Ravenloft Coming Back To WotC.

Knightcrawler · March 08, 2006, 03:52:35 PM

Just discovered this. Seems WotC is picking Ravenloft back up. There's going to be a Castle Ravenloft hardcover supplement for it in October.

Linkie

Definitely interesting that after Sword & Sorcery did all the 3.x stuff for Ravenloft that Wizards is releasing something again. I hope its done in a generic mini-setting way so that it can be dropped into almost any campaign world.

Sojourner Judas · March 08, 2006, 04:08:29 PM

The Sword and Sorcery books were ridiculously well-written, and most of them had pretty good production values too.

Not sure how well WotC will do with this.

Cyberzombie · March 08, 2006, 04:30:25 PM

I liked the original module well enough, but I never quite understood how it turned into a whole setting -- especially *that* whole setting. I found it kind of... silly.

I guess I just wasn't the target audience.

Knightcrawler · March 08, 2006, 04:32:51 PM

Quote from: CyberzombieI liked the original module well enough, but I never quite understood how it turned into a whole setting -- especially *that* whole setting. I found it kind of... silly.

I guess I just wasn't the target audience.

I enjoyed it. It wa something very different, something that TSR didn't have anything like at teh time. Especially if you consider the fact that many of the realms in Ravenloft were very demi-human light. I ran many great campaigns that spent at least some time in Ravenloft.

Knightcrawler · March 08, 2006, 04:34:58 PM

You need to remember that this is pre-World of Darkness being widespread. CoC was still a very much niche game. We didn't have all of the horror/suspense rpgs that we have now.

Aelfinn · March 08, 2006, 04:36:40 PM

They'll probably do a big Heroes of Horror Tie-In, knowing WotC. while that might be a good thing, i'm not sure how well this bodes for other lisceneced properties from the old TSR days.

On the other hand, will we begin seeing some of the Old Settings get actual re-vamp books? I'm not talking whole product lines, but just a single decent sized setting book. The entire "divide the market" aspect of the eberron promotional stratagy is, I think, complete bullshit, and maybe whoever the new brand manager for D&D is over at WotC realizes that there is a fairly decent market for some of the nostalgic settings.

Vermicious Knid · March 08, 2006, 06:52:24 PM

I'd love to see Dark Sun or Planescape revamped.

Knightcrawler · March 08, 2006, 06:57:31 PM

Quote from: Vermicious KnidI'd love to see Dark Sun or Planescape revamped.

Those were covered in Dungeon I think. They specifically said there are no planes to bring those back. And the Ravenloft thing I think is mainly just a one shot thing. Trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Sword & Sorcery stuff.

Aelfinn · March 08, 2006, 07:02:16 PM

Quote from: KnightcrawlerThose were covered in Dungeon I think. They specifically said there are no planes to bring those back. And the Ravenloft thing I think is mainly just a one shot thing. Trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Sword & Sorcery stuff.

I'd like to point out a couple of things:

Dungeon, though their content must be approved by WotC, is neither owned nor operated by them. their information could be false, or easily mislead. Same goes for Dragon. I've really enjoyed their "dead settings" articles and issues, and it gives me hope that since WotC allows those to exist, they may someday have plans to renew those properties.

Dungeons & Dragons has a new brand manager. this means that formerly immutable policies may change, because entirely new stratagies could be on the table here. I honestly don't know how much of setting policy was Charles Ryan's domain, but I'll bet he had a good solid say in the process.

ColonelHardisson · March 08, 2006, 07:04:22 PM

I just wish they'd take their old settings and update them in one-shot sourcebooks along the lines of those for GURPS.

Cyberzombie · March 08, 2006, 07:08:23 PM

Quote from: ColonelHardissonI just wish they'd take their old settings and update them in one-shot sourcebooks along the lines of those for GURPS.

Now that would be cool -- one-shot, GURPS-stylez sourcebooks. Be a hell of a lot more useful than some of the crap WotC has spewed out.

ColonelHardisson · March 08, 2006, 07:47:51 PM

I thought WotC was heading that way with recent d20 Modern sourcebooks - Past, Cyberscape, Apocalypse, Future Tech - but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

BOZ · March 08, 2006, 07:50:10 PM

Quote from: ColonelHardissonI just wish they'd take their old settings and update them in one-shot sourcebooks along the lines of those for GURPS.

thank you.

anyone have any idea what the new brand manager's take on things is?

ColonelHardisson · March 08, 2006, 07:59:22 PM

Quote from: BOZthank you.

anyone have any idea what the new brand manager's take on things is?

I've been asking about this since d20 took off. Who is the new brand manager there, anyway?

ColonelHardisson · March 08, 2006, 08:27:15 PM

Now that I think of it, WotC has a precedent for this type of sourcebook in its own stable, via TSR. The Amazing Engine sourcebooks were kind of a retarded version of GURPS sourcebooks. While way too many of them were mechanic-heavy and thus most of each respective book wouldn't be usable for another game, some of them had some great "fluff." Bughunters and Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega are my two favorites. Maybe WotC looked back on the (I assume) dismal success of AE and said "fuck that."