Dungeons & Dragons Castle Ravenloft Board Game Playthrough | Let's Play Adventure 1: Escape the Tomb 

It's a very specific sort of game, more like a puzzle than a straight up dungeon crawl, really. I love the ticking clock element - the war of attrition as you are constantly worn down by the waves of monsters and encounters. It's not for everyone, as it doesn't give you that traditional sense of exploration, and I can appreciate why some people might not like the constant bombardment of horrors, but that's part of the appeal to me. It's always tense and exciting, and it feels like a very different experience to other dungeon crawlers I play.

Good ideas that are worth a try. It certainly would not hurt for WOTC to release an expansion pack for Ravenloft, or maybe just a new edition.

Every D&D game is technically an expansion for Ravenloft, as all the components are interchangeable. Plus they have just released Ghosts of Saltmarsh which actually is an expansion (it includes new content but requires at least one of the previous boxes to play).

I'm so jealous of your Quest deck. Such a great idea.

Thanks for watching. I was incredibly lucky in this playthrough.

Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked the video.

Glad you liked the video. These are great games. I might do a second playthrough with multiple characters.

I'm glad you found the painting videos useful, and well done on getting it all painted. I have bits and pieces from all of the first three games painted, because I tend to slap the paint on them when I need them in D&D or Rangers of Shadow Deep.

Tell me about it. I didn't get any gaygoyles or blazing skeletons, and I didn't pull a single trap, and those can really batter the wizard. I also didn't get any of the really nasty events, like Strahd turning up and instantly zapping you for three health points. I genuinely never expected to make it out with the wizard.

Thanks for watching, and the kind words.

Did he paint them

Absolutely, it's a very specific sort of design. It's a little more like playing something like Ghost Stories than it is Descent or Shadows Over Hammerhal. You aren't getting that traditional type of exploration and adventure; you're just running through a burning building, screaming. I think they're brilliant, and excellent value for what you get in each box. You're right, Ravenloft was very kind to me here. I was expecting to get absolutely destroyed long before the exit turned up, because the wizard really isn't built for solo operations!

I also love that you can have them set up, play a game, and it's back in the box within an hour or an hour and a half. You don't have to sit there for ten minutes after each roll working out which thing cancels what or spend yonks flicking through the rules. Just a nice, streamlined system and very open to homebrewing as evidenced by some of the ace looking stuff on BGG. It was good to see someone with a good grasp of the flow of play just banging out turn after turn as well!

Yeah, that quick set up time is a real bonus. Open the box, pick an adventure, choose your hero, take the preset loadout if you can't be bothered to choose, and start playing. Just great design that does exactly what they wanted it to do.

Thank you so much. I’m glad you liked the video and I really appreciate the support.

This is one of my favourites. I really enjoy the puzzle element. Thanks for supporting the channel!

Nice. I want to see your painted miniatures

I really enjoy these games, and this was a fun video to make. Thanks for watching.

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

Thanks for watching.

These games are so much fun. I'm sure you and your son will have a blast with them. Thanks for watching.

I had insane luck. The number of times I rolled exactly what I needed (and therefore would have failed without the Holy Avenger item) was unreal. That one item basically saved the playthrough. I was also lucky to miss the really bad event cards and most of the toughest enemies. There are only a couple of true solo missions in book (as in, one player with one hero), but I do play solo with two characters as well. I may do that on camera at some point.

If you decide to buy another copy I got mine at a half price books for $30

Thanks for watching. I'm glad you liked it. I've been painting bits and pieces across three of the D&D games, so I haven't got any one completely finished yet!

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring regardless, I’m ready for the next adventure!

It can be a very challenging game, but it was quite kind to me in this playthrough. Thank you so much for watching the channel. I'm really pleased you are finding some of the content helpful.

This one still hits my table all the time. I love it.

It's definitely very accessible for new and younger gamers, making it a good first step. I also have great fun with it solo and with my regular gaming group.

It's a really good introduction to solo games. It just runs so smoothly.

Thank you so much. I really love the D&D adventure games. They are such an interesting blend of puzzle and dungeon crawler.

I love these D&D games. I use miniatures and tiles in my D&D RPG sessions as well. The boxes are such good value.

I really should do a Stick to the Script video for it, considering how much I like it. I'll pop it on the list, but I have some others to get to first. Thanks.

Thanks so much.

Wrath of Ashardalon added some interesting ideas, but I still prefer Castle Ravenloft. I think it's a bit cleaner in design, and I prefer the theme compared to the more generic cavern full of orcs you get in Wrath (not that a cavern full of orcs is bad, of course).

Thanks. I had a lot of fun doing this one. I have Drizzt and Wrath of Ashardalon too, but this one is my favourite. I may grab the other titles at some point too, but I don't know if that might be too much of a good thing!

There was definitely some luck on my side here. I think it all went surprisingly well! Thanks for watching.

Thank so much for watching, and for the kind words. This is a really great game, and I hope you have a lot of fun with it. Strahd is as mean as you imagine he would be!

Finally got around to it. On my very first playthrough of this same adventure, I managed to get a critically wounded (1 HP left!) level 2 rogue to the secret stairway with no healing surges left, all utility / daily powers face down, and Strahd and his pet spider right on my heels. Talk about a close call! This game is mean and I love it!

Thank you.

There's a lot of stuff I want to cover on the channel. Finding the time for it all is the problem.

It's funny to think of this game as retro, but it's 10 years old now.

They are so much fun.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring meny of game night were saved by this dm-less gaming system.

Thank you for watching.

You have to remember these games are an adventure system. The intention is to mix, match and swap in your favourite stuff. If you jumble everything together from multiple sets, you won't just have items in your treasure deck anymore, you'll have all sorts of cool stuff.

Good point, I didn't think of that, thanks. Do you ever mix the games, and if so, how do you mix them? One big pile of stuff, or just change the monsters (say) from one game to another?

I don't bundle it all together. I like to keep things a bit thematic, so my Ravenloft kobolds might head into the caverns of Wrath of Ashardalon, but on the whole everything stays in its own box. Heroes happily flit between adventures. It's nice to have so many to select from.

All the D&D games are compatible, using the same core system. I have Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, and Legend of Drizzt, and you can swap heroes, monsters, items, and everything else between them. You can even combine them all into a big old mess.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring sounds great. I’ve often been curious to explore the others and Mad Mage is the one that’s caught my eye.

Mad Mage would probably be the next one I would get. Has some really cool enemies and heroes in it. Unfortunately, the newest addition to the lineup, Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an expansion rather than a self-contained experience, so you add it to any other game. I always liked that each game was it's own thing as well as an expansion.

Skin of the teeth is the closest thing I have to a winning strategy. Thanks for watching.

Thank you.

Ha. No barbies for me in the UK. It’s flipping freezing.

They are very accessible games, and I never seem to get tired of them. I think it's partly because they have that really nice rhythm, and it makes it easier to internalise the rules and push the m to one side so you can focus on the choices you're making. The dice and cards were very kind to me in this playthrough. With this scenario you really just need to keep running and if you get a lot of 2HP monsters running around, you can very quickly have an army on your heels. I was very much expecting to need the wand towards the end to force back a massive horde that just never materialised.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring It's a lot better than Munchkin (!?), which my kids seem to want to play a lot more often... but yeah, thanks for making the vid it was a great watch.

There are some cool miniatures in the game. Lots of variety too.

It's a good kind of stress. The solo missions are fun, and they're a good way to show how the game works, but things really get crazy with more players. I think three or four players is really good. Five is a bit much.

Thank you. All the music on the channel is made by my friend James Lloyd. You can find a link for some of his work in the video description.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring awesome thank you! And thank you for the awesome playthroughs 😁 really like the way you did castle raveloft 🧛‍♂️

The only problem with the Crimson Court is they would be massive compared to the D&D figures. They would certainly look imposing in the dungeon.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Good point!

Thanks. I have Drizzt, Ashardalon and Ravenloft. All the monsters and heroes are cross compatible. So you can pick any hero from any set to play with, pick any mission you like, and then use whichever monsters you want (although of course you would still need to include any quest-specific bosses). You can even lump all the monsters together into a single monster deck if you really want to.

Ha. Termies would make short work of these monsters. Now Gamma World is an expensive game to pick up now!

I know of Bag of Dungeon but I've never had a chance to play it. Castle Ravenloft is a blast and a great starting point for getting into the world of D&D. I hope you enjoy it.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring You should defiantly pick it up. I also grabbed the Legends expansion which adds 4 new characters, new items for characters and agenda cards. It is chronically addicting.

Thanks for the kind words. I have the first three games in the series - Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, and Legend of Drizzt. They are all good, but Ravenloft is my favourite. On the one hand I feel that having the three means I have enough of this particular game system, but there is a part of me that wants all the rest for the extra monsters and heroes. They are reasonably priced, and I use all the miniatures in D&D and Rangers of Shadow Deep as well, so they are well worth it.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Not a problem at all, i always like to create a comment if i find something super useful on youtube :) Well i only went and found one on ebay last night ad bought Ravenloft lol My normal places i go to were sold out. So i shall look forward to playing it with a few friends. Though it would be nice to find a gaming club near me too! Yes i am a fan of the miniatures and i'm excited to get them painted! Thanks again for your video :):)

@@SwordsandBrushes That's great. I hope you have as much fun with the game as I do.

Thanks so much.

I still play the games all the time, but my miniatures also see regular use in Dungeons and Dragons and Rangers of Shadow Deep.

Black spaces are walls. The skull icons are only used in specific circumstances. Coffins and tables are just set dressing and don't impede movement in any way. Hope that clears it all up.

Thanks for watching. These games really are good fun.

Also watching the Moomins. The whole show is creepy, haven’t even seen the lady yet

Don't have nightmares. (And make sure you're watching the stuff from the 1970s, not the 1990s cartoon.)

That's not a rule in Ravenloft. Blessings and fortunes are played immediately, so you don't keep them. Only items are kept, and there is no limit on your items. However, if you have multiple items that increase your attack or defence you can only apply one of those bonuses to each dice roll.

Yes and no. Several D&D products used the same sculpts, so several sculpts that appeared in the D&D Heroscape set also appear in this game and in the prepainted D&D miniatures line.

It's a board game.

Well that’s the first time I’ve been told that!

I keep my bases for D&D miniatures simple and neutral so they don't look out of place in any scenario. It's just Astrogranite then a drybrush with black on the rims.

Cool. I have the Ashardalon box but your video convinced me to get Castle Ravenloft too. Next painting project for 2023 after Darkest Dungeon.

@@vikinggamerdad742 I have Ashardalon, Ravenloft and Drizzt. I think Ravenloft is the best of them.

If something says ""use INSTEAD OF attacking..." you wouldn't be able to attack if you used it. It's replacing the attack action for that turn.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring also if an encounter card summons more monsters do they activate on the villain phase, and on campaigns do I keep my item cards or do I start over and turn them in the deck ? & lastly when I move on a corner that has an unexplored edge on 2 sides do I draw 2 tiles or just the direction I wanted to go ?

The game is very sequential. If you follow through the steps of the turn sequence you won't really go wrong. Card draw happens before enemy activation, so if you spawn more enemies from a card pull they will activate that turn. There are no campaigns in Ravenloft, each adventure is self contained. There are two campaigns in Wrath of Ashardalon that link several adventures together. As it says on those campaigns , while you are on a campaign, "heroes keep everything they found in their previous adventure. They can use any gold they found to buy equipment." When you explore, you choose one direction to explore in, so would reveal one tile.

25mm

I don't know about making your own. Each hero comprises a variety of skill cards that would take considerable effort to devise. However, all the heroes in each game in the series are fully compatible with each other. I have Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, and Legend of Drizzt which gives me a sizeable cast of characters to select from when I play any of the games.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks 👍def gonna look into the other boxs

Every time a new tile is revealed it will spawn one new monster.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring 4 heroes would easily kill one monster?

@@carlwoods4564 No. Every hero has to go through the same turn sequence. If they stop to fight the monster the previous hero spawned they may not reveal a new room in which case they suffer a negative event. If they fail to kill the first monster and reveal a room there are now two monsters in play (and identical monsters all activate at the same time, not just on the turn of the hero who activated). Many monsters cannot be killed in a single turn because of how many wounds they have compared to the damage output of the heroes. There are two player playthroughs on the channel that show how it works, but with more heroes it gets very hectic.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Ah i see. Thanks.

Do remember this is the introductory solo mission, designed for one hero who just has to run like fun. There are many scenarios in the box, and while the core gameplay is always the same, you do have different objectives to complete, and a huge range of powerful villains to beat. The game excels for numerous reasons. Here are just a few reasons why I like it so much: It's part of a system. Every box you buy is a standalone game, but you can also mix them together, bringing new heroes, monsters and treasures into your games. It's incredibly accessible. You can explain the core rules in minutes and once round the table everyone pretty much knows what to expect. And the streamlined design means you are always focusing on the gameplay, not the rules. It's full co-op / solo, so everybody gets to be a hero. Furthermore, the AI system is so slick and easy to use. It keeps the whole game flowing really quickly. It sets up in minutes, and usually plays in under an hour. It has a very different feel to any other dungeon crawler I've played. It feels more like playing Ghost Stories, as it really is very puzzle like, and a little removed from the traditional exploration and leveling up concepts. That helps it to stand out. Each box is amazing value. You get loads of heroes, monsters and villains, for less than half what you would pay for Blackstone Fortress. You also always get a bunch of mid-sized monsters and one huge one. They are excellent tool kits for D&D DMs, as all the heroes and monsters can port directly into your roleplaying adventures. Oh, I suppose I should also mention this game is 10 years old now. When it came out there just wasn't the glut of dungeon crawlers there is now.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Oh wow, thanks for the detailed breakdown! I almost exclusively look for solo board games, and if I find someone who has the time/desire to play, all the better. So my main criteria is if I will want to play it over and over again by myself - so far, Gloomhaven and Mage Knight are leading by miles :) I think that I prefer complicated systems over simple ones, as I found myself growing tired of BSF, Cthulhu Death May Die and Zombicide Invader, but absolutely could/can not stop obsessing over Gloomhaven and MK. That being said, it's probably more because of the difficult puzzle element, rather than the complexity of the rules, so maybe these D&D games are actually a good fit for me. I will do some more research!

No worries. These games definitely aren't for everyone; they are on the simpler side of the scale, and they lack some of the exploration and leveling aspects that people normally expect from the genre, but I think what they are doing they do very well indeed. I watched some playthroughs of Death May Die and thought it looked awful. I still want to try Gloomhaven at some point, so still intend to get Jaws of the Lion eventually, but from everything I know I just don't think I'm going to enjoy it all that much. We will have to see!

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Ah, so maybe it's a different tastes situation ;) Death May Die is a lot more fun than it looks, but I exclusively play it cooperatively now. The chaos is mainly enjoyable with others, but not so much alone. As for GloomHaven, I've only played Jaws of the Lion and it was my favourite game until Mage knight came along. I would highly recommend it and it's cheap enough to take the gamble :)

@@DestroyerHivePro While I tend to gravitate towards games where the rules don't get in the way of the strategy and fun, I'm a bit of an omnivore, so I don't really have a particular taste. Mage Knight is one of my favourite games, but so is Horrified. I love Blackstone Fortress, but also rank Castle Ravenloft as one of my favourites. I think DungeonQuest is superb, but also love Tash-Kalar. So, it's not always that easy for me to pin down if I'm going to like something. Also, sometimes I can be pretty sure I will enjoy something, and then I don't (Hellboy is a recent example). For Death May Die I didn't see any mechanisms, and I really dislike the approach to the theme. Of course, I also have to balance what I want to do personally with what I think would be good for the channel, and every gamble, even at a relatively low price point is money that could be funneled into a project I am more certain about.

Lol us solo guys like to pretend 😂

It's definitely a design that won't be for everyone. I love the gauntlet the game presents, and the way the system applies pressure through that constant dwindling of hit points.

No, I didn't. It's not an easy one to do a solo playthrough for as the dungeon master is such a competitive element of the game. That's not to say I won't, one day.

I think you would struggle. Each tile is 4x4 of one-inch squares, and the map expands depending on the direction you move, so you could very quickly hit a table edge, and that's even before you allocate space for your character cards and items. If you could put all your characters on a side table, and you were prepared to keep sliding the map around when you hit table edges you could probably do it. I personally do my gaming on either a 4x4 or 6x4 gaming surface.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Aww drats , i dont have much space, can recommend similar boardgame with minis? I like the solo dungeon crawl experience.

@@jarethduke9291 It's hard when space is limited, because many dungeon crawlers tend to sprawl out on the table. HeroQuest stays pretty compact, but if you want to play solo you have to use an app. Later this year Warhammer Quest Lost Relics is coming out, and that's supposed to be a compact crawler with a small footprint and a half-hour play time, but it isn't going to be available in all territories. Something like Bag of Dungeon or One Deck Dungeon would be ideal when you are short on space, but they don't have miniatures. Maybe AltarQuest? I'm not really sure how much space that takes up.

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thanks ill check them out

hmm i tried putting my small table besides my pc desk, the total space now is 48 inches x 23 inches, is that ok for the dungeon tiles? i do have some space on the right side for items and cards. my main concern is the tiles.

You draw an encounter if you flipped a new tile with a black arrow, or you didn't explore a tile edge during your hero phase. This scenario has a special rule where if you flip a tile with a white arrow, you advance the sun tracker instead, so it's a bit like still having an encounter, but it's one particular to this scenario. Thanks for watching.

My playthroughs aren’t staged. The cards and dice fall as they may. I have recorded playthroughs where nothing happens and playthroughs where I get killed in just a few minutes. But regardless of whether you believe that or not I hope you enjoyed the video.