New to Ravenloft? Or new to our forum? introduce yourself!

Discussing all things Ravenloft
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Gonzoron of the FoS
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New to Ravenloft? Or new to our forum? introduce yourself!

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

As Zhabrias noted here, we had no central place for introductions. Now we do! And here it is.... New members, feel free to post a bit about yourself and how you found us. We won't bite... much.
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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New to Ravenloft? Or new to our forum? introduce yourself!

Post by Jander Sunstar »

Hello everyone...I'm new here and like everyone here I too have a deep fondness for the Land of the Mists and I hope to get to know everybody who comes here and maybe get some pointers to make my campaigns more rich and fulfilling.

I'm off to explore. Wish me well.
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Re: New to Ravenloft? Start here!

Post by Zhabrias »

Greetings, brethren.

While I am not unfamiliar with Ravenloft, I am new to these boards. I thought it prudent I might introduce myself (and thereby be excluded from those dreadful lurker-types *achem*).

I apologize if I am disrupting your Ravenloft newbie FAQ thread, but I note I am not the first to do so. Please put those daggers, pistols, and cat o'nine tails away before you string me on the rack; I could not find a better substitute thread without creating more clutter.

I was first introduced to Ravenloft by the (now ancient) computer game, Strahd's Possession, and its successor Stone Prophet. From there, I DMed a by 2e play-by-email campaign with a homebrew domain I created named Kruvinakas. It was a well-forested region with a misty border, and copious numbers of werewolves. The adventures lasted for about two years, and we had many interesting personas - my favorite being a 'blood mage', a wizard who cut wounds in herself to tap her magic, and as a result was entirely covered in scars.

Sme time after that ended, I found on the internet a Ravenloft chatroom called Rookhausen - a specially-made city on the fringes of Darkon. I had many characters, the first being a half-elf cleric of Tempest named Vorshiva, the second a half-elf mage/rogue named Brynithmeer. (Yes, I am fond of half-elves, the bedraggled, misunderstood, and often neglected halfbreed.)

Unfortunately Rookhausen fell apart, and for a time I was drawn to other worlds and gaming systems - Icehaven and World of Warcraft amongst them. But sadly, none of them really captivated me in the way that Ravenloft did. Perhaps it was the memories of my exciting exploits on Rookhausen, or simply the way the dark themes appealed to a suppressed side of myself, that had no way other means of escaping.

Which brings me to the present day. I am one of those heathens still trapped in 3e and 3.5e. I am familiar with those rules, and it was to my horror that I discovered my beloved D&D was bringing out a 4th edition. I know it generates more business, but what was wrong with the old system? Could they not bring out more adventure modules, or expand the detail on the current realms? (Whatever happened to the rest of the gazetteers, anyway?) But at the risk of sounding like an old chook, I can't pass any judgement on 4e. I simply haven't played it.

My current project is another long-running play-by-email campaign called Rise of the Scarab, in the desert lands of Har'Akir. It started off as being loosely based on Stone Prophet, but as the players began influencing its course, the storyline took on a life of its own. Nowadays it is almost entirely freelance, but using whatever canon information I can find. (Anhktepot still rules the land for example, the village of Muhar exists, and the deities are based on the Akiri Pantheon.) If anyone is interested in following the story, there's a website link in my profile.

So what brings me to these boards? Company, mostly. I wouldn't call myself the most knowledgable Ravenloft gamer, even though my shelves are crammed with books from over the years. I am admittedly nervous about debating any topic, Har'Akir being the exception. I hope to post some fan fiction, my own expanded version of Isu and Senmet. I would like to take part in one of your online roleplaying stories, but I haven't the time to start one of my own. They all seem to be well-established and multiple volumes in length. Are there any new stories starting soon?

Yours in service,
Zhabrias
"Secrets quicken the heart. Like love, they bring jealous devotion." Isu Rekhotep, Stone Prophet
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Re: New to Ravenloft? Start here!

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

Sorry for the delayed welcome, but here it is: Welcome, Zhabrias! :)
Zhabrias wrote:I apologize if I am disrupting your Ravenloft newbie FAQ thread, but I note I am not the first to do so. Please put those daggers, pistols, and cat o'nine tails away before you string me on the rack; I could not find a better substitute thread without creating more clutter.
You raise a very valid point and I have rectified it here: the new member intro thread But also note that "clutter" is what we're here for. :) Got an idea for a post and don't see a thread that it fits in? go ahead and start one!
Sme time after that ended, I found on the internet a Ravenloft chatroom called Rookhausen - a specially-made city on the fringes of Darkon.
Yes, many of our members have fond memories of Rookhausen. We even included a shout-out to it in our Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer. You'll probably find many of those you played with lurking about the Cafe.
I know it generates more business, but what was wrong with the old system? Could they not bring out more adventure modules, or expand the detail on the current realms? (Whatever happened to the rest of the gazetteers, anyway?)
To some extent you answer your own question. :) Adventure modules are some of the worst selling products a company can make. Players don't buy them, and even most DM's don't. The same goes for Gazateers, as amazing as they were. There comes a point in every system where cranking out more products becomes less and less profitable. New systems restart the process with new core books and splat books that even players must buy. But in any case, you'll find adherents to all the editions around here (I'm a 3.5/Pathfinder guy myself), and even to other systems entirely. As for the Gazetteers, most of us loved them too, which is why the Fraternity has "continued" the series as non-canon netbooks. See our Library to download them. It also may interest you to see what the Kargatane had planned for the remainder of the series. See what they revealed to us and other author's notes in our Parlor.
I am admittedly nervous about debating any topic, Har'Akir being the exception.
Don't be shy. Debates rarely get heated around here. We all love Ravenloft, and everyone has their own views on the setting, which are all respected.
I would like to take part in one of your online roleplaying stories, but I haven't the time to start one of my own. They all seem to be well-established and multiple volumes in length. Are there any new stories starting soon?
There's no set schedule. When a DM wants to start one, they usually post an announcement. But don't be scared off by the long-running ones. DMs often allow new players to jump in, and they'll probably catch you up to speed on the story. I would recommend posting a "Player looking for game" thread in the Cafe de Nuit forum and see if you get any takers.

Again, welcome to the forum!
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by steveflam »

Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:As Zhabrias noted here, we had no central place for introductions. Now we do! And here it is.... New members, feel free to post a bit about yourself and how you found us. We won't bite... much.
I hope Dru doesn't know about this thread ...........
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by Kadarin »

Hello, my name is Kadarin, and I.. I... I.... am into Ravenloft for about 15 years now...
{applause}
I.. I didn't want to. I was a ... yes, a RoleMaster addict.
{booos}
Then I saw the VRG on Werebeasts. I just GMd an adventure with a werewolf as the main enemy. I thought, well, maybe it helps, it can't hurt...
I thought the VRGs would be, like, errrm, could make my campaign more - interesting.
How very wrong I was.
{yes, kad, go on...}
But I found out...
Morn came and went – and came, and brought no day
– George Gordon, Darkness
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by HuManBing »

Welcome Kadarin and Zhabrias! It's always nice to have newcomers to these forums! :)
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by Ebonshade »

I'm ebon.
been interested in running ravenloft since back in 2nd edition ad&d. we tried to get some groups together to run it, but nothing ever came of it. I have some people willing to run it. First time running a semi serious campiagn. I figured this would be a good place to look for informaton and advice.
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Re: New to Ravenloft? Start here!

Post by Zhabrias »

Thank you Gonzoron, for the warm welcome. It's really nice that you took the time to answer all my questions. I'll check out those links that you posted.

It's a lovely home Ravenloft has here. Cozy and dark.
"Secrets quicken the heart. Like love, they bring jealous devotion." Isu Rekhotep, Stone Prophet
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by Zhabrias »

Hello, and greetings to you HuManBing.

I wrote my introductory post when I was searching for the company of die-hard Ravenloft fans. It pleases me that such a place exists.

At times I feel eccentric, even amongst regular D&D players, for clinging so tightly to an old setting. But you know what they say about old memories.

Out of interest, who is Dru and what would happen if he were to discover this (not so) secret thread?
"Secrets quicken the heart. Like love, they bring jealous devotion." Isu Rekhotep, Stone Prophet
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by Manofevil »

Zhabrias wrote:.

Out of interest, who is Dru and what would happen if he were to discover this (not so) secret thread?
Um......SHE! :twisted:
Do us a favor Luv, Stick yer 'ead in a bucket a kick it!

So, gentlemen, that's how it is. Until Grissome.... resurfaces, I'm the acting president, and I say starting with this... anniversary festival, we run this city into the ground! :D
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by Zhabrias »

My mistake. So who is she?
"Secrets quicken the heart. Like love, they bring jealous devotion." Isu Rekhotep, Stone Prophet
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by HuManBing »

She's a forum boogeyman. She drags hapless posters to the basement and then makes likenesses out of earwax to look like them and then plays weird games with the dolls.

(Drusilla is something of an inside joke here at the Fraternity. I think she's a vague reference to a Buffy or an Angel character but I am not familiar with either series.)
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by steveflam »

HuManBing wrote:She's a forum boogeyman. She drags hapless posters to the basement and then makes likenesses out of earwax to look like them and then plays weird games with the dolls.

(Drusilla is something of an inside joke here at the Fraternity. I think she's a vague reference to a Buffy or an Angel character but I am not familiar with either series.)
HMB she is a reference to a Buffy character, I think. There is a Drusilla on that show after all and she is a srange vampire to say the least.

EEK! Let's not mention her name too much she might show up now! :azalin: :lucas: :azalin: :lucas:
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!

Post by Vlad »

I'm not really new here, but not so active, therefore, an introduction..
Vlad, from the Netherlands (quite funny, I always used this name in the 90s when I had to make up a name quickly for example online games, etc. The name stuck..), I've been D&Ding since 1991, first FR, later on RL. I didn't want to collect a second world (the FR one being expensive enough while being student), but was appealed by it nonetheless. Being attracted to horror (though I didn't like the slasher movies, only the mysterious-gothic stories), I found my self more and more flipping through Van R's Guide to the Vampire..
Then someone I knew vaguely showed me his copy of Castles Forlorn and being a ghost-lover and fond of 'reliving old tales (=time travel, I'm also a history fan) I was awestruck.. I copied the whole box and read it and read it again. After that I started collecting RL books that were easy to adapt to FR. When I ran a new (FR) campaign in 1994 (I had a TPK just before that and it was just their own fault, greedy rats) I decided to use RL in it. First the 'weekend in hell' with Night of the Walking Dead and the Created, but later on Ravenloft took them in and has never released them.. up till now. And me as well. I still love the setting, although I do like FR as well (having in the mean time collected both worlds almost completely, missing some FR stuff).
My players used to hate RL, because what I found out was that they didn't like the weekends in hell. Being ripped from your regular world to an unknown one is one thing, but to be dropped back at the DM's whim is no fun at all (yes, they achieved something to deserve a return), but when the process repeats itself a couple of time, you feel being railroaded.. Plus, they didn't like the new world in which they didn't know anyone. Now, this is part of RL, but when RL is composed of all those loose islands, it starts to become a loose set of adventures. Since then, they've been in the core.. :azalin:

On the personal side: I'm 37, father of two sons (can't wait to introduce RPGs to them, but they've got to learn english first)..
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