Instead of listing of what we don't want to see in Ravenloft RPG (like random booster packs), lets talk about in this thread what we do want to see.
Firearms - I would like to see rules for firearms.
Top Hats and Neckties - This is odd, so let me explain. If you go back to the 2nd and 3rd edition artwork in the books, you will often find clothing was of a later period than your normal D&D game. While I think the trailer for Season of the Witch is nifty, and reading the Averoigne cycle is a must for D&D horror fan, when I think gothic horror, the Victorian time period is what comes to mind. So instead of having Ravenloft using the default D&D tech level, give us the range that was introduced in Domains of Dread along with the Victorian cultural level. After all, maybe the previous empires in the D&D POL setting managed to achieve a wider range of techonogly that wasn't passed down through the centuries, but still exists in the Shadowfell.
Might be too much to ask for trains, but carriages and and stagecoach routes are a must!
Ties to places outside of Ravenloft - Being able to take a ship from Mordenshire to Gloomwrought would be a big big plus. Being able to move between domains without having to "defeat" the Darklord within (like in the current Dragon articles) would make long term campaigns easier to run.
Dracula - Being able to run the novel Dracula ( or any other of the gothic classics) as a Ravenloft RPG adventure will be my lithmus test for how well the game runs. Ravenloft had a different way of going about adventures than the mainstream D&D games, and I would like to see this in the new book/box.
Swashbuckling rules - Gothic settings are rather renown for their characters not wearing a lot of armor (or no armor at all). I can't mention even a single character from Dracula or Frankenstein who wore traditional fantasy armor. These rules would be good for pirate settings as well (and, IIRC, at least one of Raveloft's darklords was a pirate).
Gothic monster themes - Gothic monsters are known for being smarter and more soulful than normal monsters. I'd like to see templates that add intelligence to creatures like flesh golems. I'd also like to see a means of adding unique weaknesses (soothed by music, repelled by a certain herb, etc) to monsters, perhaps in exchange for giving them limited regenerative powers or slightly better defenses.
Possession & Exorcism rules - In gothic settings one of the most terrifying aspects of devils and demons is their ability to possess the innocent. Fiendish/Faustian contracts would also be a welcome addition.
Curses - While it generally goes without saying that curses should end up in Ravenloft, I'd like to see curses with a disease-like progression track. I'd also like to see forcible monster transformations take the same tack.
I like the idea of cards for Gamma World in that they're essentially a giant table you roll on that is customizable (remove cards, add cards from accessories, etc). I don't see this idea transferring well to Ravenloft as there no need for giant random tables. There's no need for random races/classes in the game. I really, really hope they didn't have such a fun time with Gamma World that they decided to do a similar game (ala Castle Ravenloft and Wrath of Ashardalon).
I also pray the game doesn't turn into fantasy X-men with a werewolf and a ghost and a vampire and a flesh golem all banding together to fight evil or struggle to regain/find their humanity. There were 88 Ravenloft products released for 2e and 3e and only two ever really focused on Player Character monsters (Requiem: the Grim Harvest and *technically* Carnival). Otherwise known as 2.2% of the game. If the game is just an excuse to have people drawing monster cards instead of races and classes (again, like Gamma World with vampire necromancers instead of radioactive-cockroach geomancers) I will be very upset.
The yet unknown physical element might be a form of corruption tracker. Used to measure the player's sanity or physical taint instead of Dark Power checks or that system. The trouble with this would be adding it to the box almost necessitates use. You'd want to use it more often instead of when absolutely needed.
What I Want
I'd like the writers to acknowledge the ArtHaus/ Swords & Sorcery edition of the game, but not necessarily pick-up the metaplot. Starting at the same era as the 3e book with Azalin returned and Inza as lord of Sithicus. At the very least the writers should do their research and look at what was written about the lands and the lords to avoid contradiction. The writers of the Gazetteers worked hard to amalgamate the contents of novels, adventures, and game books into a single cohesive package.
The least-offensive physical component would be the fortune telling Tarokka deck, even though I have like four of these (two from Forbidden Lore, one from the Red Box, and the fantastic S&S one). Possibly using the cards in place of dice for the various Ravenloft mechanics such as fear, horror, madness, and power check. Or using them in plot and/or character creation.
We know they're adding monster-PC rules to the set, which seems as useful as adding expansive Red Wizard of Thay rules to a Forgotten Realms game or allowing adding the Dreaming Dark to the playable races and classes of the Eberron book. Yeah, you can have alot of fun in an expectation-defying Inspired campaign but that doesn't mean it should be presented as the norm in place of more standard options.
Again, best-case the rules are related to failed Power Checks/taint corruption but presented as an option and not expected play, so PCs are not descending into monsterdom like Cthulu player descend into madness.
The Core has seen so very much attention it would be nice if the book focused on Islands of Terror, which would work well now that the game is part of the Shadowfell. But that's not likely, as you cover the main areas in the campaign setting so it's the most useful.
Parthian Rapier.
'Nuff said.
i found the interactive cd that you got with the adventure to be very entertaining and held the attention of the players
in response to the necrophilia comment...
i knew some one who was into flagellation, bestiality and necrophilia but he was flogging a dead horse...
Instead of listing of what we don't want to see in Ravenloft RPG (like random booster packs), lets talk about in this thread what we do want to see.
Firearms - I would like to see rules for firearms.
Top Hats and Neckties - This is odd, so let me explain. If you go back to the 2nd and 3rd edition artwork in the books, you will often find clothing was of a later period than your normal D&D game. While I think the trailer for Season of the Witch is nifty, and reading the Averoigne cycle is a must for D&D horror fan, when I think gothic horror, the Victorian time period is what comes to mind. So instead of having Ravenloft using the default D&D tech level, give us the range that was introduced in Domains of Dread along with the Victorian cultural level. After all, maybe the previous empires in the D&D POL setting managed to achieve a wider range of techonogly that wasn't passed down through the centuries, but still exists in the Shadowfell.
Might be too much to ask for trains, but carriages and and stagecoach routes are a must!
Ties to places outside of Ravenloft - Being able to take a ship from Mordenshire to Gloomwrought would be a big big plus. Being able to move between domains without having to "defeat" the Darklord within (like in the current Dragon articles) would make long term campaigns easier to run.
Dracula - Being able to run the novel Dracula ( or any other of the gothic classics) as a Ravenloft RPG adventure will be my lithmus test for how well the game runs. Ravenloft had a different way of going about adventures than the mainstream D&D games, and I would like to see this in the new book/box.
I play in the victorian time period in a domain of my design it seems to fit well, although we notice if you go much further in time then this it ruins the atmosphere. Bram Stokers Dracula is in the victorian time period (as you noted) and he pretty much invented gothic horror. We also found that if the players dont wear armor, the enimies don't either, seems to balance itsself out (in most cases.
Would love to see your Top hats and neck ties. (Top Hat of holding anyone?)
I'd love to see a variety of different "realms." I still want all of the domains there but maybe a connection to the Realms of Madness with a Wonderland kinda theme.
Ok, I read the bestiary 2 from Pathfinder and I decided I really would like a Jabberwokky(sp?) for 4th Ed. ^_^
gunpodwer weapons, like witch hunter from Warhammer Fantasy.
I "DMed" Castle Ravenloft back in 3rd edition and I was looking forward for something in Ravenloft for the 4th Edition. Since it seems we won't get anythhing, I'm now creating a sequel to Castle Ravenloft in 4th edition. ( Which will include Azalin... )
- a campaign setting booklet with:
- just enough Ravenloft setting fluff, and sample plot hooks and adventure ideas to inspire a DM's imagination
- some alternatives to standard PC races and classes (I liked the 3rd Edition's changes to races and classes, and thought they were a nice touch: I really enjoyed the Caliban stand-in for Half-Orcs and the Ravenloft versions of Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings, and I liked the general idea of a Monster Hunter class even if I didn't care for the prestige class execution - some alternative Ravenloft-themed builds for standard classes in that spirit would be nice!)
- plenty of DM advice for horror storytelling (I thought the 3rd Edition books really did a great job of this!)
- a Monster Vault-compatible book with:
- Gothic Horror -themed monsters (at least, the ones that don't already appear in the monster vault or manuals)
- classic Ravenloft NPCs (Strahd, Mordenheim, etc.)
- a couple NPCs from the recent board game (Klak the Kobold Sorceror and Gravestorm the Dracolich)
- a couple sheets of tokens for the monsters and NPCs
- a couple nice poster maps of crumbling gothic ruins, haunted houses, dungeon cellars, graveyards and crypts, or similarly creepy locations
- possibly some non-random card decks, such as "fear, horror, madness" effect cards similar to and compatible with the despair cards from the "Shadowfell" boxed set (I thought those were kind of cool), or, alternatively, a deck of Tarokka cards
Something like that wouldn't be too far out of line with what they've done already with some great boxed sets for under US$40 or so, and would provide all the things I like about the boxed sets and about the Ravenloft setting.
I can live without any huge, fancy modifications to 4E rules, and I can live without monster PCs, unless they find a way to keep it simple while fitting seamlessly into the theme (ironically, considering the sorts of RPGs White Wolf is famous for, I thought their treatment of the 3rd Edition Ravenloft setting was surprisingly and refreshingly light on the monsters-as-PCs trope, with non-human PC races being treated as outsiders to most of the setting, and vampire and lycanthrope templates being pushed into a quiet chapter out of the spotlight.)
I wouldn't need anything fancy - I would simply be happy with a boxed set in the spirit of "Madness at Gardmore Abbey", "The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond", or "Threats of Nentir Vale"... something that includes:
- a campaign setting booklet with:
- just enough Ravenloft setting fluff, and sample plot hooks and adventure ideas to inspire a DM's imagination
- some alternatives to standard PC races and classes (I liked the 3rd Edition's changes to races and classes, and thought they were a nice touch: I really enjoyed the Caliban stand-in for Half-Orcs and the Ravenloft versions of Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings, and I liked the general idea of a Monster Hunter class even if I didn't care for the prestige class execution - some alternative Ravenloft-themed builds for standard classes in that spirit would be nice!)
- plenty of DM advice for horror storytelling (I thought the 3rd Edition books really did a great job of this!)
- a Monster Vault-compatible book with:
- Gothic Horror -themed monsters (at least, the ones that don't already appear in the monster vault or manuals)
- classic Ravenloft NPCs (Strahd, Mordenheim, etc.)
- a couple NPCs from the recent board game (Klak the Kobold Sorceror and Gravestorm the Dracolich)
- a couple sheets of tokens for the monsters and NPCs
- a couple nice poster maps of crumbling gothic ruins, haunted houses, dungeon cellars, graveyards and crypts, or similarly creepy locations
- possibly some non-random card decks, such as "fear, horror, madness" effect cards similar to and compatible with the despair cards from the "Shadowfell" boxed set (I thought those were kind of cool), or, alternatively, a deck of Tarokka cards
Something like that wouldn't be too far out of line with what they've done already with some great boxed sets for under US$40 or so, and would provide all the things I like about the boxed sets and about the Ravenloft setting.
I can live without any huge, fancy modifications to 4E rules, and I can live without monster PCs, unless they find a way to keep it simple while fitting seamlessly into the theme (ironically, considering the sorts of RPGs White Wolf is famous for, I thought their treatment of the 3rd Edition Ravenloft setting was surprisingly and refreshingly light on the monsters-as-PCs trope, with non-human PC races being treated as outsiders to most of the setting, and vampire and lycanthrope templates being pushed into a quiet chapter out of the spotlight.)
I hope Wizards will read this because that's a great description of what we want to see!
Don't forget the Vistani!
- The vistani are also a must. Oh yeah and the broken ones too.
I imagine a little retcon of the demiplane of dread.
Barovia would be great like a empire or a little continent.
The demography and mortality would be more razonable. (Let´s rebember the most dangerous city in the real world are near 150 murders per 100.000 inhabitants). In a fantasy settin like Ravenloft a marriage could be parents of twelve sons. Two of them would die by natural causes (sickness or accident), and the other five would be killed by monsters or criminals.
I imagine a "mirror universe", like the otherworld from "Silent Hill" franchise or "Umbra" from "World of Darkness rpg", where ghosts could "live". Some of those pocket universes would be zombie post-apocalipse realms with some survivors...(a variant of "petitioner" souls).
The introduction of Castle Ravenloft in a boardgame form was a great way to intro the Ravenloft realm into the D&D 4.0. What I would like to see now is continuing of the return of Domain of Dread. There were domains with in the Ravenloft Realm that covers a wide variety of time eras. Prehaps WOTC could publish each realm as module while Dungeon Mag. could publish specific section within a realm as an adventure.
Just what I want from Ravenloft.
Brett
starglyte wrote:
I would like to see a conversion application published on how to take already existing Ravenloft Modules from the 2.0 era and transfer them to 4.0 version. This obviously does not have to be just for Ravenloft but could be used for all the D&D realms. It could be just a simple article writen by a Wizard Game Designer demonstrating on how a Ravenloft Adventure from the "Book of Crypts" 2.0 could be converted to 4.0 version. Otherwise it could be open to a freelancer who could start converting all the Ravenloft adventures to a D20 system, starting with "Feast of Goblyns."
That would be different...