Ravenloft: Is it the most horrorific place or what? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Ravenloft: Is it the most horrorific place or what?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
LadyNeferRa
Sep 20, 2008 13:53:37 I really liked Ravenloft, especially because the monsters and challenges can be so diverse. But I haven't seen a lot of Forgotten Realms, Kara-Tur, Spelljammer or any other stuff - module or book wise.

Do any of these or any other places compare well with Ravenloft's horror? From what little I have read, it seems most of the horror in other realms will be within society, and not so much leaking out of the roofs and foundations of the world.

Just lookin' for your $.02, thank you.
#2
deama
Sep 21, 2008 2:36:02 No work is.... ok joking aside as far as horror based gaming goes if you want something more horrific then Ravenloft you wont get it from a DnD based game. so of DnD based Ravenloft is a nasty place to go even though it is only a Demi-plane
#3
The_Jester
Sep 22, 2008 14:34:31 You can have horrifying games set anywhere. That's a mood that can be added to almost any game or world.
But fantasy-horror is Ravenloft's schtick, so most of the other settings stayed away from that to avoid overlap and toe-stepping.

There are some pretty scary places and nasty Big Bad Evil Guys in other settings (the Forgotten Realms is famous for some of its villains) but few worlds have the same quantity of pure horror and nasty characters.
#4
rotipher
Sep 24, 2008 15:09:07 Moreover, none of the other worlds go as far as Ravenloft does, in providing an ideal environment for horror scenarios. Curses and the corruptive effects of evil deeds are incorporated into the RL setting's game-mechanics, and many spells are altered within the Land of Mists, to eliminate deus-ex-machina solutions to enigmas and to deny heroes an easy escape-route from peril.

In other settings, horror scenarios are more difficult to run, as you need to find excuses to circumvent potential spoilers that the Ravenloft setting nullifies automatically (e.g. the villain who's deceiving the heroes must hide his vampirism from undead-detecting spells with a counter-effect at all times). Too much of that, and your players'll get frustrated that their hard-earned abilities aren't working as they ought to, and may blame you for being an unfair DM.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 LadyNeferRa Sep 20, 2008 13:53:37	I really liked Ravenloft, especially because the monsters and challenges can be so diverse. But I haven't seen a lot of Forgotten Realms, Kara-Tur, Spelljammer or any other stuff - module or book wise. Do any of these or any other places compare well with Ravenloft's horror? From what little I have read, it seems most of the horror in other realms will be within society, and not so much leaking out of the roofs and foundations of the world. Just lookin' for your $.02, thank you.
#2 deama Sep 21, 2008 2:36:02	No work is.... ok joking aside as far as horror based gaming goes if you want something more horrific then Ravenloft you wont get it from a DnD based game. so of DnD based Ravenloft is a nasty place to go even though it is only a Demi-plane
#3 The_Jester Sep 22, 2008 14:34:31	You can have horrifying games set anywhere. That's a mood that can be added to almost any game or world. But fantasy-horror is Ravenloft's schtick, so most of the other settings stayed away from that to avoid overlap and toe-stepping. There are some pretty scary places and nasty Big Bad Evil Guys in other settings (the Forgotten Realms is famous for some of its villains) but few worlds have the same quantity of pure horror and nasty characters.
#4 rotipher Sep 24, 2008 15:09:07	Moreover, none of the other worlds go as far as Ravenloft does, in providing an ideal environment for horror scenarios. Curses and the corruptive effects of evil deeds are incorporated into the RL setting's game-mechanics, and many spells are altered within the Land of Mists, to eliminate deus-ex-machina solutions to enigmas and to deny heroes an easy escape-route from peril. In other settings, horror scenarios are more difficult to run, as you need to find excuses to circumvent potential spoilers that the Ravenloft setting nullifies automatically (e.g. the villain who's deceiving the heroes must hide his vampirism from undead-detecting spells with a counter-effect at all times). Too much of that, and your players'll get frustrated that their hard-earned abilities aren't working as they ought to, and may blame you for being an unfair DM.