Quoth the Raven Issue #9 is now available. I think that you'll agree that this is one of our best issues ever.
In keeping with our new policiy, the best articles of this issue will be chosen to be expanded upon and republished in the Undead Sea Scrolls in January.
So, please vote for your favorite article. Please note that since the number of poll options are limted, some articles are not on the poll. If you would like to vote for an article not on the poll, please post your vote below.
Also, we would like to see a lot of feedback to the authors who spent so much time and energy creating these wonderful works.
I was really blown away by the piece The Foolish Mermaid. It was very short and concise but also very powerful. It was a very Ravenloftian story, which made it quite excellent.
As well, the Aquatic Horrors work was very nice. The art work is impecable and the commentary is excellent and flavourful.
I voted for the pirates, but I would also like to see the deepkin and the monsters too in the USS 2004.
As for feedback: I enjoyed most of the netbook. I haven't read the fiction articles (yet) but I liked every article I've read so far.
While the article on the pirates is my favorite, I liked the deepkin and the sea monsters.
The prestige classes were good and balanced IMO and the NPCs fleshed out as they should. I found the new domain a bit large, but that can be fixed easily.
I'll use much of the material in this netbook.
MY THANKS TO ALL CONTRIBUTORS. The netzine pleasantly filled 2 - 3 hours of my night saving me from boredom.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia My DMGuild work!
I really liked the idea of the Aquatic Horrors article, but couldn't help feeling that each page was much more rushed than the next. Actually, I'm under the impression that the ghost shark was added just to make it a set of three.
As such, I voted for it, and hope that Stanton has more time to think up some new beasties for us, and expand the descriptions of the current creatures.
[size=84]"Against stupidity, the Gods themselves contend in vain." -Friedrich Schiller[/size]
Xanthippe wrote:I really liked the idea of the Aquatic Horrors article, but couldn't help feeling that each page was much more rushed than the next. Actually, I'm under the impression that the ghost shark was added just to make it a set of three.
As such, I voted for it, and hope that Stanton has more time to think up some new beasties for us, and expand the descriptions of the current creatures.
You try drawing with a dying/drying pen, and the only store that sells your favorite brand is across town.
And try drawing for a deadline while having to spackle and paint half of your termite&dry-rot infested house.
"Arrogant mortal! You are in my world now and you will never leave this attic alive! I will destroy you, and then I will possess she whom you love the most. And there is not a single thing in the world you can do to stop me!"
*poke*
"OW!"
-Dracula
Gemathustra wrote:You try drawing with a dying/drying pen, and the only store that sells your favorite brand is across town.
And try drawing for a deadline while having to spackle and paint half of your termite&dry-rot infested house.
*tsk* *tsk* Excuses, excuses.
We all know Stanton brings the heat!
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc4mBjj_yt4&feature=youtu.be
I also forgot to mention that the shark ate my pen before I could start inking it.
"Arrogant mortal! You are in my world now and you will never leave this attic alive! I will destroy you, and then I will possess she whom you love the most. And there is not a single thing in the world you can do to stop me!"
*poke*
"OW!"
-Dracula
Gemathustra wrote:You try drawing with a dying/drying pen, and the only store that sells your favorite brand is across town.
I would agree with Xanthippe, although it was the writing moreso than the art that seemed rushed to me. The first creature had a rather detailed written section, but the second one wasn't nearly as impressive. By the third, it seemed to have been "tacked on" more than written up. I wouldn't say that any of this was bad, but it would have been nice to have more details in the writing as well as the pictures. I loved the artwork, though! Lack of pens or not, it was some great work!
As for the other articles, I'm still trying to wade my way through all of them (excuse the pun). I've read through a few while editing and a few more since its release, but my feedback will come next week when I finish the entire issue and can compare everything.
A little late in their delivery, but here are some of my reviews:
Lost at Sea: I really enjoyed reading this story. I’ll admit that I am somewhat biased with this particular story (since the author is my wife), but it had an interesting plot and a mysterious air to it. The main characters were well developed, and I liked the interaction between the two sisters and Elland/Chordato. The attention to detail was good as well, although I felt that some areas focused too much on detail where others tended to be glossed over. Overall, this is a great story with the potential to be refined into an excellent one.
Aquatic Horrors: I’ve already touched upon this article in a previous post, but I wanted to provide some additional feedback. I thought that the artwork was very good, although a more detailed drawing of the ghost shark would have fit better with the other two pieces. Aside from that, I was somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t more text description to go with each picture. While the information was interesting, it seemed like it was thrown on rather than used to establish the illustrated creature. I would recommend a more detailed account with each picture for the next time something like this is done.
Sea Shanties: I thought that this was a very good story, which ended far too soon. The story ended right about the time that the author truly caught my full attention. The details of the underwater elves were interesting, and storyteller and captain were beginning to develop as full characters. The trouble is that I was left wanting more when the story was ended. I would rate the story highly, but it should have been longer in my opinion.
Foolish Mermaid: Much like Sea Shanties, I felt that this short story ended far sooner than it should have. The artwork was superb and the story was good, but I would have liked to see more detail and thought put into fleshing out the fiction. A three to four page fairytale would have been interesting, although I would still say that this was a wonderfully done piece of work.
Scourge of the Misty Sea: An excellent article! Pirates are not one of my favorite things to read about, but I have to give Stephen a lot of credit in making this article both information and enjoyable to read. There was a wonderful balance between real-world pirate information and Ravenloft details. I could see myself being able to use this information to play a realistic pirate campaign within the Demiplane of Dread. I like the fact that there is even stats for a few example pirates and ship at the end. Kudos!
Children of the Night: I really liked the story and development of Augustin van dem Meer. When I started reading the article, my expectations were for some sort of bowlyn or Jolly Roger. However, Thomas left me pleasantly surprised with a unique undead creation of his own. I love the fact that the history ties in so very well with the monster’s abilities and weaknesses, which sometimes gets overlooked in other products.
Lurking Beneath the Waves: Interesting rules for underwater adventures, although the article tended to be a little dry (“cruch” heavy). I really liked the fact that there was some introductory fiction and the domain and dread possibilities help add a Ravenloftian touch to the article. The domain and Darklord could have used a little more fleshing out, but I don’t know if that would have been appropriate for this article or if that should have been created as an article of its own.
Old Sea Dog: I laughed when I first read this article, but it was a good laugh. I had never considered having a dog (or similar animal) return as a bowlyn, and this concept thoroughly impressed me. Great background story, and the stats reflect some innovative thinking by the author. Very well done!
Character Development (The Old Salt): A thought out and well written article. I don’t tend to use pirates very much, as I mentioned above, but there was some helpful information here in developing a pirate, sailor, or any other character that lives by the seas. My players might actually find this information very useful if I don’t use it to develop some new NPCs.
Terrors of the Deep: This article presented a large collection of interesting monsters, but I was a little disappointed in the lack of detail towards some of the entries. Most of the monsters had stats and ability descriptions listed, but I would have liked to see more information about these new creatures (something that I miss from the days of 2E). The templates were better in providing these details, but fewer monsters with better details would have been more appealing to me. Having said that, I think that each of these monster entries was well done and would prove useful in a sea-based adventure.
The Night the Sea Stood Still: While there is nothing wrong with this adventure, I didn’t find it overly impressive for my use. There just wasn’t much to having a haunted boat with the final goal revolving around repairing the rowboat. I realize that it is meant to be a basic adventure for low-level characters, however, there wasn’t anything to catch my interest.
Winter’s Sorrow: An adventure that both caught my interest and kept it until the very end. I was very impressed with the background of the people and location, and the adventure strongly tied in with everything from this set-up. There was variety for the characters, and I liked that there was plenty of intrigue, interaction, adventuring, and combat. Most adventures (both fan-based and professional) fail to keep my interest, but this is an exception to the case. Excellent work, Thomas!
Nedragonne: An excellent domain with a wonderfully written Daklord. I really enjoyed all the details of the people, locations, and other aspects of the domain, which would make it very easily to integrate it into someone’s campaign. Plus, the background and history of the Darklord was attention grabbing. I really enjoyed learning about the various details of Xanthos. My only complaint about this article is that it seemed to alternate between second edition and third edition rules. I don’t know if this was intentional or an oversight on the author’s part, but it seemed out-of-place to me. However, this is a minor qualm for an otherwise excellent domain.
Perilous Pursuits: I found the Vistani Killer to be a rather new and interesting idea for a prestige class. Since I tend to have a lot of may Ravenloft campaigns involve Invidia, this prestige class could prove very useful either for the PCs or my NPCs. The powers and abilities definitely give them the ability to hunt down and exterminate the Vistani for Malacchio Aderre. As for the Monster Hunter, I didn’t really see anything that would sway me from using any of the preexisting prestige classes. It is a well-written class, but I don’t see what defines it or makes it better than all of the others.
Jason of the Fraternity wrote:
Nedragonne: An excellent domain with a wonderfully written Daklord. I really enjoyed all the details of the people, locations, and other aspects of the domain, which would make it very easily to integrate it into someone’s campaign. Plus, the background and history of the Darklord was attention grabbing. I really enjoyed learning about the various details of Xanthos. My only complaint about this article is that it seemed to alternate between second edition and third edition rules. I don’t know if this was intentional or an oversight on the author’s part, but it seemed out-of-place to me. However, this is a minor qualm for an otherwise excellent domain.
Hi, Jason,
I guess it would be considered an oversight, since I've never played 3e and don't necessarily have any real grasp of its rules. Pretty much the only 3e supplements I've read are the Gazetteers (and I tend to throw out the game mechanics, because my group still uses 2e), so I'm definitely curious about what you thought seemed to use 3e rules.
If you want to post on this thread, or private message me, that would be great. Thanks for your compliments on the article--my first-ever submission for a Ravenloft netbook--and thanks in advance for any constructive criticism. Despite the ego damage it can cause, it really is the only way to improve.
AG
“I let out a battle cry. Sure, a lot of people might have mistaken it for a sudden yelp of unmanly fear, but trust me. It was a battle cry.”
― Harry Dresden
Well, for a first article I must say you made quite a splash.
Nedragonne was a fine domain. The darklord was a great look at the traditional sins-of-the-father theme. Certainly it was neat to see my old Fav. the wereseal return.
The domain and the Lord were very detailed. Though there was a little too much information, I can see why it was so difficult to trim it down. I guess the best advice is from Stephen King's book "On Writing". You have to kill your darlings! Murder them! You have to be savage with your own writings and cut out everything that can stand to go. Full article - 10% = good submission.
AdamGarou wrote:I guess it would be considered an oversight, since I've never played 3e and don't necessarily have any real grasp of its rules. Pretty much the only 3e supplements I've read are the Gazetteers, so I'm definitely curious about what you thought seemed to use 3e rules.
Ah, it might have been a mere coincidence. The article isn't with me at the moment, but I try to reread it and give you some more detailed feedback by this next weekend.
AdamGarou wrote:Thanks for your compliments on the article--my first-ever submission for a Ravenloft netbook--and thanks in advance for any constructive criticism.
Despite being appalled by Stephen’s frequent use of puns, I would have to agree with him that you made a great impression with this being your first article. I'll make sure to give you some feedback later this week when my time is more open to do so.
AdamGarou wrote:Thanks for your compliments on the article--my first-ever submission for a Ravenloft netbook--and thanks in advance for any constructive criticism. Despite the ego damage it can cause, it really is the only way to improve.
Keep it up man, if that is your first, you're gonna put us all to shame very quickly at this rate
I hope to see more of your stuff, so keep sending things in to us
I can't really add any more criticism than the others have except that when it is done, have it proofread and re-read it yourself a few times, go through it in detail, if something doesn't work, change it, if something is to long, cut it, if nothing works, don't be afraid to start again wit ha new approach. In other words, become your own worst critic, I am wit heverything I do and it does help me improve with time and I have seen much imrpovement in my writings since I started submitting to the old BoS netbooks and my Hunadora narrative (which looks horrible these days in writing quality).
