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United States
E Dummerston
Vermont
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(Brief introductory note: I wanted to write a review for this product because I thought it was good enough to deserve some praise. In rereading to write the review, I really fell in love with the product and got stumped about how best to communicate the unique qualities it has. Thus, I have put out some of my ideas, maybe too many, because I wasn’t sure what would click with people best. I figured I would let the readers pick. I believe all of the statements are accurate representations of The Dreadful Secrets of Candlewick Manor.)
The short review:
This 160 page product is not only a module for the game, but a rules adaptation for the module, which makes it a great product! It is so good; I would say you should buy this product to help you see the vision of the creators, and THEN buy the rules game book of Monsters and Other Childish Things.
You ever go into a toy store and see that one new toy that you really want play with and try out? That is exactly what this product is for rpgers. I actually woke up early in the morning dreaming of this place and thinking about the child I would like to be in this world. (I guess spent a little too much time reading through it yesterday). The module is that detailed and suggestive.
Benjamin Baugh has created a very elaborate and unique setting with a starting point for your campaign. Any rpgers who like to be creative and weave a strange story are going to be really fired up to play this game. As a GM, I really laugh with glee at all of the potential turned over in this for me to have fun with.
The theme of this setting is really like Twin Peaks and Innsmouth with some of The City of Lost Children thrown in too. The children either have a few creepy powers and or a monster buddy. If you have ever read any John Bellairs' books: House with the Clock in Its Walls, etc. and even a little Lions, Tigers, and Bears... also!
The contradictory design of this product is its beauty and genius. You could play this with the style of Cthulhu, or Twin Peaks, or City of Lost Children, or all three mixed, and it would work! Nothing is so defining in it that you are told how it has to be, yet all of the potential is there for you to play the setting as you would love to play it!
The long review:
Artwork:
I always look at the art in a product. It helps to sell me on the idea for sure. I will admit, I have bought products just because of the illustrations. Candlewick Manor has a nice theme to the artwork. Almost all of the illustrations are presented as portraits. You know those creepy black and white photos you see on the walls in the backgrounds of spooky movies? While these are cartoony, it is still their style, all the way through the book. The illustrations would not have won me over to buy the product, although the cover really pulls at me. The other thing you should know is that there really aren’t a lot of illustrations in it. That is good though, because it means you are getting tons details of this setting!
I decided the best way to review this was to go by chapter headings.
I. Introduction:
Four pages of what the product is aspiring to do and where the creator got his inspiration. I honestly didn’t read this until last just because I wasn’t interested. I guess, skip it and read it after going through the product and see if the author met his goals. The introduction does contain the one, very cool map of Candlewick Vale. It also has the sources that inspired the creator, so you get a neat list of four movies and TV shows, four book series, and two comics to check out. I would add John Bellairs books and Lions, Tigers, and Bears. It is really a nice touch.
II. Orphanarium:
This is all about character creation, but the really, really cool thing is it takes what is give in Monsters and Other Childish Things and subtly alters it for this setting. I would compare it to the Savage Worlds series variations because it is an alteration, but not as dramatic. In a way this works better because the changes augment the playing experience for this setting. Here is what it goes through in 11 pages. In some ways, this section alone blew me away in terms of how uses the main game and makes it better.
a. Background & Story: You have no background other than you have just been adopted by a mysterious, cold, mansion-owning tycoon. As you play, you figure out who you are and in what ways you are connected to the people and places in the town! Very cool.
b. Image & Name: Picture your character and name it. There is a neat little table to roll on for a name if you so choose.
c. Five Questions: Simple yet really fun. You are given five questions to help you form your character: How do you see others? How do you see yourself? What is Creepy about you? What do you do to try to fit in? and What are you most afraid of?
d. Stats & Skills: Same as Monsters… You have Feet, Guts, Hands, Brains and Face skills.
e. Creepy Skills: You get to design creepy skills for your character. There are some examples here, but basically, you are told to do what will be fun for you. The more creepy the skill the more complicated it makes it for the character. I like the comment that, “respect for the game”, the GM, and you will have to resolve what is allowable for a creepy skill. There are really only about twelve examples, so your imagination isn’t going to have a lot of ideas confining its creativity.
f. Echoes: All characters have these. Characters don’t remember their pasts, but they do remember snippets of things and some places, smells, and things seem familar. At times these emotional bits can be used to help the characters. The more characters tap into their echoes, the more likely they will have an insight to the origin of their echo.
g. Illuminations & Revelations: This gets a little complicated and I won’t go into trying to explain it all, but it is very neat. If the character experiences a successful illumination, they have a revelation and realize part of their past and who they are and their connection with the town. What I have said there may even be too restricting of the possibilities of how you decide to run things. Basically, as the GM and players play the game these connections will become clear.
h. Relationships & Complications: From the revelations, the characters will realize relationships and complications that go with them in the town of Candlewick. These relationships power and can potentially hurt the character. It sounds complicated, but it is very much story telling at its finest and a whole lot of fun, because it is all about making connections and solving the mysteries of who the characters are (for the start of the Candlewick adventures)!
i. Character Record Sheet: The character sheet is neat and organized. Same as most others. At least it is provided though!
III. Running the Game
Basically, it presents that your characters will have to decide what they will do and the story will develop from there. To help the chapter covers: The Monsters of Candlewick, The Stages of the Game (a. the characters are learning who they are b. they form relationships c. the characters are rooted to the town and are aligned with one of various factions in the town = beautiful sequence), Themes and Imagery, Characters as the Agents of Change, Building Mysteries, Exploring the Map, Tragedy and Comedy, Adding New Places, People, & Things. To end the chapter there is a Links Worksheet that helps you to fit your own created NPC’s into the setting very quickly and yet have all of the information recorded for future reference.
IV. People
a. About 45 pages consist of entries for the various people who reside in Candlewick. Each entry has the following information: quotes, point of view on the town or world view, role in the game, description, stats, background, vocation, and passion! Neat stuff to be sure. There are almost no illustrations in this section. I guess people could complain about that, but I like that it leaves your imagination to do its stuff.
b. The people are in the following categories: People of Candlewick Manor, People of Candlewick Township, and People of the Country.
c. It also has a brief description of various Candlewick Associations, 16 to be exact!
V. Places: This section is about 28 pages or so. Color and Hooks are included for each spot, there is that great pattern of organization again. The color sections are detailed descriptions that could be read aloud.
a. Candlewick Estates: 14 parts are described with several paragraphs each. .
b. Candlewick Township: 12 chunks of town are described again with color and hooks.
c. Valley Lowlands: 4 regional areas.
d. The Shore: 6 spots of interest.
e. Tearmark Cliffs: 3 spots
f. The Shoulderbone Hills: 2 spots
g. Childalost Forest: 6 locals
h. Widow’s Run Peak: 2 locations
i. The Maze: a long endless tunnel system under the whole area!
VI. Things:
This 15 page section details 14 monsters of area. Each entry has the following information: description, personality, favorite thing, favorite place, way to hide, monstrous bits, and what the monster can do. There is enough information here for you to have a very clear idea of how to run these monsters. Or if you are just going to make your own, to know what you have to do!
VII. Instant Mysteries:
13 pages for the GM to keep things going. A little advice is given on how to keep the mysterious feeling fresh.
a. Half of the chapter is given to putting together instant mysteries. There is more than enough to teach you what to do and a neat 2 page chart to roll up an instant mystery.
b. The other half of the chapter is given to making up mysteries on the fly, which seems like this is what people are going to want to do! It lets your creativity take off and it also makes sure that Candlewick Manor will be unique to your group every time you sit down to play.
VIII. Worksheets and Indices
a. Worksheets:
The end of the book has blank forms for the following. These are a great addition because these will help you to flesh out what is going on as you create it either beforehand or on the fly. The forms are: an orphan sheet, an npc links sheet, a locale sheet, a mystery sheet, and a scene worksheet.
b. Index:
Woot! This really is great though. It is an index for the whole book and there are four of them. There is one for people, associations, places, and things. One thing that this will allow is for you to use the book in the middle of the game and get to key parts quickly!
Final conclusions on why this product is great!
Most important, this book works with the less is more idea. You are given tons to work with, but they are stylistic/theme pieces for you to use as your mind sees them. It makes it so easy to use this setting. You won’t be worried about not remembering some aspect correctly, etc.
Also of importance is its precise organization which makes understanding, remembering, and being able to locate the information easy. The organizational structure allows the material to seed into your imagination and to immediately start growing. I had to really think this one through, because I have seen other products chock full of neat ideas and just as brilliant, but they were very difficult to use because there was no care given to presenting the ideas in an organized and patterned manner. All setting developers should look to this to see what this guy did, because he does so much correctly.
Hopes for the future: After seeing what was done with this setting for Monsters and Other Childish Things, I can only hope he is hired to do it again. For instance, maybe a hint of Roswell mixed into a 1950’s sci-fi style little neighborhood. Or maybe we can have an Elizabethan style city a la City of Lost Children / Jack the Ripper style. I would like to see the minor rules adaptations again too.
In short, this product will make you want to play and play more. It will also make you very hungry for more products for this game. I can’t think of too many products I have seen in a while that have made me this excited. (edit#1 - Corrected sloppy proofing. I had a stray "done" in the prior sentence that made no sense.)
Bottom line: Buy this!!
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Chris Bailey
United States
Broomfield
Colorado
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After reading this I looked into Monsters and Other Childish Things and every review I could find was overwhelmingly positive. I couldn't help but order it. I might need to pick this up to. Thanks for the review.
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United States
E Dummerston
Vermont
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I bought Monsters and Other Childish Things based on the idea and the praise too. I have to figure out exactly why it didn't click for me, but Dreadful Secrets of Candlewick Manor was like having glasses put on. I could finally see the beauty of the system.
Honestly, I ordered both at the same time. If I had only gotten Monsters and Other Childish Things, I would not have ordered this setting. It would have been a shame. You really have to get this book. It is just that much better than Monsters and Other Childish Things.
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Chris Bailey
United States
Broomfield
Colorado
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Desferous wrote: You really have to get this book. It is just that much better than Monsters and Other Childish Things.
No worries there. Shortly after posting I found a new copy on ebay for $12 and ordered it. 
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Posted Sun Dec 13, 2009 8:50 pm
