By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman

Available at FRP Games
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft HC (d20)
Retail $34.95 Sale $27.95

Initiative Round
In the early days of AD&D, Tracy and Laura Hickman penned a little adventure that incorporated some elements of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, subsequently naming it Ravenloft. (The module was given the alpha numeric designation I6.) Ravenloft was the first adventure to strongly showcase gothic horror in D&D. It introduced us to the master vampire Strahd, and showed us how truly terrifying a vampire can be. It is considered to be a classic among gamers and became so successful that it was the foundation for a whole campaign setting during the days of 2nd edition (and briefly during third edition). Now that adventure has been updated for 3.5 and is ready to scare a whole new generation.

Published by Wizards of the Coast, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is designed for character levels 6-10 (just like the original). It is 224 pages in length and carries a $34.95 price tag for being a hardcover. This time around, Bruce Cordell and James Wyatt have been given the writing responsibilities.

If you intend to play in this adventure, then I recommend that you stop reading now. There will be things that may be spoilers given as I continue. So beware and no complaints about “giving too much away.” This is a review after all.

Count Strahd von Zarovich, a 10th level necromancer vampire, rules the land of Barovia. Because of his connection with the land itself, he can do things that normal vampires cannot, such as walking in daylight, ignoring garlic, and standing in the presence of holy symbols. He is also obsessed with a woman whom he believes is the reincarnation of his dead brother’s wife. The PCs are there because he wills and because they fit in his grand scheme.

Just as in the original, this adventure offers things that allow players to run through the adventure multiple times and not experience the same things over and over. Strahd has six possible goals and strategies that work in conjunction with his desire to win the love of Ireena Kolyana. Some of these options are ideal to use the taint rules from Heroes of Horror to further enhance the horror elements.

The adventure itself is designed to be flexible and nonlinear. It can be run as a mini campaign that will last about 15-20 sessions that will take the characters from 6th level to 9th level. It can be run as a long adventure that lasts about 8 sessions with characters beginning at 7th level. It can be a four session short adventure at 8th level or serve as a one-shot single night session for 9th level characters.

If you run an established campaign setting from Wizards, you’ll find suggestions for incorporating this adventure into that setting. In Eberron, the story has ties to Karnnath and an ancient tome. In the Forgotten Realms, a priest of Lathander is seeking a relic rumored to be the first sun blade. For d20 Modern, the adventure works well for a Shadow Chasers or Urban Arcana game.

The adventurers are drawn to Barovia through a letter and the village’s “need for heroes.” When they arrive, it doesn’t take long to discover the village is besieged by some form of infectious zombies. It is here that they meet Ashlynn, a Lightbringer (undead hunter) and Ireena Kolyana. Eachencounter is set up in a two-page spread giving the GM all of the tools and stats he needs in one place.

The area surrounding Barovia also contains adventure material but some of it is dependent upon Strahd’s secondary goal. There is a covey of three hags that serve Strahd, protecting fanes that bind Strahd to the land. The covey is led by the Vistani leader, Madam Eva (she will tell the PC’s fortunes at one point). The Vistani are also Strahd’s agents. They are gypsies, informants and thieves all rolled up into one.

At the Crossroads, players will likely encounter the NPC Sir Urik, a knight of the raven (another new PrC) while in Tser Falls a dwarf ranger who hunts humans lies in wait. Other areas offer additional encounters, including one with a lycanthrope. In all, there are thirteen potential encounters in the areas outside of the village.

Castle Ravenloft itself can be foreboding to players, especially those who have been playing from the beginning. It is one of the few castles that can generate a “presence” to players. It can come across as though the taint of evil follows characters everywhere. Indeed, GMs should expect to see character fatalities once the PCs enter the castle. And not all of them will be at Strahd’s hands.

The layout, descriptions and encounter pages of the castle constitute nearly 100 pages of the book. The castle is a big place, especially when you factor in the dungeon catacombs. After all, it is Strahd’s home.

Critical Hit
The two-page layout for encounters is a great design. It makes running the encounter much easier for GMs. There is no need to flip pages because it is all right there. Hopefully this will be a standard in all future Wotc books.

Critical Fumble
Despite the variability in subplots, there is a significant amount of railroading in the stories. There are certain things that players need to do in order to advance the story and sometimes this requires dropping a brick on their collective heads. But to be fair, good GMs can craft things so the railroading is minimal.

Another criticism has to do with some of the missing elements from the original classic. For instance Strahd’s black coach was a huge instrument of fear and dread. Some of that could have easily been kept. A good GM could take advantage of being able to download the original from the RPGNow.com’s website and bring back some of the horror elements.

Coup de Grace
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is a worthy re-telling of the original classic. It doesn’t seek to replace it but rather stand alongside it. The story is still familiar but there is enough that has changed to make it feel new to old school players. The new encounter format simplifies the GM’s job and making use of the game mechanics in the appendix adds additional flavor. For GMs that really want to put their players through a horrifying experience or campaign, I recommend using Heroes of Horror in conjunction with this one. Your players may be scared witless.

Review Scores:

Overall Total (Does not include OGL Rating): 106 (84%)
Final Grade: B