What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

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Le Noir Faineant
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Le Noir Faineant »

:)

NWoD had a fan-made fantasy mod that worked pretty much like "The One Ring". I don't know where I got it from, but I ran some of my best fantasy games with it. :)

Nowatdays, I am tinkering a lot with Dragon Warriors (the second edition from Magnum Opus Press), as well as the unpronouncable DCC RPG, but for 3e, I find it hard to come up with a full substitute. :)

My personal issue is, my games are grim, deadly, and very bleak. And I can't have my players roll out a new char for 30 mins... Every 30 mins. :azalin:
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Ocule »

anyone got a link to the "famous wod fantasy mod"?
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by MichaelTumey »

Le Noir Faineant wrote::)

NWoD had a fan-made fantasy mod that worked pretty much like "The One Ring". I don't know where I got it from, but I ran some of my best fantasy games with it. :)

Nowatdays, I am tinkering a lot with Dragon Warriors (the second edition from Magnum Opus Press), as well as the unpronouncable DCC RPG, but for 3e, I find it hard to come up with a full substitute. :)

My personal issue is, my games are grim, deadly, and very bleak. And I can't have my players roll out a new char for 30 mins... Every 30 mins. :azalin:
I developed and Jonathan McAnulty authored The Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy, for my Kaidan Japanese Horror setting - which I and the reviewers can attest was very gritty, dark and deadly. While the first adventure had a more 'gothic horror' feel, especially with two very dark and ghostly locations, the second and third is in places like a survival-horror game, very bleak as characters are on the run, trying to remove a curse put on them, and escape the dire situation that keeps seeming to get worse and worse. As one reviewer put Dim Spirit, the second module "shakes the player characters like ragdolls".

At least in Kaidan, when the PC dies, he will be reincarnated in a very dark way, of course, as long he doesn't slip and become a ghost or demon (oni). PCs in Kaidan tend to have long careers over multiple lifetimes...

I've got ideas for a "The Grudge" type of adventure as a possible one-shot for Kaidan.

It uses Pathfinder RPG rules, but some of our customers are using it for 4e, L5R and other game systems.

While I cannot claim that Pathfinder rules are best for a Ravenloft game, GMs should be able to work with whatever system they are comfortable with. It might take some extra work by you to add any missing subsystems - I do it all the time, but any general RPG system should be able to handle it.
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Talum »

Image


USE THIS!!!

This in adition to the Ravenloft book for 3.5 makes for an exelent game
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Chaot »

Thieves' World was a good book. Another one that is D20 flavored and world be appropriate to Ravenloft is the most excellent Black Company book.

For myself it is BRP. http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?463 ... -Ravenloft

Some of my BRP Ravenloft character sheets are in that thread as well as some conversions I've done.
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Black Knight »

Heya - first time poster. Ravenloft adventures were my favourite back when I used A,D&D 2nd Ed (which was a while ago) & I've just returned to them, but could never stand the levels and linear probability of the D20 (I'm a total icosahedrophobe) so I used my own system (Polymorph). It already had rules for madness, so I added in corruption levels and everything was good to go.

So far I've been doing a few solo-adventures based around monster hunting, but was considering a campaign, half sewn together from nearly-dead A,D&D published adventures.
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by order99 »

I'm still a 2nd Edition AD&D fan (though more Masque of the Red Death than Ravenloft)-but i've either run or played Masque or Ravenloft in:

Gurps 4th Edition
Amazing Engine
Warhammer 2nd Edition
BRP
Chill
Gangbusters with a BRP Call of Cthulu magic system tacked on.

Play whatever works-if the system is flexible enough, use it. Ravenloft and/or Masque has always been more about literary tropes and atmosphere than Rules anyway...
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"Not Yet".
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

Black Knight wrote:Heya - first time poster.
Hi, and welcome! glad to have you here...
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by alhoon »

I prefer 3.5 to pathfinder, since pathfinder seems kinda a buffed-classes version of 3.5 with a couple rules clarifications.
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by DannWyrm »

I want to try Dungeon World/Grim World(when it lands) due to the strong narrative vibe it seems to nourish, but I'm already running a game in Pathfinder, which works alright I suppose, and all the other Game Night slots are filled up with fairly new or about-to-start games.
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Ocule »

I know im necroing my own thread but what about 2e, I have been on pathfinder for a while and it can handle I but we have been doing other things. Thinking the next D&D campaign will be in ravenloft and im considering breaking out a 2e book I got recently and running under that system. Think its worth it or just an extra headache?
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Dark Angel »

Ocule wrote:I know im necroing my own thread but what about 2e, I have been on pathfinder for a while and it can handle I but we have been doing other things. Thinking the next D&D campaign will be in ravenloft and im considering breaking out a 2e book I got recently and running under that system. Think its worth it or just an extra headache?
First of all, if you think bring things back from the endless netherworld (even if it is a older thread) bothers us, then you may be underestimating us...

Second, which 2nd edition book?
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Ocule »

I think its 2e D&D revised? Its a compilation of a bunch of 2e books compiled into one i downloaded before they reprinted it just broke it back out of whatever nether cloud it was hiding in :p
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Dark Angel »

Ocule wrote:I think its 2e D&D revised? Its a compilation of a bunch of 2e books compiled into one i downloaded before they reprinted it just broke it back out of whatever nether cloud it was hiding in :p
But which adventure/sourcebook specifically? Unless this is something compiled from various sources that I am unaware of, I have access to most of the 2nd edition product line. As a quick side note, the Domains of Dread are almost required for generation for the 2nd edition and the Gazetteers (albeit 3rd edition) contain priceless information that streamlines many of the story/plot issues from 2nd edition. If looking into one specific area or region, just pick up that one as the whole run of Gazs gets really pricey fast.
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Re: What is the best game system to run Ravenloft

Post by Ocule »

Oh hells lol. The AD&D compilation contains 26 books from their core line. The ravenloft specific stuff i have is i have the gazetteers 1-5 , van richtens guides to vistani, ghosts, vampires, werebeasts, and created. The 3.5 Dungeon masters setting guide and the player, handbook for ravenloft. Domains of Dread from 2e, Secrets of the dread realms, Denizens of Dread. Might have more but they are scattered and im sure there are some copies people put up on the net. Trying to weigh pros and cons of 2e versus Pathfinder for it most of my material for it is 3.5 but with a little bit of converting...
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