Is Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft worth getting if you own all the 2E/3E books?

[Solan]

Mephisto, my sincere thanks for such a detailed, in-depth delve into 5th edition Ravenloft! I was very much impressed with the books put out for the 3rd edition, especially the wonderful Gazetteers. By contrast, I am appalled by almost all of what you describe from 5th edition. That isn't my Ravenloft, the mysterious and horrifying Land of the Mists at all; that's Jake Ravenloft. Thanks for saving me from wasting my money.

[alhoon]

There are some good parts in the new books, for every taste though. Specific domains or changes have received praise from various people. Perhaps VRGtR is not for you, but I don't think it would be "a waste of money" but at worst "I wouldn't get my money's worth".

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Well VRGtRavenloft has some good ideas but does it really worth buying a whole book costing 50$ or around 35 € for just a few good ideas scattered here and there? People who had the hoped that 5e would continue from where 3e ended (and probably waited that the new book would delve into the Time of Unparallel Darkness) have been mostly disappointed. If someone is new to the Ravenloft Campaign it is sure a good book, for those who already have most 2e and 3e stuff is mostly useless.

I believe anyone can check the book out in their local RPG store to see if its for them though.

[Teravala]

I own it, and kind of wish I didn't. I never use it, instead opting to dig through 2e materials for my 3.x game. It had some nuggets that were pretty interesting, but not enough to, in retrospect, be worthwhile to me. Was definitely NOT a fan of them creating their own canon, nor of the restructuring of domain borders, and especially not gender bending and queer washing existing characters in lieu of developing original, unique characters to fill those representation holes. ( as a side note, I'm very into inclusion, very gay, and still think this is the wrong way to go about representing demographics. It's lazy, and disappointing.)

[jpjp]

There are some good parts in the new books, for every taste though. Specific domains or changes have received praise from various people. Perhaps VRGtR is not for you, but I don't think it would be "a waste of money" but at worst "I wouldn't get my money's worth".

Hi !
I think your point of view is very fair. It’s true that VRGtR can appeal to some and leave others wanting more. Even if it’s not essential for everyone, it offers interesting ideas and well-designed mechanics, so it’s worth taking a look. I’m new here, but I’m eager to share my experiences and learn from your advice.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

I found it for 10$ and bought it.

[alhoon]

Saidra is my favorite from the new stuff. I changed the name of the domain, enlarged it (to add some villages outside) and kept everything else.

[doctornecrotic]

Buying it? By the wrathful war smite of Vanya, no... It had some setting agnostic advice that's mostly decent, though I'd sooner point to Horror Adventures for Pathfinder, Heroes of Horror for 3.5, or a boundless list of other TTRPGs for such things.
As for domain content, if they were more concerned about making new domains for a newer fresher series of Islands of Terror or Clusters, I doubt they'd have too much controversy, maybe. Though, I don't think they really understand the genres they write about... and I don't know how much the mostly goofy or bland looking art contributes. The book is at odds with itself at times and feels like a science experiment gone wrong, fresh flesh from Lamordia. As for the (basically) new domains, I can't say there's enough meat to play with them. But hey, some domains of old were barely useful until later books came out, so I guess that's in line with tradition. Some newer ideas need less work than others, even if they have gimmicks attached that limit use (like Chakuna or Saidra). They can stand up as new domains or merged into their respective originals somehow. Overall, some interesting ideas, but they feel like 1/2 - 3/4 done. Looking at Alhoon above, adding more places and things to do only makes Saidra less of a single focus. Though, I just made her a con artist out to scam the D'Honaire house, only to fall prey to a serial killer out to get the D'Honaire house and seek revenge with a growing delusion.
I'd sooner recommend the Mistfactor Press Encyclopedias on DM's Guild, even though those are riddled with problems throughout. But, if you want this? Get it on sale for cheap. It's interesting to see another company attempt the setting from an out of game perspective. And likewise, maybe the new ideas can inspire other new ideas. As I understand, we're in that edition phase where prior things are being pushed out to a degree in favor of the new hotness. So, maybe you can get this for cheap.