CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Well, that more or less says that one tribe managed to escape and that Vistani have a sliiightly easier time escaping Ravenloft.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by Cromstar »

Resonant Curse wrote: The Dark Powers being defined
Wait, seriously?
alhoon wrote:Well, that more or less says that one tribe managed to escape and that Vistani have a sliiightly easier time escaping Ravenloft.
That's what I got, though its super weird that they're like 'yeah, sure, this is totally a thing that could be.'
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Cromstar wrote:
Resonant Curse wrote: The Dark Powers being defined
Wait, seriously?
Yes and most of us deny the definition so it's not a biggy. CoS is an adventure not a re-launch of the line. Not even Forgotten Realms is out yet aside of a book about the sword coast.
WotC sells the old stuff again so they feel confident in not releasing many books. In the 2 years of D&D 5th they've released the 3 core books and one supplement (+5 mega-adventures).

This November another FRealms fluff book comes out: Dungeology that has Icewind dale, Underdark, Waterdeep and other places.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by thekristhomas »

Got to say, I've had a copy of CoS in my hands for a few hours and I'm loving it
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Parts of it are very good, but Strahd while actually not bad, is not the Strahd we know. And I don't like the too-much-magic-and-outsiders element.
And it may be the "Been there, done that" but castle Ravenloft itself doesn't seem the best part of the adventure.

All in all, it's a very, very good adventure but Out of the Abyss was better. On the other hand, they'll be really pressed to make the giants remake as good as these two. I expect it to be of the level of Elemental evil.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by Ender »

Honestly, I've found that Curse of Strahd is way better on paper that in execution. I've now run part of it and been a player in it (with a good DM). My personal feeling is that the adventure has little to no cohesion. All of the areas, by themselves, can be interesting, but there's no good reason to go from place to place. No real story being told. I know it's sandbox, but there's been plenty of excellent sandbox adventures of the past that still told a single, tied-together story. I don't know. I'm not in love with it. I don't hate it, and I'll strip it for parts... but if I ever run it entirely, I'm overhauling the entire thing to flesh it out.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by thekristhomas »

I don't know, maybe it's because it's the first new gaming product that I've held in my hands for years, but it got me excited and wanting to play and tbh what adventures aren't a nightmare to run, in fact, some of my faves have been complete horrors (I10 anyone?) and it's not "our" Ravenloft but it's a Ravenloft, and yeah I'll be mostly just stripping down for parts, but I've been doing that since the Hexad ended, so all in all I'm pretty pleased

That being said, I'm just borrowing a friends copy, I'm not sure I'd be so pleased if I had forked out the money (which seems expensive, but then I am quite old and most things seem expensive these days)
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Ender wrote:Honestly, I've found that Curse of Strahd is way better on paper that in execution. I've now run part of it and been a player in it (with a good DM). My personal feeling is that the adventure has little to no cohesion. All of the areas, by themselves, can be interesting, but there's no good reason to go from place to place. No real story being told. I know it's sandbox, but there's been plenty of excellent sandbox adventures of the past that still told a single, tied-together story. I don't know. I'm not in love with it. I don't hate it, and I'll strip it for parts... but if I ever run it entirely, I'm overhauling the entire thing to flesh it out.
That's the reason I like it. :) I take parts of it and use it elsewhere independently. It's insanely easy to use the adventure as "6 different adventures"; you just ignore the "in case there's X card for this place, Y item is in the loot" and that's it.
thekristhomas wrote:Iyeah I'll be mostly just stripping down for parts, but I've been doing that since the Hexad ended, so all in all I'm pretty pleased
Haven't thought that part. That's actually a very good and valid point:
We may not like the re-run, the changes to Strahd and Barovia etc. But we could still get 4-5 adventures from it that could fit most domains! From Verbek adventure with the werewolves to weird rituals in Forlorn with the tree blight (which to be sincere, it's better than the undead treant. It's not undead for starters and we've too many undead).

When was the last time we saw an adventure for Forlorn? Or Verbek?
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by Ender »

I mean, if all you want is something to use piecemeal... then yeah, it's a good book! I just don't find it to be a good adventure. It'd have been interesting to me if it had been marketed as a mini Barovian sourcebook with sample encounters, adventures, and plot hooks. I just think it's a poor adventure. But I'm definitely with you in that I'll use everything in it... just for something else entirely.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by Zilfer »

I don't know I got the opposite feeling, that it's pretty easy to get players to go anywhere in the module by dropping this thread and that thread. Hell I think my party currently has 4 leads through me just playing, not trying to guide them by the hand but let it evolve a hooks will. They've also missed hooks/failed the side quests with time limits too. :)

They currently have Argynvostholt requested by a revanant to go see, they have been told of Van Richten's tower, they are currently investigating wizard of wines that immediately lead them to a ritual on Yester Hill, and now they have the giant creature breading down towards the wizard of wine that they have to stop next session. On top of that they have gotten wine for Krezk and are soon to probably meet the Abbott. Berez will be hinted at back at the wine when they defend it and has been hinted at multiple times when asking for directions. Amber temple was told to them by Kasimer already who offered to give them knowledge if they help him. (Tomb of Strahd) Only point I don't have them running into is the cave with werewolves which I think I'll have them kidnap a kid or something to draw their attention that way.

I would recommend watching Dice, Camera, Action which is this adventure run by Chris Perkins, and he seems to be doing a good job of running it. It's on episode like 18 and they are each about two hours long. He's definitely showing that you can get your money's worth out of the adventure. :0
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by Dion of the Fraternity »

I tried playing "Curse of Strahd," but two adventure sessions later the characters all decided to move to Mordent.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Ender wrote:I mean, if all you want is something to use piecemeal... then yeah, it's a good book! I just don't find it to be a good adventure. It'd have been interesting to me if it had been marketed as a mini Barovian sourcebook with sample encounters, adventures, and plot hooks. I just think it's a poor adventure. But I'm definitely with you in that I'll use everything in it... just for something else entirely.
I thought that's what it was marketed at. Well, not Barovian Sourcebook either. A loosely connected group of horror-themed adventures for various levels, with a prevalent gothic polish (not too prominent though). They've been saying from the beginning that they didn't expect anyone to use all the material in one go; different parties would go to different places.

Actually Princes of the Apocalypse (That I don't have) seems to be that way too. And Out of the Abyss, while better connected can be used piecemeal (although it loses part of its shine).
Thinking back... most super-adventures could be used piecemeal since the first concept of the superadventure.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Zilfer wrote:they are currently investigating wizard of wines that immediately lead them to a ritual on Yester Hill, and now they have the giant creature breading down towards the wizard of wine that they have to stop next session.
Did you use Strahd in the ritual as the material suggests? Cause it's insanely crazy to have Strahd, 5 druids and 6 berserkers fighting a 6th lvl party. Strahd could wipe them out by himself at that point IMO. On the other hand... 5 druids and 6 berserkers widely spaced are piecemeal for 6th lvl PCs. Such a party could easily kill a druid per round and turn the ritual to a chasing match that the druids cannot win, even if you throw in the blights. Of course... by round 10 they will be joined by a CR7 tree...
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by Ender »

alhoon wrote:
Ender wrote:I mean, if all you want is something to use piecemeal... then yeah, it's a good book! I just don't find it to be a good adventure. It'd have been interesting to me if it had been marketed as a mini Barovian sourcebook with sample encounters, adventures, and plot hooks. I just think it's a poor adventure. But I'm definitely with you in that I'll use everything in it... just for something else entirely.
I thought that's what it was marketed at. Well, not Barovian Sourcebook either. A loosely connected group of horror-themed adventures for various levels, with a prevalent gothic polish (not too prominent though). They've been saying from the beginning that they didn't expect anyone to use all the material in one go; different parties would go to different places.

Actually Princes of the Apocalypse (That I don't have) seems to be that way too. And Out of the Abyss, while better connected can be used piecemeal (although it loses part of its shine).
Thinking back... most super-adventures could be used piecemeal since the first concept of the superadventure.
Anything can be used piecemeal with a little work. My problem with Curse of Strahd is that, by design, it almost has to be used piecemeal. There's no real story being told. They marketed it as an adventure from levels 1-10. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I feel like "adventure" means an overall plot line. It can be sandbox and still tell a story (like Princes of the Apocalypse and Out of the Abyss). They don't expect everyone to hit all of the locations, which makes sense... but they clearly expect the players to get a reading from Madam Eva, which also doesn't have to happen. Nor is there any reason for them to combat Strahd except that he's "the bad guy". The villain is a surprisingly mundane sort of evil and there's no way for the players to learn much about him or what's going on. They go from place to place and maybe fight something for no other reason than it exists.
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Re: CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

Post by alhoon »

Well, each to his or her opinion I guess.
Personally, I don't see it that way. Strahd's evil permeats the adventure in more pronounced ways than usual. He also harasses and attacks the PCs toying with them all the time. At some point, the PCs would say "enough is enough! Let's clear the world from this terrible evil" or at the very least "We are now strong enough to teach him a lesson for all the bullying we suffered".
IMO the adventure flows organically. You find yourself in a new mysterious place, you're bound to travel. And in your travels you get clues for more places of interest in this new land. Strahd is under every rock, so eventually you fight him.

Sure, Out of the Abyss does a better job at motivating you to travel: Not only you're in a weird mysterious, dangerous place... there's a bunch of drow out to get you while madness sips in your mind.
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