4E Ravenloft--Back into the Crypt for Now

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

... Or they figured the book wouldn't sell well.

True, but you'd think that would be the sort of thing they would think about before announcing it. If it wouldn't sell well based on how it turned out when it was done, that pretty much the same as saying that it isn't ready for release.

[alhoon]

Yes, but saves face and gets an "awwww how sweeeeet!" from the Ravenloft fans isntead of silent disappointment.

[Brandi]

Last we heard, it was supposed to be a boxed set.

I thought boxed sets were deader than disco these days.

[HuManBing]

Last we heard, it was supposed to be a boxed set.

I thought boxed sets were deader than disco these days.

Fitting for Ravenloft, land of the UNDEAD amirite???

...Sorry...

One thing that I thought was interesting:

The "too experimental" part probably comes from the fact that the Ravenloft boxed set was supposed to have its own rule set, as well as compatibility with Dungeons and Dragons.

A separate ruleset for Ravenloft would be good. I think it's an unfortunate fit for the DnD rules, which tend towards cinematic and action-packed adventures. A ruleset for Ravenloft would do well to be less combat-based and magic-based and to allow for significant interaction, social, and diplomatic issues.

And Lost Heretic is right that Ravenloft rules are easily portable to other systems.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I thought boxed sets were deader than disco these days.

I love disco, and I hear it's making a comeback!

So
are
boxed
sets.

[Jester of the FoS]

I thought boxed sets were deader than disco these days.

I love disco, and I hear it's making a comeback!

So
are
boxed
sets.

Very true. They did two three year for Essentials & Gamma World, and have 4 or so coming out this year.

[Strahdsbuddy]

A ruleset for Ravenloft would do well to be less combat-based and magic-based and to allow for significant interaction, social, and diplomatic issues.

Not for nothing, HMB, but why do you need rules for those things? Role-playing sort of supercedes a die roll in those instances, wouldn't you say? I'm just curious what you would like to see in this aspect of the game. Or what you have included regarding them in your GURPS experiment.

[doctor-evil]

I'm with Jadeite - at least we have Paizo's Carrion Crown setting this year, which sounds well concieved and could easily be tweaked into an Ravenloft cluster

http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventurePath/carrionCrown

Pazio have produced some excellent horror-setting adventures (Hangman's noose, the Skinsaw murders etc) that can easily be slipped into a Ravenloft campaign and I have great hopes. Plus try as I might, I haven't warmed to 4E for my games, so I'm I ploughing my hard-earned bucks into the new Pathfinder setting subscription.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Last we heard, it was supposed to be a boxed set.

I thought boxed sets were deader than disco these days.

Fitting for Ravenloft, land of the UNDEAD amirite???

...Sorry...

One thing that I thought was interesting:

The "too experimental" part probably comes from the fact that the Ravenloft boxed set was supposed to have its own rule set, as well as compatibility with Dungeons and Dragons.

A separate ruleset for Ravenloft would be good. I think it's an unfortunate fit for the DnD rules, which tend towards cinematic and action-packed adventures. A ruleset for Ravenloft would do well to be less combat-based and magic-based and to allow for significant interaction, social, and diplomatic issues.

And Lost Heretic is right that Ravenloft rules are easily portable to other systems.

Personally I think a different ruleset for Ravenloft is missing the point entirely. It's supposed to be a setting that introduces gothic horror to the D&D game.

Anyway, given what I had heard of what it might be, and what I generally feel about 4th ed., I'm not terribly disappointed here. I'm hoping that the next edition of D&D, if there is one, will be more suited to Ravenloft.

[HuManBing]

A couple of thoughts:

1. You can definitely port game settings into other systems. This goes doubly if you find the setting's native rule set is poorly suited for the setting itself, and another system is better suited.

2. Waiting for your favorite game studio to come out with a later edition when they're still rolling out second-wave publications for the current edition is going to take a while. You'll be waiting years for something that may (or may not) support the setting better than the current edition's rules. Far better to go and adapt another rule system yourself. The Ravenloft campaign setting is bigger than just the DnD ruleset, and Fraternity posters have already described their efforts in porting it into many different game systems.



Of course, this is just my own experience - as I've already left the fold and found some other way to make it work. You don't have to follow me if you don't want to - but for the brave and the bold, it's certainly doable!

[Brandi]

Personally I think a different ruleset for Ravenloft is missing the point entirely. It's supposed to be a setting that introduces gothic horror to the D&D game.

Yeah, but the setting mutated in ways that have moved it away from the D&D game as it's developing these days. Heck, looking at the 3rd edition rules and how Challenge Ratings for encounters assumed access to an amount of magic items that would seem high in Ravenloft, I suspected that a 4th edition game would end up feeling very different from the setting as developed if it stayed close to the new rules.

[Ail]

I thought boxed sets were deader than disco these days.

I love disco, and I hear it's making a comeback!

So
are
boxed
sets.

Very true. They did two three year for Essentials & Gamma World, and have 4 or so coming out this year.

And I just found out that they're putting out the grand-daddy of them all! The Red-Box with D&D basic rules, cover by Larry Elmore!

Does anyone even remember this?
(*lol*, of course you do)

[Don Fernando]

I reckon this is better than having a bad product and klill the entire line for good. On the other hand I was hoping for some new stuff this year....

[Bluebomber4evr]

And I just found out that they're putting out the grand-daddy of them all! The Red-Box with D&D basic rules, cover by Larry Elmore!

Does anyone even remember this?
(*lol*, of course you do)

It doesn't have the old basic rules inside. It's got 4th edition stuff instead.

[Ail]

And I just found out that they're putting out the grand-daddy of them all! The Red-Box with D&D basic rules, cover by Larry Elmore!

Does anyone even remember this?
(*lol*, of course you do)

It doesn't have the old basic rules inside. It's got 4th edition stuff instead.

Oh?! Is it really?

I guess I'm a bit disappointed now