What world was the original Ravenloft 'supposed' to be set in?
green slime
First Post
jdrakeh said:
That is only a suggestion raised in I10 itself. No mention of that is made in I6.
Glyfair
Explorer
Shadowslayer said:
For the most part, early D&D modules were set in no specific world. A few were set in Greyhawk, and many were obviously in Greyhawk once the setting was published (probably because Gygax was writing what he knew).
In fact, the early Basic D&D adventures were only later added to Mystara/The Known World. In Search of the Unknown and Keep on the Borderlands had no specific setting originally, either.
Glyfair said:
Most of the very early D&D modules were set in Greyhawk.
Once the "I" series modules came along, after I1, they were all set in their own settings, with no reference to Greyhawk. Late in the "I" series, we got a few Forgotten Realms adventures.
1978:
G1-3, D1-3, S1: Greyhawk
1979:
S2, T1: Greyhawk;
B1: no setting (although notes for placing in Greyhawk)
1980:
A1, C1, C2, Q1, S3: Greyhawk
1981:
A2, A3, A4, I1, L1, U1: Greyhawk;
B2, B3, X1, X2: no setting.
1982:
N1, S4, WG4, U2: Greyhawk;
B4, X3: ?;
R1, R2, R3, I2, I3: no setting (*note, R series possibly on other side of Greyhawk, but never made canon)
1983:
L2, EX1*, EX2*, U3, UK1, UK2: Greyhawk; (*note: demiplane, not written as Greyhawk)
I4, I5, I6, R4: no setting
RPGA3, B5, X4, X5: ?
In 1984, the Dragonlance campaign came along.
Cheers!
Mark Hope
Adventurer
Yeah, the R modules (later collected as Egg of the Phoenix) were set in Frank Mentzer's Aquerra setting, which was possibly on Oerth, although the maps for it were lifted from the Wilderlands of High Fantasy (see the top right part of Map Two in the current boxed set...)MerricB said:
diaglo
Adventurer
actually some copies of B2 make mention of where to place it in Greyhawk.Glyfair said:
it was a module. which meant it was modular and could be placed where the DM preferred without much complication.
the computer version of Ravenloft set it starting in the FR. it follows the DoD model.
Cthulhudrew
First Post
MerricB said:
X1 and X2 were both explicitly set in the Known World- which, in fact, was introduced in X1 and the other modules (B1, B2, B3) retroactively placed there. X1 notes the Known World and the location of the Isle of Dread in it, and X2 specifically mentions the Principalities of Glantri as its setting.
From this point on (the publication of X1), most of the B series modules (and all of the X series) were given specific locations in and around the Known World. The exceptions were B5, B7, B8, and (I believe) B9.
Glyfair
Explorer
MerricB said:
I think a number of these were retroactively set in Greyhawk.* The first Greyhawk campaign setting had a section listing where adventures were placed in Greyhawk by hex. However, if you picked up many of the adventures, you didn't have that information.
The G-series and D-series is an example of this. Pick them up and you have no Greyhawk references. The Greyhawk setting though lists the locations of the giant fortresses by hex, and the hexes underneath which the D-series underdark takes place.
There are some with references. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks explicitly mentions Geoff. I don't believe Tomb of Horrors or White Plume Mountain mention any Greyhawk locations.
* Gary probably had Greyhawk locations for them. However, it's because that's where he ran them in the game. A person reading the adventure wouldn't have this information, though.
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