Ravenloft (D&D module)

A Dungeons & Dragons module, coded I6, written for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset, by TSR. "Ravenloft," written by husband-wife duo Tracy & Laura Hickman, is considered by many fans of the genre to be the finest D&D module ever published.

The plot, which owes a great debt to the old Universal horror films of the 1930's, concerns a party of adventurers who suddenly find themselves trapped by a mysterious swirling mist in Barovia, a country composed of a small town and surrounding forest, overlooked by a massive cliffside castle named Ravenloft. The master of the castle, Strahd von Zarovich, rules the terrified townspeople with an iron fist, but he holds the key to your party's escape from Barovia. Along the way, you'll encounter gypsies, zombies, wolves, and the far deadlier occupants of Ravenloft itself.

"Ravenloft" was exceedingly popular among players and Dungeon Masters for a number of reasons--the brooding Gothic setting, a very memorable villain, and a taut, engaging plot among them. However, the truly fascinating innovation "Ravenloft" introduced was replayability, in the form of an in-game gypsy fortunetelling session which randomly determined certain plot elements. For instance, the locations or existence of artifacts, as well as Strahd's very motivations, would be determined by a turn of the cards.

The module's very cleverness translated into a runaway success for TSR. "Ravenloft" eventually spawned a follow-up module, "Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill" (coded I10), and a series of shared-world novels featuring the enigmatic Strahd as the central character. In the early '90's, TSR based an entire horror-themed AD&D campaign setting on the module, also called "Ravenloft," which, in turn, produced a number of modules, supplements and novels based on the setting.

Although every collector, DM and player of the old PnP D&D game has their own favorite module, "Ravenloft" is consistently among the most highly-regarded by those who remember the First Edition ruleset. The presentation was slick, professional, and played very smoothly, making it extremely accessible, and a fine example of how good a PnP adventure could get.