D&D General The thread where I review a ton of Ravenloft modules

[Paul Farquhar]

That might be a dividing line. I don't mind things getting campy. I still want the horror but the camp is an important tone for me with it

It's interesting to here you say that. When I mention the inherent campiness of Ravenloft I usually encounter a lot of pushback. I'm of the view that the original module what written as a parody/pastiche and wasn't trying to scare the players at all. You can run a Ravenloft game as a series of horror movie/novel pastiches without worrying about "is it scary". That kind of requires your players to have some knowledge of the source material to work though. Once you have done Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Werewolf you are getting into less well known stuff.

I don't go for player's fears, though I think that is effective technique if you use it.

It certainly requires care and empathy to avoid pushing too far. I made sure none of my players are actually coulrophobic!

I tend to focus more on horror as things that should not be, or violate the players sense of what has been going on the entire time. With Ravenloft, what I like, is it lends itself to the slow burn when it comes to that

Yes, I mentioned the "mindscrew" approach. The second module, House on Gryphon Hill, treads this path, although it remains heavy on the horror-culture references (e.g. Griffin is the name of HG Well's Invisible Man). Given that the OP is worried about a lack of realism, I don't think this approach would work for them.

The thing is to remember it's the players who you have to fool about "what has been going on the entire time", not their characters. Which seems to be something those 2nd edition Ravenloft modules overlook. You need to assume they are genre-savvy, and let that fool them. And remember that if everything is not what it seems, that will become predictable too. Sometimes a vampire is just a vampire, stake it and move on.

 

[Remathilis]

It's interesting to here you say that. When I mention the inherent campiness of Ravenloft I usually encounter a lot of pushback. I'm of the view that the original module what written as a parody/pastiche and wasn't trying to scare the players at all. You can run a Ravenloft game as a series of horror movie/novel pastiches without worrying about "is it scary". That kind of requires your players to have some knowledge of the source material to work though. Once you have done Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Werewolf you are getting into less well known stuff.

It certainly requires care and empathy to avoid pushing too far. I made sure none of my players are actually coulrophobic!

Yes, I mentioned the "mindscrew" approach. The second module, House on Gryphon Hill, treads this path, although it remains heavy on the horror-culture references (e.g. Griffin is the name of HG Well's Invisible Man). Given that the OP is worried about a lack of realism, I don't think this approach would work for them.

The thing is to remember it's the players who you have to fool about "what has been going on the entire time", not their characters. Which seems to be something those 2nd edition Ravenloft modules overlook. You need to assume they are genre-savvy, and let that fool them. And remember that if everything is not what it seems, that will become predictable too. Sometimes a vampire is just a vampire, stake it and move on.

One of the things I've played up in my Ravenloft game is that the general population has been so surrounded by death and horror that it's likewise a part of the culture. Bards sings songs about death and ghosts. Art is macabre, surreal or both. The group once stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in Dementleiu that sponsored a "honeymooner's" special for anyone looking for an inconspicuous way to off their spouse. (They will help with body removal, and for an extra fee, supply the poison). That wasn't even relevant to the plot, just a bit of flavor added. (The group did spend the night in the regular room and had no complications, btw, but way suitably creeped out by the notion.)
It's easy to get campy with such things and make it feel like a Halloween parody, but I found a little of the absurdity helps both in explaining why the gen pop don't question weird stuff going on (what's one more mystery in a realm full of them) and to reinforce that this land is not natural and normal. A place where the commoner laughs at death while locking their door tight. Those things that would not make sense in Faerun fly under the radar here.

Plus, the look on your player's faces when they realize they are staying at a Dead and Breakfast is golden, especially when they are offered the honeymooner's special and look at each other to make sure no one is paying for the special tea...

 

[Bedrockgames]

It's interesting to hear you say that. When I mention the inherent campiness of Ravenloft I usually encounter a lot of pushback. I'm of the view that the original module what written as a parody/pastiche and wasn't trying to scare the players at all. You can run a Ravenloft game as a series of horror movie/novel pastiches without worrying about "is it scary". That kind of requires your players to have some knowledge of the source material to work though. Once you have done Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Werewolf you are getting into less well known stuff.

Early Ravenloft is very campy. I am less interested in the original module (though I do like it on its own) than Ravenloft starting with the Black Box (where I think it really becomes a setting). But the black box is campy. It is also very atmospheric and incredibly well written, but the camp is there. The camp is just one tone that I think helps the overall atmosphere. I tend to not like Horror Games that take themselves too seriously. I like a little bit of tongue in cheek and wit in my RPG horror. I like a little vincent price

The thing is to remember it's the players who you have to fool about "what has been going on the entire time", not their characters. Which seems to be something those 2nd edition Ravenloft modules overlook. You need to assume they are genre-savvy, and let that fool them. And remember that if everything is not what it seems, that will become predictable too. Sometimes a vampire is just a vampire, stake it and move on.

The uniqueness of each vampire is simply about forcing players to learn more about them, to encourage investigation into background and weaknesses. You can always have more standard vampires in the mix. But I do think in Ravenloft what works well is making the major threats, the big villains of the adventures, unique in this way

 

[Voadam]

I think the camp and player knowledge of the genre and humor is a specific part of it, but I see that as partly in service of being a mood contrast so the more prominent scariness and horror build up hits harder. It is Vincent Price and Hammer Horror, not Abbot and Costello meet Dracula.

For my Ravenloft tastes, the pun names of the original Ravenloft module crypt labels goes a bit too far. I also don't see them as the defining aspect of the module, Strahd as an intelligent dynamic recurring foe with a story that can reveal his weaknesses is more central.

 

[Remathilis]

I think the camp and player knowledge of the genre and humor is a specific part of it, but I see that as partly in service of being a mood contrast so the more prominent scariness and horror build up hits harder. It is Vincent Price and Hammer Horror, not Abbot and Costello meet Dracula.

For my Ravenloft tastes, the pun names of the original Ravenloft module crypt labels goes a bit too far. I also don't see them as the defining aspect of the module, Strahd as an intelligent dynamic recurring foe with a story that can reveal his weaknesses is more central.

It's exhausting to keep up an atmosphere of tension and dread at all times. Which is why good horror uses humor as catharsis, but never at the cost of the horror. The monster is never the joke, but the stuff around them can be.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The OP really should take a look at House on Gryphon Hill. Whilst it’s loosely based on The Strange Tale of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde*, it’s very much Hammer in its approach to what is a rather dry and understated novel. The architecture, the locations, the technology, the NPCs, the overwroughtness all reek of the Hammer house style.

Talking of Hammer, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter is a must watch (and is no doubt freely streamable). It has a D&D character like protagonist (watch him make short work of human thugs) and a vampire with several non-standard traits that makes them more challenging.


*another example of words being scarier if thy have a “y” in them trope.

 

[TiQuinn]

The OP really should take a look at House on Gryphon Hill. Whilst it’s loosely based on The Strange Tale of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde*, it’s very much Hammer in its approach to what is a rather dry and understated novel. The architecture, the locations, the technology, the NPCs, the overwroughtness all reek of the Hammer house style.

Talking of Hammer, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter is a must watch (and is no doubt freely streamable). It has a D&D character like protagonist (watch him make short work of human thugs) and a vampire with several non-standard traits that makes them more challenging.


*another example of words being scarier if thy have a “y” in them trope.

The House on Gryphon Hill is a fascinating idea but the module is such a damn mess. I've read that thing so many times and if I were to ever run it, I'd have to basically re-write it to make it coherent.

On another note, Captain Kronos is probably the best Hammer horror movie of all time, and one of the best inspirations for a Ravenloft adventure, right down to the lead character basically being a D&D character.

 

[TiQuinn]

One of the things I've played up in my Ravenloft game is that the general population has been so surrounded by death and horror that it's likewise a part of the culture. Bards sings songs about death and ghosts. Art is macabre, surreal or both. The group once stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in Dementleiu that sponsored a "honeymooner's" special for anyone looking for an inconspicuous way to off their spouse. (They will help with body removal, and for an extra fee, supply the poison). That wasn't even relevant to the plot, just a bit of flavor added. (The group did spend the night in the regular room and had no complications, btw, but way suitably creeped out by the notion.)
It's easy to get campy with such things and make it feel like a Halloween parody, but I found a little of the absurdity helps both in explaining why the gen pop don't question weird stuff going on (what's one more mystery in a realm full of them) and to reinforce that this land is not natural and normal. A place where the commoner laughs at death while locking their door tight. Those things that would not make sense in Faerun fly under the radar here.

I've always taken a different tack with my Ravenloft campaigns and made them much more inspired by the X-Files and the old Night Stalker TV show -- Supernatural, which I've never watched, probably fits in here too. But in order to do it, I've always had to make the domains a little bit more "normal". The people who live there are carrying out what they believe to be normal, everyday lives. IMO, Horror works because it is a contrast to that normalcy. So with the Night Stalker, the main character is a news reporter who is always uncovering the evil that lies just below the surface of what seems to be a normal situation, and can never really prove that there was actually a vampire who was responsible for all those serial killings taking place last month, etc. People cover up the true horror because they either are monsters themselves, or are trying to maintain some semblance of a functioning society for others.

 

[Remathilis]

I've always taken a different tack with my Ravenloft campaigns and made them much more inspired by the X-Files and the old Night Stalker TV show -- Supernatural, which I've never watched, probably fits in here too. But in order to do it, I've always had to make the domains a little bit more "normal". The people who live there are carrying out what they believe to be normal, everyday lives. IMO, Horror works because it is a contrast to that normalcy. So with the Night Stalker, the main character is a news reporter who is always uncovering the evil that lies just below the surface of what seems to be a normal situation, and can never really prove that there was actually a vampire who was responsible for all those serial killings taking place last month, etc. People cover up the true horror because they either are monsters themselves, or are trying to maintain some semblance of a functioning society for others.

The trick is, the absurd IS normal to them. It's the equivalent of whistling past the graveyard. They will go see a play about a vampire because that's what they know. But they still freak out when rumors of a real vampire start to spread. The trappings of horror never leave, so they do what they can to make them tolerable. Trying to make Ravenloft function like the real world is different, I would say impossible, so I highlight the surreal aspect of it. What would a world so steeped in horror that you cannot escape it look like? It would be a bit of a fun house mirror, warped but recognizable, normal but grotesque.

Look, Ravenloft is a place where monsters roam the forest, killers stalk the alleys, and even the local entertainment (theaters and carnivals) are run by darklords. You can't get normal with that. So creating a functional society where the normal and the surreal sometimes exist side by side makes it easier to explain why people go to the Carnival or the Grande Masquerade.

 

[Voadam]

I've always taken a different tack with my Ravenloft campaigns and made them much more inspired by the X-Files and the old Night Stalker TV show -- Supernatural, which I've never watched, probably fits in here too. But in order to do it, I've always had to make the domains a little bit more "normal". The people who live there are carrying out what they believe to be normal, everyday lives. IMO, Horror works because it is a contrast to that normalcy. So with the Night Stalker, the main character is a news reporter who is always uncovering the evil that lies just below the surface of what seems to be a normal situation, and can never really prove that there was actually a vampire who was responsible for all those serial killings taking place last month, etc. People cover up the true horror because they either are monsters themselves, or are trying to maintain some semblance of a functioning society for others.

How do you handle the presence of magic and PC races and classes?

Ravenloft has traditionally been all over the place in this respect, some domains have been described as not even believing in magic, others go all in on people knowing and dealing with magic and monsters but just being generally afraid and oppressed.