It is separated into two sections, the Northern and Southern Core, and details the Domains in alphabetical order.

The Core is the 'continent' in the Demiplane of Dread. This chapter details the Domains - countries, essentially - of the Core. This chapter closes on a discussion of the various cultural 'ages' that the various Domains have reached. For instance, any method of determining a character's 'Alignment' (or morality) will fail - Ravenloft does not allow you to identify friend or foe so easily.

While they are specifically geared toward the changes from AD&D2e, the information can easily be applied to other games. This chapter includes quick notes on how Ravenloft functions differently from the standard D&D world - spells such as Know Alignment don't function. The Seas are in turn surrounded by the Mists, which borders the entirety of the Demiplane. It has one vast continent surrounded by two Seas. Ravenloft is a Demiplane, sitting between the Planes. This is an overview of the nature of the place, followed by a general geography. The book opens with a discussion of the Demiplane of Dread as a whole. Domains of Dread was chosen for this review, as it is a core Ravenloft book which spends much of the text detailing the Demiplane, rather than, as the 3.x books do, provide rules changes from D&D to fit Ravenloft. Wizards of the Coast also has updated I6 in a 3.5 style of mind as Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. In the D&D3e world, White Wolf's Arthaus department released the Ravenloft core books for both 3e and 3.5. Eventually, a box set was produced, then another, and Domains of Dread was the third 'core' product for Ravenloft. The module was so successful that later I10: Ravenloft 2 was released, which was set in a Frankenstein-like setting. This module followed the characters on their investigation of the Count Strahd Von Zarovich, a completely obvious analogue to Dracula. Ravenloft was originally simply a module, I6. This review, however, will look at this book in terms of being a resource for other game systems, and break down chapter by chapter what kind of information is contained therein. Domains of Dread is the Ravenloft core book published in 1997, for AD&D2e.

Ravenloft core map