claims that Ravenloft "inspired game designers and Dungeon Masters to take the art of adventure to the next level."[3]
In 2004, on the 30th anniversary of theDungeons & Dragons game,Dungeon magazine ranked the module as the second greatestDungeons & Dragons adventure of all time—behindQueen of the Spiders.[33] The editor ofDungeon praised the placement of treasure, and Strahd's motivation was described as "a brilliant way to let fate drive the plot and evoke the mystery and mystique of Barovia".Bill Slavicsek, director of Wizards of the Coast's RPGs and Miniatures department, noted that it was the first adventure to "mix tone, story, and dungeon crawl" in a module, and game designerAndy Collins agreed.Clark Peterson, president ofNecromancer Games, singled out the maps and Strahd for praise, saying the vampire is "perhaps one of the best villains of all time".[33] AuthorJohn Rateliff also applauded the maps and the randomization, as well as Strahd's duality as a vampire/magic-user. The catacombs, where player characters were teleported away and replaced with undeadwights, was singled out at as the adventure's "defining moment" by the magazine's editors.[33]
Reviews forRavenloft were generally positive.Rick Swan reviewed the adventure inThe Space Gamer No. 72. He commented that there was "so much gothic atmosphere inRavenloft that if it had any more, it'd flap its pages and fly away", and stated that the bulk of the adventure involving a search of Castle Ravenloft was "not too interesting" with encounters few and far between, and that the mechanic of using a regular deck of cards to simulate a gypsy fortune teller was "silly and the results are too arbitrary" but concluded that "Ravenloft is such a refreshing change that even with its problems, it's recommended."[34] In the July 1984 issue ofWhite Dwarf magazine, the module was given 8 out of 10 overall, with the reviewer mentioning its presentation as a positive, and its complexity as a negative. It was likened to aHammer horror production and praised as enjoyable, although the reviewer said the game's puns were tedious and detracted from the spooky atmosphere.[35]White Dwarf reviewerDave Morris said it "should be a lot of fun – 'light, relief' of a nerve-wracking and deadly sort" and concluded thatRavenloft is "full of clever touches", and "features some first-class illustration and graphics".[35] In a review for the January 1984 issue ofDragon magazine (published by a subsidiary of TSR), game designerKen Rolston argued that, despite its design innovations,Ravenloft was still in essence adungeon-style adventure. Rolston praised the randomization, the maps, and the player text (which is read aloud to the players by the DM). He said the player text "consistently develops an atmosphere of darkness and decay." Despite this, Rolston felt that the adventure has trouble in developing a frightening tone. He singles out its use of common monsters inD&D, an abundance of traps, and frequent combat interludes as elements that detract from the adventure's spookiness by interrupting the module's flow. Ultimately, he felt that in "AD&D terms it is a masterpiece", but not a work of "Gothic horror".[36] In a Polygon article from 2021, Charlie Hall wrote that the originalRavenloft "has been criticized as derivative–and for reinforcing harmful stereotypes," but that it had an interesting conflicted villain.[37] Tracy Hickman stated in 1998, "I still believe the original Ravenloft modules were perhaps the best that ever had my name on them."[10]
Scott Taylor forBlack Gate in 2014 listedRavnloft byClyde Caldwell as #7 in The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time.[38]
