Future of Ravenloft ideas?

[Le Noir Faineant]

I have written a lovely book about how different vicsera smells funny, and how you could make doll clothes out of skin from different creatures. There was lots of how to make different paper dollie chains. Oh, it was marvellous, but they would not let me publish it, so I tortured them for ours with hot pokers on their feet. Their screams were quite pleasant.

Holy God!

DRU!!!!!!!!


Run my friends, RUN!!!

[Le Noir Faineant]

Really, most has been said already.

What I'd wish for is to unite the community more, means to try to recrute people from other boards. Look at the 1e community at Dragonsfoot. The more there are, the more is going on.

Besides, I think the situation up to date, if all the projects going on really see publication, is really good so far.

And: Hands up for a Gaz for the Islands in the Mists!

[Desertrising]

Hello all!


I too think more gaz's would be wonderful, and I rather like the idea of using a sailor or ship captian for the oceons. I think the clusters could be either citizens or an explorer type.

I REALLY like the case book idea and could come up with a couple cases for that one if it gets started.

A question for the fraternity. Can we the members post our projecst on the projects thread? Or do we need to ask you for permission. I like the case book idea enough I would be willing to start orginizing it.

I would with the gaz's as well but feel one project is enough for any one person and would dearly love to see the case files netbook go up.

Please let me know via post or private message

Thank you

[Jason of the Fraternity]

we the members post our projecst on the projects thread? Or do we need to ask you for permission. I like the case book idea enough I would be willing to start orginizing it.

Nobody needs permission to post projects on the Ravenloft Projects board. Please feel free to start any and all threads that you feel are necessary for your own personal projects (or contribute ideas to other projects that are currently being developed).

[Le Noir Faineant]

I'd also suggest strongly that we don't overwhelm the fans with new material. Too much too soon can also be quite bad.

Look at Canonfire, the Greyhawk site. They're putting up new articles on a weekly basis, but noone reads them.

Just my two cents...

[Dorrick Longblade]

Hi All. Back from a long hiatus. Wanted to second a lot of people's ideas... I think the main choice is between a) keep doing what the FOS has been doing - ie Quoth the Raven, and possibly continuing the COTN series; or b) creating new supplements to canon series such as the Gazeteers, Legacy of Blood, and the VRGs. Personally, both ideas sound good, but it really comes down to what's more feasible.

Some of the stuff that people are asking for (like the guide to religions) is already out there, but in thousand different places. I don't think we should focus on compilations of this kind unless there is a great demand for them.

Alanik Ray's Casebook has definite potential as a kind of guide to law enforcement in the realms and as an introduction to more "mundane" villains. I also think this project would be well suited to be written by multiple authors posing as the famed detective. It could also prove to give a unique view of Ravenloft from a source we haven't been exposed to before.

A Legacy of Blood II book would also be welcome for much the same reason - it could provide a lot of new information to enrich campaigns and make Ravenloft come alive.

And of course, I'd like to see the Gazeteers move on too, and I also like the idea of switching protaganists to explore the islands and clusters. I think a project like this, however, would take a lot of time and effort and so would vote for the two former options and perhaps have this be organized behind the scenes.

[Scipion_Emilien]

I remember that a Great Cities of the Core netbook was talk on this boards some time ago. I think it would be a great idea, Port-A-Lucine and Martira Bay would in my opinion be better deserve with this kind of book, perhaps add a chapter on law enforcement into the different cities.

[Undead Cabbage]

Like everyone else, I put my two coppers towards more Gazateers. The available 5 there are now are invaluable to fleshing out 'really Ravenloft' campaigns. The Clusters and Islands might be good candidates for this. Some that I think look like they'd be cool are:

Paridon
Souragne
Har-Akir
Vorostokov

These, in my opinion, seem like domains that would could use some gazateers for.

The House of Lament, really, deserves its own book. I couldn't see it in a Gazateer, having to share room. Sort of like Carnival got its own book in 2E.

[Brandi]

The House of Lament, really, deserves its own book.

Some might argue it already has one.

[Maximillian]

My vote would go to the Gazetteers too. I find them invaluable to both the DM and the players. And you can easily incorporate every kind of information in them (NPC's, organizations, new classes, creature statistics, etc) using the Appendix. It would be nice if the Fraternity could write Gazetteer VI as a netbook or something...

Alanik Ray's Casebook seems like a great idea too and as Suck Anti-Cool said, is perhaps more feasible than a complete Gazetteer.

[AdamGarou]

I'd like to see more Gazetteers (predictably). Earlier this week I was out sick from work and was thumbing through the published Gaz volumes--started about 10:00 in the morning and before I knew it four hours had passed. Yes, I'm that hungry for details to add to my ongoing campaigns.

I'd second the idea of different protagonists for the various Gazetteer volumes/domains, and I certainly can see all sorts of possibilities for the surveys. As has been stated, why would Azalin put all his hopes in S., rather than assigning multiple individuals to the task? Granted, S., had skills that lent themselves to her explorations (scientific and arcane talent, plus degrees from various Core universities and a certain... "moral flexibility"), but who's to say Azalin couldn't have found someone else with similar qualities?

The sea captain or other sailor for the seas, perhaps? All sorts of possibilities as the captain notes travel details in his log, speculates on how long the crew will put up with his seemingly aimless wandering about the seas and islands, the various peoples and creatures he encounters on Vechor, Todstein, Dominia, etc. Perhaps even a mutiny of sorts to end it all, a la the H.M.S. Bounty?

In fact, Azalin might have created the captain's log as a sort of cursed artifact, compelling the captain (and later whoever takes over after the mutiny) to continue exploring and charting the seas and Islands of Terror...

And, as far as the other Clusters and isolated domains (The Verdurous Lands, the Frozen Reaches, the Shadow Lands), why not a series of diaries, journals, or arcane recordings from inhabitants of these areas? Or more simple examples:

* A native of Sanguinia who lived the first twenty years of his life in the domain before escaping to the south (Vorostokov); living among the inhabitants for a few months (it's not such a huge land after all), he stumbles into the Mistway that leads to the Core. He would be in an excellent position to comment on both lands--especially the differences between the two.

*A fragment of an old journal kept by one of Elena Faith-Hold's soldiers, or a bit of "lost lore" from the Shadowborn family.

If the Gazetteers' revival is too daunting a task, though, what about a netbook of Dread Possibilities? Devoted to specific domains that may or may not have been covered in the Gazetteers?

[Gemathustra]

If the Gazetteers' revival is too daunting a task, though, what about a netbook of Dread Possibilities? Devoted to specific domains that may or may not have been covered in the Gazetteers?

A) I hope you feel better soon, Professor Fuzzykins
and
B) A netbook of Dread Possibilities sounds like an excellent idea. I can only imagine what was left out in all of the domains done so far, due to space constrants, and I think it would help everyone if these lost possibilities were revealed.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Yeah! Hands up for a netbook of dread campaign hooks!

[JinnTolser]

I like that idea!

[Rotipher of the FoS]

One thing that might help is if we reorganize the way information is laid out on this website, perhaps by adding an "Atlas of Ravenloft" section to its resources. There, each domain could have an entry in which we can compile fan-created material on that location -- possibly including reprints of netbook articles, given their authors' permission -- so that domain-specific information is centralized instead of scattered. There could be chapters within the Atlas: Core, Clusters, Islands, and "New Discoveries" (for fan-created domains).

Just a thought. That's how the Vaults of Pandius organizes its Mystara content, and it seems to work well. We could even call it "The Map Room", to fit with the FoS "Manoir de Penombre" theme.