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.

 

[Curmudjinn]

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[I'm A Banana]

Personally, I've found Ravenloft tends to be a much better setting, and makes for more fun campaigns, when you play natives rather than planar visitors captured by the mists. Takes "escape" out of the equation entirely. This is just the world; you learn to survive it, or you don't.

I'm partial to this, too, but I'm a setting nerd, so I like to play natives in any setting. Planars in Planescape, residents of the Mists in Ravenloft, folks from the Tyr Region in Dark Sun - I want to play different kinds of heroes in different kinds of settings, and 5 different adventures where I can all be basically the same character isn't precisely my cuppa.

Not that it's not also fun to play fish out of water, just that this isn't the central appeal of most settings for me.

 

[Umbran]

This is just the world; you learn to survive it, or you don't.

I only have a little experience with it, but... it has some plausibility issues for that, of the, "why don't the bad things just eventually *win*" variety, for me. It seems difficult to imagine the level of horror it is supposed to present tied to the a sustainable living space for people who are not adventurers. This makes it okay for an adventure now and then, as the players won't get around to asking the tough questions. But be there for long, and you start wondering how it doesn't just fall apart.

 

[Warbringer]

I gotta admit, I'd salivate over Ravenloft.

As long as it's only saliva ...

 

[Kramodlog]

Just a friendly reminder to everyone who believes WotC will just slap Barovia in some corner of the Sword Coast map....

So canonically in 5e, Barovia is a Demiplane somewhere in the Plane of Shadow.

It is not that that Barovia or the Demiplanes do not exist, it is that they might simply do a gothic AP set in the Sword Coast. The vampire could be one who has an history with the FR, like Manshoon. They would likely add 8 pages on the real Strahd and Barovia at the end of the book for nostalgic fans.

 

[Warbringer]

Have to be honest, last time I ran Ravenloft it was a blast and cheesy

Ran its as a mix between Hotel California and the Dance of the Vampires: (started in a bar that was really a Mord's Mansion that went back the Realm of Dread, rather than just an extra dimensional space .... Ran it real time .. 6pm to Midnight ... fun and cheesy, with way too many Transylvanian accents ... "One dead peasant... two dead peasants... three dead peasants ... ha ha ha"

 

[Mouseferatu]

I only have a little experience with it, but... it has some plausibility issues for that, of the, "why don't the bad things just eventually *win*" variety, for me.

Same reason they don't in any horror-based setting. Because they hunt the edges of society, or else because they already have won; they're in charge. Strahd and Azalin already rule (though most people don't know what they truly are.) But it's no different than Dark Sun in that regard. Or the Blade movies. The dangers that exist are more horrific than in your average D&D setting, but they aren't necessarily that much more common.

 

[Uchawi]

The coolest thing about Ravenloft is the castle. I did not play it with D&D, but enjoyed it while playing a GURPS equivalent. The rest was way out there.

 

[IgnatiusJ.Reilly]

The Domain Lords manage their domains, providing a stability of sorts, to certain ends anyway. For Strahd, Barovia's population is the source of his lost love Tatiana, who's is reincarnated every generation. The 'weekend in hell approach' sadly gives the impression that it's a setting purely for slaying hordes of undead and nothing more. 3.5 Expedition to Castle Ravenloft didn't help this misconception. In that adventure, it's hard to absorb the atmosphere of the place when one is constant ducking the swipe of a ghoul or ghast when they step into every new area. A good DM can fix this easily, but good DMs are often hard to find.

 

[MerricB]

The Domain Lords manage their domains, providing a stability of sorts, to certain ends anyway. For Strahd, Barovia's population is the source of his lost love Tatiana, who's is reincarnated every generation.

And there's also the demiplane itself, which doesn't want the Domain Lords being happy.