gonzoron wrote:Either way, it shouldn't have anything to do with the change in license, since the WW license never covered novels, WotC could have done this at any time they wanted.
That's true, but what I meant was that, if WotC intended to start the line anew, it would probably support this endeavour with novels... If what we heard is indeed a new novel (fingers crossed) then one migth logically conclude that WotC intends to publish the setting once more, and therefore, it revoked the license from S&S.
Well, Masque of the Jade Horror is still on Amazon and it says it usually ships in 3-5 weeks. Maybe Amazon is just a little slow to update. See ithere. What would happen for those that preordered it?
Information seems to come my way whether by chance or by fate, but all this means, is that I have yet to find out what will kill me and why. - The Stygian Inquirer
I wouldn't read too much into this. It doesn't make sense for WotC to start the line anew...they've specifically avoided producing a ton of settings themselves to avoid the fate that befell TSR before they purchased the company. By licensing settings to other companies, they get to make money without spending any of their own.
Besides, WotC has reprinted a Ravenloft novel once before this. I have a copy of I, Strahd: Memoirs of a Vampire that was reprinted in 2001.
Bluebomber4evr: The Justice, not you, since 2002.
Ravenloft: Prisoners of the Mist Persistent World for Neverwinter Nights: www.nwnravenloft.com
About sorcerer spell lists: I agree with David, Drinnik. The sorcerer can learn new wizard spells that aren't in the PHB list, not other spells.
About DoaDL: Why do you think this book is bad? I haven't read it and I know nothing about it.
PS. I don't have any problem with magic healing even if it is sorcery.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia My DMGuild work!
After having read all twenty of the RL novels, I came to the conclusion that the problem is most of them were not of the quality one would expect... Apart from a few good specimens the rest were mediocre at best... Death of Darklord unfortunately falls under the same rule. Why did that happen? Well my opinion is summarized in the well known argument about DMing in RL found in the introduction of the second edition RL Monster Compendium Appendices I&II. A good DM for any other setting would only be marginally acceptable for the DoD. You need a great DM in order to portray the setting correctly. The same with novels. Not everyone who writes a decent fantasy novel can write a good gothic horror one. And even when the writer is generally acknowledged as successful, there were many cases whne he/she didn't quite capture the feel of the setting. But that's only me anyway.
Here's the answer I got from the admin of the author web site:
Hi! Thanks for pointing it out to us. Laurell has not written a new one so they must be re-releasing the old one. I have asked Laurell's agent about it.
So it look like a rerelease. If I learn more, I'll be back with it.
Joël
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
DoaDL also contains information about the demiplane which is not only in error, but grossly misleading to readers who don't know the setting. In particular, it gives the impression that healing magic never works right in the Land of Mists (!), and that outlander clerics are so distanced from their deities that they can't regain their spells there (!!!), which makes the Ravenloft setting sound not merely challenging, but unplayable. It's not just a poor novel, it actually sabotages the setting it was intended to promote!
I don't think that this means that WotC intends to do anything with the setting, or that they purposefully cancelled the liscence for this. They could have been releasing novels, new and old, all along, a la Dragonlance, but chose not too. They're currently reprinting some of their old stock in other settings, and Ravenloft was the only other setting to get a nice sized library behind it. They're probably just going to start releasing those again as part of their plan to make money off old novels they purchased from TSR.
And yes, it's probably the worst novel to start with.
The Remnants have one saying to represent loss, disappearance, exile, and death. It is [i]Shiao Marests[/i], "Taken by The Shadows".
The Dark One wrote:One question is worrying me more that the dream of Ravenloft relaunched be WotC (which i don't believe will happen).
If wizards start anew, what will happen with the WW published material (will it ignored and become trash)?
Naw. It'll be absorbed as cannon of the setting and go on from there. Unfortunately, they'll start with a new Core book and Monster Manual, then begin re-detailing the core. While we'd probably get more Van Richten guides, as well as a Magic of Ravenloft book, it would take forever to get to the undetailed areas of the land. If they restart within the next two to three years, no one would buy those Gazetters and they'd probably stop producing them before they reached the seas.
The Remnants have one saying to represent loss, disappearance, exile, and death. It is [i]Shiao Marests[/i], "Taken by The Shadows".
Tobias Blackburn wrote: If they restart within the next two to three years, no one would buy those Gazetters and they'd probably stop producing them before they reached the seas.
Yes but the WotC know that so they'll probably
1) not publish any gaz's at all
2) pick up the pace and go on with the seas or some other undetailed lands. Probably S won't be used though.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia My DMGuild work!
Tobias Blackburn wrote: If they restart within the next two to three years, no one would buy those Gazetters and they'd probably stop producing them before they reached the seas.
Yes but the WotC know that so they'll probably
1) not publish any gaz's at all
2) pick up the pace and go on with the seas or some other undetailed lands. Probably S won't be used though.
One of the main reasons that Arthaus dropped the line is supposedly that the Core, the big money maker, was done and everything beyond that becomes more niche the further out you go.
The other problem is supply. This edition stops selling within the next year. That means that all the Core domains would be without full detailing in two. They can't run the system if they don't explain the major land mass.
It's very hard to sell a setting when you never discuss any of the places that you can adventure in indepth. Sure, they could do quite the number of Van Richten Guides and Legacies, but that's just periphery stuff. The line won't be able to survive under that.
Even with DoaD being reprinted, I have yet to see anything that would hint they plan to bring the entire series out again.
The Remnants have one saying to represent loss, disappearance, exile, and death. It is [i]Shiao Marests[/i], "Taken by The Shadows".
Tobias Blackburn wrote: They can't run the system if they don't explain the major land mass.
It's very hard to sell a setting when you never discuss any of the places that you can adventure in indepth.
Why not? The Core has been already explained. Even if they start publishing again in 3 years, the Core is already detailed. While S&S will stop republishing the Gazs the bookstores & warehouses already have enough to sell. Also most of the people that would care about the Core, have the Gazs already.
So they won't need to republish anything for 5-6 years IMO.
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia My DMGuild work!
And even when the writer is generally acknowledged as successful, there were many cases whne he/she didn't quite capture the feel of the setting. But that's only me anyway.
They do say that hope dies last, but no one really pays any attention to the fact that it actually dies in the end.