Raven RPG

$54.95
by Level One Game Shop

Raven – A Gothic Horror Roleplaying Game is the brand-new RPG line from Shadowlands Games. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Raven transports you to an evocative and dangerous fictional world of gothic horror and cursed magic. The precise design of the Maelstrom game system allows you to live your own games steeped in the mystery, curses, passions, despairs, and longings of E. A. Poe-style stories.

The game is set in a fictional world centered in the ancient aristocratic city of Raven. The city bears a certain resemblance to 19th-century North America. Its streets are shrouded in an eternal mist and plagued by specters. The city of Raven is a great mystery itself, harboring many secrets that date back to its founding… and before.

Raven is essentially a game about…

Dark Stories and ghosts, providing players with a classic horror setting of haunted mansions, fascinations with specters and curses from beyond the grave, all accompanied by Poe’s poetic and sinister tone.

Hidden mysteries and cursed ruins that harbor the long-forgotten history of Raven — the eerie Lodge and its destruction, the curse of the mist, the sinister protector Order and what it is hiding, your family, its doomed blood inheritance, and your sinister mansion full of secrets.

Ancient Conspiracies  that are very much alive and are threatening to destroy the city, the Order and your family, the Corvus family.

The Corvus Characters

In Raven, you play members of the aristocrat Corvus family. You are descendants of Lord Poe Corvus, founder of the Order of the Mist and the very city of Raven. Your family is cursed, that is why you feel attracted to the forbidden arts. It has been ever since Lord Poe was corrupted by the cursed magic of the mist and the original members of the Order killed him. 

As a Corvus family member, you have a tenebrous occupation. In your family, there are cursed poets, tormented necromancers, obsessed summoners, guilt-ridden demented, the soulless ones, immortal mesmerizers… As you can see, there is an obsessive streak that runs in your family, as well as decidedly questionable vocations. It runs in your blood. That is why The Order is watching you.

Your family mansion is so big that you have your own laboratory or studio where you throw yourself into your experiments and passions in the way you want it —a morgue for a necromancer if desired, or an enormous glazed studio for a painter and their cursed works of art.

But being a Corvus also means living with a curse that haunts you day after day: the descent into perdition, the struggle against death, a confrontation with your own evil… Oh, and there is also more: Your mother and father, tenebrous and dangerous people that love you… even if that love may lead them to your deaths. Your particular relationships with different factions in Raven, immersed in the struggle for the ancient secrets of the city... as your Corvus family is. And of course your loved one, the person that consumes your days… This is no ordinary person, but rather a dark figure, or lovely, or in danger perhaps because of your own curse. They even can be dead or be a specter. They have their own secrets and motivations, and you are obsessed by their fate, which may be a total mystery to you. Could it also be part of the family curse?

What do you do in Raven?

As a Corvus, you and your kin have inherited the curse. The way it manifests can vary, but is related with an ominous attraction to the forbidden arts and the dark magic of the Mist. Will you explore your tenebrous occupation? Will you try to resist walking the tempting path of the Mist to the Other Side? Or may you play with its dangerous powers and knowledge that can doom your soul? Your personal motivations and passions may drive part of your stories. But beware, the Order is watching.

Because of your family past, you are both respected and feared members of the society of Raven. Some of the inhabitants fear you, others have curiosity or even love you. The factions of Raven, such as the Order, the Guild, the Society of Explorers, the Lodge… may try to have business with you, or even use you. Conspiracies, receptions, interests and threats will be part of your games.

Dare to explore the secrets lurking in the shadows, behind the corners, in the ruins, forests and threatening places of Raven. There is so much to experience while creating you own family story.

The Rules of Raven

The game rules of Raven are based of the Maelstrom system. The narrative pushes, the characters and the consequences of their actions are in the center of the table — this is not a game system that focuses on tactical simulationist elements but in living the story of your character.

The Maelstrom system revolves around two central concepts:

1. THE PLOT TWISTS GUIDE THE STORY

The core mechanic is straight-forward: When PCs face a threat that could change history, you grab a number of Corvus dice (favorable – symbolized by cats) for your personality aspect, advantageous conditions and special qualities. Then you grab a number of Mist dice (unfavorable – symbolized by ravens) for the opponent level threat, difficulty and narrative tension of the story —a regular roll would have from 3 to 6 dice final pool. Successes in Corvus and Mist dice cancel each other out, yielding three possible outcomes:

  • Favorable Twist in the story if they are successful, thereby overcoming the Threat.
  • A Twist with Complications if they are partly successful, overcoming the threat but also complicating the story.
  • Or a Tenebrous Twist against them if the throw is unsuccessful, meaning either that they do not overcome the Threat or that they do, but at a high cost.

In Raven, a dice roll always resolves a whole scene along with its threat. There are no rolls for each single action. Just a quick and satisfactory scene. Also, a twist always leads to something interesting, enriching the dark lives of your Corvus characters, even if it is harmful to them. The tenebrous consequences of your actions influence your surroundings, but yourselves too. Scars produced by their sacrifices, pacts and betrayals, the danger of unleashing your curse… Players look to solve the mystery, but the story will be far more satisfying if they have enjoyed unexpected twists on the way. In Raven you don’t play to win. You play to enjoy this tenebrous world.

2. THE CORVUS CHARACTERS ARE AT THE CENTRE OF EVERYTHING

  • All the stories are connected to your Corvus Characters. You are not a visitor here resolving another’s problems. They are indeed your problems. You somehow provoke them: maybe because of your curse; perhaps something is coming at you in a twisted and unexpected way; or possibly you’ve done something dark on purpose.

The City of Raven

The first time you set eyes on Raven is both a fascinating and unnerving experience. Built on a peninsula surrounded by a sea covered in a blanket of mist, its old buildings shine with the strange white stone with which they have been built. Emanating from everything is the smell of damp, the sweet and heady scent of an ancient and solemn mausoleum. It is the smell of the mist that floods the streets at night.

The city of Raven is aristocratic, filled with mansions and parks, dominated by the powerful and watchful red marble building of the Vigilant Order of the Mist. At the center of the city, surrounded by an old and high wall, there is a thick, mist-filled forest scattered with ruins and specters. Hidden inside it is an enormous mansion with innumerable rooms, its facade, doors and windows all painted a deep black. This is your home. The Corvus mansion. The most cursed place in all of Raven.

But the most disturbing thing about the city are the ravens themselves. They can be found on all the rooftops, in all the windows, perched on all the gas street lamps. Black and silent, they observe and wait. Until the mist rises at night and the souls of careless wanderers are carried away.

The Lore of Raven

Raven is plagued by murky threats. When you wander through the streets of the city, walk the corridors of the Corvus mansion or enter the perilous land of the dead souls in the Other Side, danger is always looming. It permeates what you see, what you hear, what you touch, what you feel. It is both the reason for and purpose of the shadows that surround you.

Every part of lore you may need is included in Raven: history of the city, its obscure secrets, the different areas that conform Raven, cursed places, important characters and its factions, their conspiracies and mysteries, the Corvus family and its mansion, a spectral encyclopedia with the different beings of Raven… You see. Whatever you need is in this book.

The supernatural can be manipulated, but it also has the power to corrupt. Now it is the Order that is looking to take charge of the specters and the mist, to put an end to the curse that has settled over this land. The Order reigns and watches over the city, having destroyed the previous ruler, the evil Lodge, and banning and persecuting what remained of it. And before this, it was the so-called Ancestral Power that is said to have controlled Raven, although nothing is known about that, except its scant, incomprehensible vestiges. The Order keeps a close eye on anything supernatural, on anyone using magic and on the advancing mist. According to rumor, what remains of the Lodge is lying in wait, out of sight, biding its time for its moment of revenge.

HANDLING TIME

Please be aware that it can take up to one business day of handling time before your package will enter the mail system. We ship on Monday - Saturday matching the post offices own days of operation, so orders made around the weekend may take longer as Sunday is not a business day. Please keep this in mind when anticipating delivery dates.

SHIPPING CLASS

We will do our best to always select the shipping class that you have chosen, occasionally changes will need to be made and we will reach out if there is an issue we can't resolve. If we do ship by another method than what was selected it's because we believe the package will get to you faster and in a more secure manner.

SHIPPING TIME

Delivery speed after we drop your package into the mail system is the responsibility of the mail carrier. Once the carrier has picked up your order, all shipping times are estimated. A lot can happen through out the world that can impede and disrupt delivery of the mail.

POSTAL TRACKING

All our packages have tracking included, once it is marked as delivered at your address we have completed our obligation as you have received the package. Any issues are to be handled between you and the shipping carrier or delivery service.

SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION

On occasion we will deem it necessary to add signature confirmation and additional insurance on a package. We reserve the right to do so and do so at our own expense.

You will receive an email from us when your order is fulfilled with your tracking number.

Pre-Order Items

Preorder items are not yet available and the listed quantities reflect advanced-ordered items from manufacturers and distributors. The quantity available and "in stock" are estimates using the quantities we expect to receive for the noted release date. Due to the nature of unreleased products, we will always do our best to deliver preorder items as expected, but there is no guarantee that we will always receive full allocations from distributors/manufacturers.

All items on an order will ship when all preorder items release. If you purchase non-preorder items in addition to pre-order items, the non-preorder items will ship alongside the preorder items. We do not break up orders into multiple shipments. All items will ship at once when all items become available for sale.

Image, contents, and release date are subject to change. All preorder items will have the most current information of which we have been made aware.

Return Policy

Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Trading Card Game sealed products (such as booster boxes, booster packs, etc) are unable to be returned in any instance. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

  • * Gift cards
  • * Downloadable software products
  • * Some health and personal care items

    • There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted: (if applicable)

    • * Book with obvious signs of use
    • * CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened.
    • * Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error.
    • * Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery

    To complete your return, we require a receipt or proof of purchase.

    Please do not send your purchase back to the manufacturer.

    Refunds (if applicable)

    Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund.

    If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.

    Late or missing refunds (if applicable)

    If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again. Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted.

    Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted. If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at store@levelonegameshop.com.

    Sale items (if applicable)

    Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.

    Exchanges (if applicable)

    We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item, send us an email at store@levelonegameshop.com and send your item to: 400 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64106, United States.

    Gifts

    If the item was marked as a gift when purchased and shipped directly to you, you’ll receive a gift credit for the value of your return. Once the returned item is received, a gift certificate will be mailed to you.

    If the item wasn’t marked as a gift when purchased, or the gift giver had the order shipped to themselves to give to you later, we will send a refund to the gift giver and he will find out about your return.

    Shipping

    To return your product, please contact us by email at store@levelonegameshop.com

    You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

    Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

    If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.