Sell me on Ravenloft

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Hey

I can't say enough about Ravenloft. I own it. I run it. I write adventures constantly. I love it.

Sure, it has its weak points. My curse of seeking a technological continuity has led me to restructure the domains, bringing some up in cultural level, others down, remaking political alliances, etc. Also, there's the fact that it claims to be gothic horror, when it is a bit more like fantasy horror.

Be that as it may, this is a GOOD setting. Note that it was the first of the 2nd edition settings to get grabbed up by a third party publisher ... there's a good reason for it. It rocks.

Yours in the Mists
-Matt

 

[buzz]

I was just at the bookstore perusing some of the Ravenloft books. I was never really interested in the setting before, but somehitng about the gothic horror of it all is starting to appeal to me.

So, what's the general consensus on 3.Xe Ravenloft? Hot? Not?

 

[Green Knight]

VERY good! Though I suggest buying the Gazetteers, first, Van Richten's Arsenal and the Ravenloft DMG. Champions of Darkness and Heroes of Light are good, but not as good as those.

Also, you might want to hold off on buying the Ravenloft Campaign Setting, and instead wait for the Ravenloft Player's Handbook, which comes out October 13th.

 

[buzz]

Also, you might want to hold off on buying the Ravenloft Campaign Setting, and instead wait for the Ravenloft Player's Handbook, which comes out October 13th.

What's the difference? Does the new one supplant the old one?

 

[Green Knight]

Check this thread.

http://www.kargatane.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=ask;action=display;num=1060028926

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Truthfully, if you want something spooky, stick with Midnight.

 

[Kamard]

Truthfully, if you want something spooky, stick with Midnight.

Midnight isn't a good traditional gothic horror setting.

Its a good horrific Tolkien setting. Its really cool in that regard.

But Ravenloft is much more Dracula or Frankenstein-y.

 

[Artimoff]

If you like Hammer movies, Ravenloft is the setting for you. Ravenloft, to me seems smaller, more personal, than most settings. It's also much more roleplay intenseve than the average D&D setting. Ravenloft also provides atmospheric tools to keep players on track for a storyline.

 

[Wombat]

My problems with Ravenloft have always been philosophical, I must admit. I like Gothic literature (the real stuff -- Radcliffe, Gothe, Shelley, etc.) and so Ravenloft has the right general atmosphere; the problem is its set up.

Premise: the dark lords are trapped in their domains as a form of punishment for their vile crimes.

Problem: then what about the inhabitants? They are terrorized by these lords. Are they, too, guilty of crimes (and thus have been placed in this demi-plane as a form of punishment) or are they mere reflections of reality (thus only allowing the dark ones to terrorize constructs)?

If they are not guilty of crime, why have they be placed in this land?

Personally I like taking individual lands and placing them at random in my world, rather than going with the whole "Demi-Plane of Dread" notion. It's easier to work my mind around the matter then.

YMMV, etc.

 

[Green Knight]

Premise: the dark lords are trapped in their domains as a form of punishment for their vile crimes.

Well, that's one assumption about the reason for the existence of that demiplane. Fact is, there has never been an answer as to why the Dark Powers do what it is they do. Maybe it's a prison? Or maybe they bring those people there for their amusement? Maybe it's a giant experiment? Who knows. Fact is, nobody knows.

Problem: then what about the inhabitants? They are terrorized by these lords. Are they, too, guilty of crimes (and thus have been placed in this demi-plane as a form of punishment) or are they mere reflections of reality (thus only allowing the dark ones to terrorize constructs)?

If they are not guilty of crime, why have they be placed in this land?

My point is, your problem isn't a problem at all, since no one ACTUALLY knows if it's a prison or not.

Got a point about the people, though. There's a question as to if whether a lot of those people are even real. For instance, Barovia came in its entirety to Ravenloft, along with the people. Those people are real. However, in some cases, the Darklords stepped out into the mists, and a domain opened up for them, complete with people and a history. Where did those people come from? Were they dragged from some prime material world like Barovia, or were they wholly invented to suit the nature of the Dark Lord?