Tabletop RPG · since 1983 · #46 most discussed

Ravenloft

Play heroes trapped in a gothic domain of dread, facing vampires, curses, and a dark lord who rules the land.

d20Gothic horrord20classesdungeon crawlstress or sanityinvestigationhigh lethalityShort arcsNeeds a GM

5.7

Geek rating

From 2 firsthand play reports in 1 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 8.0.

Player rating— / 10

No visitor ratings yet.

Discussion6.4 / 10

184 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.

Rules weight

Medium. Hype 2.5 for its age.

Have you played it?

Rate Ravenloft from 1 to 10. One rating per browser and device; you can change it any time.

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What players say

At the table

Firsthand play reports are thin. Only two commenters in the one thread say they ran Ravenloft material, and both describe smooth, fast play. The rest of the thread is mostly system recommendations for running Curse of Strahd outside 5e.

What works

The original I6 Ravenloft ran very quickly in original D&D. One GM finished the whole adventure, castle included, in a single day (thread).
A GM who ran Curse of Strahd in a lighter system reports smooth play, with quick, lethal encounters and flexible professions (thread).
Pacing levels 1 to 6 or 7 can give a satisfying arc of character evolution over the campaign (thread).

What tables struggle with

There is little detailed play evidence. Most commenters recommend systems they haven't run for this module, or give general opinions (thread).
The system behind the "I ran that for CoS" report is never named, so it is unclear what that smooth play was built on (thread).
Several commenters call Curse of Strahd sprawling and demanding to run in any system. They point to older Ravenloft editions as easier to run (thread).

Who it suits

GMs who want a gothic horror module they can finish in a short run, such as a one-day session, using the original I6.
Groups willing to adapt Curse of Strahd to a lighter ruleset to keep encounters fast.

In players' words

"I ran the entire adventure including the castle in one day for Halloween!" (thread)
"I ran that for CoS. It went smoothly. Encounters are quick and lethal enough. Professions are flexible." (thread)

The threads behind it

Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.

8.0

Curse of Strahd, not in 5e

The thread is almost entirely system recommendations (Shadowdark, Shadow of the Demon Lord, OSR, Nimble, Daggerheart) for running Curse of Strahd outside 5e. Only two commenters say they ran Ravenloft material: one ran the original I6 in a single day, and one ran Curse of Strahd in an unnamed system, and both report smooth, fast play. 2 firsthand · 69 comments

Open on Reddit