Irda Ranger
First Post
Ravenloft Campaigns: What’s the meta-point?
I would like to discuss how to run a Ravenloft campaign using 4E rules and cosmology, but before we get to the actual rule proposals I would like to discuss why PCs play in a Ravenloft campaign (rather than Core D&D). What’s the story being told? What’s the basic, universal story to Ravenloft campaigns? We need to answer that before we know what rules we’ll need, and what they’re supposed to achieve.
To allude by example, the basic, universal story of Core D&D is: Explore dungeons, encounter dragons, kill them, take their stuff, achieve Epic Destiny. (That Epic Destiny bit is 4E terminology, but in Classic D&D it was called the Immortals Boxed Set, so clearly the idea has been around for a while). Each story consisted of accruing enough gold, loot and XP until you were sufficiently bad-ass to do something super-cool (bringing your PCs story to a satisfying conclusion). This is the universal story, the Heroic Journey, to pretty much any Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk adventure.
If one were to run a Ravenloft one-shot the point would clearly be “Escape.” The story is “Holy Christ, we’re in Ravenloft! Let’s get the frak out of here!” and then proceed to make that attempt. That’s easy. I want to know what what sort of Heroic Journey begins, occurs and ends within Ravenloft.
Whatever that story is, I think it must engage the core concepts of Ravenloft: The existence of the Darklords, the Mists, and horror and madness. Which Domain(s) and Darklord(s) make cameos in your campaign must not be allowed to be as important, otherwise you’ll never be allowed to leave Barovia (or wherever) without the whole campaign unraveling. It needs to be more basic than that (just like how in Core D&D it doesn’t matter which dungeon your explore or dragon you defeat).
Further, the story must have some form of hope, however slim. The odds of any particular 1st level PC actually making it to 30th level are incredibly slim, but there’s hope. There’s no fundamental rule that it cannot be done. The same must be true for Ravenloft if it’s going to be an enjoyable campaign. So what do Ravenloft PCs hope for? What’s the meta-goal everyone agrees on?
I have some additional reading that may be helpful to you before you post: Five Crucial Elements of Commercial Appeal in RPG Design
One caveat before I end this post: I think the 2E Ravenloft CS was really, really neat, but fundamentally did not allow for a story about the PCs. The Darklords were too omnipresent and omnipotent. There was no clear focus on the PCs as the Heroes of the tale being told. Like Dragonlance, it made for a few good novels, but not great adventuring. Further, there wasn’t enough hope; remember how Jandyr Sunstar “beat” the Mists by committing suicide? Yeah …, I think most players are going to need something a little more cheery than that to look forward to. So what I’m really looking for is a core story that can be inspired by the legacy of Ravenloft, not a faithfully perfect recreation.
I would like to discuss how to run a Ravenloft campaign using 4E rules and cosmology, but before we get to the actual rule proposals I would like to discuss why PCs play in a Ravenloft campaign (rather than Core D&D). What’s the story being told? What’s the basic, universal story to Ravenloft campaigns? We need to answer that before we know what rules we’ll need, and what they’re supposed to achieve.
To allude by example, the basic, universal story of Core D&D is: Explore dungeons, encounter dragons, kill them, take their stuff, achieve Epic Destiny. (That Epic Destiny bit is 4E terminology, but in Classic D&D it was called the Immortals Boxed Set, so clearly the idea has been around for a while). Each story consisted of accruing enough gold, loot and XP until you were sufficiently bad-ass to do something super-cool (bringing your PCs story to a satisfying conclusion). This is the universal story, the Heroic Journey, to pretty much any Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk adventure.
If one were to run a Ravenloft one-shot the point would clearly be “Escape.” The story is “Holy Christ, we’re in Ravenloft! Let’s get the frak out of here!” and then proceed to make that attempt. That’s easy. I want to know what what sort of Heroic Journey begins, occurs and ends within Ravenloft.
Whatever that story is, I think it must engage the core concepts of Ravenloft: The existence of the Darklords, the Mists, and horror and madness. Which Domain(s) and Darklord(s) make cameos in your campaign must not be allowed to be as important, otherwise you’ll never be allowed to leave Barovia (or wherever) without the whole campaign unraveling. It needs to be more basic than that (just like how in Core D&D it doesn’t matter which dungeon your explore or dragon you defeat).
Further, the story must have some form of hope, however slim. The odds of any particular 1st level PC actually making it to 30th level are incredibly slim, but there’s hope. There’s no fundamental rule that it cannot be done. The same must be true for Ravenloft if it’s going to be an enjoyable campaign. So what do Ravenloft PCs hope for? What’s the meta-goal everyone agrees on?
I have some additional reading that may be helpful to you before you post: Five Crucial Elements of Commercial Appeal in RPG Design
One caveat before I end this post: I think the 2E Ravenloft CS was really, really neat, but fundamentally did not allow for a story about the PCs. The Darklords were too omnipresent and omnipotent. There was no clear focus on the PCs as the Heroes of the tale being told. Like Dragonlance, it made for a few good novels, but not great adventuring. Further, there wasn’t enough hope; remember how Jandyr Sunstar “beat” the Mists by committing suicide? Yeah …, I think most players are going to need something a little more cheery than that to look forward to. So what I’m really looking for is a core story that can be inspired by the legacy of Ravenloft, not a faithfully perfect recreation.