Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Ravenloft: The Night The Vampire Woke (Or The Domain of Dull) Well, *apparently* my previous review was somehow too vehement, so we're trying this again, as I feel strongly about this product with a more concise approach: The only reason this received 2 stars is that there were a couple interesting and worthwhile ideas presented in the book, but sadly much of it was terribly, terribly disappointing. So first, as background I've been running Ravenloft as my campaign world for over 15 years and my first experience with it, was the original module I6 I believe, back in 83'. Needless to say, it was love at first sight (bite?). Now, my issues with the new release: 1. The level of political correctness in this offering is staggering, excessive and wholly unnecessary. Some examples? Making sure your players are not offended or “too afraid” of elements in the game. *Spoiler* it's a horror campaign. Apparently this idea (including having an in-game “voting card”) comes from this: "The X-Card is an optional tool (created by John Stavropoulos) that allows anyone in your game (including you) to edit out any content anyone is uncomfortable with as you play. Since most RPGs are improvisational and we won't know what will happen till it happens, it's possible the game will go in a direction people don't want. An X-Card is a simple tool to fix problems as they arise." Patently preachy and unnecessary. Here is an example of how this could easily go awry from a storytelling standpoint: DM: You walk down the path towards the rickety, old house, hoping to learn the secrets of the Bog Witch of Dunhollow. As—- Player 1 (Clarise): (Card up) I’m sorry but, I identify as a witch and I find that description demeaning. DM: (Makes a notation) Oh, um sorry…let me rephrase that: You…walk down the path towards the rickety, old house, hoping to learn the secrets of the Lady of Dunhollow, an eccentric woman who is both ancient and reputed to use dark magic. It is a beautiful January morning and a light dusting of sno— Player 2 (Jonathon): (Card up) Could this please not be January. My girlfriend broke up with me in January and its upsetting to me. DM: (Makes a notation) Wow, okay…sorry, I’d forgotten that. It is a beautiful February morning and a light dusting of snow litters the ground. You approach the house and see a staircase leading to a vine-strewn porch and a warped and weathered wooden front door. What is everybody’s passive perception? Okay…Jonathon, on your passive of 16 you notice something strange. Just under the stairs, you barely glimpse the head and arm of a dirty, threadbare doll, seeming to peek up from the ruined, wooden stairs, its head is—— Player 3 (Devon): (Card up) Look, dolls make me really scared. Please no dolls, okay? DM: (Scribbles furiously, crossing things out) Alrighty then…Jonathon, on second glance, it’s just a piece of broken wood that had a vaguely “human” appearance. Player 1 (Clarise): I’ll advance up the stairs and look more closely at the front door. DM: Clarise your gifted eyes, detective that you are, notice a faint trail of blood, just in front of the door. It’s not a —- Player 2 (Jonathon): Can we not do gory descriptions with words like blood? The imagery is too much for me, ok? DM: (Scratches out three lines of game notes) Of course. Um…Clarise, you see some kind of red stain near the door, it could be anything. Strawberry jam perhaps? Player 1: (Clarise) I look back and gesture to Jonathon to move forward, maybe he can tell me more? Player 2 (Jonathon): I make a small bow before Devon, smile and gesture towards the stairs saying: “Ladies first—-” Player 3 (Devon): (Card up) I don’t identify as a “lady” please use my name or “you/they”, not “she” or “lady”. Player 2 (Jonathon): But, I thought you said Devon is female warrior of Ezra, right? Player 3 (Devon): Devon is my character name and that name is unisex, thus they identify as gender neutral, although possessing a female anatomy. I (Kathy) am a female player, who also identifies as female but my character (Devon) being gender neutral would be deeply offended by the feminine association. However, out of character you may refer to me, Kathy as “she”, “miss” or “lady”, but not in character. This of course, I’m saying out of character, see? Player 2 (Jonathon): (Confused) DM: *Closes his notebook* I think that’s enough “dread and mystery” for today.... As a final example of how preachy this book is the Vistani have totally been changed: The Vistani (essential in my opinion, to any good R-loft game) are no longer representative of real world gypsies/ Romani. They are no longer a “race” but rather a gathered clan of like minded people (elves, dwarves, humans, orcs, whatever) that agree upon a code and shared lifestyle, you know, rather like the Bellas in Pitch Perfect; again ostensibly to not portray any real world racial stereotypes that might offend someone. This is unacceptable. The concept of the Vistani being “of the blood of Vistan” is a central theme to their identity and existence. I asked my friend Paul (whose ancestry is partially Romani) if he felt the use of the word gypsy, or the Vistani being a race in the game was someone offensive or disrespectful at all. He said of course not and reminded me he had played a Vistani character in my previous campaign. I see the Vistani as a celebration of those really cool traditions and archetypes. A word about gender: Gender representation, from what I have seen thus far, eight, that’s right eight previously male (major) Ravenloft personalities (NPC’s from Darklords to Heroes) have been switched to a female gender, with a corresponding gender specific first name. Some examples: Vlad Drakov = Vladeska Drakov Lord Jules Weathermay = Alice Weathermay Viktor Mordheim = Viktra Mordheim Peter van Riese = Pietra van Riese I understand and believe in strong female characters and as a writer have used them extensively thus I find these changes excessive and wholly unnecessary Rewriting NPC histories, eight of them ostensibly because there weren’t enough strong, female characters presented? Not the case. What about Madame Eva? What about Gabrielle Aderre? What about Tritessa? Lyssa Von Zarovich? Laurie and Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove. The Lady of Ravens? That’s seven major NPC’s who are female, without me breaking a sweat. The major player in my campaign (My bff Tina) currently runs the most powerful PC in that campaign: Lady Fae Hawthorne. She is as “on par” with Strahd as one can get and has finally become an NPC and sends the other groups on missions and aids the rest of the Barovian populace. At any rate, buyer beware. As a bit of a Ravenloft aficionado, this product truly missed the mark and is an epic fail in almost every way.