Café de Nuit

Next up on the Release docket is Van Richten's Guide to the Mists. What does everyone expect from it?

My understanding is that it will discuss the dangers and theories about the Mists themselves, though I'm hoping it doesn't do any defining.

Another thing that struck me is the possibility that it will discuss/re-introduce the some of the pocket domains of Ravenloft. Dark Tales & Disturbing Legends makes mention of the Headless Horseman, Jack Bequick and the Nightmare Court as being darklords in charge of pocket domains, which I don't believe have been examined indepth in this edition.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

I'd love it if they brought back the pocket domains! It'd be a clever way to get around the premature end to S's explorations, too; perhaps it could also include a brief commentary on Clusters and Islands, dealing not so much with their individual cultures (as a Gaz would), but rather with how such Mist-isolated realms relate to the Core (accessibility, trade, etc). We know for a fact that Van Richten's been to several non-Core domains, so it'd be cool to hear him describe how he got there. (Wonder if the twins have tried cross-Mist travel yet...?)

I'd also like to see more information on "outlanders", i.e. arrivals from the Material Plane. The Gazetteers told us how the various Core domains relate to each other, but not much on how they regard such mysterious foreigners popping up out of nowhere. The DM's Appendix could also talk about the use of "outlanders" as villains ... something with loads of historical precedent in Ravenloft, yet a concept the old "weekend-in-hell" format never actually explored, since it was always the PCs who were the (heroic) "outlanders" back then.

In previous hints the Duo has said that they would not be defining the Mists. That is still left for individual DM's.

As for pocket domains, I think they deserve their own book. This one will have plenty of material with just mistways, mist horrors, mist golems, mist ferrymen, mist travel (Vistani and Anchorite), and whatnot. I'd love to see some talk of time travel through the Mists, though.

DeepShadow wrote:As for pocket domains, I think they deserve their own book.

If only one would come out.

Although I have no objections to pocket domains being mentioned in passing, I'd much rather see them all detailed with the clusters in Gazetteers like the Core has up until now.

I mean, what is Necroplis if not a pocket domain within Darken. And wasn’t there another one mentioned in one of the Gazetteers, about a castle island with a siren for a darklord or something?

Most pocket domains are small affairs with only one inhabitant. I can't see a gazetter filling up with them, unless they filled it with the meet and fight description/adventures that were the halmark of 2e.

I can see them introducing the idea of pocket domain and giving the important ones like Sceana or The Headless Horseman's road. In a discussion of the Mists, surely the twins would come across tales of those strange locals that pop in and out of existance.

Perhaps it will even detail more on the Morphic features of the land.

Most of the pocket domains might be best served in a CotN style book or something similar. Gaz would be nice but there's simplu not enough.

I have a great hope in relation to this book and I`m very curious to know who are the authors.

Most pocket domains are small affairs with only one inhabitant. I can't see a gazetteer filling up with them, unless they filled it with the meet and fight description/adventures that were the hallmark of 2e.

Yeah I agree with that. All I really meant was it might be nice to have them included them as part of the entry for the domain they are located in (like the examples I gave), rather than a separate gazetteer entry for each one. A new book detailing them all would be a good idea though (House of Lament *drools*).

But anyway I’m derailing here. It would be nice to get some more information on the mistways and the sort of creatures that lurk in the mists. It would be very interesting to be able to run adventures in the mists, I’ve wondered sometimes what would happen if someone wondered randomly into them without a destination in mind (DMs prerogative. I guess).

LUCIFERABADDON wrote:I have a great hope in relation to this book and I`m very curious to know who are the authors.

Well, on the Ravenloft website (I mean the Sword and Sorcery one, as opposed to this one) they have removed all of the entries from the upcoming releases chart so I am wondering whether they are re-evaluating the dates or whether something else is going on. I would also like to know who the authors are.

A book describing the pocket domains and islands in the mists would be an instant hit, maybe the highest sold product for RL 3e!

I mean, what I really like about RL is that you can do campaign WITH style, but WITHOUT the core...

*Ooooh, really want such a book! *

Desdichado wrote:A book describing the pocket domains and islands in the mists would be an instant hit, maybe the highest sold product for RL 3e!

I mean, what I really like about RL is that you can do campaign WITH style, but WITHOUT the core...

*Ooooh, really want such a book! *

They'll get around to the islands in the Gazetter series, after they're done the seas (and clusters).

Pockets just aren't big enough to warrent a book of their own.

Tobias Blackburn wrote:

Desdichado wrote:A book describing the pocket domains and islands in the mists would be an instant hit, maybe the highest sold product for RL 3e!

I mean, what I really like about RL is that you can do campaign WITH style, but WITHOUT the core...

*Ooooh, really want such a book! *

They'll get around to the islands in the Gazetter series, after they're done the seas (and clusters).

Pockets just aren't big enough to warrent a book of their own.

They will get around to the islands if the gazatteer series continues, which I hope it does by the way. Certain pockets have been put in already but as sidebars. Example: Carnival in CoD and Castle Island in Gazatteer V. I do hope that the pockets are entered into writing for 3E/3.5E maybe as a few pages in a gazatteer like Castle Island but I agree that you could not make a whole book out of them.

I hope the Gaz series finally goes on!
Such places like, say, *Staunton's Bluff or *The Nightmare Lands* just deserve a comprehensive update!

Hail!

A little correction: Castle Island is a Core domain, and not a pocket domain.

As for the book content, it obviously will bring info about the creatures that dwell in the mists, but, what more info do you think/hope the book will contain?