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The Nocturnal Sea FoS Report is now out!!!

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 7:42 am
by Joël of the FoS
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Esteemed members of the Fraternity,

It is with great excitement that we announce the release of the Nocturnal Sea FoS Report: see the main FoS page or library for download.

All the latest information on those isolated islands awaits you, as well as everything (and more!) you've always wanted to know about this treacherous, bleak sea!

Finish that bottle of Borcan bubbly and pack your things ... and don't forget your raincoat.

Adventure awaits!

Monsters!

Creepy NPCs!

Romance!

Mystery!

Tragedy!

And a very bad week for our intrepid narrator, Viktor Hazan!


We would like to thank everyone who was involved in this project, as this netbook was one of the most demanding we have produced so far. We of the Fraternity sincerely hope you'll find it worth the wait.

Please comment here, as the writers and artists were not paid much and would really appreciate your opinions.

The Fraternity of Shadows
Souragne

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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:51 am
by Jester of the FoS
Now you can find out what *some* of the references in my Player's Guide meant.

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:19 pm
by Rotipher of the FoS
And why Meredoth's domain didn't simply go "poof" and disappear at the end of Ship of Horror, which would've made it a much shorter netbook. :wink:


And, for that matter, why I laughed myself silly when Spiteful Crow asked me if the Grabens had pulled through that module "with all of their body parts intact", last year. :twisted:

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:54 pm
by Dimitri Mazieres
Great news! I have promptly downloaded and am perusing it as I type this.

A little suggestion that I'd like to make: would it be possible to release a version with higher resolution images? As it stands, the pictures look a bit pixelated on my screen (and maybe would if printed, as well).

Either way, my most sincere congratulations on another finished project! :D

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:23 pm
by WolfKook
WOW!!! Simply Wow!!!

Already downloaded it, looked at it, and it looks pretty juicy. I haven't read it thoroughly, though (I'm at work, after all), but I can't wait to devour it!

Nice work (again), oh members of the fraternity!

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:33 pm
by Archedius
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 3:06 pm
by Le Noir Faineant
I am going to leave out the superlatives and exaggerations this time:

- Simply, a very good book. The definitive Ravenloft resource for the region
from now on. In fact, I doubt I will read a better RL book in a long while, and for me personally the one reason while I will not be interested in any new material WotC brings out, at least for now.

As for the Frat's standards, the writing is getting more and more well-rounded (if it wasn't before already), and the artwork is by far the best we have seen in a Frat publication, though I miss Stanton Fink's contributions.
The only flaw I find while reading through it for the first time is that it is sometimes too long and too detailed for my gusto as a reader; as a DM, however, I think I will praise the Great Six and their helpers whenever I use the book to prepare my campaign.

This might be the best Ravenloft fan production since the Souragne Gaz,
and, in the extensive library of the Frat stands equal to my personal all-time favorites, "The Nine of Hearts" and "The Great War Project".

The book is so well done that I find myself slipping into the usual fanboy attitude: Rather than congratulate the authors for their fine, unpaid, and completely voluntary work, my first thought after reading through it was to ask when the next Gaz comes out...

Take that as my review - and quote me, if you need it.

Amazing work, friends, thank you so much!

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 3:15 pm
by Le Noir Faineant
Oh, and that I said that this Gaz is the best since the Souragne Gaz does mean no disrespect towards those who have worked on the Paridon Gaz.

Point is, I loved the Souragne Gaz - I ran a year-long campaign based on it;
the Paridon Gaz was nicely done as well, but I never connected to the setting like I had with the Frat's Souragne.

Just to clarify. Now, back to the Isle of Ravens for me! :)

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:11 pm
by Jester of the FoS
Rafael wrote:The only flaw I find while reading through it for the first time is that it is sometimes too long and too detailed for my gusto as a reader; as a DM, however, I think I will praise the Great Six and their helpers whenever I use the book to prepare my campaign.
That's the problem with online pdfs and no page limits, word counters, or editorial restrictions. Everything balloons. Instead of the print Gazetteers where it's "you have 35 pages to do all of Barovia" and you only do the really, really important bits and make every sentence count it's "you have, oh, a 100 pages to do Liffe. But, you know, we won't care if you go over."

I did my best to crack the editorial whip and keep it svelte (and cut swaths from the reports), savaging Rotipher's amazing work, but with this many authors...

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:26 pm
by steveflam
Rafael wrote:Oh, and that I said that this Gaz is the best since the Souragne Gaz does mean no disrespect towards those who have worked on the Paridon Gaz.

Point is, I loved the Souragne Gaz - I ran a year-long campaign based on it;
the Paridon Gaz was nicely done as well, but I never connected to the setting like I had with the Frat's Souragne.

Just to clarify. Now, back to the Isle of Ravens for me! :)
Psst don't forget the Doppleganger pdf Roti and her gang worked real hard on!

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:41 pm
by Jonathan Winters
Wow. So cool.

Must... concentrate... on... tomorrow's... game...
Must... prepare... Not... Read...

:)

I will have to print this baby. But if it's as good as the Souragne or Paridon gaz, then congrats!

A small suggestion (and I have NO idea how hard or easy this is), would it be possible to make a nice version and a printer friendly one???
Just a thought.

Patrick

Now take a break FoS...
Hum.
Where to next? (Sorry I had to ask.)

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 7:24 pm
by Rotipher of the FoS
Jonathan Winters wrote: Where to next? (Sorry I had to ask.)

For us, there's still another big, soggy chunk of Core to explore. Why do you think I chose sea monsters for the second VRF, if not to go along with the Gazzes before and after it? :wink:

Of course, if there's sufficient fan-interest in detailing another Cluster or IoT as an open community project, like the Zherisia netbook, we'd be more than happy to host it. :D

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:19 pm
by High Priest Mikhal
Rotipher of the FoS wrote:Of course, if there's sufficient fan-interest in detailing another Cluster or IoT as an open community project, like the Zherisia netbook, we'd be more than happy to host it. :D
Shadowlands Cluster. Please, please, I beg you on my hands and knees to give us a comprehensive, coherent history and contemporary look at Nidala, the Phantasmal Forest, and Shadowborn Manor.

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 9:23 pm
by Desertrising
First I want to say job very well done!

I have to say that this work is on par with any of the previous gaz's released and in some ways is much better. I tip my hat to what was obviously a gret collaborative effort.

I have to admit that 400 pages for a single region is intense, however I really felt it was probably the best 400 pages I have read in a long, long time. I now want to go through every previous GAZ and give it the same treatment and expand expand expand.

I am excited to see what is next and may even attempt to throw my hat in. Again guys, thanks for everything you all did.

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:44 pm
by A G Thing
Some of the best material I have read anywhere...

Minor Gramattical Errors... Not important as I poured over the text and the detailed stories...

I may have solved a lot of problems for my next planned Ravenloft game and plan to re read if my craputer doesn't give out on me...

Still wow and I read it in one night!!!

Great Job Frat members and cannot wait to see the next one...