Personal Canon

[Lost Heretic]

the biggest changes have been Falkovnia marching into Lamordia which is now a puppet state (although the Darklord hasn't changed). This has pushed Falkovnia's other small neighbours into an uneasy closer alliance and Mordentshire is becoming (slowly) militarised and industrialised.

Great idea - this really makes Falkovnia a force to be reckoned with, but doesn't change much about the setting as written.

[ewancummins]

My assumption is that most of the nations of the Core claim to be descended from settlers and explorers that came from 'lands across the sea/beyond the Mists, long ago.' The Core isn't necessarily a Europe analogue, but more like North America if colonization had begun in early medieval times and further two-way contact with the Old World had been lost. Oh, and if some of the Indians were werewolves or goblins. This meshes neatly with most domains having only a few centuries of written history. Instead of domains simply appearing out of the Mists, people talk of them being discovered, settled, or reclaimed. Mistways can be on land as well as at sea, after all. Some nations, like the Barovians, arrived very early and put down deep roots. Others are more recent arrivals. The North American angle is also a nice fit with the New World and Old World animal and plant mix established in canon (and common to several campaign settings, I've noticed- maybe because Americans were heavily involved as creators in most of them).

[impworks]

@Lost Heretic It worked nicely in play: Adam is hunted by Falkovnian forces and even more isolated. Drakov gets a victory that he can't enjoy because while he controls the land he can't go there. Everyone else feels threatened by his victory. Darkon is cut off from the growing Sea of Sorrows trade during the winter freeze of the northern seas. Lamordia now has cloak and dagger intrigues as different forces fight in the shadows but more The Prisoner of Zenda than the intriguing of the southern core.

[brass]

Personally I've just uped the population count of alot of the core countries, to give player more of a feel travelling across europe when in the core. But for the most part it's just the urban population leaving large almost empty rural areas. For example to bring Port-a-Lucine more in line with a Paris of 1365 the population is 275,000.

Firearms also have more prevelance in my games as the great leveler for the civilized people of the core.

I think for horror the player should come from somewhere more familiar so they are more shock by the horror of the strange.

[ewancummins]

My Ravenloft has skunks and porcupines ( dire hedgehogs .

[d'Ysmaul]

Borrowing shamelessly from George R. R. Martin here...

The Core doesn't use homing pigeons to carry messages; they use trained ravens instead.

It's an open secret that Falkovnia has a standing falconry corps, tasked with intercepting ravens whenever Vlad Drakov gets suspicious. It's also taken for granted that if you don't send your ravens around Falkovnia, the Margrave's men will read your message before it arrives. (The falconry corps isn't quite so effective, but they do a good job. They're actually pretty decent as Falkovnians go, in that their sense of humor isn't sadistic.) A lot of espionage revolves around this.

[ewancummins]

Ooooohhh!
I like that, d'Ysmaul.

[Sareau]

While it's perfectly appropriate for darklords to use ravens as messengers, I'm not certain about others, even if Ravenloft is a Dread Place. However, the note on Falkovnia is really good-though aside from Falkovian falconers, I would also wonder about the Kargatane and other realms' means of getting by messenger birds...

[ewancummins]

While it's perfectly appropriate for darklords to use ravens as messengers, I'm not certain about others, even if Ravenloft is a Dread Place. However, the note on Falkovnia is really good-though aside from Falkovian falconers, I would also wonder about the Kargatane and other realms' means of getting by messenger birds...

I'm not aware of ravens having the same level of homing ability as specially bred carrier pigeons.


'Dire Ravens'- now those might make good messengers. I think they have , what, a 4 or 5 INT score? They can speak, yes? Barovians might use them instead of the more common pigeons.

[Lovecraftforever]

In my history the rivalry between Strahd and Azalin started over Strahd possessing the Necronomicon but denies Azalin access to it.

It contains the only sure way out of Ravenloft. Azalin knows this. Strahd doesn't.

[ewancummins]

In my history the rivalry between Strahd and Azalin started over Strahd possessing the Necronomicon but denies Azalin access to it.

It contains the only sure way out of Ravenloft. Azalin knows this. Strahd doesn't.

Just remember to correctly pronounce the magic words '' Klaatu barada nikto '', or things may not go so well when you try to open the portal home.

[Lost Heretic]

In my history the rivalry between Strahd and Azalin started over Strahd possessing the Necronomicon but denies Azalin access to it.

It contains the only sure way out of Ravenloft. Azalin knows this. Strahd doesn't.

Is that really necessary?

I shouldn't judge, though. You seem to prefer a pulp Ravenloft and that's cool.

[Lovecraftforever]

In my history the rivalry between Strahd and Azalin started over Strahd possessing the Necronomicon but denies Azalin access to it.

It contains the only sure way out of Ravenloft. Azalin knows this. Strahd doesn't.

Is that really necessary?

I shouldn't judge, though. You seem to prefer a pulp Ravenloft and that's cool.

LAMO! Yes. I am aware tend to mix my Gothic campaigns with the "weird" or "pulp" style of fiction. Its also the style I write my fiction in. I just dig it.

I found the motivation of the rivalry and subsequent war between the two of them lacking and kinda silly.

Azalin wants a way out. Strahd has probably the greatest occult library in Ravenloft. They work together for a time, though it is made clear neither trusts the other.

I found the irony of Strahd having a way out but not knowing it and Azalin knowing the way out but not having it delicious and a cruel trick of the Dark Powers to play on them.

Plus, the motivation for the war in the novel was never made clear! The editors butchered PN Elrods work.

No one rises to power (and maintains it) by starting wars over personal spite (except for Vlad and it has been established he is a friging idiot).

[RShini]

I haven't played recently however I been picking at it in my head.

I had upped the Population like almost everyone else, made sea voyages easier to justify some of the trading, and I spread some tech around the domains so it's not a ren-era domain with pistols right next door to a medieval tech domain, so Gunpowder is more widespread, but mostly used to make explosives, since gun-making will be a jealously guarded secret.

Made the Shadow Rift less obvious to the naked eye, turn most of it into a deep, spooky Forest of Shade where one can hear mysterious music and sounds of a great party under a new moon.

Also: the Artifacts of the Desert Domains are a hot item in the "Most Civilized" lands.

Also added a few more domains of my own (a fairy-talesque domain with a narcissistic aasimar dark lord, a desert domain that operates by night with vampires lording over humans who are convinced these vamps are the best thing ever - kind of like V the series I guess).

[Lovecraftforever]

In my history the rivalry between Strahd and Azalin started over Strahd possessing the Necronomicon but denies Azalin access to it.

It contains the only sure way out of Ravenloft. Azalin knows this. Strahd doesn't.

Just remember to correctly pronounce the magic words '' Klaatu barada nikto '', or things may not go so well when you try to open the portal home.

I'm visualizing Strahd working in the sporting goods section of S Mart.

Priceless. Lol