Ravenloft Reanimated: Main Thread

Coordinating community projects
Post Reply
User avatar
WolfKook
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 573
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:10 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Contact:

Ravenloft Reanimated: Main Thread

Post by WolfKook »

The Ravenloft Reanimated project started with a couple of threads which dealt on the changes that members of this forum would bring to the setting, to the darklords, to the rules, if allowed to build them from the ground up.

The term "Ultimate Ravenloft" was coined in these threads, as a reference to the update and reimagining that took place on Marvel Comics in the early 2000's to bring the firm's imagined universe to a new generation of readers.

So, the project began with a "Should we?", a question that received a lot of support, and the wheels started turning from then on.

So, what's the Ravenloft Reanimated project all about?

It's a creative exercise to produce an alternate, exciting version of our favorite setting, building on the lessons learned over the last 25 years to update it for a new generation of gamers.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"
William Blake
User avatar
WolfKook
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 573
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:10 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Contact:

Post by WolfKook »

From early on, a set of 5 project goals (With an optional 6th) were fixed for the Ravenloft Reanimated project. Those were:
  • To keep the setting original staples: Horror, Madness, a Gothic Feel, the Dark Powers, the Mists, the Darklords, the Domains, the Vistani, the Legends, a degree of grittiness, frightening monsters, oppression and prophecies.
  • To increase playability, making each domain "richer", giving them plenty of rumors and adventure hooks, making the setting encouraging and exciting for new players, allowing them to have some information and some (small) chance to win.
  • To solve consistency problems, eliminating Deus-ex-Machinas and creating a real, believable world with population and ecologies able to support the amount of predators, a climate that makes sense, economical viability, and believable sources of power, within the altered laws of a fantasy world such as the one we're creating.
  • To solve temporal problems and timeline inconsistencies, creating a unified timeline which allows for easy reference in the creation of the world's backstory, making the timeline longer, allowing beings like ancient dead to be really "ancient", etc.
  • To include fan-made material, both published and all new, along with newer setting information (Church of Ezra, Carnival, the Dukkar, Fugued, Oubliettes, etc.) and everything we consider worthy of being included, integrating them to the mainstream.
These have been the project tenets from the very beginning, and they have been taken into account when design decisions have been taken.

The last goal (To update the rules, keeping up with 4th Edition D&D) has been widely debated, as some people would prefer the project to be rules-independent, so it was set apart temporarily for further discussion.

Edit: In the end, it was decided that RLR would be mostly rules-independent, concentrating on fluff over crunch. However, it would be designed with D&D 4E optimization in mind, with all other potential rulesets being added as plug-ins.
Last edited by WolfKook on Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"
William Blake
User avatar
WolfKook
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 573
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:10 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Contact:

Post by WolfKook »

After an open poll, where everyone interested was able to vote for 10 domains, and against other 5, the following domains from canon RL were selected to be translated to RLR:

1. Barovia (Strahd)
2. Borca (Ivan Dilisnya/Ivana Boritsi)
3. Darkon (Azalin), absorbing Keening as a pocket domain.
4. Dementlieu (Dominic D'Honaire)
5. Falkovnia (Vlad Drakov)
6. Har Akir (Ankhtepot), absorbing Sebua.
7. Kartakass (Harkon Lukas)
8. Lamordia (Mordenheim/Adam)
9. Mordent (Lord Godefroy or the entity in the House on Gryphon Hill)
10. Nidala (Elena Faithhold), absorbing Avonleigh, and keeping the Shadowborn Manor as a pocket domain.
11. the Nightmare Lands (Nightmare Court), absorbing Vechor.
12. Nocturnal Sea (Meredoth)
13. Paridon (Still undecided)
14. Pharazia (Diamabel)
15. Sea of Sorrows (Still undecided)
16. Souragne (Anton Misroi)
17. Sri Raji (Arijani)
18. Tepest (The Three Hags), keeping Castle Island as a pocket domain.

Edit: After the poll, there was still uncertainty about some of the domains, which haven't got enough votes to be kept immediately, but have got enough of them not to be discarded, either. In the end, they were classified in groups of 4, and the poll reopened for each group individually. In the end, the following domains were added to the list:

19. Blaustein (Bluebeard)
20. Bluetspur (The God-Brain)
21. G'Henna (Yagno Petrovna)
22. Ghastria (Stezen D'Polarno)
23. Nova Vaasa (Sodo)
24. Richemulot (Jackie)
25. Rokushima Taiyoo (Shinpi Haki)
26. Vorostokov (Gregor Zolnik)

Edit: The (partial) results of the RLR Game of Conquest have been included in the domain list.
Last edited by WolfKook on Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:16 pm, edited 4 times in total.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"
William Blake
User avatar
Pamela
Sorority Shadow
Sorority Shadow
Posts: 931
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:48 am
Location: Have gun, will travel
Contact:

Post by Pamela »

Oops, didn't realise that the decisions had already been made. Please ignore my very late votes...:P
His only real danger is if stupidity is contagious and lethal. In which case, we’re all dead…-Gertrude
User avatar
WolfKook
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 573
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:10 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Contact:

Post by WolfKook »

Pamela wrote:Oops, didn't realise that the decisions had already been made. Please ignore my very late votes...:P
No problem! I'd guessed no one else would be voting by now, but we can still make adjustments :wink:
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"
William Blake
User avatar
WolfKook
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 573
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:10 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Contact:

Post by WolfKook »

To keep adjusted to the goal of the project to include fan-made domains, there was a broad review of the domains which had been published in different websites and netbooks, which ended up expanding the list to include the following:

27. Al-Kathos
28. Arkandale
29. Carcharodon Island
30. Fairhaven
31. Farelle
32. Huninfjord
33. Isle of Ravens, the
34. Kor
35. Mictlan
36. Monte Mal
37. Nueva Aragona
38. Nzari
39. Sanzhou Grove
40. Virisa

According to a pre-established goal of 50 domains, there were 10 spots left, which would be filled with all-new domains, and a contest was created with that goal in mind.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"
William Blake
User avatar
breno
Conspirator
Conspirator
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 3:25 am

Post by breno »

I'm new to the forums (registered months ago but just started posting). It's sad not to see Forlorn in the list. True, it's a tiny domain with little going on in it but it captivated me ever since I got ahold of the Castles Forlorn boxed set. Anyway, seeing this is a community project perhaps there'll be an opportunity for it's inclusion, I'd definitely volunteer to help with that :-)
Breno
User avatar
Snake
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 277
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:01 pm
Location: Lost in the Dread Realms

Post by Snake »

Well I really like this idea. I'm definitely not a 4th edition person, but the idea of expanding everything and making it a richer environment to play in really appeals to me. With all the details added in, it will be easy enough to use our groups 3.5 rules with your updated setting. :D If you need any volunteer help, just let me know.
Forgotten Son of Lord Vasili
User avatar
Ravendragon
Conspirator
Conspirator
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:45 am

Post by Ravendragon »

What's the current state of this project?
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
User avatar
hidajiremi
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 239
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 1:13 am
Gender: Male
Location: Lexington, KY
Contact:

Re: Ravenloft Reanimated: Main Thread

Post by hidajiremi »

I'm interested to see if there's been any progress on this front or not. And if the announcement for Ravenloft 4E has altered the direction of the project, or even (dark powers forbid) caused to project directors to abandon it.


Jeremy Puckett
"Children are innocent and love justice, while most adults are wicked and prefer mercy." G.K. Chesterton
jules
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 263
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 4:20 pm

Re: Ravenloft Reanimated: Main Thread

Post by jules »

hidajiremi wrote:I'm interested to see if there's been any progress on this front or not. And if the announcement for Ravenloft 4E has altered the direction of the project, or even (dark powers forbid) caused to project directors to abandon it.


Jeremy Puckett
ditto
User avatar
Sorti
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 255
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 9:56 am
Location: Ethereal Border

Re: Ravenloft Reanimated: Main Thread

Post by Sorti »

The project was abandoned due to the disappearance of wolfkook, long before RL4e was announced.
Coltiviamo per tutti un rancore
che ha l'odore del sangue rappreso
ciò che allora chiamammo dolore
è soltanto un discorso sospeso
Post Reply