Castle Ravenloft Review - with Tom Vasel

[TonganJedi]

The Ravenloft and Ashardalon games are theme-neutral enough that we decided to combine both into one enormous game. Turns out we get the best of both worlds and we love being able to blend hero powers and expand the customization choices. Very well designed system.

[bengalifan]

It is, it's very very close to 4e. Of course luckily for me, I love 4e if for no other reason than a level 1 mage isn't "fire one spell and become team cheerleader".

[cuzza4321]

when naming the characters he is like "the dwarf cleric, the human ranger, the... (wtf is that) the wizard, the rogue the dragonborn." hahahah

[codykonior]

Surprised you haven't followed up with Wrath of Ashardalon yet.

[Balgore8]

Good review. Thanks

[JamesDarcon2007]

Good review, next time please cut the kid crying out in the background, very distracting ... :-/

[slimjseattle]

This is a good review. He hit the high points well.

[spites1]

this was an awesome campaign, but it's overpriced as shit! LIKE ALL D&D PRODUCTS NOWADAYS

[rickman1945]

@spites1 How much is it, i assumed it was only like 40 bucks on Amazon. Not bad considering Descent was 80

[slimjseattle]

@rickman1945 It's between $45 and $65 depending on where you buy it. Well worth the money if you asked me.

[MrJAV1999]

poor dice

[beelzboss34]

I thought this was a campign for 3.5

[LMMEjsmith]

@beelzboss34 apparently they are bringing several of the older settings back, with a bit of tweaking, or a lot, depending on the setting, and adjusting them for play with the 4E rules. Which is better is always a matter of opinion though. Since i've played none of them.... hehe, i don't really care which is better, i'd go with whatever is cheapest.

[BritishLegion1]

Ace review

[andyschiller]

So when you move to the end of a tile and reveal the next tile, do you get to keep moving and attack the new monster, or do you just stand there and get hit every time a new tile is revealed?????

[8BitAvatar]

@andyschiller The new monsters revealed always get the jump on you. Some people don't like that, but when you think about it, if you're always able to keep attacking them before they even get a chance themselves, there's a good chance you'll always kill them first, thus, removing a lot of the challenge and tension from the game.

Players have at least 6 hp in the game. Excluding the villains, monsters have 1-2 hp, and most players' attacks do 1-3 damage (depending on the power you use).

[PhilGerb93]

If you guys think you like this game, just buy Wrath of Ashardalon instead, it's like a new version of this game, with items buyable, new heroes and monsters, door system, etc. It's even better, trust me.

[CapumOfOuttaSpace]

I love this youtube channel

[Jthechosenone]

best board game i have ever played period. and everyone i have played it with has had so much fun with it. my gf was like "too complicated i dont want to play" then after learning for only 10 minutes or so she couldnt get enough of it. not too hard, totally winnable. so far we have won about %75 of the time but there are harder levels to come yet. dont buy it for more than $55, go to a local game store and do not buy online because they overcharge w/ shipping.

[FutureFrontLA]

They should made rules for how monsters work in 4.0 similar to the specific rules for each monster in ravenloft

[ORCA4312]

How much evil side resources/information is secret in the game? I am wondering if this game would be suitable for adapting to play solo.

[combolations]

I have a special link to this game. I was at PAX Prime this year and many people were raving about Castle Ravenloft. On Sunday, I decided to forgo starting the day at the exhibit hall and decided to play tabletop instead, this game being the first I played. I then bought a copy of it not 15 minutes later. I've since taught many friends and acquaintances how to play the game, and all of them have remarked that they enjoyed the game and that it is not only interesting, but also easy to learn.

[guitardbucket]

I'm not a big fan of the new D&D, but this looks like it could be fun.

[jurassicpark4ever]

I HATE YOUTUBE MADE THE FULLSCREEN SWITCH TO 480p BY IT SELF!!!!!!!!!

NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL IT BUFFERS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dungeon666666]

To keep the game going and selling, they MUST come out with expansions. They need a campaign way of doing this also , so that all the scenerios link together and you can go above 2nd lvl.

[ORCA4312]

@dungeon666666 Yeah. Much like Decent did. RPG systems (even in a board game) need a continuing campaign to make to really identify with your character. Of course, I always want to play the campaign rules to any game. having each session would upon the last one always appeals to me more than a single play with no future consequences.

[TheVillainOfThisTale]

Nice review. I've played 4e several times, usually DMing but I like playing it both ways. I'm usually DMing with people that have some familiarity with at least some background in role-playing(mostly 3.x), but very few have tried DMing, even in 4e. However, this and the other box set(can't remember the name) have gotten some players at the FLGS an interest in DMing. Came here to see what you said about this game. Looks like something the players will like, and will let me play for once. =)

[VonBaronZ]

Love playing this with my kids:

1. Good co-op. As review states, it really instills a sense of teamwork.

2. Fast flowing, turns do not get bogged down. Combat is snappy.

3. Tension builds well as the end point of each scenerio comes closer and closer..

Great game!

[AndrewDBarker]

Tom, if you liked this you should actually give the pen and paper game D&D 4e a shot. It's identical, only a lot more complex. I know you're not much for pen and paper games.. but trust me.. if you can find a good DM, it's fantastic.

[finelerv]

Awesome stuff. I'ma gonna subscribe. I wonder if the reviews of games are generally as positive as this one? Here's hoping... <_<

[ORCA4312]

@finelerv ANYONE interested in board gaming should subscribe to this channel and Scott Nicholson's. They both have MUCH helpful and amusing information.

[shoshenkis]

@ORCA4312 shiit man I just discovered this, YAY :)

[mysticx0]

seems like a more expensive, over thought (and since its 4th edition....crap!) version of the cardmaster from the old AD&D.

[AndrewDBarker]

@mysticx0 4th Edition is actually a lot of fun when you get into it.

[mysticx0]

@AndrewDBarker its just my opinion thats all...ive played since the original D&D (over 25 years) then ad&d, then 2nd and so on. its just so overcomplicated, too slow, not enough role play and too much focus on the actual battle than role playing. the rules cyclopedia is the best d&d book ever in my opinion, i just cant get into 3rd or 4th....

[ORCA4312]

@mysticx0 I got into D&D in the late '70s when AD&D was released, and aside from the general concept of exploring and fighting monsters, the only rule system that appealed to me was the spell memorization of magic users (which many players hated). I wanted a much better combat system which allowed heroic actions, like you would see in fantasy books/movies. A quality DM could improvise such things, but DMing is so much work in the first place, that many just weren't up to the extra work.

[ORCA4312]

@AndrewDBarker Money grab, man. it will never end...4.5 ed, 5th ed.

Brought to you by the company which made Magic:the Gouging.

[Dann7000]

At 8:39 I almost thought you were gonna cuss Tom. Great review, great to have you back up and running.

[ericbuhlman]

Is it cold in there or is that an iphone in your pocket?

[Akco007]

It is 4th edition.

[reddyredrooster]

Hey Tom - this is hte first of your Green Screen reviews I've seen - LOVE IT!!!!

Really starts the review off beautifully. I don;t think tkhe blurriness around hte edges is disconceting at all - it's not a warners bros movie. Keep up the great work - love your reviews nad your podcast. This one will be on my secret santa list for sure!!

[Lordmordisquitox]

I own the game and I like it, I could not help myself when I saw all the beauty of it's components. As Tom said it is a co-op but to me it is still a dungeon crawl.

CR is a lite version of D&D4E that I am using to get people interested in moving to the role playing field but it is still a boardgame and not a roleplaying game.

Also encounter cards come up when a tile has a black arrow...

[Rhino10e]

"Whatever, it's their dungeon I would assume that they would anyway” Love it!

[wolfpackee]

My family has played this about 5 times. The kids love it and even my wife has enjoyed it. It's a Dungeon & Dragon themed game without all the complexities of the full pen & paper game. Plus, it only take about an hour so it's not a huge time investment

[bakes789]

how long does a typical game take to play? I have spent hundreds of hours crawling through Expedition to CR ...

[Lordmordisquitox]

@bakes789 depends on the encounters, monsters and so on. average crawl goes from 9 -13 tiles and about 60-90 mins of gameplay after setup.

[BlueSapphyre]

My favourite dungeon crawl. I love this game!

[daumpda]

Nice review, all though I disagree with you on almost every subjective point. I did agree with how you categorize the game....it is not a dungeon crawler. I feel like it doesn't really know what it is and that if fell through the cracks between trying to be a dungeon crawler and being more of a puzzle co-op. All in all, I was not pleased with the plays I have put into it. Watching your video would have showed me that before hand, so I have no doubt it will help others.

[30LayersOfKevlar]

Duel of Ages tie !

[d4rk0s]

One of the biggest hits this year and well deserved. If you don't know yet its sold out. All the pieces that WotC had is out there. If you want it buy it now cause its going to be re-release at 2011 (we don't know yet exact date). I just love this game and of course i have pre-order WoA.

[Beckikaze]

Good review. A friend of mine has the problim with it, that he misses the character developmnt during the adventure.

I like this game too because of the interaction between the players and the potential of discussions. :)

Good review Tom.

[mezzerin]

Thanks for the review Tom!

[KnucklesEki]

Finally, gonna do Wrath of Ashardalon too when it comes out?

[guzerator]

avalon hill? :)

[adv1k]

been looking forward t this review for a while

thanks DT!!!!!

[PollutedMonkey]

AC = Armor Class

[PollutedMonkey]

Yet another fantasy game..

[arturbb]

Yes! Thanks for reviewing this Tom!