Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game

Who am I: Middle aged married guy who loves Sci fi, video games and fantasy novels. Used to play D&D and then AD&D around twenty years ago. Haven't been involved with any serious groups since then so I have no experience with any editions of D&D that cause such a rift in the community. This means that I am not hopelessly in love with any specific Edition of D&D. -Note for various D&D Edition FanGirls and FanBoys- If you are a 4th Edition Hater and can't get past that, you most likely will not enjoy these games as they are based, in general, on the 4th Edition rule set. If you don't know what that statement means, or if you are capable of enjoying what each Edition has to offer, you should have no problems. Why I love the D&D Adventure Systems: Castle Ravenloft(CR), Wrath of Ashardalon(WoA) and Legend of Drizzt(LoD): They work as a stand alone product and offer a dungeon crawling, limited leveling, monster slaying experience with no previous knowledge of how D&D works. And all in sessions that can be finished in an hour or two. The minimal time commitment involved is fantastic. Or, if you find yourself filled with nostalgia and desire a fuller, longer campaign with further leveling options or new characters, these games can be tweaked to allow for that. Especially with some of the user created content online, the photoshop templates on boardgamegeek.com in particular are wonderful. Also this [....] address has a plethora of new content. The extra leveling options are definitely my favorite. The truth is that I screamed in happiness when I ran across them. I sounded like a ten year old girl getting a pony. A unicorn pony. with wings. A Unicorn Pegasus Pony that appeared in a shimmer of rainbow colors. And now I am deeply ashamed...........*sigh* I am such a nerd. The game system totally allows for expandability in many ways. It's kind of a gateway drug for D&D honestly. I find myself consistently wanting just a bit more of the actual RPG experience. We tweak the game a bit and suddenly our experience is just a bit fuller and more satisfying. Not nearly as detailed and time intensive as an actual D&D or Pathfinder game though. Such a great balance for us. They don't have to be expanded upon though, to be immensely enjoyable. Any of the three games are enough in and of themselves to be hugely gratifying and offer much re-playability. The expandability is just something that makes them extra cool and versatile in my opinion. All three systems use totally interchangeable materials. Some of the cards may be context sensitive and not seem to fit in a particular environment but other than that you can use everything in each of the games. This provides Awesomeness Bonus of +2. The map tiles and figurines both are an unbeatable value and can be easily incorporated into a "real" D&D session. Everything in the box, other than the manuals, is of superb quality. The figurines alone would easily cost you double what you pay for the set here. And if you paint figurines, which I do, you will have just gained around forty new minis to paint. Joy in and of itself there. Possible Cons: I saw in the review for one of the three games that some dude was just totally disgusted with how these games "punish" the players for almost every activity they engage in. The guy was totally a Hater. However, he wasn't necessarily wrong. The game does seem to be constantly throwing things at you that often don't feel fair. Notably, the Encounter cards. Which brings me to the next con and a solution to the "punishment" issue.... The instruction manual will not answer every question that will come up. It is left up to the players to decide how certain things should work. Which is how a "real" D&D game works. Your group plays the game the way they want to play it. If you simply cannot function without every rule spelled out for you, this may be a problem. Otherwise you'll be fine. And in terms of rule tweaking and the punishment issue- we decided to change how often we draw encounter cards as well as a couple other minor aspects of the game. This has served to make our sessions a lot more fun. Don't be afraid to tweak the rules in order to play the game how you want to play it. The manuals are pretty cheaply put together. They may not hold up well to use by younger players or spilled drinks. I took ours apart and put the pages in plastic binder inserts. We now have all the material for all the games in a single, sturdy, custom decorated notebook. Which is awesome btw. (Disclaimer for claim of awesomeness: I created the custom artwork:) Space. With all the cards and map tiles and bags of monsters and tokens that get used in a typical session, you may find you need a bit more space than an average board game. All of the aforementioned items can quickly end up being a mess. As a solution we have everything securely contained in varying sizes of ziplock bags. Including the map tiles in a 1 Gallon size bag. Perfect for storage and during play. There is no actual role playing or in town scenarios. If you want to get into a brawl over the serving wench's honor at The Yawning Portal Inn in the city of Waterdeep, then you should just find a gaming group and play Pathfinder or D&D(any Edition). Or perhaps, after stumbling into a gathering of Dirty Orcs in the Gloomy Forest of Gloom and Terror, you want to attempt to use an illusion to convince them you are a deity and sell them into slavery in the Land of Thay. As opposed to just killing them. Again, just go find a full-on game of D&D. These systems can be worked to allow for things like that to some degree, but they aren't designed to be open world or allow for anything other than a dungeon crawl with combat and a final, combat based, objective. So: If you want "real" D&D, then you may be more satisfied finding a group and getting involved. If you want a game that allows you to engage in D20 based combat, with figurines, that represent a character with minimal leveling capacity. And that can be played by anyone. These systems may be just the thing for you. Also of note: The Dungeon Command games have interchangeable map tiles, monster cards and figurines that can be used seamlessly with the Adventure Systems. I love this as it ads even more expansion options.

I grew up playing D&D quite a bit with my friends. As we got older and made families we just didn't have the time to play anymore. This board game is great on so many levels. It is great for people like me who would like to feel like they are playing D&D and need to do it in an hour and a half. It is great intro for people who are curious about D&D but have never played before. They won't get very deep into the D&D rule set but will get an introduction to HP, AC, movement, classes and other basic concepts. It is also great for anyone who just wants to play an adventure game and doesn't care what world it is set in. The game comes with a bunch of highly detailed miniatures that are begging to be painted but are wonderful as they are. The board pieces are of high quality and they are placed mostly randomly so the layout will never be the same twice. The characters are well thought out and there really isn't a 'stronger' character in the bunch, they all have their pluses. There are quite a few adventures to play through and there are more user created adventures online. If you are feeling creative you can even make your own. The game works very well no matter how many people are playing. It doesn't feel any harder or easier whether you have two players or five. Also, you can play this game solo which is very cool. Being a cooperative game, everyone is in it together. I have read a lot about how the game is difficult but we have won the adventures probably 80% of the time. Two games were won literally at the last possible move that we could stay alive. It is very exciting when that happens and it always seems close no matter what. The role playing element is very light. You don't keep anything your character finds from one adventure to the next so you are starting from scratch every time you play. However, depending on who you are playing with and how "into character" they wish to be, there are still plenty of role playing opportunities for those who wish to take them. This is the first of three games in the set. I only own this one but will certainly be picking up the other two once we have really played this one out.

In the spirit of full disclosure I am a HUGE Ravenloft fanatic. I have the original D&D Module, the box sets (TWO of them!) I have read the book (I, Strahd : The Memoirs of a Vampire) and spent countless hours playing through (and dying in) Count Strahd's castle and lands. I love this whole series. So, I now have a son who is interested in D&D. Mainly because he knows how much I enjoyed it "back in the day" and having seen the guys on Big Bang Theory playing it recently. Searching the internet for an easy way to break in to D&D brings me to the board game Dungeons and Dragons Wrath of Ashardalon. As I read the description (or maybe it was a review) I notice that there is a Ravenloft version! I check it out, see the good reviews and buy it. Boy was I ever NOT disappointed! This game is great. All the fun of D&D without the need to read a ton of books (yes, in this game there is a fair amount of reading, but not too bad) or roll a character or keep track of too much. Yes, some hard-core D&D people may find it a little limited and too easy, but if that is the case, just play D&D on your own. This game is much better for the first-timers and the uninitiated. Very easy to play and not a lot of time invested to get there. I mean, it's probably on par with like a good game of Risk or a real game of Monopoly (without all the shortcuts.) Great for board game enthusiasts and the D&D curious. The game itself is really something. Very well-made in every way. Good game board tiles, great cards and tokens and players and monsters too. All very durable and cool. Since purchasing, I have played about five games. Once by myself to see if it was any fun alone (it actually is) and a bunch of games with my son and some others. Every time was fun, even when we lost (some of the dungeons can be very hard!) and I can't wait to play more. I highly recommend this game if you are looking for a fun board game with friends for a few hours and you like the idea of D&D without all the books and commitment.

great quality of the board, characters, markers and cards. The instructions are fairly easy to read and follow. Really good design for a fun challenge. LOTS of gaming scenarios for groups and single run through. The first time we played it we ran the monsters wrong and made the game too simple, but after reading the rule book section more carefully, it was a blast and more of a challenge!!! One of the best things is that the D&D DM feel is still there, but the time spent building the scenarios is out and everyone can play without someone required to DM. Story lines are super fun! Wish there were more than 5 players available, but then again it would take that much longer if there were more characters; and one of the joys of this game is you can play a Dungeon dive in less than 2 hours with minimal set up. That is great for a group of married with children friends who want to play but have not the extra extra hours to pour into the set up of a normal D&D. great figures, you could paint if you really wanted to, but no need. VERY FUN! worth having for a great, fast, and more simplified dungeon run every now and then things like line of sight and other common D&D basics are jeopardized just to simplify the board, but it does not diminish the game which we were worried about. The board is ever changing based on tiles, which makes every run a new and different experience!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a 25 year old geek who has plenty of experience with card games, tabletop games, and RPGs. First off, I love this game. I rarely take time to review anything. In this case, I have seen a number of reviewers who were a little harsh based on their expectations. So, I wanted to add my two cents. What is Castle Ravenloft? This game is not the D&D most people are used to. D&D lite is a pretty good way of describing it and that's what I love about it. Castle Ravenloft is a much more accessible form of D&D for geeks and nongeeks alike. It's like some other reviewers have mentioned, it's a great game to sit down and play for an hour or two and is simple enough for people who have never touched this kind of stuff to pick up and learn pretty quickly. The best way to play this game is have a few beers, joke around about how screwed you are (the game is actually very difficult, especially if your Dragonborn fighter can't seem to kill anything), and just roll with it. There really isn't any role playing involved (unless your gaming crew decides to add it in). It's all about the D20 combat system (based around 4th edition rules) and quite a bit of luck as well. You slowly reveal the dungeon, battle monsters, get treasure, and work on accomplishing whatever goal you have to to win the game. It's a relatively quick and fun way to get into the D&D universe without having to commit hours and hours like you would with a normal D&D adventure. There are a couple of other things worth mentioning. For the price, you get quite a few miniatures. They aren't painted, but they would still make excellent figures for a DM to use in a regular campaign. If you're into painting, there isn't anything stopping you from painting them as well. The artwork and quality of the pieces is fantastic. The board, tokens, and most of the figures are sturdy and with proper care, should last a long time. Why didn't I give it a perfect score? -I would have liked to see more monster variety. Although, you can mix the contents of this D&D board game with the two others that are out to give you more variety of monsters and heroes. -There are a few figures that are a bit flimsy and could easily be broken if you don't store it right or you allow younger children to play. Overall, the game is well worth the price and I promise you if you go into it with a few friends, an open mind, and not expecting a full fledged D&D session, you will have a lot of fun with this!

I just recently got into these games and after playing them all Castle Ravenloft is by far the best of the bunch. The problem with the other games is that every new game that came out thereafter started adding new game elements and tricks to it. I understand that the designers have to keep the system fresh to older players but things started getting much more confusing. Ravenloft plays smooth and easy, especially for younger players. I've noticed all the other elements that newer games brought just slowed the game down and muddied up gameplay. This always becomes a problem when a great game system is made, the designers always want to improve on it and they end up convoluting it with too many new ideas. Mad Mage is the worst; too many new situations and elements distract players (especially younger ones) into thinking more about what they forgot to do. It frustrated them (it got worst with more than two players) and everyone else at the table. For Castle Ravenloft, while it's extremely challenging, it's more basic and to the point than the others and all you really need to concentrate on is turn sequence, everything else just falls into place. And that's what makes a fun game night for family and friends even in the spooky dangerous place of Barovia and it's master, the dreaded Count Strahd Von Zarovich. There's a reason why Castle Ravenloft was the tabletop game of the year in 2010, as the others fell by the wayside. Sure, they look good and the quality is stellar, BUT newer is not always better.

I purchased this game after reading and watching several reviews online. Neither my wife nor I has ever played a table-top RPG game, though I am somewhat familiar with the world of D&D from a handful of the novels that I've read, the toys I had as a kid and the 80s cartoon. That was about the extent of my D&D experience and my wife didn't even have that much. To make it short, we love the game! We played it nearly every night for about a month and our lack of experience with D&D gaming was not an issue at all. We loved it so much I bought the sequel game Wrath of Ashardalon and we started playing it last night. It's a brutal game and we lose a lot, but that's what makes the victories worthwhile. The rulebook is kept fairly simple, which is good for the casual gamer. It might frustrate people who want to have every possibility covered in the rulebook, but we found that this lack of specificity encourages people to come up with their own "House Rules" that cover some of those special circumstances that aren't covered in the rules. We enjoy the creativity that this allows the players to use while playing. In addition, the game is different every time you play it, making the replayability a huge plus. It also allows you to create your own adventures/scenarios. On a final note, all the game pieces, cards, etc are excellent. They are very sturdy and durable, much more so than the average board game. If you like cooperative games in a fantasy setting, give this game a chance.

I have been playing D&D games for years, and this captures the fun of a cooperative dungeon crawl without the need for a DM. This game maintains all the essential elements of D&D with monsters, heroes, traps, treasures and classic quests, but in a tight package that keeps things fresh. The Dungeons and Dragons Adventure series games include highly detailed miniatures, dungeon tiles, treasure and Encounter cards. The latter (Encounter Cards) provide the same level of "surprise" elements of a traditional game like when your DM gets that evil smile before drawing in a long breath and tells you that your party just stumbled onto a hive of Beholders. There are several adventures in the stock game, and they can be mixed with other games in the series to make more epic campaigns. There are also several new adventures available from the WOTC and fan websites (boardgamegeek.com). Lastly, this game also plays great solo playing one or more characters. Recommended! Also recommend Wrath of Ashardalon and Legend of Drizzt as well! UPDATE 1/16/15: So after owning this game for about 7 months, it is still one of my favorites. My gaming group has been playing this, and really enjoying the flexibility the D&D Adventure Game System affords. We have modified the game with new rules, cards, characters and adventures available on websites like www.boardgamegeek.com, making the game even more fun to play with a group. We have played it with 7 players (instead of the recommended 1-5 players), and there seems to be enough for everyone to work on. Even the skeptical classic pen & paper D&D crew of our gaming group were won over to Castle Ravenloft. Again - recommended purchase!

Très bonne histoire, bon scénario, mais j'ai reçu la moitié des figurines cassées!!! J'ai su en réparer certaines avec de la super glue, mais 4-5 ont du être jetées...

Enjoyable evenings with the kids but some adventures are really very easy.

Diese Spiel macht einfach Spaß! Die Regeln sind kurz und knapp und sind sehr leicht erlernbar. Es steht zwar "12+" auf der Verpackung oben, das Spiel eignet sich aber durchaus für Unter-10-jährige. Das beiliegende Material ist von guter bis sehr guter Qualität - das "Spielbrett" (bzw. die Einzelteile, welche zusammengesetzt werden) ist aus starkem Karton und die (nicht bemalten) Miniaturen (Helden + Monster) sind fein modelliert. Eine Spielrunde dauert ca. 60 Minuten, die ersten beiden Spiele vielleicht etwas länger, wenn man die Regeln noch nicht so verinnerlicht hat. Aufgrund der Tatsache, dass es kein fixes Spielgeschehen gibt (die Landkarte sieht bei jedem Spiel anders aus, es werden unterschiedliche Monster- und Event-Karten gezogen), wir das Spiel auch nicht so schnell langweilig. Darüber hinaus gibt es zwei "Erweiterungen" (Wrath of Ashardalon und Legens of Drizzt), deren Monster und Helden mit diesem Spiel kompatibel sind und man so "ewig" erweitern kann. Es ist kein Rollenspiel (!), es ist aber trotzdem möglich, seinen Charakter zu spielen und ihm "Leben einhauchen". Jeder Spieler ist gleichzeitig "DM" (bzw. SL), da jeder den Dungeon mit gestaltet und auch "seine" Monster spielt. Darüber hinaus skaliert das Spiel sehr gut mit der Anzahl der Spieler - je mehr Spieler spielen, desto mehr Monster sind gleichzeitig am Spielplan. Schön finde ich auch, dass es ein kooperatives Spiel ist, also alle zusammen helfen müssen um die Abenteuer zu bestehen.

Siempre me han gustado los juegos de mesa y los componentes de los mismos, y siempre había querido juntar un grupo y jugar D&D pero las miniaturas son caras y organizar un grupo de juego difícil, enter Castle Ravenloft Board Game. Es algo caro pero vale la pena ya que tiene bastantes miniaturas y el juego aunque difícil de ganar es entretenido. Si nunca has jugado un juego de rol (tabletop o en videojuego) no hay ningún problema, las reglas son sencillas pero conservan los elementos base de un buen RPG (lo juego con mi hijo de 8 años),eso sí, que sean sencillas no quiere decir que el juego sea fácil, de hecho considero que hay que tener un alto nivel a la frustración para disfrutar el juego a la larga ya que algunos escenarios están canijos, lo bueno es que no se requiere de un maestro del calabozo que cree la historia o maneje a los enemigos lo cual deja espacio para que todos los jugadores disfruten del juego y vayan inventando la historia y las situaciones. Si ya juegas D&D supongo que el juego es lo de menos, pero las minis están padrísimas y si las pintas el juego llega a otro nivel. Si empiezas en el hobby de los juegos de mesa o si te interesan los juegos de rol considero que es una buena compra, es un buen Dungeon crawler para irse metiendo más en las mecánicas tanto de los juegos de mesa como en el de los juegos de rol. Si le pusiera un pero, sería que pareciera que el dado de 20 caras que incluye me odia y nunca puedo jugar tan bien como quisiera, pero bueno, es parte de la experiencia. Recomendado si quieres las miniaturas o si quieres un juego de rol introductorio. (En las imágenes se observan figuras pintadas por mi, y sin pintar las figuras más grandes y el héroe enano como vienen en el juego como referencia.)

Il primo gioco in scatola col sistema dungeon crawler basato su Dungeons & Dragons; l'ideale è giocarlo in più persone, ma è ottimo anche in solitario. Le regole sono abbastanza semplici da imparare, ma introducono progressivamente elementi più complessi nelle missioni successive, ma non ha alcun elemento di gdr classico (progressione dei personaggi, interazione con l'ambientazione e così via). Componenti di ottima qualità, dal tabellone modulare alle carte alle miniature. Queste ultime non sono tutte eccezionali, ma sono molte, ed alcune valgono davvero l'acquisto (il Dracolich, il Flesh Golem, i Gargoyle, etc.). Nel complesso un gioco divertente, specie per chi ama l'ambientazione Ravenloft, i dungeon crawler, o per chi vuole un po' di miniature di non morti e altro per le partite a D&D!