Siege of Barovia – A Ravenloft Mini Game

In this game, players direct heroes into the village of Barovia in an attempt to free its citizens from the terrible grip of a plague of undeath. Along the way, they will build up town defenses, train militia, and rescue new heroes to swell their ranks. Things won’t be so easy, however, as ghoul raiders, a zombie horde, and the dreaded Count Strahd descends onto the town to wreak havoc and destroy all life.

This game is based upon the Dungeons & Dragons adventures I6: Ravenloft and Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, and takes all images from from www.wizards.com/dnd

Backstory

The medieval village of Barovia lies nestled in a valley underneath the fearsome shadow of Castle Ravenloft, the home of the devious vampire lord, Count Strahd. Being so close to such great evil, the village has a long and tortured history. The village high priest, Father Danovich, has succumbed to the evil and snapped, creating a plague of undeath with a focal point at Barovia’s church. The players represent wandering adventurers who come into town and free the people from this horrible curse.

Goals

There are two competing forces in this game – the heroes and the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master directs Count Strahd and the undead plague, while up to six other players each direct their own hero. The heroes win the game if they can make their way to the Church and destroy the undead plague. The Dungeon Master wins if he can destroy all three safe houses (Blood on the Vine Tavern, Bildrath’s Mercantile, Kolyana Estate) in the village.

Setup

At the start of the game, have every player (besides the one running Count Strahd) choose a token to represent their hero and place all hero tokens on the indicated space, at the entrance to town. Place one ghoul token at the graveyard (space E8) and one zombie token at the church (space E7). Place barricades as shown on the map.

Hero Turn

Each hero takes a turn sequentially around the table. At the end of each hero’s turn, the Dungeon Master then takes a turn. On a hero’s turn, he or she may move their hero 1 space and perform an action, as listed below. Multiple creatures may be in the same space with no penalty. Heroes and enemies may only move up down, left, or right; never diagonally. Heroes and monsters may move through any space, including houses, that is not protected by a barricade.

Hero Actions

Hustle – The hero moves one additional space.

Attack – A hero in a space with a zombie, a ghoul, or Count Strahd can attack one enemy in that space. The player declares which of the enemies he or she is attacking and rolls a six-sided die.
If the hero is attacking a zombie, a total die roll of 3 or higher hits and kills the zombie.
If the hero is attacking a ghoul, a total die roll of 4 or higher hits and kills the ghoul.
If the hero is attacking Count Strahd, a total die roll of 6 or higher hits and Count Strahd and deals 1 hit point of damage. Count Strahd starts the game with 3 hit points. If Count Strahd is reduced to 0 hit points, he flees back to his castle.

Fortify – A hero either builds a barricade across one line in the space that the hero is in, destroys a barricade across one line in the space that hero is in, or moves any number of barricades to lines in the space that hero is in. No hero or creature, except Count Strahd, can move through a barricade. A hero can build any number of barricades over the course of the game.

Upgrade Weapons – A hero in Bildrath’s Mercantile (space E4) with no enemies in the space may upgrade their weapons, gaining a +1 bonus to their Attack die rolls. This action cannot be used if Bildrath’s Mercantile has been destroyed. A hero can only upgrade his or her weapons once.

Rest – A hero in the Blood on the Vine Tavern may rest to regain all of their hit points. A hero may not use this action if the Blood on the Vine Tavern has been destroyed.

Recruit Militia – A player with no hero or peasant militia may spend their turn to create a peasant militia for themselves. A peasant militia functions exactly as a hero, but only has 1 hit point and cannot use Upgrade Weapons. The peasant militia begins the game at any of the three safe houses (Blood on the Vine Tavern, Bildrath’s Mercantile, Kolyana Estate) in the village. A player may only control a single hero or peasant militia at a time.

Recruit Hero – A hero in either the town square (space E3) or the Kolyana Estate (space E11) may recruit one of the local heroes of Barovia – Ashlyn or Ireena Kolyana. Doing so creates a new hero for a player, however a player may only control a single hero or peasant militia at a time. Ashlyn and Ireena Kolyana may only be recruited once per game each. Ireena Kolyana cannot be recruited  if the Kolyana Estate has been destroyed.

Stop the Zombie Plague – A hero in the Church (space E7) with no enemies in the space sanctifies the church and stops the undead plague, winning the game.

Dungeon Master Turn

After each hero turn, the Dungeon Master takes a turn. On the Dungeon Master’s turn, he or she may move one zombie, or one ghoul, or Count Strahd one space and then perform an action, as listed below. Zombies and ghouls cannot cross a barricade, and multiple creatures may be in the same space with no penalty. Heroes and enemies may only move up down, left, or right; never diagonally. Heroes and monsters may move through any space, including houses, that is not protected by a barricade.

Dungeon Master Actions

Attack - A zombie, ghoul, or Count Strahd in a space with a hero can attack one hero in that space. The Dungeon Master declares which of the heroes he or she is attacking and rolls a six-sided die.
If a zombie is attacking a hero, a die roll of 6 hits and deals 1 hit point of damage.
If a ghoul is attacking a hero, a die roll of 5 or 6 hits and deals 1 hit point of damage.
If Count Strahd is attacking a hero, a die roll of 4, 5 or 6 hits and deals 1 hit point of damage.
Heroes start the game with 3 hit points. If a hero is reduced to 0 hit points, it is slain and a new zombie is immediately placed in their space.

Summon Monster – The Dungeon Master rolls a six sided die and consults the following chart:

Roll         Result                                                                  
1-2          Nothing happens.
3-4          Create a new zombie at the church (space E7).
5              Create a new ghoul at the graveyard (space E11).
6              If Count Strahd is currently on the board, nothing happens. If Count Strahd is not on the board, place Count Strahd on any space at the edge of the board. Any previous damage Count Strahd has taken is removed.

Destroy Site – If a zombie, ghoul, or Count Strahd is on one of the three safe houses (Blood on the Vine Tavern, Bildrath’s Mercantile, Kolyana Estate) in the village, it may destroy that location. Heroes cannot use the action associated with that location for the rest of the game. If all three safe houses are destroyed, the Dungeon Master wins the game.