REVIEW Death Love Doom
The copy I own is part of a limited print run of 200 and its not, so far as Im aware, available anymore. Instead, youll have to content yourself with a 20-page PDF (plus two pages of maps) that sells for 3.00� (about $4 US). The adventure looks similar to previous Lamentations of the Flame Princess efforts, using a simple two-column layout and a variety of "period" fonts intended to evoke the 17th century. The cartography by Jez Gordon, is both attractive and useful. The interior artwork is all the work of Kelvin Green and in his excellent signature style, though the subject matter is quite a departure for him.
On the other hand, Death Love Doom isnt a departure for James Raggi. If anything, Id say its probably the "Raggi-est" adventure hes written, being both an unrepentant finger in the eye of those who want roleplaying game products to consist entirely of stuff you can show your mother and a creative exploration of some of his own dark feelings. That probably sounds terribly pretentious and I apologize for that, but its the most succinct way I can explain the visceral, emotional charge of revulsion I felt reading parts of this adventure. What I felt wasnt just disgust at something I found "icky," though. It was something else I couldnt quite put my finger on, which is a big part of why I initially didnt know what to do with Death Love Doom.
The adventure takes place entirely within the house and grounds of the Foxlowe family, who reside in London in the year 1625. That was the first of several curve balls thrown at me when I started reading. Unlike previous LotFP adventures, this one takes place not in a fantasy approximation of early modern Europe but in early modern Europe itself. Why he did this I have no idea, because, to my mind, theres no obvious payoff in having done so. At the same time, theres no difficulty whatsoever in stripping out the 17th century English references and running the adventure as a "straight" fantasy, so its more a quirky authorial choice than a serious flaw, but it is odd.
At the start of the adventure, rumors are circulating that the wealthy Foxlowes, including Erasmus, the family patriarch and a successful merchant, have unexpectedly disappeared, possibly traveling abroad. The player characters can thus take the roles of either thieves hoping to rob their estate while it is presumably unoccupied or concerned locals looking to discover just what has happened to the prosperous family. Death Love Doom is thus a location-based adventure whose "plot," such as it is, has already occurred before the PCs step foot inside the Foxlowe house. Something has happened therein, something that has turned their residence into a veritable house of horrors, as the PCs will discover as they investigate it.
What they wont discover, at least not easily, is why the terrible things within the house have happened -- why all the members of the Foxlowe family have been killed in horrific ways or, worse yet, turned into even more horrific monsters. Its not completely impossible, but it does require a fair bit of luck and cleverness. Otherwise, Death Love Doom comes across as little more than grotesquerie for the sake of grotesquerie and that, I think, is Death Love Dooms biggest flaw. Reading the entirety of the module, I know what happened to the Foxlowes and why and its a very chilling tale indeed. But the likelihood that the PCs will discover this is small. To them, there will be no rhyme or reason behind all the dissected children and genital mutilations and people with limbs cut off and sewn back on in the wrong places.
Thats unfortunate, since it weakens the power of the module and contributes to the caricature of Raggis adventures as being twisted and dark for no good reason. Theres a very good reason behind the things the PCs encounter in Death Love Doom and knowing them makes this a much more satisfying (and unsettling) adventure. This reason is known only to a handful of NPCs in the adventure and the likelihood that theyll be in a position to share that information with anyone is not great. I suspect Raggi knows this; indeed, I suspect that the "mystery" of it all is part of the point. But, speaking as a referee, I find this a serious weakness.
Even knowing the truth behind the events of Death Love Doom, Im not sure I could ever run the adventure. Thats not a flaw in the module or its presentation so much as a statement of my own preferences. Death Love Doom is not for the squeamish; its filled with a large number of disturbing images of the "body horror" variety, ably illustrated by Kelvin Green. This adventure is definitely not for the weak of stomach. Those who arent so sensitive may nevertheless find it disturbing, since, well, it is. This is an adventure in the grindhouse style Raggi loves so much and should be judged with that in mind.
Presentation: 8 out of 10
Creativity: 7 out of 10
Utility: 6 out of 10
Buy This If: You like your adventures to be disturbing and horrific.
Dont Buy This If: Youre squeamish and/or prefer your adventures with a "lighter" tone.