Café de Nuit

Ken of Ghastria wrote:Yep, that's the whole series. They haven't released the descriptions for the back half of modules, but they're all part of the storyline.

Out of curiousity when making your adventure did you have kind of free reign as long as it linked with the others? Or did they give you a present thing like....

"Hag lives outside barovia and causes problems for villages. Do an adventure about that."

Ken of Ghastria wrote:Sneaky. Yes, I happily looked at several of the VR Guides for inspiration, although I'm limited in my ability to customize creatures from the Monster Manual. (For the Adventurers League adventures, we're understandably asked to stick to creatures that have been properly playtested. That's not to say I didn't attempt to tweak.) Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts is the best RPG supplement I've ever read, and I'm glad I was able to say that in person to William Connors at Gen Con about 16 years ago. However, it's not the VR Guide that I picked up most often last month... and I'll leave it at that.

You made an undead brain-eating mass-murderer happy today...
Although I find it "Meh" that people were limiting their tweaks on monsters.

Zilfer wrote:Out of curiosity when making your adventure did you have kind of free rein as long as it linked with the others? Or did they give you a present thing like....

"Hag lives outside barovia and causes problems for villages. Do an adventure about that."

A little bit of both. All the writers are told of the overall themes, key NPCs, and objectives of the whole season, which is key for a tightly connected story like this. Then each writer gets a short brief for his or her adventure. It describes where the PCs are coming from, where they need to be by the end, and what key Ravenloftian notes should be struck. It also says, "By the end of the adventure, the PCs need to have achieved {Storyline Objective X} and found {Mystery Thingie Y}." How the PCs get to those key points and what they have to overcome and experience are left largely up to the writer.

That might sound slightly constrictive to some, but it's actually rather liberating. Instead of stressing out over the end point, I already know that. I can focus my attention on the juicy stuff, like blood and Horror checks.

Ken of Ghastria wrote:

Zilfer wrote:Out of curiosity when making your adventure did you have kind of free rein as long as it linked with the others? Or did they give you a present thing like....

"Hag lives outside barovia and causes problems for villages. Do an adventure about that."

A little bit of both. All the writers are told of the overall themes, key NPCs, and objectives of the whole season, which is key for a tightly connected story like this. Then each writer gets a short brief for his or her adventure. It describes where the PCs are coming from, where they need to be by the end, and what key Ravenloftian notes should be struck. It also says, "By the end of the adventure, the PCs need to have achieved {Storyline Objective X} and found {Mystery Thingie Y}." How the PCs get to those key points and what they have to overcome and experience are left largely up to the writer.

That might sound slightly constrictive to some, but it's actually rather liberating. Instead of stressing out over the end point, I already know that. I can focus my attention on the juicy stuff, like blood and Horror checks.

Does that mean Horror checks will be a thing through these adventures? If so that's pretty awesome. I know what you mean by stressing over the end point, sometimes I do creative writing and if I don't know where the ending is going it can be hard to "get there." XD

Definitely an interesting note.

Zilfer wrote:Does that mean Horror checks will be a thing through these adventures? If so that's pretty awesome.

Happily, 5e already allows for Horror checks (DMG, p. 266). As for whether or not Horror checks are actually used in these adventures... well, who's to say?

Ken of Ghastria wrote:

Zilfer wrote:Does that mean Horror checks will be a thing through these adventures? If so that's pretty awesome.

Happily, 5e already allows for Horror checks (DMG, p. 266). As for whether or not Horror checks are actually used in these adventures... well, who's to say?

I see. These will literally be the first 5e Products I buy so I'll have to look into that should I ever pick up a DMG.

Well, the rules for horror checks (short term and long term madness) are FREE in the Out of the Abyss supplement.
Now, I'm not sure they free supplement actually gives effects though.

alhoon wrote:Well, the rules for horror checks (short term and long term madness) are FREE in the Out of the Abyss supplement.
Now, I'm not sure they free supplement actually gives effects though.

For clarification, this is the Adventurers League Player's Guide for the Rage of Demons storyline. It does not replicate the information found in the DMG.

^Thanks, and yep your right, it only has a brief mention of Madness. xD

"Dungeons & Dragons" comic book by IDW features Minsc and Boo (the hamster) entering Ravenloft.



http://comicsalliance.com/jim-zub-nelso ... s-dragons/

Deep in my tomb I have awakened from my long slumber. Something has disturbed me, some faint whisper in the lands above. Seems the cobwebs have become very thick since I last stirred. I will have to do something about that. Oh ho what is this I see? New Ravenloft product? I thought I had purchased my last when I completed my vast collection of all the known Ravenloft products several years ago. Seems I will have to venture out to the local mortal merchants for a few new purchases. My socket embers aren't what they used to be but I can still make out arcane script, seems the release date is March 15, of the current year, whatever that may be. I think I can manage an illusion or two to keep the shop keeper from fleeing in terror at my true appearance and perhaps my unnatural pervading chill will be mistaken for a seasonal draft in the room. As long as the fool doesn't touch my withered flesh he should survive the encounter. I hope the antiquated currency piled in my lair is still in use these days.


As for the Hickmans, I have conversed at length with them about various topics and even had them sign a grimore or two in my library for my own amusement. Glad to see they are still alive, of course I would have raised them as thralls for my service if they were dead by now.
The latest mechanics or spell systems are of no use to me, I stopped caring several editions ago and am set in my ways, but I do crave a sense of completeness in my library and am always interested in whatever lies or tales are being told in the mists these days.



Of course I have decayed quite a bit since my last visit with them I hope they still recognize me.

The good about 5th edition is that it can be adapted for play with previous editions too.

I read some bad news for Hasbro that makes me think major cuts are a possibility in the near future. D&D gets the chop to save money? I hope not.

Accordingly, I am pulling my posts critical or Perkins' editorial calls and other stuff. Not because my opinion has changed, but because in the end I can't kick sand in the face of the guys trying so hard to keep D&D in print.

alhoon wrote:The good about 5th edition is that it can be adapted for play with previous editions too.

True. It's a big advantage of going relatively "rules light" in this edition. That sort of backwards-compatibility was unthinkable in 4E.

Two days past since Suits of the Mists was first runned in Winter Fantasy. Is there some reviews in web?...