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Domains of Dread is the third incarnation of the Ravenloft setting since 1990 when the "Realms of Terror" boxed set debuted. With DoD, Ravenloft is now a complete setting. Prior to this edition, Ravenloft was the Las Vegas of fantasy settings. Characters would hop in for the weekend, risk it all, and only days later, find themselves back at home with new stories of bloodsuckers and creeps. That, along with many other things, has changed.

With each new edition come some geographic alterations. The largest domain has undergone cataclysmic changes as the ruler vanished, leaving a Grim Reaper poseur calling himself Death. That domain is now called Necropolis, or "city of the dead," even though it's really two cities and several towns. The changes (which have been taking place since "Realms of Terror") are favorable. Some of the less useful domains have disappeared or been sheared off and dumped among the islands. Overall the Core is more unified in theme and appearance. The whole book is indexed; not well, but it is indexed.

There are new character creation rules, including several new classes which all feel appropriate for Ravenloft. Since firearms are much more common in certain domains than in other settings, PCs native to those places are allowed to be proficient in them. But the rules covering firearms and their costs aren't included. One has to find a copy of A Mighty Fortress or Players Option: Combat & Tactics to get the rules. Every bit of DoD is referenced to other books, not all of which are related to gaming. Included are many, but not all, of the rules for character creation. Since these things are in the PHB, and one needs that book anyway, it's just filler. Personally, I would have liked to see more description of the lands, the firearms rules and Domain specific price lists instead.

The art ranges from creepy and dark to the standard line drawings of the handbooks. As I've said elsewhere, the maps are Rorschach Tests. The lands and mists are depicted in gray and the roads, rivers, and boundaries are black. They're a mess. The map of the entire core would be excellent if it was blown up and colorized. As it stands now, one needs to dig out the maps from "Realms of Terror" in order to understand the topography. The only colors are red, pink and sepia. Red and sepia make one think of blood and old photographs, but the pink tables in the back look out of place.

Overall, Domains of Dread is quite good. I like the fact that it's a hardbound book, but I can't stop pining for the 4 big maps and two dozen cards that came with the first boxed set. Ravenloft is finally a complete setting. For that, all Ravenloft fans must have it.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)