D&D 5E How does Van Richten's change your Ravenloft?

[Faolyn]

I'll probably use most of the realms as they are now presented, but I'm not sure about the maps yet. While I find the idea of each domain being isolated interesting, I'm not sure I like it better than having the domains connected.

I haven't read the entire book yet, so I don't know if they brought back Mistways, but even if they didn't, I'm using them. If I want two domains to be connected, there'll always be a road, waterway, or tunnel connecting them, and you can (almost) always get from one to the other... as long as you stay on the path.

 

[Faolyn]

Do you want the party going from realm to realm during their adventures? How long would they spend in each realm? Why not have them travel to the other realms through the Shadowfell (or via other means)? And if you really don't want that travel - why can't the mists carry them to another realm without traveling the spaces between in the Shadowfell?

Once you're in Ravenloft, you can't leave it--even to go to the Shadowfell. And sure, you can have the Mists sweep people around, but to me, and probably to others as well, that always feels very railroady: "Nope, you guys can't stay in Kartakass anymore; you guys are in G'Henna now!" With actual roads, it's up to the players to go where they want to go and when.

 

[Kodiak3D]

Out of curiosity - why? I'm asking because I'm curious about how other DMs are running (or plan to run) this setting.

First, I'm not even sure that I'm going with the old map just yet. There are things I like about both. As far as why I would use the old map is just because it's what I'm used to. I like the idea of there being a unified core and the relationships some of the realms had (like Drakov's never-ending yet hopeless war against his neighbors).

 

[iltharanos]

I'm DMing a Ravenloft campaign with my group and we're currently 11 sessions into it. Started out in Lamordia and the past seven sessions the party has been in a homebrew domain where the Headless Horseman runs rampant.

Our campaign is definitely sticking to the Core geography and ignoring the soulless shells bit. We still have to talk over what we as a group want to incorporate mechanically into our campaign, but it's a safe bet that Dark Gifts, Mist Talismans, and the new take on Vistani will be included. The domains chapter is a real gem, as it's given me lots of new ideas to incorporate into our game!