Join the Questing Knights on Patreon: bit.ly/QBPatreon Download my RPGs and adventures: bit.ly/ItchStore My favorite OSR books: bit.ly/TopOSRBooks My favorite RPG-related products: amzn.to/30kfamM
1:13 seeing the layout, I *immediately* recognized the exact layout of Hatfield House, the grand manor where Elizabeth I grew up as a young princess. There's a couple of tweaks here and there, but it's pretty much the exact same layout and room proportions.
I'm not a big fan of the invisible wall either, it's cheesy. I would solve the problem this way: Each time the players reenter and travel the forrest surrounding the chateau, they eventually return back to it, no matter what. This is more in line with the overall theme of the scenario.
Sticking 100 locks on the inside of the front gate, and having them lock or unlock as points are lost or earned could be a way of reinforcing the PC's main objective; especially if the locks can be heard anywhere in the Château.
Your reviews are clearing out my wallet! Bought LotFP, MotbM, ARaPL, DFD, Vornheim..and a couple more, waiting on the mail now. Thanks for the info! Currently running 5e, and beginning DCC/MCC, next is LotFP obviously. Would love to see you review the new Mutant Crawl Classics and get your ideas as well as Carcosa.
This definitely reminds me of the Domains of Dread from Ravenloft (this possibly drew inspiration from that setting) so instead of an invisible barrier, you could just pull a page straight out of Ravenloft and use the mists to lock players in.
I have a copy of the original Rogue Games printing so I never picked up this version, but after seeing this review I really need to. I knew the LotFP version would be higher quality, but I didn't realize just how much extra content got packed in as well.
Looks like a better written Death House, and emulates the main concepts in that. Haunted house. You're trapped. It's undead. You have to lose to win (sacrifice a fellow versus get levels drained or have a fellow die). This , however, looks far more elaborate and could be run multiple times with different results. Death House was just a railroad grinder.
In play, our group found this to be rather flawed. The barrier wasn't so bad, but I'm really not sure as to how players would actually go about discovering that they're essentially supposed to suffer an arbitrary amount of misfortune, after which things wind down (at least as far as the random stuff is concerned). The whole mechanic is essentially out of the PCs hands for the most part, there's no real agency to it and no active effort on their part. So in practice, the play experience was "putz around this place and get screwed over for whatever length of time, after which a random voice shouts out and then I guess that's that over with." The actual content is not bad, and our group did enjoy it, but I guess the "big thing" this is built around felt more like a stupid digression than a large, central element. It's just random bad stuff for a given time, and then it just ends. This is what I mean by "No real agency"; it just runs by itself in the background. Our group was nowhere near done with the place itself, and the players did not even seem to really connect any of what had happened with a sudden voice shouting out, or why the barrier had gone away. For the most part they seemed to chalk this up to the randomness as well.
Never tried to do this, so I couldn't really say. Probably have a large portfolio with high quality fantasy art and post it on forums where RPG makers hang out?
James Raggi sent me this copy to review. Links to where it's available for purchase are in the description, or you can usually find them at your local game store.
Good stuff! Probably going to have to pick that up, I love a good horror adventure. I feel bad that I've moved this video from 69 to 70 likes. Looking forward to next week's reviews already.
Join the Questing Knights on Patreon: bit.ly/QBPatreon
Download my RPGs and adventures: bit.ly/ItchStore
My favorite OSR books: bit.ly/TopOSRBooks
My favorite RPG-related products: amzn.to/30kfamM
1:13 seeing the layout, I *immediately* recognized the exact layout of Hatfield House, the grand manor where Elizabeth I grew up as a young princess. There's a couple of tweaks here and there, but it's pretty much the exact same layout and room proportions.
I'm not a big fan of the invisible wall either, it's cheesy. I would solve the problem this way: Each time the players reenter and travel the forrest surrounding the chateau, they eventually return back to it, no matter what. This is more in line with the overall theme of the scenario.
except now we're working on manned flight instead of the dungeon
The good ol' Barovia trick.
That's a great idea. Much better and adds to the mystery. Good show old boy 👍
Greatest module ever had mist....
3rd greatest module ever had mist...
Use mist
Sticking 100 locks on the inside of the front gate, and having them lock or unlock as points are lost or earned could be a way of reinforcing the PC's main objective; especially if the locks can be heard anywhere in the Château.
The 'fun' mechanic looks absolutely genius/hilarious. It's a much cooler way of 'solving' a dungeon than just having to kill the baddies.
Reminds me of Castle Amber for Old School D&D.
Your reviews are clearing out my wallet! Bought LotFP, MotbM, ARaPL, DFD, Vornheim..and a couple more, waiting on the mail now. Thanks for the info! Currently running 5e, and beginning DCC/MCC, next is LotFP obviously. Would love to see you review the new Mutant Crawl Classics and get your ideas as well as Carcosa.
This definitely reminds me of the Domains of Dread from Ravenloft (this possibly drew inspiration from that setting) so instead of an invisible barrier, you could just pull a page straight out of Ravenloft and use the mists to lock players in.
I have a copy of the original Rogue Games printing so I never picked up this version, but after seeing this review I really need to. I knew the LotFP version would be higher quality, but I didn't realize just how much extra content got packed in as well.
Because of the nature of the scenario, I would strongly suggest using this as a convention scenario with pre generated characters only.
I think it would be too long for a typical convention game though.
I really like the bronze aesthetic of the book. it looks really cool
Just got my copy. Very Ravenloft in tone and setting. Love me the OSR!
Excellent review. Not only do I now want this adventure, but you have a new subscriber.
Amazing!
Just so much good stuff out of the OCR and other RPGs.
Looks like a better written Death House, and emulates the main concepts in that. Haunted house. You're trapped. It's undead. You have to lose to win (sacrifice a fellow versus get levels drained or have a fellow die).
This , however, looks far more elaborate and could be run multiple times with different results. Death House was just a railroad grinder.
The solution to the trapped situation is a storm gathers and the wild hunt is seen and you must not go outside or the hunt will take you!
In play, our group found this to be rather flawed. The barrier wasn't so bad, but I'm really not sure as to how players would actually go about discovering that they're essentially supposed to suffer an arbitrary amount of misfortune, after which things wind down (at least as far as the random stuff is concerned). The whole mechanic is essentially out of the PCs hands for the most part, there's no real agency to it and no active effort on their part. So in practice, the play experience was "putz around this place and get screwed over for whatever length of time, after which a random voice shouts out and then I guess that's that over with."
The actual content is not bad, and our group did enjoy it, but I guess the "big thing" this is built around felt more like a stupid digression than a large, central element. It's just random bad stuff for a given time, and then it just ends. This is what I mean by "No real agency"; it just runs by itself in the background. Our group was nowhere near done with the place itself, and the players did not even seem to really connect any of what had happened with a sudden voice shouting out, or why the barrier had gone away. For the most part they seemed to chalk this up to the randomness as well.
Feels like it has some of X2: Castle Amber in it. Which is not a bad thing.
Is question beast on a review of Lamentations of The flame Princess?
Hey Questing Beast, nice review as always! Could you by chance make a video about how to get involved as an artist in the RPG industry?
Never tried to do this, so I couldn't really say. Probably have a large portfolio with high quality fantasy art and post it on forums where RPG makers hang out?
Really? I was under the impression you had done several maps.
Oh, I see what you mean. I just posted a map I drew on reddit and people started asking me to do commissioned work.
Quick question: Where do you get your LotFP books? Do you order them or do you go brick and mortar? If you order them then where do you order them?
James Raggi sent me this copy to review. Links to where it's available for purchase are in the description, or you can usually find them at your local game store.
Not my local gaming store but thanks.
Amazon is a good place for everything indie
DriveThruRPG and Lulu are usually pretty good. I think they do print-on-demand services too
I like Print on Demand. I'll check it out.
The Amazon says it is paperback but LotFP is Hardcover for same price. I am confused!
How does it compare to Castle D Amberville? Which would you prefer?
This book is amazing...
cool i was wibdering what this one was about
Maliszewski is a polish name. Should be more "malishevski"
Good stuff! Probably going to have to pick that up, I love a good horror adventure. I feel bad that I've moved this video from 69 to 70 likes. Looking forward to next week's reviews already.