07
Basic Game Adventure
Assault on Raven's Ruin
(1992)
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by Tim Beach |
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Editing: |
Waldo, Ink. |
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Product Manager: |
Bruce A. Heard |
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Cover Art: |
Rakeland |
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Poster Map Art: |
Deno Design |
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Stand-Up Character Art: |
Robin Raab |
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Interior Art: |
Terri Dykstra |
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Typography: |
Angelika Lokotz |
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Production: |
Erin Wilk |
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Useful Feedback: |
Colin McComb and Dori Watry |
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Monster Design: |
Teeuwynn Woodruff |
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Short and succinct, this module's true strength
lies in the aftermath of the events it unfolds. Will the Master Thief Raven emerge
once more into the lands around his home, or will his unexplained disappearance
continue interminably? And, if the deadly rogue awakes, what are the
implications for your fledgling band of PCs? Return the scepter of truth
to the village of Kleine
Realm Rating: 4.5/5
Dawn and
Foy, Around the Realm:
Game07 by
Ray Dyer
B10,
Assault on Raven's Ruin
Another
short game for low level characters.
In this game
the party comes along a town in dire need of rescue. They are being plagued by
goblins operating out of an old ruined thief's stronghold. The town council
hires you to retrieve their goods and end the menace.
This game
was an enjoyable dungeon crawl. Lots of treasure, a couple of potions and
scrolls to replace the ones we used up in Game05, and even a magic weapon and
armor. By the time I got finished most of my characters had made it to 4th
level. The frame & font set were much better than both of the previous
games (6-Journey to the Rock, and 5-The Veiled Society) although still a little
hard to read occasionally.
Things I
liked:
* Some of
the treasures were handled as Inventory items which you could then sell for BIG
bucks up in the big city. He did this so he could take them away later if the
plot called for it. I liked it because they didn't have any encumbrance!
* The way
the traps were handled. You could use the Find Traps spell or the Raven's
Journal, or trust to your thief. Very good.
* The Raven's
Bedroom, I'll leave it at that so as not to spoil the game.
Things I
disliked:
* Too many
descriptions weren't programmed as "Once Only", some of them got VERY
old.
* How was
I supposed to know that I should return to the big city to sell all that stuff?
The only reason I found out was because I wanted to train my magic users who
couldn't be trained in the town.
* The
woods between the town and dungeon was very confusing and hard to navigate.
* A bug at
the very end could put the party into a woods box with no way out.
Overall, a
good addition to the series. We decided to continue with Game08 - B11-12,
Harvest of Chaos.
Foy
:
game07.zip
Assault on Raven's Ruin Ray & Maureen Dyer
This
was a great little adventure. The combats are none too deadly and it is fairly
quick to finish. Ray & Maureen have a way of bringing little towns to life
and making the adventure 3-d. I especially liked the flavor you gave to Raven
himself. Again, the emphasis is on the "find traps" spell. A town's
holy artifact has been stolen and you are to track down the thief(thieves) and
reclaim it for the town as well as any of the valuables taken from the other
villagers.
Plot Matter: 9 Artwork: 9 Hacks: 9 Text: 9
Events: 9
Originality: 9 Errors: 9 Difficulty: 5
Total
Rating: 90% Mycroft Rating: 9
Susan
Game07 - Assault on Raven's
Ruin (rating: 5)
Very short and simple
adventure. The party acts as hired mercenaries and retrieve some stolen goodies.
I guess the best term to describe this game is 'inoffensive'. This is not to
say it was a bad game, it's just that I cannot seem to find anything else to
say. Technical side, it was almost 'perfect', I saw no bugs of any kind, not
even spelling errors.
Harri Polsa
I've played through design
"Assault on Ravens Ruin" which was real great too. Not as much
supernatural as in "the Rock" but a nice little module. I've
specially liked some of the traps in Ravens Ruin, like that with a lady on the
bed and the one with chest in "Don't Enter Room". I've fell for both
of them, but I've surly liked the humor of them! ;) Also, liked the use of
Ravens Journal. A Little question I'll like too ask would be what would
happened if my party didn't woke up Raven in his bedroom. How much different
ending would be? I could play it over again just, but I think you know it! ;)
Assault on Raven's Ruin
(game07.zip) by Ray Dyer
Rating -- 7.5
(This is my first
review, so please bear with me.)
Another in the
continuing series of adaptations of classic pen-and-paper D&D modules,
"Assault on Raven's Ruin" is one of the most enjoyable designs in the
"Realm." It's pretty short and can be played in a few hours, but is a
fun and solid dungeon crawl. Humanoid thieves have stolen the "Scepter of
Truth" from a small town and the people ask the party to retrieve the item
from the ruin's of Raven's Keep, former home of the master thief Raven. Sure,
it's not the most original plot ever, but since these designs are all adaptations,
that's not the designer's fault.
Beyond the plot, the gameplay
is fun and will provide a few hours of mayhem and excitement. The dungeon is
riddled with traps and treasure. It seems well-balanced, providing a challenge
for low-level parties. I only found one major bug (involving a guided tour
event) and the rest seemed well-programmed. There is lots of good artwork,
especially wallsets and backrdrops, that give a nice atmosphere to the dungeon,
combining a crumbling atmosphere with a somewhat lived-in feeling in parts.
In all, "Assault on
Raven's Ruin" should provide a few solid hours of gameplay for low-level
parties, and should serve as a good introduction to the Realm for anyone who
has not yet downloaded any of Ray's wonderful designs.
--Chris Markwyn
