Well, since the Dark Duo is here, I feel tempted to ask. Can you tell us about the books to be released in 2005?
We do know there is VanRichten's Guide to the Mists in the works but other than that we have been told next to nothing.
Saddly the Devs have not been here for quite some time.
We do know there is VanRichten's Guide to the Mists in the works but other than that we have been told next to nothing.
We have been absent lately, but we're back now for awhile. Sometimes life just doesn't leave time for everything.
For 2005 we have Dark Tales and Disturbing Legends, a collection of original horror tales which present Ravenloft-twists on classic horror tales and then show how these stories can be used in games.
Next we have Van Richten's Guide to the Mists, an exploration of the creatures who dwell in the Mists and some speculations on those most mysterious elements of the Dread Realm.
We also have another product which we don't think wecan detail right now -- maybe later on, if we get the okay from higher up!
Jackie & Nicky
We also have another product which we don't think wecan detail right now -- maybe later on, if we get the okay from higher up!
For 2005 we have Dark Tales and Disturbing Legends, a collection of original horror tales which present Ravenloft-twists on classic horror tales and then show how these stories can be used in games.
Sounds like it's trying to sidestep not having the license for RL novels. Cool!
Sounds like it's trying to sidestep not having the license for RL novels. Cool!
Also sounds potentially like a series of adventure hooks and/or mini-adventures from the folks that said they would not publish adventures/game modules. The Dark Duo did say that they were listening to the requests of the series fans in regard to upcoming products, if this is the case, kudos to them & I hope it sells well. I will definitely be buying it this next April.
We also have another product which we don't think wecan detail right now -- maybe later on, if we get the okay from higher up!
Jackie & Nicky
Masque of the Jade Dragon ?
(We heard that some people are working on this secret project !)
Joël
Masque of the Jade Dragon ?
(We heard that some people are working on this secret project !)
Joël
We can neither confirm nor deny anything. We'll let you know in the proper time.
J&N
I guess I'd just like reassurances that the Gazateer series will be continuing. Failure to confirm the publication of Gazateer VI (which I thought went without saying) is making me uneasy. The Gazateers were my favorite piece of Ravenloft publication.
The Gazetteers are taking a rest for 2005. We wanted to complete the Core realms, and we did that. We want to do the rest of the Gazetteers, covering the Seas and Clusters, in the future. We realize that the Gazetteers are popular but there are other aspects of Ravenloft we want to explore if the line is to continue to be dynamic and viable.
As developers, we recommend books for publication, but the final decision rests with our bosses. So if you'd really like to see more Gazetteers sooner rather than later, write the people at Arthaus (by mail, not email) and let them know.
Sincerely,
Jackie & Nicky
Masque of the Jade Dragon ?
(We heard that some people are working on this secret project !)
Joël
We got the okay to confirm Masque of the Jade Dragon as on the 2005 Ravenloft schedule.
Jackie & Nicky
(Um. . .One last somewhat embarassing question if it's all right: Are both of you female, one female and one male,. . .? I have seen conflicting claims on this and I would like to get it right.)
(Um. . .One last somewhat embarassing question if it's all right: Are both of you female, one female and one male,. . .? I have seen conflicting claims on this and I would like to get it right.)
Nicky and I are both female.
Jackie
Are you telling me that you are *female* roleplayers (even a sensation), and ROLE PLAYING GAME DESIGNERS ?!
... 
I, I mean I always imagined that all game designers in the world looked more or less the same...
http://archive.gamespy.com/asp/image.asp?/articles/august02/gencon/arneson/2.jpg
*Older men with a friendly grin, bearing a small belly and a dwarven-like beard and making quotations from the Lord of the Rings and the Earthsea Chroncles in fluent Elven from time to time...*
But I should have guessed that a true Ravenloft designer could only look like that:http://www.neoyosei.de/p-GothicLady.jpg
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(Please don't feel offended! I think your work is great!)
:OMG! :OMG! :OMG!
Are you telling me that you are *female* roleplayers (even a sensation), and ROLE PLAYING GAME DESIGNERS ?!
I, I mean I always imagined that all game designers in the world looked more or less the same...
http://archive.gamespy.com/asp/image.asp?/articles/august02/gencon/arneson/2.jpg
*Older men with a friendly grin, bearing a small belly and a dwarven-like beard and making quotations from the Lord of the Rings and the Earthsea Chroncles in fluent Elven from time to time...*
http://www.neoyosei.de/p-GothicLady.jpg
------------------------------------------------------------------
(Please don't feel offended! I think your work is great!)
Yes, we're both women and we've been playing and running games since 1978! (Don't do the math or you'll scare yourself!)
We've been fortunate in that we've not played with people who stereotyped us or who discriminated against us because we were women. We've played in mixed groups and in groups with all women and in groups where we were the only women. We've run tournaments at conventions where the guys at the table couldn't quite believe we were the DMs.
We are not tiny, frail creatures, either!
As role-playing game designers, we are in the minority, but we are part of a great group of women who include Penny Williams, Sue Cook, Jean Rabe, Jennifer Hartshorn, Cynthia Summers, Dee McKinney and many others. There are not many women developers, but there are some.
We're not offended. We hope that we can encourage more women to try out their creative talents. Both genders bring different talents to the mix and that diversity can only be good for gaming.
Take care,
Jackie & Nicky
Also, having women in your party has at least one nice side - effect:
From one moment to the other, nobody comes up again with such brainless crap as *Now that the adventure is finsihed, why doesn't the party go and search the village's hookers?*
Boys simply behave better when girls are around.
Sorry to ask, but Jackie and Nicky are fairly androgynous names.
It's good to know the two of you have the thick skins I warned you about a year ago that you would need to talk to your fans.
Sorry to ask, but Jackie and Nicky are fairly androgynous names.
Not only do we have thick skins, we go from 0 to B-tch in under 2 seconds!
When we lived in the Boston area, we discovered that people with 2 syllable names got their names truncated, so we quickly became "Jack" and "Nick," while people with one syllable names had "ie" or "y" added -- Joe became Joey, Mike became Mikey and Pam became Pammy!
We also enjoy talking to people when we have some extra time to do so and when our computers and ISPs cooperate!
J&N
I've always welcomed good players for my campaigns, regardless of their gender!
Also, having women in your party has at least one nice side - effect:
From one moment to the other, nobody comes up again with such brainless crap as *Now that the adventure is finsihed, why doesn't the party go and search the village's hookers?*
Boys simply behave better when girls are around.
Don't kid yourself, sometimes girls don't behave any better! We also have a lot of cross-gender playing; some of our female gamers enjoy playing male characters and some of our male players like to play female characters from time to time. My nephew (16) who's joined us in several of our games now has a habit of saying "Will everyone who's playing the opposite sex raise their hands?" so he can keep track and not make the mistake of referring to a male character as "she" just because the player is female!
J&N
This was fun!The last time I had a woman join one of my groups though was 4 years ago, the players were a boistrous lot who swore at the drop of a hat, but in her presence they were so polite it was incredible. It was pretty commical when she turned out to be even more foul-mouthed and perverse in her humour than the other players were.
In regard to playing characters of the opposite gender, I try to play at least one female in each campaign where I don't have to DM all the time. I find it more of a challenge and far more fun to play a female character, you have to think and approach the differently, what one aging male wizard might do is probably not what some old woman may do, for a start she may spit alot more, lol.
Of course, the first time I played a female character she was a runaway fighter from a small kingdom where women were meant to be meek and good little housewives. her father hadno sons and so had taught her how to fight and use weapons. When she was discovered, he smuggled her out of the kingdom (as it was illegal for women to do such things) and she went on the road. When she joined the party she looked a meek little thing, but shocked the party when she came back after getting changed, clad in chainmail with a longsword strapped to her back, lol. She was fun to play, as she was a woman out to prove that women were as good as men in every way and later multiclassed with wizard to prove her point.
And regarding this Masque of the Jade Dragon, can you give us some more hints on what is it all about? I mean, is it MotRD but with Fu Manchu and Hopping Vampires instead of Imhotep and Dracula? Will we get the "oriental version " of western gothic or is it another setting completely? Will it be related to MotRD setting much like Kindred of the East was related to the old Vampire world?
Thanks for any comments you'll slip in this forum ;)
Details can be found on the Sword & Sorcery website, pre-orders page. Kudos to WW/Arthaus for getting it out to us early. I'll be running out to get my copy as soon as all my Thanksgiving company leaves, something to really look forward to (!).
Oh anyway, glad to know it'll be out before the end of the year. I won't be buying it anytime soon
, but at least I'll be able to get reviews and commentaries on it very soon :embarrass :DSorry if I steer the discussion back on topic of RL products scheduled for next year but I was wondering... is Legacies of Blood in its final stage? Will we see it in print for December as predicted?
And regarding this Masque of the Jade Dragon, can you give us some more hints on what is it all about? I mean, is it MotRD but with Fu Manchu and Hopping Vampires instead of Imhotep and Dracula? Will we get the "oriental version " of western gothic or is it another setting completely? Will it be related to MotRD setting much like Kindred of the East was related to the old Vampire world?
Thanks for any comments you'll slip in this forum ;)
As Catman Jim pointed out, Legacy of the Blood will be out soon.
As for Masque of the Jade Dragon, it is not the "oriental version" of western gothic (at least I hope it doesn't come across that way) ;).
It is set in a different time period and focuses on Asia. Look for interesting takes on magic.
More later,
J&N
As for Masque of the Jade Dragon, it is not the "oriental version" of western gothic (at least I hope it doesn't come across that way) ;).
It is set in a different time period and focuses on Asia. Look for interesting takes on magic.
Uhm... it doesn't make things clearer, but I appreciated you sublte hint ;)
Now, which one of these hypothesis is closer to Masque of the Jade Dragon's true nature:
1. MotJD is Masque of the Red Death: Asia set in a different timeframe (prior 1890 or after??)
2. MotJD is the oriental version of MotRD, thus it doesn't have any references to Imhotep or the Red Death but presents a different mythology at the basis
3. MotJD is a new setting with no ties to MotRD. It is a dark version of Asia with horror monsters running around in the present days (or in the past)?
[X]. [fill in the blanks with other ideas...]
:D
please give us more info on what's about to come! :P
Uhm... it doesn't make things clearer, but I appreciated you sublte hint ;)
Now, which one of these hypothesis is closer to Masque of the Jade Dragon's true nature:
1. MotJD is Masque of the Red Death: Asia set in a different timeframe (prior 1890 or after??)
2. MotJD is the oriental version of MotRD, thus it doesn't have any references to Imhotep or the Red Death but presents a different mythology at the basis
3. MotJD is a new setting with no ties to MotRD. It is a dark version of Asia with horror monsters running around in the present days (or in the past)?
[X]. [fill in the blanks with other ideas...]
:D
please give us more info on what's about to come! :P
#1 is partly true. MotJH is set prior to Red Death. It can be used independently of Red Death's history or in conjunction with it -- though in that case Red Death's history is in the future. But it's not just Red Death: Asia.
#2 is also partly true. Jade Horror has its own mythology but does not conflict with RD's origin stories. The truth may be somewhere in between the two.
#3 is partly true, but less true than the other two. It can be played with no ties to Red Death since it's time frame and locational focus is different, but it is not totally independent from Red Death.
Have we confused you thoroughly?
J&N
Actually I have an idea forming that may have it all summed up, but being nearlky 3am where I am at the moment I don't have the time to post and really do need to get to bed, lol. I'll try to post my theory tomorrow if time allows
I particually liked the recent bloodlines book and am quite happy to see the Gazateers rested for a while. Yes -id like to see the islands and seas completed but theres certainly many more islands/clusters than are in the 3.5 DMG. Some are just mentioned in passing (Like in: Neither Man nor Beast) others dissappeared during the grand conjunction (i.e. from the original box set).
I've been hoping a Gothic 'scientist' like class may make an entrance at some point, so was pleseantly surprised when it appeared as a prestige in the bloodlines book. Still not a full class but one day... one day.
Still - With 2004's new material both the DMG and epecially the secrets of the dread realms desperatly need a re-release.
Finally - any chance of a deluxe 'Castle Ravenloft Box' set at any point
I think FFG did pretty well with the recent Fury of Shadow release, I'd love to see something similar.
Thanks for answering the q's on whats coming out in 2005.
I particually liked the recent bloodlines book and am quite happy to see the Gazateers rested for a while. Yes -id like to see the islands and seas completed but theres certainly many more islands/clusters than are in the 3.5 DMG. Some are just mentioned in passing (Like in: Neither Man nor Beast) others dissappeared during the grand conjunction (i.e. from the original box set).
Glad you liked Legacy of Blood. I'd love to see the Gazetteers ultimately include the Clusters, but for now, as I've said, we've been trying to expand the variety of offerings.
Still - With 2004's new material both the DMG and epecially the secrets of the dread realms desperatly need a re-release.
Probably not for awhile. SotDR is mostly a compendium of Darklords and they've been covered in the Gazetteers.
Finally - any chance of a deluxe 'Castle Ravenloft Box' set at any point
I think FFG did pretty well with the recent Fury of Shadow release, I'd love to see something similar.
Unfortunately, boxed sets are hideously and prohibitively expensive and currently not in the picture for Arthaus.
Thanks for your comments, though. We're glad to hear them.
Jackie & Nicky
We're not offended. We hope that we can encourage more women to try out their creative talents. Both genders bring different talents to the mix and that diversity can only be good for gaming.
Take care,
Jackie & Nicky
I'm an old veteran of Ravenloft, and male, and personally I've enjoyed the products contributed by women more. Christie Golden gave us Vampire of the Mists, P.N. Elrod gave us I, Strahd, and I think they pretty much set the bar for Ravenloft to come.
Uh, since you are women, and Ravenloft-philes, I don't suppose you also have your hair dyed black, wear matching clothing and ankh jewelry do you? Are you perchance fans of Siouxie and the Banshees and Switchblade Symphony as well?
I'm an old veteran of Ravenloft, and male, and personally I've enjoyed the products contributed by women more. Christie Golden gave us Vampire of the Mists, P.N. Elrod gave us I, Strahd, and I think they pretty much set the bar for Ravenloft to come.
By the way, just to get this clear, *The Guide of Transylvania*, although about 10 years old, if I am not mistaken still remains my favourite D&D accessoire, if not my favourite RPG book ever!
Thank you, Nicky!
Merry Christmas!
I'm an old veteran of Ravenloft, and male, and personally I've enjoyed the products contributed by women more. Christie Golden gave us Vampire of the Mists, P.N. Elrod gave us I, Strahd, and I think they pretty much set the bar for Ravenloft to come.
Don't forget Laura Hickman, who, along with her husband Tracy, wrote the core adventure for Ravenloft that started the whole thing off!
I like to think of myself as gender blind as far as creative talent goes -- for me it's more of an individual thing. Women have been less common in game design, but most of the ones who are involved are really really good!
Uh, since you are women, and Ravenloft-philes, I don't suppose you also have your hair dyed black, wear matching clothing and ankh jewelry do you? Are you perchance fans of Siouxie and the Banshees and Switchblade Symphony as well?
Since you asked, Nicky is naturally dark haired; my hair is brown but I color it with highlights to mask a certain other color that's cropping up with increasing regularity!
Nicky wears black clothing a lot; I wear black sometimes, but prefer gray and pink (though not together, usually).
I'm a Siouxie and the Banshees fan, but I also like Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and I have tickets to go see Motley Crue in February!
Jackie
PS -- See our Christmas message in its own thread!
Are there plans to re-do the old Van Richtens guides? As in a upgrade to 3.5 and new layout? Or are they already, and I'm outta the loop here in New Mexico. :raincloud
They've already been reprinted twice. 90% of the books are fluff text or easily self-convertable and all the hard rules have been updated in the Ravenloft Campaign Setting/RL: PHB or VanRichten's Arsenal.
I would like to see an updated DM Screen so Secrets of the Dread Realms could be yanked from the shelves. It's out of date both in edition (3.0) and in stats as everyone included has been updated in the Gaz.
That and the DM Screen sucked! No actual PHB rules or updates, just a couples (semi-useful) tables from the RLCS and two pages of useless DCs.
Just wondering
Are there plans to re-do the old Van Richtens guides? As in a upgrade to 3.5 and new layout? Or are they already, and I'm outta the loop here in New Mexico. :raincloud
We want to explore new kinds of creatures in the Van Richten guides -- the old ones are still useful to a certain degree and, in fact, the information presented in the Ravenloft Players Handbook in the monsters' chapter is meant to update those old guides -- notice that they cover the same creatures: vampires, werecreatures, ghosts, liches, mummies, Vistani, golems and demons.
Jackie & Nicky
Wasn't there a plan to cover sea-creatures at one point? With two oceans surrounding the Core alone, this would be useful.
In one of the Monster Hunter's Compendiums, The Weathermay-Foxgrove sisters commented that they had material for additional Van Richten's Guides, two of which have now seen print (Walking Dead & Shadow Fey), and two that have not (sea creatures & aberrations/illithids).
*You better start to believe in ghost stories... You're part of one!!* - something like that.
Would open the way for discussions like ****GUYBRUSH THREEPWOOD in Ravenloft****
In one of the Monster Hunter's Compendiums
Van Richten's Arsenal, for the record.
John, did you write the Introduction to VRA?
Yep. Plus the chapters on nonmagical gear and alchemy, along with the respective NPCs in the back.
Can you comment if these two possible guides were part of an envisioned long-range development plan when VRA was released in 2002? (realizing that plans change, and that they may no longer be proposed projects)
It was indeed our plan to put out a VR book a year, with those four being the ones we envisioned doing. During the brief time the Kargatane were nominally in charge of the setting, we made plans to do WD and SF on our own. Van Richten's Guide to the Scaly Depths (actually, we never settled on a title for that one that all the Kargatane liked -- something I took as a sign that this would be a difficult topic) was grown from a seed Steve Miller had planted (in the Guide to Hags, I believe), and I tossed in the plug for Van Richten's Guide to Eldritch Horrors (mind flayers and their fleshcrafted spawn, presented with a heavily Lovecraftian bent -- think "The Man Who Lost His Mind") to fill out the list.
Of course, Van Richten's Guide to Shambling Mounds got kicked around a lot -- an old joke by William W. Connors I thought actually contained a good central concept. We never planned on doing the book, but the "good concept" eventually made it to print in Ravenloft Gazetteer II (the mandragora in Darkon's Boglands).
In effect, we were trying to use the early RL books to lay the foundation for future development. Writing a game plan, so to speak. Up until the end, the VRGs and the Gazzes were the two lines we managed to keep more or less on track; other plans never made it out of the stable.
You might also note that the book topics "scale up in difficulty level," so to speak. Unlike Van Richten himself, who started writing books only after he already had a long and distinguished adventuring career behind him, we wanted the twins to start with lowlier monsters and work their way up to more fearsome foes.
Aren't you the famous mastermind behind *Carnival*, BTW?
Yes, that was my second and final published work for WotC, written with all the overreach and zeal of someone who expected to never get another chance to put his ideas in print.
I actually picked up a copy of Carnival and read it again for the first time this past September. I found it still wasn't too painful to read, happily.
Thanks.
Your work's remarkable because you were no *pro* game designer, but a dedicated fan, if I am not mistaken.
For us (me) hopeless wannabe - Gygaxes, can you explain how you managed to make the people at WotC notice you? *Hope I don't offend you by getting too personal.*
In one of the Monster Hunter's Compendiums, The Weathermay-Foxgrove sisters commented that they had material for additional Van Richten's Guides, two of which have now seen print (Walking Dead & Shadow Fey), and two that have not (sea creatures & aberrations/illithids).
I remember a thread from Kargatane(:raincloud) that had asked about what we would like to see for a VRG. Me? I wouldn't mind seeing something on doppelgangers and similar shapechangers. The Guide to Werebeasts covers the lycanthropes and "antherions" to a lesser extent. I want to see those shapechangers that can pretty much become anything or anyone.
Yes, that was my second and final published work for WotC, written with all the overreach and zeal of someone who expected to never get another chance to put his ideas in print.
I know I shouldn't have to ask this, but what was the first product?
I know I shouldn't have to ask this, but what was the first product?
"Gestalt" in Children of the Night: The Created
That's not including my first project, "The Heart's Final Beat," which wasn't widely seen until TSR Jam 1999.
That's not including my first project, "The Heart's Final Beat," which wasn't widely seen until TSR Jam 1999.
That was you?! I love that adventure. As it so happens, I'm in the process of running a group of gamers across the various settings in that book. :D
/end frantic fan-boy.
Seriously, it's a very solid adventure IMHO. Excellent work!