Darklords
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Genre | Role-playing games |
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Publisher | TSR |
Publication date
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1991 |
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Darklords is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , published in 1991.
Contents
The supplement focuses on "sixteen different Darklords spread out over thirteen chapters". [1] The Darklords are:
- Ankhtepot , a mummy [1]
- Tristessa, a drow banshee [1]
- Bluebeard [1]
- Ebonbane, a living evil sword [1]
- The Three Hags [1]
- The Headless Horseman [1]
- The House of Lament, an evil living house [1]
- Von Kharkov, a panther who was polymorphed into a person and subsequently turned into a vampire [1]
- Merilee, a child vampire [1]
- Captain Alan Monette, a werebat pirate [1]
- The Phantom Lover, an incubus [1]
- Marquis Stezen d’Polarno, who drains the souls of victims [1]
- Tiyet, a mummy who doesn't appear as undead [1]
- Zolnik, a Loup de Noir werewolf [1]
According to Gene Alloway, the character and background of each Darklord is well-developed, with "appearance, background, current sketch, the domain of the particular Darklord, and a section on confronting the entity" as well as other details included. [2]
Publication history
RR1: Darklords is a 96-page Ravenloft accessory book published in 1991 for $10.95. [1] [3] It was written by Andria Hayday "with some additional design by William W. Connors , Bruce Nesmith , and James Lowder ". [3] The cover art featuring a "dagger-wielding lich " is by Tim Hildebrandt , while the interior artwork is by Stephen Fabian . [2] David C. Sutherland III created the maps with 3D infrastructure views. [2] In 2013, it was rereleased as a PDF on the DNDClassics website for $9.99. [1] [4]
Reception
Gene Alloway reviewed Darklords in the May/June 1992 issue of White Wolf Magazine . He rated the sourcebook a 4 out of 5 overall, stating it as a "must for a Ravenloft campaign". [2] Alloway also stated that "It is a well-made and designed product, and one that has usefulness outside of Ravenloft and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons itself." [2]
The supplement was also reviewed in Windgeflüster #20 (November 1992). [4]
Alex Lucard, for DieHard GameFan , reviewed the PDF edition in 2013. On the various Darklords, Lucard stated, "I’m not happy with four of the sixteen, but that means there’s a 75% quality ratio here and that’s pretty darn good. As well, Darklords is a must own for anyone even casually interested in Ravenloft to see just how much depth and detail was put into even a C-level minor lord of the Dark Domain". [1] On the digital edition, he wrote, "this PDF rerelease is a bit pricey consider the physical copy was only a dollar more back in 1991, but D&D PDFs do tend to be a bit overpriced compared to their contemporaries. If you don’t already own a copy of Darklords , I would still strongly recommend the PDF version at this price as it’s very well done, but you might want to check Ebay for a physical copy first as you can undoubtedly get it cheaper". [1]
Kevin Kulp, game designer, highlighted that "a notable aspect of this book is that most of the darklords aren't particularly powerful, even by 2nd edition AD&D standards. [...] That makes this book useful as a low-level supplement, and significantly expands its utility. It's also a nice reminder that just because someone is evil and despicable, they aren't necessarily particularly tough or good at combat. They may have other abilities, assets, or assistance". [3]
References
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"Tabletop Review: Ravenloft: Darklords (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition)"
.
Diehard GameFAN
. November 15, 2013
. Retrieved
2021-02-24
.
{{ cite web }}
: CS1 maint: url-status ( link ) - 1 2 3 4 5 Alloway, Gene (May–June 1992). "Capsule Reviews: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; Darklords Sourcebook". White Wolf Magazine . p. 67.
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Kulp, Kevin.
"RR1 Darklords (2e) - Wizards of the Coast | Product History"
.
DriveThruRPG.com
. Retrieved
2021-02-25
.
{{ cite web }}
: CS1 maint: url-status ( link ) - 1 2 "RR1: Darklords" . BoardGameGeek . Retrieved 2021-02-25 .