Bedrockgames
Legend
Just a general discussion for the 2E Ravenloft. Interested in knowing which versions of TSR Ravenloft people preferred (Black Box, Red Box, or Domains of Dread).
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D&D 2E 2E RAVENLOFT
- Thread starter Bedrockgames
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Alzrius
The EN World kitten
I think that Domains of Dread was the better product, but I've never gotten over my love for the Revised Campaign Setting boxed set.
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Yeah, Red Box was the first version I picked up, so it'll always have a place in my heart, but Domains of Dread was more thorough and cohesive.
The first Ravenloft supplements to attract my attention, however, were the Monstrous Compendium Appendices. And the best 2E Ravenloft products by far (IMHO) were the Van Richten's Guides, which I read in the form of the Monster Hunter's Compendium series. The Children of the Night series was also pretty solid.
I guess overall, Ravenloft was the best setting for folks who liked monsters (not that other settings didn't also have their share of cool stuff on that front, like Planescape).
The first Ravenloft supplements to attract my attention, however, were the Monstrous Compendium Appendices. And the best 2E Ravenloft products by far (IMHO) were the Van Richten's Guides, which I read in the form of the Monster Hunter's Compendium series. The Children of the Night series was also pretty solid.
I guess overall, Ravenloft was the best setting for folks who liked monsters (not that other settings didn't also have their share of cool stuff on that front, like Planescape).
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Venturing slightly further afield here, but does anyone remember the article "Seeds of Evil" in Dragon #249 by James Wyatt? It described how to use HR1-7 Historical Reference Series with Masque of the Red Death, which struck me as a real "chocolate in my peanut butter" moment. Did anyone ever use that in play?
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Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.
Faolyn
(she/her)
I've never actually run Masque, but I'm going to have to reread that article for use in a more regular RL game.
I wish I knew where my copies of those books went. I think I had bought them all when they came out. I hope I didn't give them away.
Voadam
Legend
Original Box Realms of Terror 2e. Fantastic vision of the gothic horror and the D&D gothic horror experience it was going for. My favorite and I kept using it even after the later ones came out. Stephen Fabian art throughout for the win. Loved the family trees and intertwining of families and villains and domains. Lots to build off of.
The Revised Campaign Set 2e had more than the original, but since I owned the supplement it incorporated and the campaigns I ran were pre-Grand Conjunction I passed on getting it until decades later when I picked up the PDF.
Domains of Dread 2e I got this and really liked the presumption and support of PC natives but some things like connecting the demihumans across the domains to specific real world pantheons did not click for me.
Ravenloft 3.0 was great, particularly the whole description of domains being from PC native perspective and not a DM secrets one so you can't even tell who the darklords canonically are. Lots of neat things like calibans and mistways as innovations. I was not a fan of Grim Harvest though and this incorporates that. The sort of charcoal art style is interesting and different.
Ravenloft Player's Handbook 3.5 was basically the 3.0 book redone, I returned it when I got it, as I thought it was going to be a lot more new player stuff and not just a redo of the 3.0 setting one. I then decades later got it in PDF as well.
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft 3.5 was the WotC 3.5 Curse of Strahd. I played it in the 3.5 era and enjoyed it a lot, but it was an adventure and not the setting. I eventually got the PDF as well.
The Revised Campaign Set 2e had more than the original, but since I owned the supplement it incorporated and the campaigns I ran were pre-Grand Conjunction I passed on getting it until decades later when I picked up the PDF.
Domains of Dread 2e I got this and really liked the presumption and support of PC natives but some things like connecting the demihumans across the domains to specific real world pantheons did not click for me.
Ravenloft 3.0 was great, particularly the whole description of domains being from PC native perspective and not a DM secrets one so you can't even tell who the darklords canonically are. Lots of neat things like calibans and mistways as innovations. I was not a fan of Grim Harvest though and this incorporates that. The sort of charcoal art style is interesting and different.
Ravenloft Player's Handbook 3.5 was basically the 3.0 book redone, I returned it when I got it, as I thought it was going to be a lot more new player stuff and not just a redo of the 3.0 setting one. I then decades later got it in PDF as well.
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft 3.5 was the WotC 3.5 Curse of Strahd. I played it in the 3.5 era and enjoyed it a lot, but it was an adventure and not the setting. I eventually got the PDF as well.
Dimitri Mazieres
Explorer
I found my way into the Mists in 1997 when, almost by chance, I bought the Realm of Terror boxed set from an RPGer that was selling his stuff and leaving the country (I also got Darklords with it). It was an eye-opening experience reading through it for a younger me that had gotten into RPGs that very same year. That's why the Black Box will always have a special place in my heart. But I consider Domains of Dread, which I got maybe a year later, to be the definite 2e setting sourcebook, as others had said in this thread. It was the first Ravenloft product that treated the mist-bound realms as a real setting, where domains interacted with each other in a more coherent way and players could be natives with more stakes than needing to escape the so called "weekend in hell". The Red Box I didn't buy until maybe ten years after DoD, and mostly to complete my collection, but I can understand that back in 1994 it must have had a very real impact on the fan base (except for the maps with their wrong scale and the distance issues it brought).
As for other 2e books, without a question the Van Richten's Guides are the real standouts. I also got my first one (the Guide to Vampires) mostly by chance, while perusing through the limited stock of Ad&d products a local comic book store had. Needless to say that it was revolutionary to me. All the other guides were as well, but the Guide to Ghosts, Guide to Fiends and Guide to the Vistani stand out in my memory as my favorite ones.
Special mentions go to the Castles Forlorn boxed set, Champions of the Mists and Carnival. As for adventures, the aforementioned Castles Forlorn reads like an awesome adventure (but also a nightmare to run), Servants of Darkness is really good (and I even got to run it!) and I quite like The Shadow Rift, even if many fans find it to their tastes. And Bleak House is simply epic.
As for other 2e books, without a question the Van Richten's Guides are the real standouts. I also got my first one (the Guide to Vampires) mostly by chance, while perusing through the limited stock of Ad&d products a local comic book store had. Needless to say that it was revolutionary to me. All the other guides were as well, but the Guide to Ghosts, Guide to Fiends and Guide to the Vistani stand out in my memory as my favorite ones.
Special mentions go to the Castles Forlorn boxed set, Champions of the Mists and Carnival. As for adventures, the aforementioned Castles Forlorn reads like an awesome adventure (but also a nightmare to run), Servants of Darkness is really good (and I even got to run it!) and I quite like The Shadow Rift, even if many fans find it to their tastes. And Bleak House is simply epic.
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David Howery
Hero
Used to have a lot of RL stuff, now just have Domains of Dread, Islands of Terror, Darklords, and the original module...
Bedrockgames
Legend
Masque of the Red Death was interesting. A sort of alternative history set in the late 1800s. I ran it a bit. Wasn't as good as Ravenloft in my opinion. Had cool gun mechanics. Some of the adventures were good. The sourcebooks were almost too much straight history for my taste (to me they just read very dry, but lots of people liked them). I remember liking the boxed set stuff though.
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