Review of Ravenloft Core Rulebook 3rd Edition

Finally after much waiting, and prompting by the Kargatane, I finally got a hold of a new copy of the Ravenloft 3rd Edition. From the point of view of someone who has played rpg's of all kinds (of course, I like the DARK ones best...) for more than a decade, I can't help but me very, very, impressed by not only the work that went into this tome, but the flow of the book.

Speaking from a storytelling angle, this book lacks vital information on the Dark Lords themselves (promised in another book, due in December) but manages to cram everything (except Psionics, but I personally have no problem w/ that) else into this book. The artwork ranges from elegant gothic stone chapter pages to black and white high-calibre gothic fantasy art. I must admit I was (happily) surprised that the format was nearly identical to World of Darkness/Aberrant/etc. White Wolf fare, complete with index, lexicon up front, quotes (YES!), and my favorite tiny mini-tales of fear and terror that begin each chapter with a misty gothic story.

Overall, I can honestly say that even though I had to wait for this book to come out (and the DM follow-up yet to come, and the Monster Manual a la Ravenloft "Denizens of Dread?" next year) it has been completely worth it.

One thing I must conclude with. Originally placing the Demiplane of Dream amongst the Planes seemed very TSRish, complementing their entire series of settings. Now, it very much seems to me that it is the "Twilight Zone" of fantasy that is always deserved to be. If the products that follow are even a quarter as good, I'll be right there to get them the week they come out.