1994

Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession
Published: 1994
Publisher 1993

Just as SSI turned to Dark Sun in 1993 to revive its aging role-playing lineup, so it turned to the new world of Ravenloft for a lift in creativity and sales. The Ravenloft setting is TSR's gothic horror setting. It takes place in a world called the Demiplane of Dread, where the world itself is malevolent and always seeking to corrupt its inhabitants. Players aren't born in Ravenloft; the plane actually picks its victims from other dimensions and then whisks them away to Ravenloft, where they are subjected to physical and psychological horrors. The worse part is, there is no known way of leaving the plane, and it will eventually corrupt you with its evil.

What made Ravenloft a success for TSR was its premise and its main villain, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich. He was your main enemy in the game Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession. Compared with its recent fare of 1993 and 1994, Ravenloft was a good game. It had a good story and offered a new 3D, first-person perspective.

In Strahd's Possession, you started with only two characters and had to find the other two to complete your party. You fought lots of undead on your way to confronting Strahd for his evil, taking time out to solve the occasional side quest. The gameplay was mostly straightforward combat, but the game was well received by press and fans. Best of all, unlike previous SSI games, it was not bug-ridden. Unfortunately, it couldn't do justice to the atmosphere of Ravenloft, especially given the technology of the time, but as CRPGs went, it was a good game.

Read CGW's review of Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession (80k graphic).

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