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D&D's Classic Settings Are Not 'One Shots'
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<blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 9110263" data-attributes="member: 7635"><p>I will profess ignorance on Har'Akir. Like most of the islands of terror, it was so far removed from the mainland as to be a second-class domain. Which was a shame, the Core created a two-tier system where an important domain like Har-Akir was less important than a domain like Keening or a giant hole in the continent. But that's neither here nor there.</p><p></p><p>Drakov was absolutely a Vlad rip-off based on an incomplete understanding of Vlad the Impaler. Good on the Kargatane to try and mix in another historical monster, but there was no way Vlad Hitler was going to be sellable in 2023.</p><p></p><p>Urik was always a hodgepodge of bad ideas. The Red Wizards of That took a literal animal, turned him into a man (with black skin befitting his animal type), "civilized" him, turned him into a vampire because reasons, and gave him a Germanic name. With a curse of domestic violence. Was this domain designed by Mad Libs? Was the goal to create a domain with as many problematic tropes as possible? If ANY domain needed a clean up, it's THIS one. Even a surface level reading screams "the only black darklord was a civilized animal" makes orc debate look like a fan debate over the color of Elminster's cloak.</p><p></p><p>And Mordenheim was absolutely Frankenstein: build a creature, arrogant scientist, loved one pays for it, Adam is articulate and not a lumbering brute, etc. Even the name Adam is the one thing the Creature from Shelly's novel calls itself (I ought to be thy Adam...). Viktra isn't looking to create life, she is looking to preserve it. Elsie is a friend who is dying and her work saves her life at a cost. Viktra is a parable about medicine and obsession couched in the language of Frankenstein. I'll take that over CVS-brand Frankenstein.</p><p></p><p>The notion of trade and international politics in Ravenloft is almost absurd. Domain borders close at the whim. Several domains are highly isolated or even non-populated, the coast disappears on the Western side of the map randomly and there's a gaping hole where a country used to be. The average Barovian merchant is barely traveling from Kresk to the Village that is perpetually surrounded by choking fog, let alone heading to Nova Vaasa. Whole economies would be ruined if Strahd throws a hissy fit and closes the borders. You can't impose the rules of logical commerce (as much as it's logical by D&D's standards) on Ravenloft without resorting to nightmare logic anyway, so cut the pretense. </p><p></p><p>On the one hand, I give Arthaus and the Kargatane credit for trying to keep the Ravenloft setting alive during a time when WotC only found value in Strahd and his castle. But I think the setting needed a good pruning. Maybe WotC went too far, but there was some very badly done lore in it that needed sorting.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Remathilis, post: 9110263, member: 7635"] I will profess ignorance on Har'Akir. Like most of the islands of terror, it was so far removed from the mainland as to be a second-class domain. Which was a shame, the Core created a two-tier system where an important domain like Har-Akir was less important than a domain like Keening or a giant hole in the continent. But that's neither here nor there. Drakov was absolutely a Vlad rip-off based on an incomplete understanding of Vlad the Impaler. Good on the Kargatane to try and mix in another historical monster, but there was no way Vlad Hitler was going to be sellable in 2023. Urik was always a hodgepodge of bad ideas. The Red Wizards of That took a literal animal, turned him into a man (with black skin befitting his animal type), "civilized" him, turned him into a vampire because reasons, and gave him a Germanic name. With a curse of domestic violence. Was this domain designed by Mad Libs? Was the goal to create a domain with as many problematic tropes as possible? If ANY domain needed a clean up, it's THIS one. Even a surface level reading screams "the only black darklord was a civilized animal" makes orc debate look like a fan debate over the color of Elminster's cloak. And Mordenheim was absolutely Frankenstein: build a creature, arrogant scientist, loved one pays for it, Adam is articulate and not a lumbering brute, etc. Even the name Adam is the one thing the Creature from Shelly's novel calls itself (I ought to be thy Adam...). Viktra isn't looking to create life, she is looking to preserve it. Elsie is a friend who is dying and her work saves her life at a cost. Viktra is a parable about medicine and obsession couched in the language of Frankenstein. I'll take that over CVS-brand Frankenstein. The notion of trade and international politics in Ravenloft is almost absurd. Domain borders close at the whim. Several domains are highly isolated or even non-populated, the coast disappears on the Western side of the map randomly and there's a gaping hole where a country used to be. The average Barovian merchant is barely traveling from Kresk to the Village that is perpetually surrounded by choking fog, let alone heading to Nova Vaasa. Whole economies would be ruined if Strahd throws a hissy fit and closes the borders. You can't impose the rules of logical commerce (as much as it's logical by D&D's standards) on Ravenloft without resorting to nightmare logic anyway, so cut the pretense. On the one hand, I give Arthaus and the Kargatane credit for trying to keep the Ravenloft setting alive during a time when WotC only found value in Strahd and his castle. But I think the setting needed a good pruning. Maybe WotC went too far, but there was some very badly done lore in it that needed sorting. [/QUOTE]
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