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The Ravenloft series thrives on its atmosphere. Brotherhood of the Wolf, Sleepy Hollow, Francis Ford Copalla’s Dracula, Vampire Hunter D, and a few other notables where the humans may be overwhelmed by the supernatural but they will give in a good showing. The Gazetteer series is an attempt to give DMs help in establishing the mood of the game without being cheezy or overdone in its “Gothic fantasy” feel.
Gazetteer Book Three resembles its predecessors in the fact that it covers three domains of Ravenloft in extensive detail as narrated in the first person by an Arcanist wizard S and occasionally interrupted with a side comment from the (arguably) most powerful of the setting’s Dark Lords, Azalin. The Arcanist while becoming more of a realistic character, still knows far too much about the Demiplane and the book isn’t “in game” one of general publication so this is merely atmospheric in my mind.
The book continues the now “trademark” appearance of a red gemstone which contains inside it a section of the Ravenloft Core map which corresponds to the areas covered in the book. In this case Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot. At 159 pages (plus maps and advertisements) its worth its 24.95 cover price, though it certainly feels like a “quick read” if that’s something that readers can understand. The art quality varies tremendously in this book with some being startling realistic, others very ‘comic book’, some done quite Medieval (obviously by someone who worked on Vampire: the Dark Ages), and finally the worst which was done in the fashion of Changeling: the Dreaming’s later supplements. The characters in some pictures resemble Sailor Moon characters trapped in a period piece and completely detract from the mood established in the text.
The book is a somewhat mixed bag for my personal tastes as it covers two of my favorite domains and makes a third one of my most beloved, yet doesn’t live up to the standard imposed by the first two books. The domains as a whole are much presented much more obviously artificial than the previous supplements implied the land to be. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there is something seriously screwed up with Ravenloft’s physics to even a causal observer from the history presented by the peoples of the land. I would have much more preferred a believable consistent history with only a few remembering there was ever anything amiss thanks to the Dark Powers tampering.
The first section after the opening by-play between Azalin and S, a thinly disguised excuse to present the format the domains information will be given in is Dementlieu. Dementlieu is presented as basically post-Revolutionary with some nobles still around and a few hints Pre-Bonaparte France. It is apparently a highly frivolous place with a few nods to Les Liaisons De Dangerous and the cultural center of RL. The place is perfect for those who want to play games of intrigue and nobility without having to worry about being enslaved to an undead king or psychotic poison wielder. The format of magic as a tool for scholars or entertainers is expanded on here and a welcome change from the fear and superstition of other lands. Its overall an absolutely brilliant and vibrant write-up save for the occasionally jarring attempts to explain the “in-joke” names of the place such as why it translates literally into “Crazy Place”. If there is any “real fault” its probably that Dementlieu is the only real cultural center of the core and thus everything for that mood is thrown in here.
The second section covers the Land of Mordent, which is the second domain of Ravenloft. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, H.P. Lovecraft, and even the Shire I had high expectations for this book. In any case I feel somewhat disappointed by the write-up. Mordent is portrayed as an almost uniform misty covered bog that is practically impossible to navigate. A substantial section of the chapter is devoted further to write-ups for the noble families of Mordent. I would not object to it were not for the simple fact that all of them were now ‘dead’ in canon and the ‘mysteries’ of their disappearance not usually that interesting. Finally, the write-ups had a great deal to say about what could have been summed up in a paragraph such as ‘This family is a group of atheistic alchemist merchants. They disappeared due to a backlash following the tragedy on Gryphon hill’. Never has so much space been devoted in game to something that will have little relevance in play. The rest of the cultural information is good but I would have preferred a much deeper feel for the people and their anxieties on the future of their land.
The ‘stand out’ of the work has to be Richemulot, which is a vibrant nation on the move despite the countenance of the people inhabiting the ruins of a country wiped out long ago. Unfortunately, the book makes much of the fact that Richemulot’s history is impossible to learn about but this is hardly a mystery because as a Domain sprung from the mists we know it has no history. Thus, all the spookiness about who built the ruins built up is pointless. Aside from this and the “secret” plan of Jacqueline Renier the write-up gives everything it should. With a vividly realized portrait of life in the domain as well as plenty of opportunities to use some of the nastier spells, classes, and ideas from the Book of Vile Darkness, there is no end for normal adventuring in the sewers or politciking in the courts.
The DM’s appendix for those system information junkies out there (I am not) provides an above average selection of information. The Church of Ezra in its most benevolent form is detailed here, somewhat strangely since its a Borcan institution, with the origins story and Anchorite class information quite useful. Grimtrekkers are offered as a prestige class, basically tunnel rats begging to spend a campaign in the Aliens movie. Lamplighters are another, a powerful detective class that seems somewhat restricted in Mordent. Topping it off are ‘Stage magicians’ who actually are ‘real wizards’ but use elaborate props as focuses and presumably ways of keeping superstitious locals from burning you at the stake. The write-up for ‘were-rats’ is a welcome revision as they are now a extremely ordered society of filth breeding zealots with nasty powers. The Werewolf: The Apocalypse influence is well felt and I look forward to their take on the ‘Wolf God’ next supplement. The Darklords are detailed next with Dominic D’Honaire portrayed as a wonderful Machiavellian master but his actions are hardly warranting Darklordship (even as Darklord!) with his curse horrible but unjustifiable despite lame rationalizations about ‘mother figures’. The Living Brain and Alanik Ray would make for a wonderful Professor Moriarty/Sherlock Holmes enemy set but the write-up does a poor job of converting the Living Brain’s power to psionics and Alanik’s write-up is far too dry for my tastes. Wilfred Godfrey gets a major facelift in this supplement, as does Gryphon Hill, he’s now among the Darklords I fear most. Jacqueline Reneir has a stunning portrait in this work and I can officially add her to characters my players will die trying to/during the process of sleeping with. My only regret is her master plan to make a nation of were-rats is insane and not befitting her character in my mind. Brief mention is made of her seduction of Henry Du’boise but given that character has yet to be detailed 20 years later game time since his first mentioning, my guess is he’s probably getting on in his years.
One further complaint in retrospect is again the lack of false history between the lands. The Renier family founded Mordent and by nature founded and now rule Richemont, Dominic D’Honaire is the grandson of the mesmerist from “The House on Gryphon Hill” but no mention is made of this. The domains speak the same langauge but no mention is made of their connections practically. Still I am happy I bought this book and found the information it did provide to be eye opening and mood setting. It deserves its above average rating (unlike my first review where it received a 3 instead of a five by accident). All in all a good supplement but not a spectacular one.
