Ravenloft. The very name sends chills through veteran gamers. It is the perfect blending of gothic horror and fantasy adventure, and a setting I’ve loved for many years. With the Laughing Moon Con being held so close to Halloween this year, I wanted to run a game that would play into the season. Immediately the classic Ravenloft adventure sprang to mind, and knowing that the majority of our gamers have never played or even heard of this classic story, I felt that this would be the absolute perfect time. However, the more I thought about running this, the more I wanted to make this an unforgettable experience.
Over the last few weeks, I have been adapting the original Ravenloft adventure into the Laughing Moon setting. The first, most necessary change, would be cosmetic: altering the creatures and stats to fit the system. But as I flipped through the pages of the module, I began to see certain potential tie-in that might make this far more than a one-shot adventure. The tragic backstory of the Ravenloft characters holds certain elements that could blend with our running campaign. At first this felt a little sacrilegious, but the more I hammered out, the more I realized what was happening. When we roll this thing out at Laughing Moon Con on October 20th, veteran players and new players alike will be able to have a combined Laughing Moon & Ravenloft experience unlike any adventure they’ve ever had before. Ties to Fey Ways, the legacy of the Raven Duchess, and clues to a mysterious region called the Dim will all be explored while in the shadow of this fantastic classic adventure.
To enhance the adventure a little more, we’ve got actors in place to actually dress as gypsies and play out the specific parts that reveal the villain’s tragic back story as well as the adventure objectives. Four individual tables will run the adventure—all in the same place at the same time, allowing for the possibility of shared clues, information, and of course much-needed aid when it all starts to hit the fan. As the players dwindle (and the blood begins to run), it is entirely possible that survivors from one table may find themselves fleeing to another. But of course players will have to choose whether or not they take on the extra baggage, and if everyone at the table can be trusted.
Stage props, a fog machine, and plenty of Halloween decorations will help round out the ambiance of the game, but all of this is really just the icing on the cake. Ravenloft, when run well, is a memorable adventure in and of itself.
Laughing Moon Con will have plenty of fun things to offer all of our attendees from a stunt show with the General Lee, movie previews with “the movie guys,” artists and vendors, and more. But for our Laughing Moon gamers...let’s just say we’ll have something to sink our teeth into.
Vist the Facebook event page to get more information on Laughing Moon Con, held on Oct. 20th in Goodyear, AZ.
-T
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