Everyone has their favorite monster. It's a thing with humans. We are all are attracted to some dark force or evil thing in some way.
A lot of people really dig vampires...
I mean, I get it. The amount of psycho sexual activity going on with that monster is astounding. Power dynamics and sex is a primary attractor.
For me, it was always werewolves. They spoke to me on a very primal and personal level. The lack of control, the violence, and the lost memories all hit very close to home.
It is why I fell in love with the idea of Werewolf the Apocalypse and why Dark of the Moon is so damn frustrating...
Yes, I am back on my bullshit again about Ravenloft. I can't help it at this point. I'm not sorry. I haven't reached rock bottom yet. Maybe when I get to Bleak House...
Anyway. Here we are, so I might as well get on with it...
For those that are unaware, Dark of the Moon is a werewolf adventure for characters level 5-9 set in Ravenloft. It's set in Vorostokov (fake Russia) and revisits a dark lord from the older supplement, 1991's Darlords. The whole thing is effectively a rewrite of that domain.
I have no idea why they felt the need to rewrite old material. The whole point of Ravenloft was they could just spin up new dark domains to make whatever they wanted work.
Work is a strong word here. 1993 sets us right in the middle of the story era of TSR's adventure design. The definition of work really depends on your expectations on what an adventure is supposed to do.
If it is to play out the story of the main character of the adventure, Gregor the domain lord, then it works. If it is to set up some conditions and let everyone at the table create their own fun, then not so much. This adventure is very much Gregor's story and you are along for the ride.
The Good
The set up for this adventure is really interesting. You have some very cool elements that could be used to run a fun adventure. One of the best is that Gregor isn't actually a werewolf, but a Loup du Noir.
Why a Russian named dude is a French named critter is beyond me, but what it means in practice is he isn't a moon connected furry. Instead, he chose this life by using an enchanted wolf pelt to transform into only a wolf whenever he wants. He doesn't have that furry half man form.
A kind of skin changer rather than a werewolf. And that isn't the only thing that is interesting. You have:
- Horrible winter weather conditions that impact the ability to be outside and moving about.
- There are some creepy snow wraiths that lurk in that weather.
- Gregor murdered his mother, who is now a ghost. His sisters are evil witches who want him dead. He has a crew of guys that are like him or just mean murders and the villagers range from fearful, through loyal, to wanting him dead.
If this was a Torchbearer or D&D BECMI adventure that I was running, I would basically stat this all up, write some hooks, and call it a day. Alas this is 90's era Ravenloft and we have more to cover...
The Bad
The entire adventure is scripted from start to finish. There is very little room for any creativity or going off the grid. Each step from encounter to encounter, chapter to chapter, is plotted out for you to follow. It is the very definition of railroading.
There is a nice little map of the entire domain, but I don't know why they even bother. You will never visit any of those places. They are meaningless names that won't even be mentioned. They just feed into the illusion of choice that the adventure almost creates.
Despite all the promise of the set up and the characters and monsters, it is a short story that the players and GM get to watch happen.
The Ugly
So, I love the cover painting by Robh Ruppel, but did anyone tell him that the monsters can't turn into furries? It is a beautiful piece filled with danger and terror and the reason I bought this adventure in the first place.
Werewolf bursting through the window? Sign me the fuck up!
But, there are no werewolves in the adventure. Nifty skin changers, which I am sure that the artist could have done justice to had they been informed. Of course, knowing about TSR's history the art was probably commissioned well before the decisions about the adventure were made.
Dark of the Moon is frustrating because it has all of these great parts. Great monsters. Factions set up against each other, but none of them are a good choice to align with. An environment that is entirely dangerous, forcing difficult decisions on the party. People in need, but also people you can't trust, creating uncertainty.
But then they had to try and make it a story you get to play. Someone else's story too. This of course was the trouble with the entire Ravenloft line. They tried to merge story telling and gaming at every turn.
They liked to cross the streams, which everyone knows you never do, unless you are facing Zuul...
