New to Ravenloft? Or new to our forum? introduce yourself!
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Terminusvitae
- Conspirator
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 8:13 pm
- Location: Missouri
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hello, everyone! I've been a fan of the Ravenloft setting for as long as I've been playing AD&D/D&D, and I've used this community's resources liberally in the past few months. Now, though, I wish to join and contribute where I can, and of course I most look forward to learning about all the things I don't know.
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Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
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- Location: New Jersey
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Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Welcome, Terminusvitae, great to have you here!
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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Zilfer
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 4231
- Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:14 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: WA (Land of lots of trees)
- Contact:
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Your welcome to try and steal our secrets..... if you can find them that is!
*Lightning crackles*
*Lightning crackles*
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Ronin Lore
- Conspirator
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:21 am
- Location: Hanover Park IL 60133
To All Present, Greetings!
To All Present, Greetings!
My Screen name is Ronin Lore. I have been Role Play Gaming since 1975. I have had experience with just about every genre out there. Up until about 1995, I had tried to get some experience with any system that came out. At about 1995 the market collapsed with the introduction of computers. The reasoning was,
“Why do we need books and character sheets when we can do it all on computers?”
I have only within the last few years gotten online. I am glad to see the old systems are showing new life.
I was first attracted to this forum by the “Gothic Earth Eternal” idea. It seems to be close to what I’ve been looking for in RPGs. When it comes to Horror, my opinion is somewhat different than what most people consider horror. Most “Horror” movies that are produced today are in suspense films. What I am looking for is an “Intellectual Horror.”
There are three “Films” that fit this idea, and they are all documentaries. The first I saw was “The Boggy Creek Monster.” I was eight years old, and had just been adopted when I saw this film and it traumatized me. Prior to this film, monster movies were no big deal. After this film, movies, Halloween haunted houses, and even some magazines were a source of terror.
The next was “The Blair Witch Project,” This was a program shown on the “Sci Fi Channel.” It was an advertising gimmick in support of the film “The Blair Witch,” (which I found boring.) The program was presented as an investigation into the events of the Blair Witch. The program presented real people who would have been involved, if the film had been true. I kept having to tell myself that in was only a very long commercial, it wasn’t real.
The third is a real documentary about a possible detonation of an atomic bomb in Washington D.C. called “The Day after Disaster.” It wasn’t your typical doomsday exploitation documentary, it interviewed the people who are preparing for, and would have to respond to the real event. The program is highly recommended for anyone preparing a modern day campaign. You’ll come away from it thinking, “Thank God, El Qaida only used airplanes.”
The only author I have found that conveys this is H.P. Lovecraft. The “Call of Cthulhu” can be summed up in the Darwinesque, (is that a word?) phrase, “monkeys always look!” “The Shadow over Innsmouth” can be summed up as, “do you really know your families dark secrets?” “The Dunwich Horror” is an analogy of someone out in the sticks, cooking up a weapon of mass destruction in their own basement.
I am disappointed that there is not more information on Gothic Earth Eternal. It’s possible that I’ve been looking in the wrong places. I’ve ordered the “Gothic Earth Gazette” from EBay and should get it in about a week. I can’t wait for the Gothic Earth Eternal coming out this fall. I have one question about “Domains” in Gothic Earth. If memory serves me correctly, in D&D’s Ravenloft the boundaries of domains butted up against each other like borders on a map. When you exited one domain, you enter another. If my understanding of Gothic Earth is correct, there is some separation between the domains. This means that you don’t have to enter the domains if you really don’t want to. There is the possibility that, as the Darklord’s power increases, so does his domain.
Well I’ll soon be getting my reference materials, so see you then.
My Screen name is Ronin Lore. I have been Role Play Gaming since 1975. I have had experience with just about every genre out there. Up until about 1995, I had tried to get some experience with any system that came out. At about 1995 the market collapsed with the introduction of computers. The reasoning was,
“Why do we need books and character sheets when we can do it all on computers?”
I have only within the last few years gotten online. I am glad to see the old systems are showing new life.
I was first attracted to this forum by the “Gothic Earth Eternal” idea. It seems to be close to what I’ve been looking for in RPGs. When it comes to Horror, my opinion is somewhat different than what most people consider horror. Most “Horror” movies that are produced today are in suspense films. What I am looking for is an “Intellectual Horror.”
There are three “Films” that fit this idea, and they are all documentaries. The first I saw was “The Boggy Creek Monster.” I was eight years old, and had just been adopted when I saw this film and it traumatized me. Prior to this film, monster movies were no big deal. After this film, movies, Halloween haunted houses, and even some magazines were a source of terror.
The next was “The Blair Witch Project,” This was a program shown on the “Sci Fi Channel.” It was an advertising gimmick in support of the film “The Blair Witch,” (which I found boring.) The program was presented as an investigation into the events of the Blair Witch. The program presented real people who would have been involved, if the film had been true. I kept having to tell myself that in was only a very long commercial, it wasn’t real.
The third is a real documentary about a possible detonation of an atomic bomb in Washington D.C. called “The Day after Disaster.” It wasn’t your typical doomsday exploitation documentary, it interviewed the people who are preparing for, and would have to respond to the real event. The program is highly recommended for anyone preparing a modern day campaign. You’ll come away from it thinking, “Thank God, El Qaida only used airplanes.”
The only author I have found that conveys this is H.P. Lovecraft. The “Call of Cthulhu” can be summed up in the Darwinesque, (is that a word?) phrase, “monkeys always look!” “The Shadow over Innsmouth” can be summed up as, “do you really know your families dark secrets?” “The Dunwich Horror” is an analogy of someone out in the sticks, cooking up a weapon of mass destruction in their own basement.
I am disappointed that there is not more information on Gothic Earth Eternal. It’s possible that I’ve been looking in the wrong places. I’ve ordered the “Gothic Earth Gazette” from EBay and should get it in about a week. I can’t wait for the Gothic Earth Eternal coming out this fall. I have one question about “Domains” in Gothic Earth. If memory serves me correctly, in D&D’s Ravenloft the boundaries of domains butted up against each other like borders on a map. When you exited one domain, you enter another. If my understanding of Gothic Earth is correct, there is some separation between the domains. This means that you don’t have to enter the domains if you really don’t want to. There is the possibility that, as the Darklord’s power increases, so does his domain.
Well I’ll soon be getting my reference materials, so see you then.
On The Wings Of Life, By The Hands Of Hope.
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Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 7598
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey
- Contact:
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hi Ronin Lore and welcome! I'll try to clear up some confusion about Gothic Earth Eternal, if I can.
- In 1994, TSR published the Masque of the Red Death boxed set, which detailed Gothic Earth, a setting very similar to the real earth of the 1890's, but where magic is real (and dangerous), monsters are real (also dangerous), and literary figures, like Sherlock Holmes, exist side by side with the people who created them, like Arthur Conan Doyle. It used a modified version of the 2nd Edition D&D rules. They followed it up with the Gothic Earth Gazetteer, and the Guide to Transylvania, along with several articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazine.
- In 2004, Arthaus updated Masque of the Red Death to 3rd edition rules with a hardcover. This was the only Masque product they produced. Just before the Arthaus Ravenloft line ended, they had announced an upcoming Masque of the Jade Horror, which was to be an Eastern-themed counterpart to the Red Death. But this book was never published because the line ended.
- In 2011, we announce the Gothic Earth Eternal project. Working with Rucht Lilavivat, one of the Ravenloft authors behind the sadly cancelled MotJH, we are bringing Gothic Earth into modern times. Gothic Earth Eternal will be set in 2012 and the netbook will be released in 2012. We've been running a year-long contest for people to contribute to the netbook their ideas for various darklords. The March darklord was Fu Manchu. We should be announcing a winner and next darklord soon.
You haven't found much about Gothic Earth Eternal yet because there isn't much info yet. Here's all the relevant information so far:
The announcement thread for the netbook and darklord contest
The Gothic Earth Eternal Primer
The Core classes and rules for Gothic Earth Eternal
And yes, darklords work a little differently on Gothic Earth than in Ravenloft. In the original Masque setting, they didn't have domains at all. Their lairs could become infused with their evil, but they were free to move around the world. But in Gothic Earth Eternal, that's changed. Sometime between 1900 and 2012, a major event changed the rules of the world, and darklords do have domains, though with some major effort, they can relocate them. And yes, unlike Ravenloft*, there are places in Gothic Earth that are not part of any domain.
I hope that clears things up. Feel free to ask any more questions you might have here or, better yet, in their own thread.
And again, welcome!
*this is not entirely true in Ravenloft either, with the advent of Oubliettes in Van Richten's Guide to the Mists, or earlier, depending on your point of view. (See discussion here and here)
- In 1994, TSR published the Masque of the Red Death boxed set, which detailed Gothic Earth, a setting very similar to the real earth of the 1890's, but where magic is real (and dangerous), monsters are real (also dangerous), and literary figures, like Sherlock Holmes, exist side by side with the people who created them, like Arthur Conan Doyle. It used a modified version of the 2nd Edition D&D rules. They followed it up with the Gothic Earth Gazetteer, and the Guide to Transylvania, along with several articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazine.
- In 2004, Arthaus updated Masque of the Red Death to 3rd edition rules with a hardcover. This was the only Masque product they produced. Just before the Arthaus Ravenloft line ended, they had announced an upcoming Masque of the Jade Horror, which was to be an Eastern-themed counterpart to the Red Death. But this book was never published because the line ended.
- In 2011, we announce the Gothic Earth Eternal project. Working with Rucht Lilavivat, one of the Ravenloft authors behind the sadly cancelled MotJH, we are bringing Gothic Earth into modern times. Gothic Earth Eternal will be set in 2012 and the netbook will be released in 2012. We've been running a year-long contest for people to contribute to the netbook their ideas for various darklords. The March darklord was Fu Manchu. We should be announcing a winner and next darklord soon.
You haven't found much about Gothic Earth Eternal yet because there isn't much info yet. Here's all the relevant information so far:
The announcement thread for the netbook and darklord contest
The Gothic Earth Eternal Primer
The Core classes and rules for Gothic Earth Eternal
And yes, darklords work a little differently on Gothic Earth than in Ravenloft. In the original Masque setting, they didn't have domains at all. Their lairs could become infused with their evil, but they were free to move around the world. But in Gothic Earth Eternal, that's changed. Sometime between 1900 and 2012, a major event changed the rules of the world, and darklords do have domains, though with some major effort, they can relocate them. And yes, unlike Ravenloft*, there are places in Gothic Earth that are not part of any domain.
I hope that clears things up. Feel free to ask any more questions you might have here or, better yet, in their own thread.
And again, welcome!
*this is not entirely true in Ravenloft either, with the advent of Oubliettes in Van Richten's Guide to the Mists, or earlier, depending on your point of view. (See discussion here and here)
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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darthphysicist
- Conspirator
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 8:53 pm
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hello. I've been a Ravenloft fan since the release of Vampire of the Mist (I'm a bit too young for the 1st edition module release). I love all things gothic horror and believe Vampires should fear crosses, avoid running water, and be able to turn to mist dammit!
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Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 7598
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey
- Contact:
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Welcome, darthphysicist, you are among like-minded souls! 
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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Blackest Sheep
- Conspirator
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 12:51 pm
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hello,
as a long time reader who started his own Ravenloft campaign last year, I thought it best to finally create an account in order to be able to participate - and probably ask a question or two if the need arises.
Despite owning a plethora of Ravenloft books and loving the general feeling - if not some of the specifics - of the setting, I never got around to actually play it. But last year a revelation dawned on me: I meet a couple of my old friends far less than I would like, as life has blown us all over the country. So I decided to start a new RPG campaign that is to be played a couple of weekends each year at varying locations to get the old crew together. After some deliberations, I decided to use Ravenloft with the Pathfinder rules (albeit as an E7 ruleset) and start with Paizo's Carrion Crown (at least in the beginning; there is too much dungeon-crawly-type of play in there for our gaming tastes). I sat down and rewrote the setting to fit it to my tastes, which seems to be something many do. I upped the size of the Core, advanced most of it to a more victorian/steampunk'ish era, removed or combined domains that I did not need for my campaign, fiddled with Pathfinder's rules to allow unarmoured combatants and the like.
If you are interested, I wrote a little primer for my players (including a self-designed map), a copy of which is kept as a google.doc here. This is just background information. I also put together a little rules compendium including homebrew firearms, races, classes, horror and taint checks and the like, but since that is very much tied into my campaign, I have not put it on the web yet. I also keep an extensive campaign journal, which has proven essential when playing only a few times a year.
Finally, my thanks to all those who contributed to the many excellent resources regarding Ravenloft. I have read most of the netbooks, browsed libraries and have used many a good idea.
as a long time reader who started his own Ravenloft campaign last year, I thought it best to finally create an account in order to be able to participate - and probably ask a question or two if the need arises.
Despite owning a plethora of Ravenloft books and loving the general feeling - if not some of the specifics - of the setting, I never got around to actually play it. But last year a revelation dawned on me: I meet a couple of my old friends far less than I would like, as life has blown us all over the country. So I decided to start a new RPG campaign that is to be played a couple of weekends each year at varying locations to get the old crew together. After some deliberations, I decided to use Ravenloft with the Pathfinder rules (albeit as an E7 ruleset) and start with Paizo's Carrion Crown (at least in the beginning; there is too much dungeon-crawly-type of play in there for our gaming tastes). I sat down and rewrote the setting to fit it to my tastes, which seems to be something many do. I upped the size of the Core, advanced most of it to a more victorian/steampunk'ish era, removed or combined domains that I did not need for my campaign, fiddled with Pathfinder's rules to allow unarmoured combatants and the like.
If you are interested, I wrote a little primer for my players (including a self-designed map), a copy of which is kept as a google.doc here. This is just background information. I also put together a little rules compendium including homebrew firearms, races, classes, horror and taint checks and the like, but since that is very much tied into my campaign, I have not put it on the web yet. I also keep an extensive campaign journal, which has proven essential when playing only a few times a year.
Finally, my thanks to all those who contributed to the many excellent resources regarding Ravenloft. I have read most of the netbooks, browsed libraries and have used many a good idea.
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Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 7598
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey
- Contact:
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Welcome, Blackest Sheep! I like your primer a lot. (the shape of Mordent on your rebuilt map is and especially cute detail. I see what you did there. 
)
Ustalav does seem like it fits right next to Barovia. Are you going to use the Vistani in Ustalav or the Sczarni or both?
Curious why you separated Borca from Falkovnia, though. Borca being stuck between Falkovnia and Invidia and hence on the front lines of Drakov's war plans is part of the charm of the place, IMHO.
)Ustalav does seem like it fits right next to Barovia. Are you going to use the Vistani in Ustalav or the Sczarni or both?
Curious why you separated Borca from Falkovnia, though. Borca being stuck between Falkovnia and Invidia and hence on the front lines of Drakov's war plans is part of the charm of the place, IMHO.
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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Blackest Sheep
- Conspirator
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 12:51 pm
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
The main reason is my attempt to get some domains to resemble real-world countries a little more, mostly for the benefit of my players. None of them played Ravenloft before, so I wanted to ease their transition into the setting. Mordent is obvious, and I wanted Borca to be more italian, with strong seafaring traditions. As in canon, Borca is mostly embroiled in internal conflict which I intend to present as the main part of the domain (if my players ever get there). In this campaign, Falkovnia is almost exclusively concentrating its efforts on Darkon anyway.
As we played Carrion Crown for the first adventures, I mainly used Ustalav as written in the adventures, but exchanged the Sczarni with Vistani and added a little Ravenloft-background - like a meeting with a pompous Red Wizard. The latter parts of the Adventure Parts do not appeal to our gaming tastes, and I will just use them as a rough outline to base my own plots on. The heroes will soon have to leave Ustalav and travel to different parts of the Core and beyond.
As we played Carrion Crown for the first adventures, I mainly used Ustalav as written in the adventures, but exchanged the Sczarni with Vistani and added a little Ravenloft-background - like a meeting with a pompous Red Wizard. The latter parts of the Adventure Parts do not appeal to our gaming tastes, and I will just use them as a rough outline to base my own plots on. The heroes will soon have to leave Ustalav and travel to different parts of the Core and beyond.
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hello all
I used to go to the Kargatane site and also a site called the Pits of Evil. I have been coming to the site for a while now but finally got brave enough to join and post. I have been playing D&D for a long time. I started with 2nd edition and still favor it over the rest. I purchased the Ravenloft Realm of Terror boxed set and loved it. I could never get anyone to play it with me though. I grew up watching all the old Hammer and Universal Monster movies. I always liked shows like Kolchak the Nightstalker, X-Files, Buffy, Angel, and lately Supernatural. The Munsters were always one of my favorite shows.
Well I feel like I am starting to ramble. Thanks to the admins for a great site. I look forward to getting to know all of you and hopefully having a lot of fun.
I used to go to the Kargatane site and also a site called the Pits of Evil. I have been coming to the site for a while now but finally got brave enough to join and post. I have been playing D&D for a long time. I started with 2nd edition and still favor it over the rest. I purchased the Ravenloft Realm of Terror boxed set and loved it. I could never get anyone to play it with me though. I grew up watching all the old Hammer and Universal Monster movies. I always liked shows like Kolchak the Nightstalker, X-Files, Buffy, Angel, and lately Supernatural. The Munsters were always one of my favorite shows.
Well I feel like I am starting to ramble. Thanks to the admins for a great site. I look forward to getting to know all of you and hopefully having a lot of fun.
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devilfox
- Conspirator
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 5:23 am
- Gender: Male
- Location: Newcastle, Australia
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hello all
Just stumbled here out of the mists while looking for a Ravenloft fix. I used to visit the Kargate website quite regularly, but lost touch with all that is dark when they disappeared.
Quite... excited? to see the work on Gothic Earth Eternal. Hoping to see a little darkness directed Australia's way.
Just stumbled here out of the mists while looking for a Ravenloft fix. I used to visit the Kargate website quite regularly, but lost touch with all that is dark when they disappeared.
Quite... excited? to see the work on Gothic Earth Eternal. Hoping to see a little darkness directed Australia's way.
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Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 7598
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey
- Contact:
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Welcome, Arjuna and devilfox! Leave your blood samples with the coat-check zombie, please!
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Hey fellas,
I've posted a few times now, but I haven't introduced myself yet.
My name is Steve. 25 years of age. I've been playing role-playing games for about two and a half years now, starting out in Palladium based games. (Superheroes)
Now I'm quite into D&D, DMing for 4 (possibly 6 now) people as well as playing in two other games.
Was in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for four years as an Airfield Defence Guard, and now I work as an over glorified orderly at the Canberra Hospital.
In August, my girlfriend will be giving birth to our first child, and we just bought our first house; so all in all, life is pretty good at the moment.
I look forward to lurking this forum and throwing in my two cents here and there.
I've posted a few times now, but I haven't introduced myself yet.
My name is Steve. 25 years of age. I've been playing role-playing games for about two and a half years now, starting out in Palladium based games. (Superheroes)
Now I'm quite into D&D, DMing for 4 (possibly 6 now) people as well as playing in two other games.
Was in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for four years as an Airfield Defence Guard, and now I work as an over glorified orderly at the Canberra Hospital.
In August, my girlfriend will be giving birth to our first child, and we just bought our first house; so all in all, life is pretty good at the moment.
I look forward to lurking this forum and throwing in my two cents here and there.
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Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 7598
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey
- Contact:
Re: New to the Forum? introduce yourself here!
Welcome, Epically, good to have you here! Especially good to see new players finding us. We've got far too many dusty old cadavers around here, self included.
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."