Midnight-Is it worth it?

[Paka]

The d20 rules changes made in Midnight are really great. Wildlander is a class I'd use in any game. It just works for me, much more of a step towards Aragorn and Strider and a big step away from Drizz't.

The writing is well done and I'm usually a homebrew setting fan but this setting is set up so that it works and works well.

 

[Derulbaskul]

I would also add that the book is full of A LOT of background/world information and adventure hooks so that there is inspiration for literally dozens of campaigns.

Check out the forums at www.againsttheshadow.org if you want some more ideas.

 

[Trickstergod]

The only real complaint I have is in regards to the Channeler class. After level 4-5, it starts to fall behind as a well-balanced class, in my opinion.

Other than that...it's really a great setting. Most everything fits in together and has its place (I normally hate gnomes, for example. In Midnight, they have their place, and I really dig them in the setting), there's a strong sense of culture which blends quite aptly from one into another, it is geared towards the PC's being truly special (via the Heroic paths) whose presence really makes a difference, and if this means much to you, outside of the three core D&D books, the only Midnight book you really need is the main hardcover. Everything else are just frills.

It goes a long way towards making even the task of killing orcs something that's really fun and gratifying once more, where it seems standard D&D has almost killed the joy of low-level adventuring.

It's definitely not for some people, but for those who can enjoy a dark game where being a hero actually means something for its rarity and difficulty, well, Midnight's the way to go. There's a great deal of depth in it that's often lacking from other settings.

 

[S'mon]

I've enjoyed the first 2 sessions of playing in StalkingBlue's Midnight campaign a lot - killing orcs is a lot more satisfying when you're 1st level and they're CR3 killing machines. - funnily for all the 'darkness' and 'grittiness' it feels a lot more like LOTR than regular D&D ever does; the setting encourages a heroic feel of striving with limited resources against desperate odds, and it makes magic a thing of awe and some dread - since the most powerful spellcasters are not PCs but the dark god's Legates. It's very much a 'high fantasy' rather than 'sword & sorcery' game in my book, and is an example of high fantasy done really well. It has nothing in common with Ravenloft-style Gothic horror as far as I can see, I'm puzzled by comparisons. In Ravenloft the realms are mostly quite safe & placid on the surface, while horror lurks in the very fabric of the land. In Midnight, Evil is everywhere and seemingly omnipotent, but it's a much more hopeful setting at its core.

 

[Trickstergod]

It has nothing in common with Ravenloft-style Gothic horror as far as I can see, I'm puzzled by comparisons. In Ravenloft the realms are mostly quite safe & placid on the surface, while horror lurks in the very fabric of the land. In Midnight, Evil is everywhere and seemingly omnipotent, but it's a much more hopeful setting at its core.

Both settings have an omnipresent sense of evil where those who strive for the good are few and far between. Where little victories are sometimes all one can hope for, but are all the more important. Comparisons could also be made between the Dark Powers and Izrador, as both are fairly immutable and untouchable, with a pervasive presence.

There's quite a few. I think what it is, though, is that they're the opposite sides of the same coin. One goes for epic fantasy, the other for gothic horror, but both deal with the nature of good and evil, where darkness rules the land.

 

[S'mon]

Both settings have an omnipresent sense of evil where those who strive for the good are few and far between. Where little victories are sometimes all one can hope for, but are all the more important. Comparisons could also be made between the Dark Powers and Izrador, as both are fairly immutable and untouchable, with a pervasive presence.

There's quite a few. I think what it is, though, is that they're the opposite sides of the same coin. One goes for epic fantasy, the other for gothic horror, but both deal with the nature of good and evil, where darkness rules the land.

Well, Izrador is a stain on a previously 'normal' world. Ravenloft is set in an inherently evil universe where the very fabric of existence is Evil - destroying this evil would destroy the universe! To me, the Ravenloft setting encouraged apathy and nihilism*. I might get the same feel from Midnight if the DM said "no, you can never beat the Night Kings, all you can do is run and hide", but my DM is better than that. Just because my PC is 2nd level and the Night Kings are Epic (and unstatted) doesn't make it impossible to conceive they might be beaten someday.

*I don't get this from Call of Cthulu. CoC is set in an atheistic, mechanistic universe where 'good' and 'evil' are human constructs of no real relevance to the universe at large - this is much like the real universe AFAIK, and nothing like a universe created 'by evil for evil' like Ravenloft. Masque of the Red Death had a setting more like Midnight's (though set in 19th century Earth) and I had less trouble with it.

 

[Derulbaskul]

Continuing on from S'mon's comments, I think one of the keys to Midnight is ensuring that there is always hope. Yes, the situation is dark, bleak and dangerous, but there is hope of victory. Whether or not that is achieved is another thing, but the hope MUST be there. Even one of the sub-chapter headings later in the book is, The Promise of Hope.

As for the LotR comparison, my campaign, I hope, will turn out to be a combination of LotR and Star Wars with a truly epic/Epic conclusion but more on that in other threads....

 

[S'mon]

As for the LotR comparison, my campaign, I hope, will turn out to be a combination of LotR and Star Wars with a truly epic/Epic conclusion but more on that in other threads....

As has been mentioned elsewhere I think, in most respects the Midnight setting most closely resembles the situation in the Silmarilion towards the end of the First Age, when Melkor/Morgoth is triumphant, before the rest of the Valar step in to kick his butt.
From what I know of the Midnight setup, mortal PCs ought eventually to be able to challenge and defeat the Night Kings, whereas Izrador probably still doesn't have a physical form that can be beaten as such, so somehow restricting, banishing or imprisoning him would seem to be reasonable ultimate goals for a campaign. By contrast Tolkien's Morgoth did have physical form which could be harmed by mortals but his spirit wasn't killable, he could only be banished.

 

[Westwind]

I'm a huge fan of Midnight, it manages to capture the gritty feel I like in some games while keeping the fantasy dimension of DnD. One thing to keep in mind: While the books are worth picking up just to read, Midnight is not for every gaming group out there. Players will struggle to accomplish simple "off camera" tasks and will need to reevaluate what can threaten them. For some, this might be annoying and detract from their style of play.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I'm a huge fan of Midnight, it manages to capture the gritty feel I like in some games while keeping the fantasy dimension of DnD. One thing to keep in mind: While the books are worth picking up just to read, Midnight is not for every gaming group out there. Players will struggle to accomplish simple "off camera" tasks and will need to reevaluate what can threaten them. For some, this might be annoying and detract from their style of play.

Exactly. Not everyone likes RPing his character trying to work out a deal with the blacksmith to get a few nails and a hammer to fix a bed at the local inn so he can have a place to sleep that night.

Yes, it actually happened in one of my Midnight sessions.