Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Jimjams Jun 13, 2015 12:11:41	I have a new group of players starting with me and I wanted to run Ravenloft as it's always been on my list to run, but I didn't want to just throw them in as they are just learning the game so will run some "Starter" sessions until they are level appropriate. I would like anyone who has run Ravenloft Campaigns for advice or tips on GM'ing in this setting as really have only experience with running Forgotten realms and Dark Sun. Look forward to your help.
#2 CCS Jun 13, 2015 15:59:13	Ignore any RL product that's not I6. The added horror/madness rules, twists on spell casting, etc & whole evil demi-plane don't add anything positive to the I6 play experience. It was stuff TSR introduced in the 90s to compete with White Wolf's World of Darkness games (Vampire, etc).
#3 Ranthalan Jun 16, 2015 14:02:15	I6 is my all-time favorite adventure. We're playing it now in my current campaign; we're 1 session in.  The players are suitably spooked and the party that was once Fight First and ask questions later have suddenly become very cautious.   My advice is to read it through, cover to cover, before starting play.  Some adventures you can wing it without reading every last room description, but if you do that with I6 you can really screw things up.   I've moved Madam Eva's camp to the road to Barovia.  The tarot reading is just too good for the PCs to miss if they take the wrong fork.  I always make sure the PCs go through Barovia before getting to the castle.  There's so much atmosphere in the village that I also think is too good to miss.
#4 Ralif_Redhammer Jun 16, 2015 12:24:11	My biggest advice for Ravenloft the Module is to really study the maps. When I ran it, I got tripped up on the isometric view, especially when transitioning between floors. Also, I definitely rushed through it in one long session, and in retrospect wish I had taken my time in running it.   As for Ravenloft the Setting, I tended to use a lot of rumor and misdirection to create fear, uncertainty, and doubt in my campaigns. For example, I slowly insinuated that the castle they were exploring might have belonged to Strahd himself. When the vampire appeared (just a regular vampire, in actuality), the entire party just broke and ran.    One of the strengths of the setting is that the different domains can encompass so many subgenres of horror, from high gothic to zombie apocalypse to Lovecraftian horror.
#5 Brock_Landers Jun 17, 2015 1:33:34	To those that have had a good experience with it, do you recommend TotM, or Minis?
(Reply to #5) CCS	Brock_Landers wrote: