CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

[Le Noir Faineant]

It's not that bad. [...] It's arguably better than Paizo with it's six $20 AP volumes, the related campaign expansion book, the map folio, and pawn set. To say nothing of the dozen books or so expected to run a campaign.

Exactly my point. It's not about the money; I just plainly don't have the time - or the inclination - to read phone-book style publications in gaming literature. Maybe it's because I learned to DM with 32-96 page adventures, but building on little and filling the frame is part of the fun for me. Those novel-sized adventures are just more than I will ever use in any of my games.

Now, not to sound a grouch, I like what they seem to be doing with "Curse": One of big issues I had with I6 was always that it was difficult to run a game from 1st level in village Barovia without either extending the original scenario, or cutting away a lot. If this version offers entry-level adventures in Barovia, and, extends the map a bit more, then that can be a real improvement to the original.

Which embrace of consumerism? Because the hobby's always been oriented toward sales, what with it being a business. The modern movement away from the perpetual supplement treadmill is actually way better than it used to be, as far as I'm concerned.

I don't think that's the case, actually - I think there are less random releases, yes, but, at the same time, more articles released that serve as satellites to a mothership title, like with the "Adventure Path", or "Storyline" concepts, as opposed to rather generic splatbooks. - I'd wager, nobody's 3e game suffered because he or she didn't include, what, "Weapons of Legacy". For a Paizo AP, you need six books, at the minimum, however, and regardless of which additional supplements you later use in the actual game. - Which, if you play the game as a sandbox, like I am used to do, will sit on your bookshelf, and collect dust, forevermore.

You said it yourself Raf. You don't HAVE to spend 200$ and like 300 hours. The adventures are standalone. I assume the books and audio and apps are also standalone.
Out of the Abyss was very good by itself.

Naah. I'm old and grumpy. I'll wait for the DVD.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

To be fair, the new tarokka deck looks spectacular.



I mean, who wouldn't love to have that card plop down on their gaming table?

And besides, Strahd looks DREAMY in his new incarnation.



THAT RAVEN ON THE TOP LEFT APPROVES!

[alhoon]

And in addition, the Geek and Sundry article refers to this as a "reboot". Not sure if that's accurate or an accidental misrepresentation, but it doesn't instill me with confidence.

As I said before, I don't mind. I would actually feel stifled if it WAS a rewrite of the original 35 years later. As I said, I can fall back to the Ravenloft I like and take the parts I like from this one.
And to be sincere, I doubt it would deviate as much as to have Halfling vistani.

[Ender]

Well, I mean to say that I wasn't expecting the setting to go through an overhaul. A new adventure in Barovia that advances the setting would have been just as easy to accomplish, I would think, and wouldn't have to completely ignore what's come before. I don't want a remake of the original, either, but I'd like something that feels like what I like about Ravenloft. Now, don't get me wrong, I fully expect to enjoy this adventure. If it happens to not follow the story I've loved, then sure, I can rework the story to fit into my campaigns or just pick and choose parts of it to use how I want. I can do that with any adventure, but that doesn't mean I want to do that or should have to.

Let me go off on a small tangent for a moment: I never got the Ravenloft books for the crunch. I have always bought the books for the story and the worldbuilding. The Gazetteers are the most interesting and intriguing sourcebooks for any setting that I own. The S metaplot gave the books extra depth on top of the already-thorough entries for the domains. When I get a new Ravenloft book, be it adventure or sourcebook, I don't want to be reading a different story. I don't want Azalin to cease existing. I don't want to find out that there is no Borca across the misty border. I want something that tells me how things have changed since I last read about the world.

That's why I'm overly cynical about this. I can, and almost assuredly will, do the same as you, Alhoon. I will probably just be disappointed while I do it.

[alhoon]

Well, I also want those, but this adventure near certainly won't tell you anything about Borca or Azalin. In fact, I think Barovia will be totally isolated without any mention of what's beyond the borders.

[Le Noir Faineant]

To be fair, the new tarokka deck looks spectacular.

Yeah, "Curse" might well un-grognard me, for once. Looks nice, and after EtCR, the infamous book without the ending chapter, it actually looks like WotC is putting in some work this time, rather than aiming for a last cash grab before the old edition goes the way of all earthly things.

I likely won't get to run this one, except for, maybe a special weekend with the old group, or something, but let's just say I'll keep it on my watchlist.

[alhoon]

Yeaaaaah... Raf, this is a campaign-long adventure, not a weekend thing.

[Zilfer]

Guess it depends on your group right? If it's bigger than the original ravenloft module than I'd say yeah, more than a weekend. The original module for my group ended up taking up the whole weekend save for breaks for eating. xD It was a fun tiring 3 days.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I don't think they legally CAN use the 3E material from a different company

There's no way they licensed their stuff out to Arthaus without a clause saying they could use whatever Arthaus added. Last time we had this discussion, (when we thought Ravenloft 4e was happening), we found that they used the "Strahd XI" charade that Arthaus added in the Strahd writeup in Open Grave, so legal reasons aren't what would hold them back. With that said, there's no way they are going to assume that a reader in 2016 will have read a book from another company published in 2001, or for that matter, a book published by the same company in 1993. The only real way to pull off a book like this is to assume the reader knows nothing about Strahd or Barovia and start fresh.

Now, the question is, can they do that and still avoid stomping on the stuff that we old-timers "know" about the setting from those old books, and are we a big enough market to make it worth even trying to do so?

I know for sure we're not going to see a continuation of the S storyline, or the Gentleman Caller's plots, the Becoming Plague, etc. And anyone who thinks we will is probably in for a big disappointment.

I just really, really, would like to see some acknowledgement of what was added over the years in the campaign setting. There's stuff outside of Barovia that's beloved by many.

But it looks to be a lot more extensive than EtCR, and more in line with the Ravenloft feel we all love, which is great! (The cover art is OK, but that banner, I love! And the tarroka is indeed pretty, even if it's not Talon's.)


OK, so someone who's been following 5e, catch me up to speed:
What is Adventurer's League? Is that like RPGA was? Is there a way to get those adventures?
What is DM's Guild?
Has WotC been following a model similar to the PF APs? Assuming the initial product doesn't bomb, how much more could we expect throughout the year?

[Hell_Born]

I can't answer your first questions, but for your third: no, WoTC hasn't been doing the Adventure Path route. WotC's adventures are published as one-shot things, save for the initial Rise of Tiamat/Hoard of the Dragon Queen two-parter. Each adventure is self-contained, filled with all the detail, encounters, etc you're expected to need to run the adventure itself. See Princes of the Apocalypse or Out of the Abyss.

If you want more Ravenloft 5e content, your best bet to hope for isn't more Ravenloft adventures, but to hope that there's enough interest displayed in Ravenloft - which they'll judge mostly by how well Curse of Strahd sells - that they decide to put out the Ravenloft equivalent of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, which is the only "campaign setting book" we've seen so far and boils down to 90% fluff examining the Sword Coast as it is in the present and 10% crunch in the form of how the corebook races/classes fit in and new class/race material.

[Guardian of Twilight]

I can't answer your first questions, but for your third: no, WoTC hasn't been doing the Adventure Path route. WotC's adventures are published as one-shot things, save for the initial Rise of Tiamat/Hoard of the Dragon Queen two-parter. Each adventure is self-contained, filled with all the detail, encounters, etc you're expected to need to run the adventure itself. See Princes of the Apocalypse or Out of the Abyss.

If you want more Ravenloft 5e content, your best bet to hope for isn't more Ravenloft adventures, but to hope that there's enough interest displayed in Ravenloft - which they'll judge mostly by how well Curse of Strahd sells - that they decide to put out the Ravenloft equivalent of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, which is the only "campaign setting book" we've seen so far and boils down to 90% fluff examining the Sword Coast as it is in the present and 10% crunch in the form of how the corebook races/classes fit in and new class/race material.

Yeah, I never understood why people call the 5E adventures APs when it doesn't seem to fit the definition. I guess it just comes natural when you've used it for so long. I've enjoyed reading over the adventures that have been released for 5E thus far, but I've not been as excited by them as I am about Curse of Strahd.

I would love to see a guide of some sort released for Ravenloft, especially if it has half-Vistani as a race and the Knight of the Shadows written up as character options. Honestly, I miss the old boxed sets. I still have the ones that I bought, and opening them every time is almost like opening up a Christmas present, and I can't stop smiling.

[alhoon]

OK, so someone who's been following 5e, catch me up to speed:
What is Adventurer's League? Is that like RPGA was? Is there a way to get those adventures?
What is DM's Guild?
Has WotC been following a model similar to the PF APs? Assuming the initial product doesn't bomb, how much more could we expect throughout the year?

Adventurer's league gives out smaller adventures. That I know.
These are made so that could be used in tournaments or events I think and there's a strange ladder or something where how your faction (Harpers, Zentharim and 3 more) goes overall in the convention counts. Somehow.
You can BUY these adventures, not get them for free.

What's the DMs guild: A new format where you, I, Jester, etc can publish our stuff for others to download freely, or even buy. I have sent them a bunch of vampires and I've made a whole 1/2 dollar in 6 hours!

Pathfinder APs: I don't know what they are.

How much more could we expect throughout the year: A free booklet with a few spells and choices for the DM and player, a few pages long is very probable since they do it in every season. An extra accessory is unlikely: there has been just one such accessory around the time of Elemental Evil that you could buy. Also, the adventures are one-off usually. No follow-ups.

So, more or less: we can expect to have the big adventure and a few free nice things for 6 months in this season and then watch as D&D moves on to the next theme.

[Ender]

I would love to see a guide of some sort released for Ravenloft, especially if it has half-Vistani as a race and the Knight of the Shadows written up as character options.

I don't expect to get this, really. BUT. I suspect that we'll get a couple Unearthed Arcana related to Ravenloft around the time that Curse of Strahd comes out, much like we got a few Underdark-themed UA after Out of the Abyss. I expect the Powers Checks or a Morality system to appear in UA, rather than the adventure, to be honest.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Adventurer's league gives out smaller adventures. That I know.
You can BUY these adventures, not get them for free.

Where do you buy them? Do you have to go to a con to get it? Or are they in stores?

Pathfinder APs: I don't know what they are.

Adventure Paths. They put out 6 adventures in 6 months where one leads into the next. (and there are assorted accessories to go with it, like decks of cards or map folios)

A free booklet with a few spells and choices for the DM and player, a few pages long is very probable since they do it in every season.

Where do you get that? free download? or free hardcopy in stores?

Just trying to figure out as an obsessive collector what I'm going to have to find. (And as a chronicler of the setting, what we'll have to add to the site in the review section and Mistipedia)

I suspect that we'll get a couple Unearthed Arcana related to Ravenloft around the time that Curse of Strahd comes out, much like we got a few Underdark-themed UA after Out of the Abyss. I expect the Powers Checks or a Morality system to appear in UA, rather than the adventure, to be honest.

OK, so what's UA now? (I'm guessing not a splatbook of alternate classes and such like it was in 1e and 3e) Is that an online column? In Dragon/Dungeon, or available for free? (Is there still an online Dragon and Dungeon magazine like for 4e? If so, might we see some tie-in content there?)

[Hell_Born]

Booklets and Unearthed Arcana are published as free downloads on Wizards of the Coast's D&D website, to the best of my knowledge.

Unearthed Arcana in particular is a monthly series of PDFs that WoTC puts out on its article pages early in each month.