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.

 

[ad_hoc]

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.

It's not horror as in modern gore movies. It's horror like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Where the audience is afraid of The Monster and wants it hunted and all it wants is to be loved. The horror comes from the human condition.

That and the scariest things are in your imagination. Once you see the monster it isn't as scary. Most monsters/threats in Ravenloft aren't overt. They are the boogeymen that you are afraid of.

Horror in Ravenloft is the village lynching the caliban because they are hideous when the caliban held the secret to their salvation.

*edit*

There is also a cluster of domains which are renaissance to early victorian era. They are my preferred setting for Ravenloft games. I'm not very fond of Barovia for a campaign. It is fine for a single story.

I also like Mordent and Forlorn because ghosts.

 

[Jester David]

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.

Agreed.
The stories and motives of the characters tend to be much more interesting when they character's aren't just focused on escaping and/or murdering the big bad.

 

[Sunseeker]

Considering I've been working on a Ravenloft set-campaign conversion, I wouldn't mind this. I would be interested to see if they go with a conversion of the classic or if they do a "same setting, but later in the timeline" sort of thing.

 

[bedir than]

I think in my bygone era of 1st edition we played Ravenloft stuff once or twice (much less than FR, DL, GH in that order). But I think it makes more sense to bring in because it is so portable. Teaching people that horror is as much, if not more, about anticipation is excellent.

It has the potential to be a lesson in storytelling. Ravenloft, in my limited experience, was not about place. It is about atmosphere. Grim, dark, dingy and everything with a hint of the unpleasant. Unlike settings like Eberron and DragonLance, the mechanics of Ravenloft are portable. It's themes can exist in nearly any homebrew and settle into the Realms or Greyhawk simply.

From a business decision Ravenloft makes sense as a first non-FR dip.

 

[Louis Brenton]

Ravenloft is my first preference for a new, non-FR setting, so I'm hopeful that this is what we've got coming. I don't find it particularly significant or important if they find a little corner of Toril to place it in that can be physically traveled to from elsewhere in the Realms, or if they put in a demi-plane in the Shadowfell, like the DM guide seems to indicate.

 

[Marandahir]

Ravenloft is my first preference for a new, non-FR setting, so I'm hopeful that this is what we've got coming. I don't find it particularly significant or important if they find a little corner of Toril to place it in that can be physically traveled to from elsewhere in the Realms, or if they put in a demi-plane in the Shadowfell, like the DM guide seems to indicate.

The thing is, the way the Shadowfell works, you physically travel to the equivalent place. If you happen to be swept up in mists, then… you're screwed if you're not a Vistani.

So they could easily manufacture a Was-Once-Barovia somewhere in the Realms. Remember, the Realms grew 3x bigger again (in 4e, it was 150 miles between Neverwinter and Waterdeep; in 5e, it's 450 miles between the cities). There's plenty of room for Barovia somewhere.

 

[Coffinthrower]

Whatever happened to the Shakespearean giants adventure that was mentioned?

 

[MerricB]

Whatever happened to the Shakespearean giants adventure that was mentioned?

It's (likely) coming. There are currently at least four storylines under development at Wizards, two of which we'll see next year.

Unless, of course, the next story is Shakespearean Giants in Ravenloft!

Cheers!

 

[Hussar]

I have to admit, I have zero interest in Ravenloft as a setting in and of itself. To me, Ravenloft has always been the "Trapped and must excape" adventure that it originally was. Then again, I never got into the Ravenloft setting as such, only played some of the early modules.

I could easily see an excursion Adventurers League season where your PC is scooped up from FR (so you can still use all the material out so far) and dumped into RL. I doubt they are going to go the full blown setting thing because then you can't use previous books. You can't be a Purple Dragon Knight if you're born in Barovia. They aren't going to create a new AP that won't support previous books.

I do hope we get another Player's Guide though too. That would be cool. All sorts of horror themed classes and subclasses for dealing with a RL AP.

 

[Nikmal]

I don't think the fans overall are happy with the way things are going. I believe it's a combination of product starvation and something is better than nothing.

I don't want to see D&D turned into a shell of it's former self in the name of never satisfied profit.

Settings like Ravenloft have a reputation as a great setting that lots of people love and cutting it down into some poor AP is an insult and cheapens the setting.

I think you are making assumptions that A) Ravenloft is even going to be done in the first place and B) if it is done that it will not be done as a setting or "done right" by the people that love the setting as much as you do yourself. Despite what Chris Perkins said.. we don't know what is coming up or not.