Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:
Verbrek - a nice twist on the domain. I did like the original canon version, but this has its charms. I would certainly use some of it as source material in an attempt to combine them, if I ran an adventure there. The only quibble I have is the werewolves living openly among humans. That's a little high-fantasy for my taste, but whatever works for you.
Fifty Shades - This is exactly my kind of article. Loved it. Plenty of neat ideas, and if one doesn't grab you, there are plenty more that might.
Frozen Reaches - Some interesting ideas here, especially in terms of Sanguinia as a debauched tourist destination. I'm not sure how many denizens of Ravenloft have the means and courage to brave the mists for a vacation here, but maybe the Dark Powers provide a stream of them to keep the party going.
Richemulot - a noble effort, but I think I prefer the canon version (sorry, Mistmaster). I think the emphasis on religion was higher than I'd like. I think we have enough cultist darklords. I prefer a Richemulot more about secrets and politics. I would consider using some of the new NPCs, though.
Overall another excellent year, worthy of the 25th issue. Thank you again to all our contributors!
I liked Mistmaster's version of Verbrek , although it is different than mine, and I did find it interesting we both seemed to prefer the QTR version of the domain to the canon one and both saw Noah TImothy interesting enough to make him a major player, in mine he is a Dark Lord.
I was hoping you would like my changes to Vorostokov as it makes it far more livable. It worked for a "Weekend in Hell" but for a permanent domain you have to ask the question why everyone hasn't either been eaten or starved to death.
As far as Sanguinia I thought "If you are going to base it on Poe's 'Masque of the Red Death' then truly base it on Poe's story. The background is very similar until the curse hits and then goes off on a tangent. The one thing that impressed me about the story was that the prince was a selfish hedonist who locked himself in a castle partying while the commoners were simply ignored. So I made the main city a "party town".
As far as the Mists YRMV, in mine they are mainly a plot device. They are no more prevalent at the borders as anywhere else. Whenever the Dark Powers find it amusing to send someone somewhere they use them to do it, they aren't particular about where it happens. The Islands of Terror are entered into whenever the Dark Powers find it amusing and the people taken there are those the Dark Powers find interesting to move there at the moment.
The core, and indeed almost the entire Mistlands, are MUCH bigger in mine than in the canon. The Core is about the same size of the US so that means big domains with big populations so it is no problem. There are a number of wealthy domains in RL including Mordent, Richemulot, Darkon, and Dementlieu among others. So with my version there are plenty of rich people who have no real reason to fear travel. They simply get on a boat in an advanced domain and arrive. There are some real threats such as pirates and storms at sea but that didn't stop the wealthy from traveling abroad.
In the canon version the Dark Powers probably have to pick out rich people from the multiverse and change their memories to believe they meant to set out there or something similar.