Ravenloft is the 2011 Campaign Setting

[Azalin Rex]

I don't even like Azalin.

Very sad to hear it Rafael. My agents are start to search you now. And when we meet I try too change your mind about me.

Correct. 4 domains. 3 in Dragon, one in Dungeon, and also a Dragon article on the Vistani. Which reminds me, I should put those into Mistipedia and the Drawing Room.

and now I have..

Actually there are one more domain in novel Mark of Nerath.
Darani it's name, Magroth the Mad rules there. His tragic downfall somehow reminds about Darkon story.
I hope I will see mention about it in section about new Ravenloft in Drawing Room.


http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx ... /247410000

[Mortavius]

Could be a nod to Ravenloft...could just as easily not be. Orcus once imprisoned the entire city of Moil in the Shadowfell, and cursed them to stay there till the city was touched by the light of the true sun, IIRC. So there is definately a history of other prisons in the Shadowfell.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Actually there are one more domain in novel Mark of Nerath.
Darani it's name, Magroth the Mad rules there. His tragic downfall somehow reminds about Darkon story.
I hope I will see mention about it in section about new Ravenloft in Drawing Room.


http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx ... /247410000

Intriguing. Has anyone gotten this book? Is it clearly a domain?


(Note that there are more new domains in the Ravenloft: Dominion novels, too. but I was just speaking of the ones from Dungeon and Dragon Magazine)

[Le Noir Faineant]

I don't even like Azalin.

Very sad to hear it Rafael. My agents are start to search you now. And when we meet I try too change your mind about me.

Was it your agents then, that hid my shoes last night and painted smilies on the palms of my hand when I had blacked out?!
The shoes weren't that dramatic, but I am struggling with getting the paint off.

Also, when will you finally add me on Facebook, buddy?!

[darrius_adler]

After thinking it over a bit I think I am fine with the idea of them re-writing the setting. Even if that means they only keep Strahd, Azalin and Harkon Lukas. I still have the material on for any they don't add to the world and can do it myself if needed. I hope that they will attempt to keep the Gothic Horror feel but that seems unlikely given the bit about playing vamps, etc.

Ravenloft has very dedicated fans but from what I have seen it is very much a niche setting. Having been involved with a few online Ravenloft chat games it we would have far less in the way of players than any of the more generic fantasy style chats. Worst of the struggles was finding volunteer DMs.

Ravenloft was the first setting I grabbed for D&D back in 2e and I use inspiration from it even in other games I run. Just going to keep a positive outlook for the new update. If nothing else it will be interesting to read.

[Mortavius]

I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with Ravenloft this coming year. I may be a minority around here, but even though I haven't loved every Ravenloft product that has been printed over the years, I can't think of a single one that didn't at least have some good ideas that could be canabalized from it. So even if this new setting goes off in a completely different direction, I'm betting there will be material that will be of use to me, at least.

So in that regard, I *would* rather have bad material than no material.

[Joël of the FoS]

I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with Ravenloft this coming year. I may be a minority around here, but even though I haven't loved every Ravenloft product that has been printed over the years, I can't think of a single one that didn't at least have some good ideas that could be canabalized from it. So even if this new setting goes off in a completely different direction, I'm betting there will be material that will be of use to me, at least.

So in that regard, I *would* rather have bad material than no material.

No, you are not alone thinking this. I also think the more RL stuff, the more exposure, so it's good for the community.

I also take many ideas from various sources.

Joël

[Jester of the FoS]

Given Gamma World is the benchmark I thought I'd give a quick look through that game, to see how it might compare.

First, most of the powers are in the cards. Origins (race/class) each have 3 or so powers and the game goes to level 10. I didn't see any feats or other stuff related to level, you just get extra cards and racial powers. Defences and attacks increase equal to your level.
This might work nicely with Ravenloft by removing races and most classes and having an archetype (monster hunter, gypsy, cutpurse, black wizard, etc).

But, because it's a separate game they need to go into the Core rules all over again. Just like each of the Essentials books has most of the information needed to play, so will this book.
76 pages of the 160 page rule book are devoted to PC rules.
This is followed by 22 pages of basic DM advice. Mostly rules related but there's a page of locations.
After that is 35 pages of monsters, 2 pages of traps, and 20 pages of adventure (w/ new monsters).
How much world information did we get? About 2 pages, maybe more slipped into the race and monster entries.

I really hope the go for two books for Ravenloft.

[tec-goblin]

Having thorougly enjoyed Castle Ravenloft board game, I am sure WotC can provide a wonderful, fast paced boxed set.
But right now Castle Ravenloft covers all my spooky dungeon crawling needs. What I would like to see from the new Ravenloft box set is something closer to the new Dark Sun reinarnation (wonderful atmosphers, tons of characters I really wanted to play) than the new Gamma World (don't misinterpret me: the new Gamma World is tons of over-the-top pulp-fiction fun, but that's not what I want for my Ravenloft).

[Strahdsbuddy]

Any word on a release? Wizards catalog has no mention of Ravenloft on the site that I could find. Don't tell me they are targetting a Halloween release to compete with QtR! Always trying to squash the little guy!

[Le Noir Faineant]

For me personally, the benchmark will really be how much of the recent Twilight/Vampire Diaries/True Blood is put into the game to keep it "up to date".

Generic Gothic will always work, though great part of that is probably already taken by the actual versions of WHFRP.

Hammer Horror, what RL really was about, will likely have no place in this new setting any more. - And playing undead?! - Doesn't bother me at my gaming table, but this is not my Ravenloft-y Gothic Earth.

[HuManBing]

Hammer Horror, what RL really was about, will likely have no place in this new setting any more. - And playing undead?! - Doesn't bother me at my gaming table, but this is not my Ravenloft-y Gothic Earth.

I agree with both of those, but bear in mind that Hammer Horror is already re-inventing itself. They did the recent Let Me In (US version of the Swedish vampire-romance movie Let the Right One In) and it was a pretty solid, modern horror piece of work somewhat unlike the stuff they're famous for. Given that Hammer is already changing its brand, Ravenloft might be forgiven for not adhering to it, too. :/

Also, playing as undead is something that was introduced (poorly) in the 2nd edition, with the Requiem boxed set. The rules for that stunk, but 3rd edition seemed to make it at least conceptually workable by introducing better templates that actually worked with the rules instead of against them. I'm not familiar with 4th ed, but if they can get it to work rules-wise, then more power to them.

I can't really fault Wizards for trying to build a "campaign brand race" like they did for Eberron (warforged PC golems), even if I wouldn't be using them myself in any horror gaming. Right now, among newbies, Ravenloft is known as "that campaign setting where everything is out to kill you and is invincible, including the GM". It would be nice to change that, however inaccurately, to "that campaign setting where you get to PLAY AS UNDAEDZORS and get KEWL VMAPIER POWERZ!! OM NOM NOM UR NECK!!".

[Brandi]

It would be nice to change that, however inaccurately, to "that campaign setting where you get to PLAY AS UNDAEDZORS and get KEWL VMAPIER POWERZ!! OM NOM NOM UR NECK!!".

Yeah, then just wait 'til they add the sparkles.

[Strahdsbuddy]

The teen-vampire craze is the one thing i am most afraid of being added, and there is no doubt it is a potential cash cow. What might save Ravenloft from that treatment is that it would probably be easier to attract fans of the genre by licensing the actual True Blood name and making it into its own game. It could pose a direct competitor to Vampire: The Masquerade and its players.

While I'm not the biggest fan (i played for about 6 months) they could go for a sort of horror/action type World of Warcraft, which is what 4E rules look like to me anyway. It was already scathingly mentioned earlier in this thread, but something like the Van Helsing movie could be closer to their goal: a lot of killing of monsters that fall under the traditional gothic sphere.

As said many times before, the rules don't interest me, I hope they add something to the setting I can use on the fluff side. A new hero, or another continent of domains. Who knows. When is it even getting here?

[Le Noir Faineant]

While I'm not the biggest fan (i played for about 6 months) they could go for a sort of horror/action type World of Warcraft, which is what 4E rules look like to me anyway. It was already scathingly mentioned earlier in this thread, but something like the Van Helsing movie could be closer to their goal: a lot of killing of monsters that fall under the traditional gothic sphere.

I hope so; yet, the Rule of Rape (Everything that you liked as a kid or teen is going to be horribly, HORRBILY redone before you even hit 30) indicates otherwise:

If the same creative team that brought us Dragonlance's War of Souls and Forgotten Realms 4e now decides it would be a good idea to bring Ravenloft back "with a few modifications", the only emotional response I am going to have is a sudden urge to cancel my D&D newsletter.

I can't really fault Wizards for trying to build a "campaign brand race" like they did for Eberron (warforged PC golems), even if I wouldn't be using them myself in any horror gaming. Right now, among newbies, Ravenloft is known as "that campaign setting where everything is out to kill you and is invincible, including the GM". It would be nice to change that, however inaccurately, to "that campaign setting where you get to PLAY AS UNDAEDZORS and get KEWL VMAPIER POWERZ!! OM NOM NOM UR NECK!!".

Oh, I am not blaming them either; chances are just that I'm going to ignore them.

Seriously, I am open about new stuff, as long as it is done nicely.
But, OTOH, I already own around a hundred girlfriend-annoying gaming books,for six or seven different rulesets; so, whatever I spend my stuff these days should better be really good.