First a brief word about Rêve; a game available on-line in PDF format from Malcontent Games (www.malcontentgames.com) and www.rpgnow.com - the first of three volumes comprising the game is free. Rêve is a detailed yet sophisticated and very user-friendly RPG grounded in a unique environment – the world and all its peoples, places and things don’t exist. They are merely the products of the dreaming dragons! In broad terms, this means that your games don’t have to be tied to any specific genre-background; things change; it’s ‘just’ a dream.
However, most common inhabitants of the Rêve ‘multi-dream’ would consider you insane were you to suggest such a bizarre concept; the world is real to them. Player characters are intended to be True Dreamers (adventurers or Journeyers who know that the world they perceive is an illusion) and High Dreamers (those that can use the knowledge to create magic). However in my own game, all bar one character (the High Dreamer, or mage) refuse to believe a word of these odd philosophies of ‘dream worlds’ and frequently scoff at the mage for his unconventional views – sometimes threatening to report him to the authorities for his blatant use of magic.
Despite its wide-open approach to the fantasy genre, Rêve is not a bland generic game. It brims with atmosphere and has a definite unique charm, which becomes apparent as you begin to turn the pages. It is at once baroque, macabre and sinister with a dark, dark sense of humour, which will appeal to mature readers… Which leads nicely into: Vale Of Phosneratu.
The adventure begins with the characters caught in the midst of a seemingly hackneyed B-movie horror plot. They are seeking the shelter of the village of Phosner amidst wild countryside; it’s dusk, thunder roars and lightning crashes, baying wolves can be heard in the distance and of course, they’re lost!
Dream Keeper’s Note: The scenario’s camp title and clichéd opening scenes are there to ensure that the dénouement is as surprising (and original) as possible. Stick with me.
In the distance screams are heard. Rushing to the scene, the characters intervene in an attack on a fellow traveller by two huge wolves.
Dream Keeper’s Note: Whether the characters get involved or not is irrelevant, the traveller is an old man and the wolves have made short work of him. If the PCs do try and save him, an opportunity to briefly test the combat system arises. Combat in Rêve is deadly and recovering from battle wounds can be an adventure in itself but this is a trivial encounter with force of numbers scaring the wolves off (they’ll have a go at the infirm, but armed Journeyers are not to their liking).
The old man carried a haversack and while some characters may have thought twice about combating wolves, most will happily loot the fallen!
The bag contains a number of number of interesting items, not least amongst them a vial of Rainbow Water and a weathered volume: Legends of Ancient Deaths.
High Dreamers will be keen to examine the ancient tome as soon as opportunity allows – it contains all that a feisty Journeyer might want to know about vampires and how to defeat them. It seems the old chap was on a mission to destroy the vampiric evil inhabiting the area, specifically in near-by Vauxhall Manor. The key to the vampires demise lies in the creation of an alchemical concoction known as Lustral Waters, a key component of which is Rainbow Water.
It is clear that this is no time to be pawing through the pages of a lore-steeped tome but respite is at hand, in the distance can be seen a thin sliver of light which draws the characters to the vampire’s lair, the crumbling ruins of Vauxhall.
“At the top of a rocky prominence are the ruins of an ancient manor. Most of the walls have collapsed and are barely guessed among the brambles and thistles.”
Within the ruins, which look, in some respects remarkably like some sort of ‘dungeon’, the characters encounter a family of vampires ‘living’ out an ancient curse.
Dream Keeper’s Note: Like most things in Rêve the vampire myth is slightly skewed, just enough to be surprising and yet familiar…
A very eerie and well-scripted scene introduces the characters to their future nemeses and the decrepit manor that serves as den and prison to the undead. Almost immediately a battle ensues as the vampires try to add the PCs to their list of conquests. Although the vampires represent powerful foes, they are unarmed (why should they bother with mortal tools) and the characters should – it they are wise manage to escape, with a few scars!
Dream Keeper’s Note: The rest of the scenario hangs on this one encounter. In all likelihood, it will evolve as the author intended but there are opportunities for disaster. Firstly, what if the players fail to invest their characters with the wisdom to run when out numbered by a terrible foe and they all die? True, Rêve has an intriguing mechanic for handling such an occurrence but nevertheless, the scenario would be lessened by such an event. Secondly, what if the characters are so adept in the martial arts that they walk away from battle unscathed? As will be seen below, such an event would rob the characters of the real incentive to complete the old man’s quest!
If the characters defeat the vampires (for now) they may chose to explore the ruins – it contains a laboratory essential for the creation of Lustral Waters. If they flee (more likely) they will probably head for Phosner.
Whether they learn this lesson from the old man’s copy of Legends of Ancient Deaths or from bitter experience, the characters will discover that wounds inflicted by the vampires do not heal. In fact, they get worse, ultimately leading to transformation into one of the undead. Suddenly, creating a batch of Lustral Waters becomes a most personal issue!
From here the PCs must seek out the other ingredients of Lustral Waters and this is were the real essence of the adventure lies… Assuming at least one PC has been wounded, a race against time ensues which will reveal bawdy comedy, melancholy and the twin spectres of rape and incest.
Dream Keeper’s Note: Aside from a truly mesmerising magic system, Rêve devotes considerable energies to the ‘sciences’ including Astrology, Botany, Zoology and Alchemy – as a result, the ground work is already there for telling a compelling story with game elements, such as Alchemy, seamlessly worked into the system to assist in the immersion in the fantasy. The strength of the game rules enlivens the story.
Together with the Rainbow Waters, which the PCs already possess, they will require seven tears from a post-pubescent human female virgin…
Dream Keeper’s Note: Disaster! Here’s something the author didn’t factor into his plot: what if the team of characters include such a female? After all, they must exist! If so, the vital tears are easily available and the true focus of the adventures changes to one much less satisfying.
Travelling to the town of Phosner, the characters are able to peruse the book if they have not already done so and begin their search for those potentially elusive tears…
“And to tell the truth, her hymen is but a distant memory.”
Only three likely suspects are to be found in the tiny village. Not only must the characters divine the truth from falsehood but also they may uncover an abominable father who cruelly abuses his poor daughter, and a lost soul pining for a love that will never return.
The ‘virgin quest’ could, with the aid of a determined Dream Keeper, result in some of the best role-playing opportunities ever to grace a published scenario!
Once the characters have located the required tears and prepared the Lustral Waters (which may require the use of the vampire’s own lab), the story turns full circle. They must return to Vauxhall Manor and destroy the vampires!
Conclusion Like most of the scenarios available for Rêve, Vale of Phosneratu is not what it appears. It is however, remarkably well written and incredibly concise (almost to its own detriment). The entire adventure is shoehorned into a mere seven pages, including two fine maps and a number of boxed character statistics. Many plot points are left undeveloped – relying on the Dream Keeper’s ability to ‘wing it’ or develop his or her own text.
I find it difficult to rate this product within the parameters of Style and Substance provided by RPG.net. For one thing we’re talking about seven loose-leaf pages with no artwork beyond the aforementioned maps. On the other hand the Vale of Phosneratu only costs $2.50! When it comes to Substance, again, the scenario is only seven pages yet it’s brimming with role-playing opportunities – the other side of the coin is that many of those opportunities are left to the individual Dream Keeper to develop.
With those comments in mind I offer the following ratings:
Style: 3 (it’s a lousy seven pages of your own paper and ink but it might just be the best $2.50 you ever spend)
Substance: 5 (as presented, the scenario is bursting with potential – with the care and attention of a dedicated Dream Keeper, this could be the adventure you fondly remember this time next year)
And Finally Vale of Phosneratu is available from RPGNOW (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2191 ) for the meagre price of $2.50. The last time I checked out RPGNOW, the minimum purchase possible was $5.00. Should this still be the case, all is not lost, for just $4.25 you are able to acquire ‘Three From Gothga’ a collection of three additional scenarios for Rêve totalling 32 pages!
Last but not least, if you’re familiar with Malcontent Games’ web site, you will know that there are a number of equally brilliant scenarios available there for free. You may question the value in paying $2.50 when you can download a similar adventure for free. However, the role-playing opportunities available here are just too good to miss. If you own Rêve: the Dream Ouroboros you probably have all the freely available material so do yourself a favour and download Phosneratu to expand your collection. If you insist on playing other games (in the face of good grace and common sense) download the adventure anyway and get a glimpse of what you’re missing out on!
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