There's a dude named Eustacio, sitting at a desk.  He has the look of a workman, like a custodian or something.  If asked he says that he's supposed to tell you "its closed". He remains quite vague about who put him there or how long he has been there.

I'm using this idea now, my PCs have stumbled into a demi-plane that moves around slowly absorbing villages and towns. It is run by a god of the undead and has now accumulated hundreds of places with different architectures and time periods. The whole place is suffused with a magical fog because... why not? Undead don't see as the living do and it keeps things mysterious.

The border is essentially a thicker wall of fog which becomes solid and curls upward so the whole place is roughly a spherical bubble.

One I used once on some players at a convention session of Planescape.

As the party reaches the edge they see a similar party approaching from the other direction as they approach the edge of their demiplane.

Quote from: Doughdee222;898225I'm using this idea now, my PCs have stumbled into a demi-plane that moves around slowly absorbing villages and towns. It is run by a god of the undead and has now accumulated hundreds of places with different architectures and time periods. The whole place is suffused with a magical fog because... why not? Undead don't see as the living do and it keeps things mysterious.

The border is essentially a thicker wall of fog which becomes solid and curls upward so the whole place is roughly a spherical bubble.

Ravenloft, eh?

This resembles my idea of "the ultimate threat to everything" I've been using in LoGS. I didn't like the default enemy filling the role, so I gave them tertiary meaning and instead I promoted to that role an unknown force known as "the Shadow". It's slowly swallowing world after world, ruining whole universe, reducing it to pure nothingness piece after a piece, leaving just shattered, broken remains of once thriving planets, floating in a silent void. A bit like in Ende's/Petersen's the Neverending Story book/movie.

So far it works great.

Quote from: JesterRaiin;898257Ravenloft, eh?

This resembles my idea of "the ultimate threat to everything" I've been using in LoGS. I didn't like the default enemy filling the role, so I gave them tertiary meaning and instead I promoted to that role an unknown force known as "the Shadow". It's slowly swallowing world after world, ruining whole universe, reducing it to pure nothingness piece after a piece, leaving just shattered, broken remains of once thriving planets, floating in a silent void. A bit like in Ende's/Petersen's the Neverending Story book/movie.

So far it works great.

Is it? I bought and read the original Ravensloft module when it came out back in the 80s but I never read any of the other materials: the box set, book, novels, etc. Maybe I subconsciously copied the idea. The concept for the adventure that I had is that the PCs are in the center of the Empire moving down a busy road, about as safe as they can be from outside threats. "What could go wrong?" The party actually split up with half doing a side quest. The other half spent a night in a village and wake up with the town engulfed in the fog and village folk screaming for help in the distance. Slowly it dawns on them that something bizarre is attacking the village: a mythical town from bronze age times has suddenly appeared on the village's border and started spewing undead.

Quote from: Doughdee222;898315Is it? I bought and read the original Ravensloft module when it came out back in the 80s but I never read any of the other materials: the box set, book, novels, etc. Maybe I subconsciously copied the idea.

Well, there are some similarities, but nothing really massive. Then again, Ravenloft itself isn't entirely original idea, just like the sources it drew inspirations from.

I wouldn't worry about that at all.

QuoteThe concept for the adventure that I had is that the PCs are in the center of the Empire moving down a busy road, about as safe as they can be from outside threats. "What could go wrong?" The party actually split up with half doing a side quest. The other half spent a night in a village and wake up with the town engulfed in the fog and village folk screaming for help in the distance. Slowly it dawns on them that something bizarre is attacking the village: a mythical town from bronze age times has suddenly appeared on the village's border and started spewing undead.

Similar thing happened in that old movie called Mist - I don't remember details, but there was a city invaded by ghosts of pirates who arrived in the middle of a thick mist, or something like that. And this might be traced back to Lovecraft or one of his colleagues, who probably enjoyed some fairy tales written by Grimm brothers, who in turn...

Anyway, I would be very surprised to learn about entirely original scenario. I'm not so sure it's possible at this point...

Quote from: JesterRaiin;898341Similar thing happened in that old movie called Mist - I don't remember details, but there was a city invaded by ghosts of pirates who arrived in the middle of a thick mist, or something like that. And this might be traced back to Lovecraft or one of his colleagues, who probably enjoyed some fairy tales written by Grimm brothers, who in turn...

That is the movie called "The Fog" by John Carpenter.

Quote from: Omega;898378That is the movie called "The Fog" by John Carpenter.

That's the one!

I admit, I didn't ever finish watching the movie - I usually gave up in the middle of it, but the initial idea would be great for a RPG scenario. I think I even read one or two influenced by the movie, but I can't recall details. Most likely it was for WHFRPG, but I'm guessing here.