Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Nov 23, 2003 23:26:14	An interesting question was asked by one of our guild members and I would like to hear what the community thinks on this matter. When we put up the NWN Ravenloft Persistant world- Plans are the start will be N.W. Darkon down through parts of Falkovnia. What time period would people like to see the world set in? The current Year of 758BC? OR Would you like it to start as early as 702BC like in the Official Campaign 'Involution' which is the pre-2E module era? OR Would you like it to start at the same time as the Black Box in 735BC and have the server host the big events that drastically changed the Core? Thank you for your time. Andrew Bator Dark Powers of Ravenloft Guild
#2 The_Jester Nov 23, 2003 23:33:11	[nitpick] As of the PHB the current year is 758 or so I've heard... [/nitpick] I'd say 735. Political events and maps were detailed for the time period and all the Domains were present. Don't have to worry about dead DLs or the like. But also gives room to breathe time wise so you don't end up stretching into the future. Plus the Grand Conjunction acts as a good excuse to make any drastic world changes if needed. Like "gee, these maps really need fixing and this area needs re-working. They'll just be altered in the Great Upheaval". Plus you get to play with expendable Darklords like Duke Gundar.
#3 tryst_91 Nov 24, 2003 0:47:17	i think i would have to go with about 749. Like things just before the grim harvest but after the grand conjunction. Alot of change going on and probably alot of unrest in the core.
#4 zombiegleemax Nov 24, 2003 7:49:09	I can't believe I actually agree with Jester. 735 would be my pick too. That's the start date of the Black Box.
#5 zombiegleemax Nov 24, 2003 22:21:43	All 3 eras I mentioned have benefits and can be enjoyable for different reasons. 702BC Players can effect the world to a great extent in 702BC. Darklords and very powerful NPCs would be played by DMs. However, most any Baron or Burgomeister (spelling) Could easily be a major player in a video game senerio the players get involved with and they would be the movers and shakers the PCs deal with most. Hell, PCs could end up BEING a Baron or some such in the persistant world, as all these were the ones before any names were given in the Black Box. The canon characters that would be around would most likely all be monsters or very young. If they are monsters they will probably be the lovable bad guys that always seem to get away and come back for vengence. Sleep lightly. *Smiles 735BC All the second edition stories take place in this era. If we were running this as the world it would probably be something unusual, like the NPCs the players deal with would be the 'Heroes' who completed all the modules. The PCs would participate in original stories, as anyone who had read the modules and books would have an unfair advantage over others. The experience would be "all the other stuff" that happened around the demi plane at the time or introduce original plot hooks. The modules would mostly be a backdrop to show the passage of time. If this is the final era chosen some playtesting will be done before launch to see if the executition works as well as the concept. For those players who want to play the 2E module conversions, I suggest you download those Guild members efforts that are creating just that. We could allow for players to change the events, but that would create an original Ravenloft world, and i've seen a lot of negative feedback for that idea. For instance, players could stop the Grand Conjunction from happening, or some such. If you DO like that idea, someone had better inform me the community likes it because I've only seen a lot of comments that view that idea as negative and that it sullies that which is Ravenloft. Another perk of this era is players can come across all the canon characters mentioned. With the Power Checks system in place, if you decend into corruption at a paticualr point you become a useable pawn to a Darklord and at that point they would summon you and give you missions to further their own goals. Current day 758BC This era gives players the most freedom. Anything in the world could be effected, even to the extent of Darklords being destroyed and replaced by new ones or Domains disolve, new domains appear, etc. all due to player's actions. Again, players could encounter all the canon characters, but they could also perish or change or get involved with the PCs. This era gives the most freedom, and all the written material would just be a springboard into a living breathing (or should i say undead?) world. That's my personal thoughts and some possibilities for a persistant world. As you can see they are all valid, and I really don't have any paticular favorite. It will be up to the community what they want to see most. sincerely, Andrew Bator Dark Powers of Ravenloft Guild
#6 keg_of_ale Nov 25, 2003 5:47:57	I think 758 is best, if only to promote the current version of Ravenloft to potential non-initiates. Don't attach too much credit to my comment, though, as I most likely won't be a custumer for the game (I don't own NWN).
#7 zombiegleemax Nov 25, 2003 9:14:15	I believe the NWN community is fairly well versed on what Ravenloft is. "Spires of Ravenloft" based on the House of Strahd mod was one of the first mods to come out, and one of the top downloaded of all time. From reading their boards they seem to know about D&D in general, be it FR, Grayhawk, Dragonlance or Ravenloft.