I've been thinking of maybe doing a series of posts on re-imagings of old TSR settings. First up is this admittedly not fully formed idea about Ravenloft.
I think it might be cool to make Ravenloft a little more Gormenghast: the castle is bigger and more dilapidated (visual reference: the castle in The Fearless Vampire Killers) and becomes more central to shrunken Barovia, which is maybe no more than a valley. The castle and environs would be a bit like Dark Shadow's Collinsport. There would be a lot of weird doings in just the house and area. Strahd would be perhaps a bit toned down in villainy, more like early, non-protagonized Barnabas Collins. Strahd should probably have some bickering, eccentric, and likely inbred human family inhabiting the castle as well.
The outside world would exist, but necessarily be vaguely defined. Barovia would be a hard to get to place, somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. The strange doors of Castle Ravenloft would open onto other Domains of Dread, though.
The play of the Gothic horror, I feel like it would work better with a funnel type situation, where characters of humble backgrounds either work at the castle and discover it's horrors or are visitors to Barovia.
6 comments:
Very cool.
Inspires me to get back on my Castlevania Gormenghast setting, and I like the idea of pulling in Dark Shadows for the mix of humans and wierdos. The tricky bit might be moving the castle from pure 'dungeon' to something less overtly fighty... while maintaining a sense of danger and the possibility of combat. Probably keep the humans in the newer areas (a point of light) with vast sections abandonded to shadow and dust.
Good visual reference by the way!
Perhaps it's Tatyan's family that lives with him. He loathes them and their weirdness but his "love" for her prevents him from destroying them.
Good idea!
@Fran - Thanks!
Hello - wheres that second pic from? Looks like something I can't quite remember!
I don't actually know! I found it on a search for "Italian gothic film."
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