Game 07

Basic Game Adventure
Assault on Raven's Ruin

(1992)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Realm Review:

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, but watch where you step...

Realm Rating: 4.5/5

 

...Download Game07 at the Magic Mirror...

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

 

Other Collected reviews on Game 07:

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

Follow Mr. Flopsy Ears back to The Westlands page.

All of the preceding modules and game worlds are trademarked property of TSR Inc, which is now the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. I take no credit for the stories or ideas presented here, I merely converted them to a playable format for SSI's Unlimited Adventures game.