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Message: <blockquote data-quote="M.L. Martin" data-source="post: 4712328" data-attributes="member: 4086">Actually, Soth had been a darklord since the setting's launch. Domains of Dread was actually the last version of the setting to feature him; two years after its release, the Spectre of the Black Rose sent him back to Krynn (where, alas, he went from being scheduled to play a major role in the War of Souls to getting a tossed-in death scene).   The new darklords in DoD are actually Vecna and Kas.   As a die-hard Ravenloft fan since 1991, I still say DoD is a great product. There are elements of the original "Black Box" (bits and pieces, mostly, although I liked its gamemastering advice and mood work more) that I prefer, but honestly, if you only have one Ravenloft product, DoD is the most comprehensive, and probably the best starting point if you run a 2E game that uses most of the options, such as Psionics and Tome of Magic. Follow it up with the Black Box (bits and pieces), the 3E setting (tone and cultural information that's great even if you don't use 3E) and perhaps even the Red Box (Tarokka deck, a few other odds and ends), in that order. If you play 1E or a baseline 2E, you may feel more comfortable with the Black Box; 3E gamers should start with the 3.0 version of the setting and the Secrets of the Dread Realms screen/sourcebook.</blockquote>