4E Ravenloft

[Mokona]

See, there are two types of Ravenloft...

The "gothic adventure setting" where the mists pull you in and the PCs spend most of their time trying to escape (original box-sets)...

The other is the "Gothic Cliche Campaign Setting" where you start as natives in a world run by every Hammer/Universal movie monster and you're goal is to make the world a better place because you ultimately can't beat the dark powers (Domains of Dread, Arthaus 3e)...

Both of these versions of Ravenloft aren't very playable - which is a key concern of 4th edition creations. They don't really work as a campaign setting but could work as one-off adventure modules.

Ravenloft needs significant revisions (which will anger some fans based on observations of ire about Planescape/Forgotten Realms displayed here) to be a setting for continuing campaign play. I agree with the post that Ravenloft could easily be a great "points of light" campaign setting if some of the Monsters-Rule-The-World zaniness is toned down. A well crafted Ravenloft campaign setting could even be used as just a region (aka Transylvania) by DMs within their homebrew world.

 

[Klaus]

The Headless Horseman from Ravenloft is seen a bit in the FRCS, as the Zhent Headless Horseman, who disappears "into the mists" after his attack.

 

[RandomCitizenX]

Both of these versions of Ravenloft aren't very playable - which is a key concern of 4th edition creations. They don't really work as a campaign setting but could work as one-off adventure modules.

Ravenloft needs significant revisions (which will anger some fans based on observations of ire about Planescape/Forgotten Realms displayed here) to be a setting for continuing campaign play. I agree with the post that Ravenloft could easily be a great "points of light" campaign setting if some of the Monsters-Rule-The-World zaniness is toned down. A well crafted Ravenloft campaign setting could even be used as just a region (aka Transylvania) by DMs within their homebrew world.

The several long running 2ed and 3ed Ravenloft games I have played in would be to differ with you. It is very easy to run a Ravenlot game as written as long as you remember that it doesn't always have to be about killing something and taking its stuff. Also, Ravenloft is alot more than just Strahd and his particular Domain. If they would take the route you proposed and made RL in such a way as it could be substitute Transylvania it would greatly miss the point on several thing that can make RL fun and interesting.

 

[malraux]

Both of these versions of Ravenloft aren't very playable - which is a key concern of 4th edition creations. They don't really work as a campaign setting but could work as one-off adventure modules.

I don't grok how something could work as a one-off adventure module, but not be very playable. I think that the weekend in hell version of ravenloft, combined with the shadowfell, makes for a very playable version of ravenloft. Its not a full campaign setting, sure, but isn't intended to be.

 

[ProfessorPain]

Both of these versions of Ravenloft aren't very playable - which is a key concern of 4th edition creations. They don't really work as a campaign setting but could work as one-off adventure modules.

Ravenloft needs significant revisions (which will anger some fans based on observations of ire about Planescape/Forgotten Realms displayed here) to be a setting for continuing campaign play. I agree with the post that Ravenloft could easily be a great "points of light" campaign setting if some of the Monsters-Rule-The-World zaniness is toned down. A well crafted Ravenloft campaign setting could even be used as just a region (aka Transylvania) by DMs within their homebrew world.

I don't know, I found it was very workable as a campaign setting. Not if you want a setting that is heavy on realism of course, but for a fantasy/horror setting, I thought it worked. Particularly the 3E rules released by Arthaus Games. Personally I found it a lot of fun to be a plater or a GM in the Ravenloft Campaign setting. But even the old Domains of Dread book did a good job of making it a playable campaign setting. You just don't want to always have the players fighting domain lords. If you do that, yes, the "monsters rules the world zaniness, becomes a bit of a problem. But as a backdrop, and occassional adversary, the domain lord concept worked.

 

[ferratus]

I'm definitely a fan of the "chop shopped" Ravenloft and Planescape, because there was always too much baggage to incorporate elements of Ravenloft or Planescape to my own campaign. Presenting Sigil as its own city between the planes, without all the planescape factions, locations, and backstory it makes it much more palatible to absorbing into my own homebrew cosmology. Likewise for Ravenloft, I don't want all the B monster baggage, but a Domains of Dread that I can use as part of an overall campaign (or a break from it) I really like.

Thus, with Manual of the Planes and other things about cosmology, I don't mind the mining of those old settings for inspiration. However, if it is simply importing planescape or ravenloft, I'm not going to buy it. It will be for Planescape and Ravenloft fans, of which I'm not a member.

I say if the demand is there for a Ravenloft or Planescape supplement, then let it be unapologetically made. However, I see no reason why we can't take choice peices of those settings that the rest of us can find cool in the meantime.

 

[Stoat]

I would be very surprised if some iteration of I6/House of Strahd/Expedition to Castle Ravenloft were NOT produced for 4E.

I would be equally surprised if a "Ravenloft" campaign setting WERE produced for 4E.

 

[knasser]

I'm surprised I haven't seen any mention of Dragon issue 368 which had a fully fleshed out Domain of Dread complete with border of mists, dark lord and required PCs to solve the riddle of the domain to escape. And it was a very good article.

Ravenloft is two things - the domains themselves and the rules and guidance on running a horror game. The former we will see appearing in places like Dragon magazine and maybe we will see a collected book of them. But we will see them, I think. The latter component, I would expect to see in a supplement at some point, but perhaps not until 4e enters its "finished all the obvious stuff" phase, a la Heroes of Horror. More likely we'll see some articles on it all in Dragon etc. long before that.

The biggest barrier to seeing Ravenloft 4e under that name, imo, is that WotC looks like they want to stick to their formulas and for a campaign setting, that means a DM book, a player's guide and an adventure. I just can't see Ravenloft being stretched out to that.

But the essential components of Ravenloft will pry their cold fingers out of the grave in one form or another, I have little doubt. We've already seen one of the domains of dread and hints of others in the MotP.

 

[Remathilis]

But the essential components of Ravenloft will pry their cold fingers out of the grave in one form or another, I have little doubt. We've already seen one of the domains of dread and hints of others in the MotP.

Oh sure, they have already as you pointed out. The "Weekend in Hell" Ravenloft appears at the moment to be the one WotC is supporting. You'll get small, self-contained "domains" that float in the shadowfell ruled by dark lords to act as foes. You'll get goth-y flavored horror and some classic horror tropes.

But I'm not sure you'll ever get "Lord Azalin has sealed his border against Dragov's forces, trapping the PCs in Darkon. Several Vistani offer you safe passage through the Mists, but they demand a terrible price to do so." Ravenloft. Which is a bit of a shame.

 

[Klaus]

Oh sure, they have already as you pointed out. The "Weekend in Hell" Ravenloft appears at the moment to be the one WotC is supporting. You'll get small, self-contained "domains" that float in the shadowfell ruled by dark lords to act as foes. You'll get goth-y flavored horror and some classic horror tropes.

But I'm not sure you'll ever get "Lord Azalin has sealed his border against Dragov's forces, trapping the PCs in Darkon. Several Vistani offer you safe passage through the Mists, but they demand a terrible price to do so." Ravenloft. Which is a bit of a shame.

Yeah, to me Ravenloft really flourished with Domains of Dread and the 3e incarnation, when you were encouraged to play natives to the demiplane. I even set up a "world map" of Ravenloft using the "mistways" from 3e as a guideline of how to arrange the various Islands of Terror in relation to the Core, as I reckoned that would be like natives would view the demiplane.