New Official Ravenloft Fansite?

[johnsemlak]

Is this site replacing Kargatane.com as the new official 3e Ravenloft fan site?

http://on.to/midwayhaven

 

[Wombat]

Looks pretty.

But way too many #&^%#* pop-up ads...

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Is this site replacing Kargatane.com as the new official 3e Ravenloft fan site?

http://on.to/midwayhaven

Well, it does say (at the bottom in very small print):

"This site and everything inside it is purely a fan site and is not affiliated to Wizards of the Coast in any way."

So, that doesn't sound very "official" to me.

Looks pretty.

But way too many #&^%#* pop-up ads...

And for this reason alone, I hope it never become the "official" site. Just going to the URL brought up two pop-ups, one of which wanted to install software on my computer.

 

[johnsemlak]

Ok, you're right, it doesn't look like the Official ravenloft site.

Any what the new official Ravenloft site is?

 

[tetsujin28]

What happened to Kargatane?

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

Just going to the URL brought up two pop-ups, one of which wanted to install software on my computer.

Thank you for the warning. I was about to visit the site but I will not til I hear that those pop ups will not install software on what I consider my personal property without my consent. That really ticks me off.

 

[johnsemlak]

The link is still good, check it out. The details are there:

www.kargatane.com

Basically, the site's owners decided to throw in the hat and close the site. Again, the formal annoucnement is posted there.

 

[Alzrius]

Any what the new official Ravenloft site is?

The answer is simple: there isn't one.

The idea of "Official fan sites" was born out of a desire for old campaigns to continue on in some form that would be official, but not to have TSR/WotC spending time and money on them. Hence, they designated one site for each campaign that would produce future works for that line that would be considered as official as it TSR/WotC themselves produced them.

The Kargatane was the first such site. However, while it had put out some very nice unofficial supplements up to then, and even announced that they would release an official product around the end of 1999 or so (Death Undaunted), it didn't materialize. The reason behind this was that White Wolf bought the license to Ravenloft - which effectively cut the Kargatane's ability to produce official works.

As near as I can figure out, although WotC had "deputized" the Kargatane to be able to make official works, WW's holding the Ravenloft license trumped that, since they had the legal rights to publish Ravenloft, and Secrets of the Kargatane was not actually part of WotC itself. Hence, the Kargatane quickly lost any ability it had to produce official material. Death Undaunted was never released for myriad reasons (such as its primary author doing other work which he was paid for), and the other Kargatane releases (such as Shadow of the Knife and Children of the Night: Demons) were thusly unofficial also.

So, to go back on-topic, there will not be another official fansite because A) there is no need for one, since the line is being actively supported again, and B) White Wolf won't let there be one, since they hold the rights and (apparently) won't grant any fansites the right to produce official materials for Ravenloft.

The official website for Ravenloft can now be said to be the Ravenloft section of the Sword & Sorcery Studios webpage: http://www.swordsorcery.com/swordsorcery/ravenloft.html

 

[JeffB]

It should be noted that many of the Kargatane worked on the 3E Ravenloft materials too.

I am really sad to see the Kargatane go. I only wish I could find as useful and interesting GH and FR communities. AFAIC, Kargatane set the benchmark for Campaign setting fan-sites.

 

[JeffB]

It should be noted that many of the Kargatane worked on the 3E Ravenloft materials too.

I am really sad to see the Kargatane go. I only wish I could find as useful and interesting GH and FR communities. AFAIC, Kargatane set the benchmark for Campaign setting fan-sites.