D&D 5E Ravenloft Previews of Dementlieu, Lamordia, and Har'Akir

WotC has been sprinkling previews of individual Ravenloft domains to various websites -- including Dementlieu, Lamordia, and Har'Akir. Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is only a couple of weeks away, coming out on May 18th!

Dementlieu​

• Forbes takes a look Dementlieu, which has inspirations like Cinderella, The Masque of the Red Death, and Dark City. "Dementlieu is one of over 30 domains of dread detailed in the book. It’s a sharp contrast to Barovia’s dark forest and looming Gothic castle on a hill. Instead it’s covered in a glamorous sheen of fine clothes and fancy parties. Everyone is dying to be invited to the Grand Masquerade held by Duchess Saidra d’Honaire every week on her private island. And, in many cases, killed if they are discovered at the ball if they’re not supposed to be there."
• Syfy Wire looks at Lamordia, inspired by Frankenstein. "Many of the Domains of Dread are inspired by some horror tale or piece of creepy folklore, and Lamordia definitely has its roots in Frankenstein. But while the Domain is inspired by that classic horror story, its elements are then shot through the lens of D&D adventures and explored to dozens of horrific extremes. Mordenheim's land isn't just about resurrection gone awry, it's also the Domain for all different types of science gone wrong, bizarre experiments, body horror weirdness, and grim tales of society versus a frigid land. Just as there's more to Frankenstein than a scientist who abandoned his child, there's more to Lamordia than stitches and semi-dead flesh."
• Polygon has Har'Akir, an Egyptian-themed domain. "Why is there a Domain that is a desert that is riddled with these ancient, inexplicable haunted monuments and ruined pyramids? How does a Domain like that exist? How does it make sense? To an extent it doesn’t, and it’s going to be the players that come and explore that, who are some of the only people that realize that the entirety of the domain is, to an extent, gaslighting them."

Ankhetop, darklord of Har'Akir

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[tetrasodium]

In a vain, final attempt to drag this thread kicking and screaming back on topic:

IGN has a preview of Falkovnia, which "has been reimagined as a nightmarish Groundhog's Day-style loop, where a struggling nation—which happens to be ruled by a brutal warlord—is endlessly besieged by massive hordes of the walking dead, who just so happen to look like everyone this warlord has ever killed."

Discuss.

I think it has potential with a very zombie fallout kind of feel. From the sound of things it will credibly force a group of players to care about a town longer than it takes to get a couple levels too since they cant just travel a bit more now that they ate level x.

Having a way to make players regret not giving a poo about the locals beyond their ability to act as job boards in a trivially telegraphed way is something I think will be really useful for dealing with certain types of players that are typically hard to guy onboard

 

[TheSword]

I said that the movie contains a scene of a sexual assault that is played off for laughs. It's hardly the first movie to do so. If by, "speaking to his character", you mean someone who sexually touches women without consent, then, okay, fair enough.

It’s the lack of nuance that I find disturbing. The fact that they are in love, marry, and in fact kiss repeatedly throughout the film means your criticism is at best over-ridden by later events and at worst deeply out of context. If Benni went around kissing or groping women or men... and they didn’t fall in love it would be a very different thing. If he did, they would be as entitled to play it for laughs as any other character.

My issue (and the reason I’m persisting on this line) is that you’re not saying O’Connell is a bad character for not getting consent. You’re saying the film (and by extension the team that made the film) has deep and terrible problems - with all the hyperbole from your previous posts that I won’t quote again.

Good grief, even the jokey video I posted recognized every single thing I brought up. This isn't rocket science.

Unlike your posts the video was comedy. Pointing out flaws in the characters for fun... not to raise outrage or disgust. Also the video was one persons opinion, not proof. As I said the video didn’t mention that Evie was working in the Cairo museum, for a highly educated Egyptian Egyptologist that kind of gives the lie to the idea that the only Egyptian characters were fat and greedy or desert warriors.

Criticism should itself be seen with a critical eye to debate whether it is fair or not.

I can’t speak to @Bedrockgames but I certainly don’t disagree with the majority of changes Wizards make.

 

[Azzy]

In a vain, final attempt to drag this thread kicking and screaming back on topic:

IGN has a preview of Falkovnia, which "has been reimagined as a nightmarish Groundhog's Day-style loop, where a struggling nation—which happens to be ruled by a brutal warlord—is endlessly besieged by massive hordes of the walking dead, who just so happen to look like everyone this warlord has ever killed."

Discuss.

Dude! I totally called this.

 

[Umbran]

Try to see there are more views than the orthodoxy you are promoting

"Orthodoxy" sure sounds loaded here.

There's not much point in asking him to see your views when you do not seem to see his.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Unlike your posts the video was comedy. Pointing out flaws in the characters for fun... not to raise outrage or disgust. Also the video was one persons opinion, not proof. As I said the video didn’t mention that Evie was working in the Cairo museum, for a highly educated Egyptian Egyptologist that kind of gives the lie to the idea that the only Egyptian characters were fat and greedy or desert warriors.

Criticism should itself be seen with a critical eye to debate whether it is fair or not.

This. The video is funny, and makes some good points, but often misses details (but then that is the nature of humor---it is built around exaggeration, etc). Also that channel often deliberately gets things wrong for humor and to antagonize fans so they respond (the guy who does it has said as much). I don't take issue with any of that though because the purpose of the channel is to get people to laugh and to troll fans a little (but in good fun, not to sneer at people). But serious criticisms should be more nuanced, and should allow for differences of opinions around conclusions as well as underlying assumptions. But a lot of what I am seeing looks more like religion than criticism to me. The problem I have is it comes off as this list of beliefs that, if you haven't encountered them, you are painted as a rube (i.e. the lit 1 comment), and if you encounter them but disagree (even if it is just with some of the points) you are painted as immoral or supporting immorality----I keep getting told that I am bad and wrong because stated their arguments, linked to things, and yet I persist in disagreeing with them: no one has to agree with you; we are all allowed to have our own ideas and thoughts and to encounter arguments but find them unpersuasive. Thinking someone is evil, bad, immoral or deeply flawed because you told them something and they still don't agree with you about it, is religious thinking.

 

[Bedrockgames]

"Orthodoxy" sure sounds loaded here.

I don't know how else to describe it when someone comes in with a list of beliefs, I don't share them all, and I receive that kind of judgment. I've encountered religious orthodoxy, and this is what it feels like. Umbran, I respect you as a mod. If you want me to bow out of this discussion I will. But I think people are seriously misguided on this stuff. And me not changing my mind about it isn't because I am refusing to listen. I've heard these arguments and thought a lot about them. But I have reached different conclusions. Not every discussion has to be someone shifting their point of view because someone makes a point. I am fine with others not agreeing with me. Agreeing to disagree is important. I just push back when I state my opinion and people start circling wagons around me or antagonizing me (and when I see it done to other posters who express an opinion deemed unpopular).

 

[Bedrockgames]

There's not much point in asking him to see your views when you do not seem to see his.

I've heard his views before. I simply don't agree with them. And I am fine with us disagreeing. I am not fine with what he said in response to our disagreement. I get that I will get some push back. @Charlaquin pushed back with some great points. That doesn't bother me at all. And I am happy to let those kinds of points stand because I see little value in going down a spiral of 'a disagree'. What you have to understand is a lot of people are feeling very stifled and unfairly judged when these topics come up and they don't agree with posters like Hussar.

 

[Alzrius]

What you have to understand is a lot of people are feeling very stifled and unfairly judged when these topics come up and they don't agree with posters like Hussar.

And how.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I can’t speak to @Bedrockgames but I certainly don’t disagree with the majority of changes Wizards make.

I probably don't agree with many of the changes, but right now I am just responding to previews. Generally I am not a fan of how WOTC has handled Ravenloft. I realize that puts me in the older fan category. If people like the new aesthetics, that is fine by me. I have the black box, I have the 2E material. I can run it using that. Most of the stuff I dislike has more to do with the aesthetics, the focus on a wider range of horror and high fantasy, and the overall 5E approach. Just not for me. The political stuff I think gets misused by a lot of people, and I think sometimes companies use it as a shield from criticism. Don't really take issue with changes. But I think the way people mischaracterize some of the older material, some of the older tropes (which can be bad, but aren't always), is more my issue. To me it gets at some of the kinds of discussions we've had around orcs and dungeon crawls being bad here. I just think that takes good intentions into territory that is extreme

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't know how else to describe it when someone comes in with a list of beliefs, I don't share them all, and I receive that kind of judgment.

You are entitled to believe anything you like. But then other people are entitled to judge you based upon your professed beliefs.