So, what does one do when you're on vacation in the UK and for the next three days the weather has turned to utter s**t?
In an ancient time and place, magic permeates the land and monsters stalk the shadows that gather along the edges of civilization. In this age of dungeons and dragons, the world needs Heroes. Encased in varied types of armor and armed with swords, bows, staves, and spells, these Heroes explore ancient ruins, take on daring quests, and challenge the most fearsome monsters. One such quest takes Heroes to a dark and mysterious place called Castle Ravenloft.
The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited! The castle rises over the dark forests of the land of Barovia, looking down upon a sad, frightened village surrounded by an endless sea of dense fog and mist. The master of the castle, Count Strahd, is a vampire, and the night and its creatures belong to him. As long as Strahd exists, Barovia and the land around it will never be safe. A group of Heroes has recently arrived in Barovia, stepping out of the mists to find themselves caught up in the evil emanating from Castle Ravenloft. These Heroes have chosen to enter the castle and discover the secrets waiting within. The dangers are great, the monsters are deadly, and only the bravest Heroes stand a chance of surviving or defeating Strahd and his minions.
Oh yes. Let's do this my pretties, let's go forth and do this. But before we do that, some more info on the game itself: The Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game is a cooperative adventure game. You and your fellow Heroes must work as a team to succeed in the adventures that unfold within the castle. You either win together or lose together. Each player selects a Hero, who has come to Barovia to discover the secrets of Castle Ravenloft. Choose from the Dragonborn Fighter, Human Rogue, Dwarf Cleric, Eladrin Wizard, Human Ranger, or a Hero from another D&D Adventure System board game. Heroes explore the dungeon beneath the castle, solve mysteries, fight Monsters, and uncover magic treasure. The game runs the Traps, Events, Monsters, and Villains contained within the halls of Castle Ravenloft (with a little help from you).
In a nutshell, all this game needs to run itself is you and some fellow adventurers, no GM needed. In fact, if you're truly a sad sack, you can play the game solo, but I hope you aren't that sad.
You get quite a heavy and hefty box for your pennies, with a truckload of contents:
5 plastic heroes (human rogue, human ranger, dragonborn warrior, dwarf cleric and Elven mage)
35 plastic monsters (each type cast in its own colour)
13 sheets of interlocking cardstock dungeon tiles
200 encounter and treasure cards
Rulebook
Scenario book
20-sided die
How does this all work? The game is broken up into thirteen self-contained scenarios, each with their own set of special rules and criteria for the task at hand. However, no two replays of a scenario are the same. The tiles that you move across are randomly drawn from a stack every time you move about, meaning that the map develops as you explore deeper and deeper into the bowels of the castle. One game you might find yourself in a compact maze, the other might see you trek down long winding corridors. The same goes for monsters and encounters. Each new tile you draw results in you, the exploring player, to draw a card from the monster deck, which can pit you against something as insignificant as a rat swarm to something a bit more daunting like a Wraith or Burning Skeleton. There's also a chance of your tile having a black arrow, meaning that alongside a monster, you're also required to draw an Encounter card, which can range from you tripping a trap to coming under attack from a spirit host.
A Hero makes attacks using either his or her Hero’s Power Card powers or the powers of Treasure Cards. Most Power Cards are related to the Hero’s class, but some Heroes also have a racial power. At the start of every adventure, you select Power Cards that you have available for that adventure. Set the remaining Power Cards aside.
There are three types of cards at your disposal:
Daily Powers: Daily powers represent a significant attack or a spectacular effect. When you use a daily power, you flip it over and cannot use it again until some other effect (usually a Treasure Card) allows you to flip it back up. Daily powers are the strongest attacks you have access to in the game.
At-Will Powers: At-will powers are relatively simple attacks, spells, or prayers. Using an at-will power requires no special effort. It is weaker than a daily power, so when you use it you do not flip it over. You can use it again on your next turn.
Utility Powers: Utility powers are special manoeuvres that don’t actively attack Monsters, but instead provide other advantages. These advantages include a specialized move or the ability to counter a Monster’s attack. Many of these powers don’t require an Attack action to use, instead specifying when to use the ability. When you use a Utility power, you flip it over and cannot use it again until some other effect (usually a Treasure Card) allows you to flip it back up.
How do you attack? Simple! You pick one of your cards, roll a D20 and add the die-roll score to any modifier listed on the card that you have picked. If the final result is equal to or greater than the AC (Armour Class) of your target, you damage it.
When you defeat the monster you gain the monster card, which lists a XP value that you can use to gain a level or discard certain event cards. You also get to draw a treasure card, which might result in you getting a handy magic item, a blessing or a fortune.
Rinse and repeat until you’ve fulfilled the scenario objectives, which can be anything from “Kill the evil Kobold Wizard” to “Be a ballsy p***k and steal a lot of treasure”, all the while slowly working your way towards the big bad of the game: Count Strahd!
Having played through a portion of the game with others some things immediately jump to the fore, both good and bad. Here are the good things:
- It’s a big box, filled to the brim with stuff. Who doesn’t like that? It has a mini for almost everything and if not a mini, then a token. Everything you need is in the box as a neat self-contained deal.
- The adventures are easy to set up, easy to play and play well enough, they even come with a short introduction that is to be read out loud at the start, giving it that extra touch of D&D to it. Depending on the amount of players and how well versed they are with the rules (it shouldn’t take that long) a scenario can be run in the span of thirty minutes to a hour, making it ideal to kill some time or to burn through in a day if you and your friends feel inclined to do so.
- The rules are also easy to get the hang of, are clearly explained and for those in need, the game comes with sequence of play cards for every player so everybody can check and see how things should go.
- No GM is required, meaning everybody can join in on the heroics, which is a big plus for some long suffering GM’s out there. Monster and Villain cards come with their own sets of instructions on how to run such a creature, ruling out the need for a pissed off GM to move those about.
Now, there are some bad things as well:
- First off, it is a bit on the steep side price wise. You get a lot for the price asked and the replay value is certainly there, but as a Dutchman I must complain about the price, clocking in at $64,95!
- Secondly, the game has some trouble explaining the term tile. While the rulebook clearly tells you that there are gaming tiles and squares, the little grids you move across, the gaming cards call both tiles, resulting in some careful reading lest you misinterpret the rules.
- Third, once you reach level 2 you can’t grow any further. Perhaps a bit of a nitpick seeing as this is a self-contained board game, but a bit more growth would’ve been nice. We implemented as a house rule that once you hit level 2, you carry it over to your next games, giving you an edge should you inevitably come across that burning skeleton early.
All in all, a fun gaming set that provides enough fun for a group of 2 – 5 players. Quick to pick up, easy to play, fun for the whole group. We're giving it a out of five mocking skeletons.
In an ancient time and place, magic permeates the land and monsters stalk the shadows that gather along the edges of civilization. In this age of dungeons and dragons, the world needs Heroes. Encased in varied types of armor and armed with swords, bows, staves, and spells, these Heroes explore ancient ruins, take on daring quests, and challenge the most fearsome monsters. One such quest takes Heroes to a dark and mysterious place called Castle Ravenloft.
The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited! The castle rises over the dark forests of the land of Barovia, looking down upon a sad, frightened village surrounded by an endless sea of dense fog and mist. The master of the castle, Count Strahd, is a vampire, and the night and its creatures belong to him. As long as Strahd exists, Barovia and the land around it will never be safe. A group of Heroes has recently arrived in Barovia, stepping out of the mists to find themselves caught up in the evil emanating from Castle Ravenloft. These Heroes have chosen to enter the castle and discover the secrets waiting within. The dangers are great, the monsters are deadly, and only the bravest Heroes stand a chance of surviving or defeating Strahd and his minions.
Oh yes. Let's do this my pretties, let's go forth and do this. But before we do that, some more info on the game itself: The Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game is a cooperative adventure game. You and your fellow Heroes must work as a team to succeed in the adventures that unfold within the castle. You either win together or lose together. Each player selects a Hero, who has come to Barovia to discover the secrets of Castle Ravenloft. Choose from the Dragonborn Fighter, Human Rogue, Dwarf Cleric, Eladrin Wizard, Human Ranger, or a Hero from another D&D Adventure System board game. Heroes explore the dungeon beneath the castle, solve mysteries, fight Monsters, and uncover magic treasure. The game runs the Traps, Events, Monsters, and Villains contained within the halls of Castle Ravenloft (with a little help from you).
In a nutshell, all this game needs to run itself is you and some fellow adventurers, no GM needed. In fact, if you're truly a sad sack, you can play the game solo, but I hope you aren't that sad.
You get quite a heavy and hefty box for your pennies, with a truckload of contents:
5 plastic heroes (human rogue, human ranger, dragonborn warrior, dwarf cleric and Elven mage)
35 plastic monsters (each type cast in its own colour)
13 sheets of interlocking cardstock dungeon tiles
200 encounter and treasure cards
Rulebook
Scenario book
20-sided die
How does this all work? The game is broken up into thirteen self-contained scenarios, each with their own set of special rules and criteria for the task at hand. However, no two replays of a scenario are the same. The tiles that you move across are randomly drawn from a stack every time you move about, meaning that the map develops as you explore deeper and deeper into the bowels of the castle. One game you might find yourself in a compact maze, the other might see you trek down long winding corridors. The same goes for monsters and encounters. Each new tile you draw results in you, the exploring player, to draw a card from the monster deck, which can pit you against something as insignificant as a rat swarm to something a bit more daunting like a Wraith or Burning Skeleton. There's also a chance of your tile having a black arrow, meaning that alongside a monster, you're also required to draw an Encounter card, which can range from you tripping a trap to coming under attack from a spirit host.
A Hero makes attacks using either his or her Hero’s Power Card powers or the powers of Treasure Cards. Most Power Cards are related to the Hero’s class, but some Heroes also have a racial power. At the start of every adventure, you select Power Cards that you have available for that adventure. Set the remaining Power Cards aside.
There are three types of cards at your disposal:
Daily Powers: Daily powers represent a significant attack or a spectacular effect. When you use a daily power, you flip it over and cannot use it again until some other effect (usually a Treasure Card) allows you to flip it back up. Daily powers are the strongest attacks you have access to in the game.
At-Will Powers: At-will powers are relatively simple attacks, spells, or prayers. Using an at-will power requires no special effort. It is weaker than a daily power, so when you use it you do not flip it over. You can use it again on your next turn.
Utility Powers: Utility powers are special manoeuvres that don’t actively attack Monsters, but instead provide other advantages. These advantages include a specialized move or the ability to counter a Monster’s attack. Many of these powers don’t require an Attack action to use, instead specifying when to use the ability. When you use a Utility power, you flip it over and cannot use it again until some other effect (usually a Treasure Card) allows you to flip it back up.
How do you attack? Simple! You pick one of your cards, roll a D20 and add the die-roll score to any modifier listed on the card that you have picked. If the final result is equal to or greater than the AC (Armour Class) of your target, you damage it.
When you defeat the monster you gain the monster card, which lists a XP value that you can use to gain a level or discard certain event cards. You also get to draw a treasure card, which might result in you getting a handy magic item, a blessing or a fortune.
Rinse and repeat until you’ve fulfilled the scenario objectives, which can be anything from “Kill the evil Kobold Wizard” to “Be a ballsy p***k and steal a lot of treasure”, all the while slowly working your way towards the big bad of the game: Count Strahd!
Having played through a portion of the game with others some things immediately jump to the fore, both good and bad. Here are the good things:
- It’s a big box, filled to the brim with stuff. Who doesn’t like that? It has a mini for almost everything and if not a mini, then a token. Everything you need is in the box as a neat self-contained deal.
- The adventures are easy to set up, easy to play and play well enough, they even come with a short introduction that is to be read out loud at the start, giving it that extra touch of D&D to it. Depending on the amount of players and how well versed they are with the rules (it shouldn’t take that long) a scenario can be run in the span of thirty minutes to a hour, making it ideal to kill some time or to burn through in a day if you and your friends feel inclined to do so.
- The rules are also easy to get the hang of, are clearly explained and for those in need, the game comes with sequence of play cards for every player so everybody can check and see how things should go.
- No GM is required, meaning everybody can join in on the heroics, which is a big plus for some long suffering GM’s out there. Monster and Villain cards come with their own sets of instructions on how to run such a creature, ruling out the need for a pissed off GM to move those about.
Now, there are some bad things as well:
- First off, it is a bit on the steep side price wise. You get a lot for the price asked and the replay value is certainly there, but as a Dutchman I must complain about the price, clocking in at $64,95!
- Secondly, the game has some trouble explaining the term tile. While the rulebook clearly tells you that there are gaming tiles and squares, the little grids you move across, the gaming cards call both tiles, resulting in some careful reading lest you misinterpret the rules.
- Third, once you reach level 2 you can’t grow any further. Perhaps a bit of a nitpick seeing as this is a self-contained board game, but a bit more growth would’ve been nice. We implemented as a house rule that once you hit level 2, you carry it over to your next games, giving you an edge should you inevitably come across that burning skeleton early.
All in all, a fun gaming set that provides enough fun for a group of 2 – 5 players. Quick to pick up, easy to play, fun for the whole group. We're giving it a
out of five mocking skeletons. 
