It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like RAVENLOFT

On the Down With D&D podcast, writer Shawn Merwin (who is writing at least one adventure for the next D&D Adventurers Guild season) responded to a query about whether the next season was "gothic" in nature -- "I can neither confirm nor deny that, although I've heard that much was talked about at Gamehole Con in Chris Perkins' seminar ... I think people who have heard that seminar know what's going on, but I still cannot say anything." That seminar, which I largely transcribed here, hinted really strongly at Ravenloft. (thanks to darjr for the scoop)

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In response to comments about Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman, Merwin said "You like that kind of stuff? I get misty-eyed about it myself."

Of course, none of this is conclusive. But it's hard not to think that - if not Ravenloft itself - something Ravenloft-inspired is coming with the next D&D storyline.

They went on to discuss Baldman Games' (hosts of Winter Fantasy) announcements about D&D events at the convention in February. Regarding the Epic adventure being used to launch the upcoming season, which will debut at that convention, they have the following exchange:

Shawn Merwin: ...if you're into D&D at all, or if you're into Adventurer's League specifically, you will not want to miss.

Christopher Sniezak: I hear there may be blood and stakes involved?

Shawn Merwin: It's definitely possible.

It sounds a little to me like they have discussed this subject in more detail off-air. Whatever the case, these are not the first "gothic" hints we've gotten - it's certainly Beginning To Look A Lot Like Ravenloft, as Bing Crosby once famously sang.

If you want to listen to the full podcast, click here or on Strahd up above.

 

[spectacle]

I guess my issue would be, why would you come out with a Sword Coast Adventurers Guide only to have the next (or maybe the next next) AP not reference it and render 99% of it completely useless. It's not like your Forgotten Realms background is going to matter in the slightest if the RL campaign doesn't actually take place in the FR. No one you meet will have any connection to your background.

I don't really think WotC is going to do that. The whole point of building a single brand is to have a single brand. Part of that brand has been the Sword Coast. "Hey, I know you just got that SCAG for Christmas and you haven't used it yet in Adventurers League play, but, too bad, the next AL season completely ignores that book" is something I really, really doubt they're going to do.

The AP will probably start off on the Sword Coast and have the characters sucked in by the Mists in the first episode. Ravenloft comes with a built in method for traveling into int from anywhere in the multiverse, so there's no need to relocate anything to the Realms. It's not like having the action take place in some remote valley that nobody has ever heard of and that isn't mentioned in the book will make the SCAG more relevant.

 

[Hussar]

Sure it is. You'd still have things like Harpers and Zentarim and events from other AP's spilling in. Background history and groups specific to the Realms. IOW all those things you find in SCAG. If you reallocate to another plane then all that gets set aside.

Might happen but I wouldn't be shocked if it didn't.

 

[delericho]

Sure it is. You'd still have things like Harpers and Zentarim and events from other AP's spilling in.

That's a good shout - both "Tyranny of Dragons" and "Rage of Demons" (not to mention LMoP) have had the PCs connect to the game's factions. I would expect this to continue in future storylines where feasible, and I'd also expect them not to introduce new factions instead. So that's another reason for sticking with FR.

 

[Remathilis]

Sure it is. You'd still have things like Harpers and Zentarim and events from other AP's spilling in. Background history and groups specific to the Realms. IOW all those things you find in SCAG. If you reallocate to another plane then all that gets set aside.

Might happen but I wouldn't be shocked if it didn't.

Does it? I'm playing in RoD (not DMing) and while we're not very far into yet, it feels like we could be on the moon for all of how connected it is to the rest of the Sword Coast.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, the AL stuff will probably stock in the Moonsea, but the main AP can go a bit farther afield, even to another world.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Thoughts please, chaps and chapesses.

Want to run Ravenloft I6 converted to 5e and thinking of dropping it onto a 'return to wave echo cave' idea.

The PCs will be returning to Phandalin to attend the funeral of Gundren (they were...careless). What if...

Castle Ravenloft appears where Cragmaw Castle is.

Phandalin is oddly changed and all through the Triboar Trail area is the eerie fog. The abandoned town of Coneyberry is suddenly a living, breathing town - a bit like Brigadoon. The PCs stop there en route 'home' and receive their summons. Ireena is replaced with Garaele. On subduing/defeating Strahd the land returns to the way it was before, with the demiplane moving on, leaving nothing behind but memories and a punctured neck or two...