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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ShadowDenizen" data-source="post: 5072210" data-attributes="member: 16485">My best advice? (And take this with a grain of salt, of course; it's really just my$.02 as a long-time Ravenloft fan.)1) Most important, IMHO? Spend some time beforehand immersing yourself in the "Gothic Horror" genre. (Staples like Frankenstein, Dracula, Isle of Dr. Moreau and others such as EA Poe.)  The feel is paramount to everything.  And it's a very specific tone to convey.2) Secnd most important premise (again, IMHO?)  Keep the threat of PC Death/Insanity/Corroption at the forefront of the game  Sure the PC's may control earth-shattering power, but what happens if they use it foolishly or selfiishly?3) I'm actually OK with the basic premise for your campaign, though that's not what most people typically of when they envision Ravenloft. Typically, the Powers are not even mentioned except in the vaguest of terms, and their "essence" has been debated since they were introduced; you'd need to do some serious thinking about how you want to portray them. (If the goal is to ultimately dismantle them, you should definitely begin foreshadowing them early in the campaign.)4) Realize how dependent each Domain is on it's Darklord; the Darklord is the REASON for the Domain's very existence.  If a Darklord is killed, either the Powers will select a new Darklord, or the domain will be subsumed into ANOTHER domain. (You may want to opt for the latter option, so that you effectively end up with one unified Demiplane of Dread.)5) I would say to focus on a single domain that interests you, intially, while you get a feel for the characters and their powers. (There's quite a few domains to choose from, each wiht their own feel; IE if you want true gothic horror, start in Barovia. For a more grim-n-gritty feel, try Darkon.)  Taking on a Darklord is a daunting task, and should not be taken lightly. (See Point 3.)This will also help you to plan encounters, by seeing what the "theme" of the domain is.  (IE Baroiva would see creatures like wolves, crows, ravens, and other "wild beasts", while Souragne might see a variety of undead in the zombie/ghoul vein.)Anyway, I have more thoughts, but these are the first few points that come to mind. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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