Tell me about Ravenloft

[FickleGM]

I've been kludging a campaign outline together using much of the insight given here, and will post something on my enworld blog when I feel like I have something worth looking at.

also reading I,Strahd right now- good, inspiring stuff!

--Z

So, would it be wrong for me to ask for a Ravenloft Dread game at the next Boston Gameday?

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

So, would it be wrong for me to ask for a Ravenloft Dread game at the next Boston Gameday?

I have 'Masque of the Red Death' which is 4 short scenarios set in 1890's 'Gothic Earth' and I think those would make excellent Dread sessions.

 

[Dimitri Mazieres]

[...]
The theme of Ravenloft is despair. The death of hope. The last, flickering points of light, held in front of tortured people, to keep them moving. Each Dark Lord has a point of hope, held in front of him by the Dark Powers. [...]

That certainly is one way to view Ravenloft: centered on the Darklords as tragic figures, which was kind of the assumption of the setting up to Domains of Dread.
I for one always thought that presentation, while good for novels, was a bit too bleak for a game where the players should be, when all is said and done, the heroes, and prefer a more PC-friendly viewpoint, like the one described in the introduction to the 2e accessory Champions of the Mists:

"Those who look deeper into the matter discover a handful of heroic souls who are driven to greatness by the evil that opposes them. The struggle against evils that are immeasurably powerful has been a crucible for them, hardening them into champions the likes of which no other world can boast. In comparison, taking up the sword against an evil king in a land where others will follow your example is not an especially difficult thing to do; crying out for revolution and justice in a land where no ally will stand beside you is a far harder thing to do. Many point out that this battle against the darkness is an impossible one, and they may well be right. Certainly, there are times when it seems as if the land itself conspires against the agents of goodness and light. Whether these champions of the Mists can ever truly triumph is a matter of some speculation. Impossible or not, however, the battle for righteousness in the Demiplane of Dread is one that only a few heroes are brave enough to undertake."

I think this way of viewing the setting enables the players to be the heroes, while still adhering to the setting's basic tenets.

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

Ok as threatened I have started a campaign journal here on enworld where I am blocking out concepts for this far-in-the-future campaign. Still have 14 level planned for in my 4e Eberron campaign so no rush.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome!

--Z

 

[timASW]

There's also Transposition, the process with nether planar beings to exchange the essences between a person in Ravenloft with a fiend of one kind or another. Slowly, the individual on Ravenloft and some fiend begins switching places, exchanging powers, until finally the fiend is completely in Ravenloft and the person once trapped on Ravenloft is now on the fiend's original nether plane - Hell, the Abyss or the other nether realms.

Transposition was a uniquely awesome bit of evil that i've taken and used in other games since when we we're playing magic as something risky and dark.

 

[timASW]

Ok as threatened I have started a campaign journal here on enworld where I am blocking out concepts for this far-in-the-future campaign. Still have 14 level planned for in my 4e Eberron campaign so no rush.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome!

--Z

Good so far, earlier in the story line then the 3e ravenloft setting so you can look at that and see some of the major events in the future for the realm and pick and choose which you want to happen and how.

You didnt mention the mists though. Its ravenloft, you have to think about the mists. Barovia's mists are poisonous when Strahd chooses to close the domain from my recollection.

The mists are a huge part of life in every Ravenloft domain. But once you have that figured out you'll have a cool solid base for a campaign.

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

Thanks for checking it out!

Good so far, earlier in the story line then the 3e ravenloft setting so you can look at that and see some of the major events in the future for the realm and pick and choose which you want to happen and how.

You didnt mention the mists though. Its ravenloft, you have to think about the mists. Barovia's mists are poisonous when Strahd chooses to close the domain from my recollection.

The mists are a huge part of life in every Ravenloft domain. But once you have that figured out you'll have a cool solid base for a campaign.

The mists, right, I've got some thoughts on those. I want to foreshadow it and make the hero's first encounter with them special. I like the veiled sentience of the mists (or i suppose Mists) and hope to use them almost as a reoccurring villain.

 

[TerraDave]

In general, my preferred approach with Ravenloft is as per the original module or 4E: its a place you visit, and that overlaps with the main world, more then its own "demiplane". If you want a bigger gothic horror part of the campaign, just have that in the world, or make it the world, ala Masque of the Red Death...a demi plane is not really needed.

On the more important topic of demons and devils...of you have them! But, as noted above, its more about the summoner then the summoned.

 

[Roland55]

A lot of the time, you'd start your campaign being "taken" there by the mists, which is a one-way journey. Allows characters to be new to the domains and the players to learn as they go.

Yes.

I ran several versions of Ravenloft. I think ... 4 times. Three of the groups did it this way -- visitors "taken" by the Mists. Went quite well.

The "native" group were all very experienced gamers. They also enjoyed Ravenloft, but frankly it wasn't quite the challenge for them!

 

[Karak]

By far my favorite game world ever. I admit I didn't GM it right most of the time, but when I did, we had a hell of a game.
I am also a slight fan of the books that most people hate. The novels I mean. For many years this was my favorite game to GM. Had a great deal of flavor.

As for natives versus taken into the mists. I always had them taken. I don't think we ever played with the characters being natives.