Ravenloft vs midnight

[Le Noir Faineant]

Stumbled over this thread, and though it is a bit old, I want to share my opinion with you, IYDM.

1. RPG in general is no business you can milk far too much money out: Because, with every product that is getting published, you may earn money, but also loose customers: We here on these noards may be hardcore fans, but, to be honest, I don't think an average DM buys everything that's out there; in fact you can have a lot of fun with considerably few stuff: For example, with the 3e campaign setting of RL and a few default adventures, you can have fun for years! SL, the main S&S d20 line, got delayed because of that; but that's just because someone did a massive miscalculation: Given, that after all, SL was just *another default setting*, how could they launch about 40 books for it with no adventures and practically no setting development?! *Although the idea behind the setitng and the products were mostly of good quality and nice to read, I always kept asking me: Who would buy all that, if he/she is never going to use it?*
The same with RL; with one of the Gazs I can do campaigns for years to come, actually, with all the info available, I am doing a 3e campaign in Darkon even without it...

So, IMHO, it's far better to stop launching new products every month without giving the people the time to REALLY use it in their games. No matter how interesting new rules and facets about one of my favourite setitings are, given that most books cost at least 20$, I can't afford to buy *gaming literature* just to read it and then store it away...

2. The main problem of S&S is IMO, as I said it before, that they don't publish any adventures - well, one may say that gamers tend to use the older TSR modules, but to attract new and younger players, one must make their way into the game easier than it is! Why should a D&D newbie nuy the RL books if all the adventures he can buy are *generic* or set in Eberron? -Wouldn't he be more interested in buying an expensive book that HE CAN DIRECTLY USE in connextion with stuff he already has? - I personally bought *The Lost City of Gaxmoor* to play it in Greyhawk. After a while, I bought the TRoB sourcebooks because I wanted more info: The end---> I am now doing a TRoB campaign and quitpalying Greyhawk with that group.

- I can't believe that S&Ss calculations are that one who's playing RL will buy the adventures Monte Cook wrote for Arcana Unearthed?!

*Will in any case try to do another WoG game this summer - gotta stick to the roots*
3. To help RL to sell more, S&S should team up with Necromancer games or Goodman Games - same story as above: The new Blackmoor adventure out there has a kind of gothic feeling - would be easy to be played in RL... What will people do? Buy it, get interested in BM, buy some more books from GG,and no more from RL...

4. Midnight might really become one of the most famous d20 settings: Why? -Not only does the setting appeal to what people playing *dark fantasy* seek, but it is supported with a lot of products that MAKE SENSE and fit together... AND because it is much more easy to fit dark age adventures there than in RL...

RL will only be a real competition for any other d20 line if adventures are published AND become known! (The same with MotRD: great idea, but no support --> ...)

This was written very hastily, so please don't feel offended if something sounds too strong. *ENglish diffcult language be*

Rafael

[Jester of the FoS]

Midnight does look impressive. It has recently released a big boxed set. A boxed set! I didn't think anyone was ever doing those again.
But I don't think adventures make or break a setting. People who buy adventures are a small minority in the community. So many people prefer to write their own adventures customized for their own players and with their own ideas. That and DMs that do run adventures tend to insist that their players not buy them so profits are very small.
At least with the Gaz and every other product you can see the entire group buying 2-3 copies.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Maybe... but I still think that publishing adventures would boost sales: Inventing your own stuff costs much time, so you play less and so, need less gaming supplements... *Endless Circle*

[Charney]

Everytime I bought an adventure it was for one sole purpose: Maps! I hate making maps for dungeons or castles. I just hate hate hate it!

I don't know if I'd be interested in buying a map book for dungeons and castles though.

[Le Noir Faineant]

I think your point is part of what I mentioned - premade adventures just making gaming less effort and more pleasure...

[BlackBoxGamer]

And don't forget that a well-made adventure can really help the DM shine in their role of storyteller/game master, which has the benefit of increasing player interest in the game dramatically. When I first started running Ravenloft years ago, after I ran Hour of the Knife, my players were clamouring for more murder mystery games. I noticed that after that adventure my players were more focused on clues, motivations and atmosphere than in "I kill it with my +2 flaming longsword!" (I just wish I had the same RL group I had years ago when I ran Hour of the Knife, just so I can run Shadow of the Knife for them.)

Good adventures definately help new DM's to a setting, and make more experienced DM's look more polished in their presentation of the game.

A few RL setting specific adventures that are intelligent would not be detrimental to the game-line in my opinion.

BBG

[Le Noir Faineant]

...And it keeps some kind of tie with the setting - as much as I try, if I convert the famous adventure path to Ravenloft or some kind of creepier FR module, it's still not the same...

What RL would need IMHO would be another epic campaign, like the GCJ series or Requiem, to give the players the feeling that they participate in the setting's evolution....

Thinking about running Shadow of the Knife too. Great work from the old Kargatane...