Ravenloft (D&D module)
Encyclopedia
Ravenloft is an adventure module
for the Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D) fantasy role-playing game
. The American game publishing company TSR, Inc.
released it as a standalone adventure booklet in 1983 for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. It was written by Tracy and Laura Hickman
, and includes art by Clyde Caldwell
with maps by David Sutherland III
. The plot of Ravenloft focuses on the villain Strahd von Zarovich
, a vampire
who pines for his lost love. Various story elements, including Strahd's motivation and the locations of magical weapons
, are randomly determined by drawing cards. The player character
s attempt to defeat Strahd and, if successful, the adventure ends.
The Hickmans began work on Ravenloft in the late 1970s, intent on creating a frightening portrait of a vampire in a setting that combined Gothic horror
with the D&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 of D&D accessories and novels. The module has inspired numerous revisions and adaptations, including a campaign setting
of the same name
and a sequel. In 1999, on the 25th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, two commemorative versions of Ravenloft 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 in Dungeon
magazine's list of the top 30 D&D adventures. Several reviewers liked the included maps, and White Dwarf
magazine gave it 8 out of 10 overall. A Dragon
magazine review praised the module, but felt that the D&D elements detracted from the Gothic horror atmosphere.
of player character
s (PCs) who travel to the land of Barovia
, a small nation surrounded by a deadly magical fog. The master of nearby Castle
Ravenloft, Count Strahd 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. The Burgomaster
'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, the Dungeon Master
(or DM, the player who organizes and directs the game play) randomly draws five cards from a deck of six. Two of these cards determine the locations of two magical weapons useful in defeating Strahd: the Holy Symbol and the Sunsword. The next two cards determine the locations of Strahd and the Tome of Strahd, a book that details Strahd's long-ago unrequited 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. All six 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. Using mind 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 the gypsy 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 game play 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 the Spire
s of Ravenloft, and the Dungeons and Catacombs. Each location contains treasure and adversaries, including zombies
, 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."
, they wrote the adventures Pharaoh and Ravenloft. When they began work on Ravenloft, they felt the vampire archetype had become overused, trite, and mundane, and decided to create a frightening version of the creature for the module. They play-tested it with a group of players every Halloween
for five years before it was published in 1983 by TSR. The plot combined elements of the horror
genre with Dungeons & Dragons conventions for the first time. At the time of Ravenlofts release, each Dungeons & Dragons module was marked with an alphanumeric
code indicating the series to which it belonged. Ravenloft was labeled I6: the sixth in a series of intermediate-level modules for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). It consisted of a 32-page book, with separate maps that detailed locations in the adventure scenario.
Tracy Hickman once ran the adventure as a Dungeon Master. According to him, the experience was like an old scary 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 straight forward task: find the vampire and kill him." 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?"
According to a Wizards of the Coast article, Strahd has become one of the most infamous and well-known villains in the Dungeons & Dragons game, and he has appeared in a number of novels and rulebooks since his debut in Ravenloft. In an introduction to an online edition of Ravenloft II, author John D. Rateliff
described Strahd as a then-unusual fusion of a monster with the abilities of a player character class
; that is, a vampire
magic-user
. This design enables him to combine his own powers with the surrounding environment, making him a difficult opponent to defeat.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 1999, two additional versions of the Ravenloft module were released. The first was a reprinting of the original adventure made available in the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition boxed set
, with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from the original (for collecting purposes). The second was the silver anniversary edition of Ravenloft that was adapted for use with the second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast periodically alters the rules of Dungeons & Dragons and releases a new version).
, Jeff Grubb
, Harold Johnson
and Douglas Niles
, following the Hickmans' outline. Each writer pursued a different section of the module in order to meet the deadline. Clyde Caldwell
, who had done all of the art for the original Ravenloft module, provided the cover, but interior art was done by Jeff Easley
. The adventure is designed for first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons characters of levels 8–10. The adventure was 48 pages, and included a large color map and an outer folder. It shared structural elements with the original, including variable NPC goals and variable locations for key objects, so that Gryphon Hill plays differently each time. The module's plot features an artifact known as The 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
the lich
, who later became a major character in the Ravenloft campaign setting. This module is playable alone, or as a sequel to the original Ravenloft. It includes descriptions of the town of Mordentshire, as well as some haunted moors, and a manor house, all mapped in perspective like the original module.
Carl Sargent
reviewed Ravenloft II in issue No. 87 of White Dwarf
magazine, where he stated that it was a "strong sequel to I6 Ravenloft" and recommended it highly. He noted that the plotline is very complex, with interactions between PCs and NPCs being much more important, and key events help keep the action going and provide direction for the adventure. Sargent criticized the sequel for having over-the-top minor encounters, and warned that the complexity of the plot would require careful preparation. He did mention that the module includes play and time-keeping aids, and felt that the adventure was worth the extra effort. Sargent highly recommended Ravenloft II for "lots of monsters, plenty of roleplaying, lots of offstage action, items and crucial information to be gathered, and ... an excellent ending." Lawrence Schick also commented on the sequel in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, describing it as "Gang-written just before deadline by the whole TSR design staff. The vampire Strahd returns in a gothic adventure of Things Man Was Not Meant to Know."
, published in 1990. According to Andria Hayday, the boxed set's developer, "TSR's classic AD&D adventure, I6 Ravenloft, inspired this world's creation." The Ravenloft: Realm of Terror
boxed set was published as part of the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and, according to its back cover, it is "rooted in the Gothic tradition" and contains "tips for adding fear to your games". The setting of the module was expanded; Ravenloft is now a demiplane (an alternate 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. The campaign setting has produced a number of spin-offs, and this new version of Strahd was used as a major character in a number of novels. Ravenloft was adapted to the HackMaster
game system as Robinloft in 2002, and its sequel as Robinloft 2: Tahd's Legacy in 2004. Wizards of the Coast released the board game Castle Ravenloft in 2010.
The original Ravenloft module has been revised and expanded twice. In 1993, TSR published House of Strahd (module code RM4). It was updated to include rules from the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. The module credits the original work by the Hickmans, but was revised by Bruce Nesmith, who along with Andria Hayday created the Ravenloft campaign setting. Nesmith introduced some new creatures, developed Strahd's tactics further, and added a Time-Track Table so that the referee can anticipate the sunset. In October 2006, Wizards of the Coast
released an updated and expanded version of the original module for Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 as a 226-page hardcover book entitled Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. It was based on the original module, and not the Ravenloft material made in the intervening years. 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
or d20 Modern
campaign.
. The book also claims that Ravenloft "inspired game designers and Dungeon Masters to take the art of adventure to the next level."
In 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game, Dungeon
magazine ranked the module as the second greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time—behind Queen of the Spiders
. The editor of Dungeon 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 designer Andy Collins
agreed. Clark Peterson, president of Necromancer Games
, singled out the maps and Strahd for praise, saying the vampire is "perhaps one of the best villains of all time". Author John 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 undead wights
, was singled out at as the adventure's "defining moment" by the magazine's editors.
Reviews for Ravenloft were generally positive. In the July 1984 issue of White 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 a Hammer horror production
and praised as enjoyable, although the reviewer said the game's puns were tedious and detracted from the spooky atmosphere. Reviewer Dave Morris
said it "should be a lot of fun – 'light, relief' of a nerve-wracking and deadly sort." Morris concluded that Ravenloft is "full of clever touches", and "features some first-class illustration and graphics". In a review for the January 1984 issue of Dragon
magazine (published by a subsidiary of TSR), game designer Ken Rolston
argued that, despite its design innovations, Ravenloft was still in essence a dungeon-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 in D&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". Tracy Hickman stated in 1998, "I still believe the original Ravenloft modules were perhaps the best that ever had my name on them."
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D) fantasy role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. The American game publishing company TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
released it as a standalone adventure booklet in 1983 for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. It was written by Tracy and Laura Hickman
Tracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
, and includes art by Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell is an American artist. Self described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters.-Early life:...
with maps by David Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...
. The plot of Ravenloft focuses on the villain Strahd von Zarovich
Strahd von Zarovich
Count Strahd von Zarovich is a fictional character originally appearing as the feature villain in the highly popular Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure module I6: Ravenloft. Later, this character and his world would be explored in followup modules, novels, and a campaign setting called...
, a vampire
Vampire (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features...
who pines for his lost love. Various story elements, including Strahd's motivation and the locations of magical weapons
Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the character in whose hands they fall into. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the...
, are randomly determined by drawing cards. The player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s attempt to defeat Strahd and, if successful, the adventure ends.
The Hickmans began work on Ravenloft in the late 1970s, intent on creating a frightening portrait of a vampire in a setting that combined Gothic horror
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
with the D&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 of D&D accessories and novels. The module has inspired numerous revisions and adaptations, including a campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
of the same name
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
and a sequel. In 1999, on the 25th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, two commemorative versions of Ravenloft 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 in Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine's list of the top 30 D&D adventures. Several reviewers liked the included maps, and White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine gave it 8 out of 10 overall. A Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine review praised the module, but felt that the D&D elements detracted from the Gothic horror atmosphere.
Plot
The story involves a partyParty (role playing games)
A party is a group of characters adventuring together in a role-playing game. In tabletop role-playing, a party is composed of a group of players, occasionally with the addition of non-player character allies controlled by those players or by the gamemaster. In computer games, the relationship...
of player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s (PCs) who travel to the land of Barovia
Barovia
Barovia is the oldest domain in Ravenloft.It was formed from a part of the ancestral lands of Strahd von Zarovich at the time when he murdered his brother Sergei to win the hand of the beautiful Tatyana in the year 351 of the Barovian Calendar....
, a small nation surrounded by a deadly magical fog. The master of nearby Castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
Ravenloft, Count Strahd von Zarovich
Strahd von Zarovich
Count Strahd von Zarovich is a fictional character originally appearing as the feature villain in the highly popular Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure module I6: Ravenloft. Later, this character and his world would be explored in followup modules, novels, and a campaign setting called...
, 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. The Burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
'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, the Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
(or DM, the player who organizes and directs the game play) randomly draws five cards from a deck of six. Two of these cards determine the locations of two magical weapons useful in defeating Strahd: the Holy Symbol and the Sunsword. The next two cards determine the locations of Strahd and the Tome of Strahd, a book that details Strahd's long-ago unrequited love
Unrequited love
Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections...
. 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. All six 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. Using mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
, 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 the gypsy 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 game play 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 the Spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
s of Ravenloft, and the Dungeons and Catacombs. Each location contains treasure and adversaries, including zombies
Zombie (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the zombie is an undead creature, usually created by applying a template to another creature.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, wolves, ghouls
Ghoul (Dungeons & Dragons)
For the generic mythological creature, see Ghoul.In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, ghouls are monstrous, undead humans who reek of carrion.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, ghosts
Ghost (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the ghost is an undead creature. Like a Dungeons & Dragons vampire, it is achieved by applying a template to a base creature, of the races existing for playability within the canon.-Description:...
, 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."
Publication background
Tracy Hickman and Laura Curtis married in 1977. Soon after, while living in Provo, UtahProvo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, they wrote the adventures Pharaoh and Ravenloft. When they began work on Ravenloft, they felt the vampire archetype had become overused, trite, and mundane, and decided to create a frightening version of the creature for the module. They play-tested it with a group of players every Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
for five years before it was published in 1983 by TSR. The plot combined elements of the horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
genre with Dungeons & Dragons conventions for the first time. At the time of Ravenlofts release, each Dungeons & Dragons module was marked with an alphanumeric
Alphanumeric
Alphanumeric is a combination of alphabetic and numeric characters, and is used to describe the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits or a text constructed from this collection. There are either 36 or 62 alphanumeric characters. The alphanumeric character set consists of the numbers 0 to...
code indicating the series to which it belonged. Ravenloft was labeled I6: the sixth in a series of intermediate-level modules for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). It consisted of a 32-page book, with separate maps that detailed locations in the adventure scenario.
Tracy Hickman once ran the adventure as a Dungeon Master. According to him, the experience was like an old scary movie
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, 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 straight forward task: find the vampire and kill him." 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?"
According to a Wizards of the Coast article, Strahd has become one of the most infamous and well-known villains in the Dungeons & Dragons game, and he has appeared in a number of novels and rulebooks since his debut in Ravenloft. In an introduction to an online edition of Ravenloft II, author John D. Rateliff
John D. Rateliff
John D. Rateliff is a published scholar of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. He acquired his Ph.D. at Marquette University, where he researched Tolkien's works. His most recent publication is The History of The Hobbit.-Career:...
described Strahd as a then-unusual fusion of a monster with the abilities of a player character class
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
; that is, a vampire
Vampire (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features...
magic-user
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
. This design enables him to combine his own powers with the surrounding environment, making him a difficult opponent to defeat.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 1999, two additional versions of the Ravenloft module were released. The first was a reprinting of the original adventure made available in the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition boxed set
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...
, with slight modifications to make it distinguishable from the original (for collecting purposes). The second was the silver anniversary edition of Ravenloft that was adapted for use with the second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast periodically alters the rules of Dungeons & Dragons and releases a new version).
Ravenloft II
Ravenloft's success led to a sequel in 1986 titled Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill. Although Tracy Hickman was credited in Ravenloft II, he had left TSR before the module was completed. The writing was done by David "Zeb" CookDavid Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
, Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb is an author and game designer. He has worked on a number of computer and role-playing games and has written a number of successful novels, short stories and comics...
, Harold Johnson
Harold Johnson (game designer)
Harold Johnson is a game designer and editor, and an author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR.-Early life and education:...
and Douglas Niles
Douglas Niles
Douglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game.-Early life:Niles was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, and...
, following the Hickmans' outline. Each writer pursued a different section of the module in order to meet the deadline. Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell is an American artist. Self described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters.-Early life:...
, who had done all of the art for the original Ravenloft module, provided the cover, but interior art was done by Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
. The adventure is designed for first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons characters of levels 8–10. The adventure was 48 pages, and included a large color map and an outer folder. It shared structural elements with the original, including variable NPC goals and variable locations for key objects, so that Gryphon Hill plays differently each time. The module's plot features an artifact known as The 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
Azalin Rex
In the World of Greyhawk and Ravenloft campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Azalin Rex or "The Rex" is a wizard-king. He is the Darklord of the domain of Darkon. He is known by his subjects for his draconian rule....
the lich
Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, who later became a major character in the Ravenloft campaign setting. This module is playable alone, or as a sequel to the original Ravenloft. It includes descriptions of the town of Mordentshire, as well as some haunted moors, and a manor house, all mapped in perspective like the original module.
Carl Sargent
Carl Sargent
Carl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
reviewed Ravenloft II in issue No. 87 of White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine, where he stated that it was a "strong sequel to I6 Ravenloft" and recommended it highly. He noted that the plotline is very complex, with interactions between PCs and NPCs being much more important, and key events help keep the action going and provide direction for the adventure. Sargent criticized the sequel for having over-the-top minor encounters, and warned that the complexity of the plot would require careful preparation. He did mention that the module includes play and time-keeping aids, and felt that the adventure was worth the extra effort. Sargent highly recommended Ravenloft II for "lots of monsters, plenty of roleplaying, lots of offstage action, items and crucial information to be gathered, and ... an excellent ending." Lawrence Schick also commented on the sequel in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, describing it as "Gang-written just before deadline by the whole TSR design staff. The vampire Strahd returns in a gothic adventure of Things Man Was Not Meant to Know."
Adaptations
Ravenloft inspired a campaign setting of the same nameRavenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
, published in 1990. According to Andria Hayday, the boxed set's developer, "TSR's classic AD&D adventure, I6 Ravenloft, inspired this world's creation." The Ravenloft: Realm of Terror
Ravenloft: Realm of Terror
Ravenloft: Realm of Terror is a boxed set accessory published in 1990 for the Ravenloft campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...
boxed set was published as part of the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and, according to its back cover, it is "rooted in the Gothic tradition" and contains "tips for adding fear to your games". The setting of the module was expanded; Ravenloft is now a demiplane (an alternate dimension
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
). 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. The campaign setting has produced a number of spin-offs, and this new version of Strahd was used as a major character in a number of novels. Ravenloft was adapted to the HackMaster
HackMaster
HackMaster is a role-playing game produced by Kenzer & Company, being a revised expansion of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It started out as a fictional game, a parody of the most ludicrous aspects of D&D played by the characters of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip by Jolly R. Blackburn...
game system as Robinloft in 2002, and its sequel as Robinloft 2: Tahd's Legacy in 2004. Wizards of the Coast released the board game Castle Ravenloft in 2010.
The original Ravenloft module has been revised and expanded twice. In 1993, TSR published House of Strahd (module code RM4). It was updated to include rules from the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. The module credits the original work by the Hickmans, but was revised by Bruce Nesmith, who along with Andria Hayday created the Ravenloft campaign setting. Nesmith introduced some new creatures, developed Strahd's tactics further, and added a Time-Track Table so that the referee can anticipate the sunset. In October 2006, Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
released an updated and expanded version of the original module for Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 as a 226-page hardcover book entitled Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. It was based on the original module, and not the Ravenloft material made in the intervening years. 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
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, Eberron
Eberron
Eberron is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Khorvaire...
or d20 Modern
D20 Modern
d20 Modern is a roleplaying game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. It was published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2002, and uses the d20 System...
campaign.
Reception
Ravenloft won one award, and was included on two "best of" lists. In 1984, it won the Strategists' Club Award for Outstanding Play Aid. The book Dungeon Master For Dummies chose the module as one of the ten best classic adventures, saying it is "perhaps our favorite D&D adventure of all time", Ravenloft "takes the Dracula legend and gives it a D&D spin", and praised the detailed yet concise plot and isometric mapsIsometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
. The book also claims that Ravenloft "inspired game designers and Dungeon Masters to take the art of adventure to the next level."
In 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game, Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine ranked the module as the second greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time—behind Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 and is a compilation of seven previous related modules, often referred to as a "supermodule." Together, the seven adventures form an integrated campaign that...
. The editor of Dungeon 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
Bill Slavicsek
Bill Slavicsek is a game designer who served as the Director of Roleplaying Design and Development at Wizards of the Coast. He previously worked for West End Games and TSR, Inc., and designed products for Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Alternity, Torg, Paranoia and Ghostbusters.-Biography:Bill...
, 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 designer Andy Collins
Andy Collins (game designer)
Andy Collins is a game designer whose writing credits include numerous books for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Early life and education:Andy Collins grew up in Olympia, Washington...
agreed. Clark Peterson, president of Necromancer Games
Necromancer Games
Necromancer Games was an American publisher of role-playing games. With offices in Seattle, Washington and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the company specialized in material for the d20 System, with most of its products being released under the Open Game License of Wizards of the Coast.The company's...
, singled out the maps and Strahd for praise, saying the vampire is "perhaps one of the best villains of all time". Author John Rateliff
John D. Rateliff
John D. Rateliff is a published scholar of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. He acquired his Ph.D. at Marquette University, where he researched Tolkien's works. His most recent publication is The History of The Hobbit.-Career:...
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 undead wights
Wight (Dungeons & Dragons)
A wight is an undead creature in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:The wight takes its inspiration from the barrow-wights in the world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R...
, was singled out at as the adventure's "defining moment" by the magazine's editors.
Reviews for Ravenloft were generally positive. In the July 1984 issue of White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
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 a Hammer horror production
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
and praised as enjoyable, although the reviewer said the game's puns were tedious and detracted from the spooky atmosphere. Reviewer Dave Morris
Dave Morris
Dave Morris is a British author of gamebooks, novels and comics and a designer of computer games and role-playing games.-Biography:Dave Morris is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford where he read Physics from 1976-79....
said it "should be a lot of fun – 'light, relief' of a nerve-wracking and deadly sort." Morris concluded that Ravenloft is "full of clever touches", and "features some first-class illustration and graphics". In a review for the January 1984 issue of Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine (published by a subsidiary of TSR), game designer Ken Rolston
Ken Rolston
Ken Rolston is an American computer game and board game designer best known for his work with West End Games and the hit computer game series The Elder Scrolls...
argued that, despite its design innovations, Ravenloft was still in essence a dungeon-style adventure
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
. 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 in D&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". Tracy Hickman stated in 1998, "I still believe the original Ravenloft modules were perhaps the best that ever had my name on them."