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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe
Canada
592 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Feb 2008 : 00:34:15
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I had read the most recent Dragon article about the idea of Zeitgeist, and was wondering what everyone else thought of it? I found it interesting and I had some thoughts about the effect of what would happen if this idea was placed into a realms campaign.
Like a campaign where mortal champions of the gods (or collection of gods) were to battle to control the zeitgeist for a time period (perhaps the years before the spellplague or the period after it)? Where the divine champion then creates an age of Bane/Tyranny (or whatever deity you choose)?
Comments?
Link (you need to sign in to view it)
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080225a
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Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems! |
Edited by - Foxhelm on 27 Feb 2008 00:35:10
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2008 : 02:39:15
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It indeed an interesting read for setting a theme, the type of World a DM wants as a background setting.
It has as much use to the Realms as any other game, or even novel.
In only way it might have any use for the Realms is to sell idea of 100 year jump and a chsnging of Eras. A time of change however can come to any world. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2008 : 10:13:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I scanned over the article, and didn't really find anything of interest.
Read it and found it not much realmsian. So I would have to agree with wolly here.
However, the article features a cool art work, if you ask me: black figure on roof top!    |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2008 : 15:59:57
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| I haven't really had the chance to read it yet. I did skim it a bit, and what I read looked interesting...but I haven't decided if I would use it in my Realms (I strongly doubt it). For a different world, though, sure! |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2008 : 17:12:34
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| I've now read the article... And it just seems like putting a slightly different spin on typical ideas. I remain unimpressed, and I see no real use for this in the Realms. |
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Lady Kazandra
Senior Scribe
Australia
921 Posts |
Posted - 03 Mar 2008 : 10:38:26
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I've always seen the "spirits of the age" in the Realms as something subtle, and rarely simple.
It's an interesting article, but it's really nothing I can use. |
"Once upon a time the plural of 'wizard' was 'war'." -- The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 03 Mar 2008 : 17:18:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Lady Kazandra
I've always seen the "spirits of the age" in the Realms as something subtle, and rarely simple.
Yes. I've read a bit more of the article, and I mentioned on the WotC boards that the type of zeitgeist mentioned in the article seems too "self-aware" to me. And yes, zeitgeists in general tend to be, in truth, mental shortcuts that turn the complexity of life into something more easily digestible--perhaps not falsified, but definitely simplified.
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"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe
Canada
592 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2008 : 15:28:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by Lady Kazandra
I've always seen the "spirits of the age" in the Realms as something subtle, and rarely simple.
Yes. I've read a bit more of the article, and I mentioned on the WotC boards that the type of zeitgeist mentioned in the article seems too "self-aware" to me. And yes, zeitgeists in general tend to be, in truth, mental shortcuts that turn the complexity of life into something more easily digestible--perhaps not falsified, but definitely simplified.
What if you narrow the aspect of the Zeitgeist some what as an alterntive? Instead of it being a world altering ability, it is a personal alteration aspect?
For example, a character devotes himself to an ideal like good, war or craft? Develops himself to the point of great expertise in the art, worships only gods connected with those ideals as far as they can, and speads the idea of the concept to the people of the land. Till at some point they become a living incarnation of the ideal with powers developed around this idea.
Kinda like how the Incarnations from the Piers Anthony "Incarnations of Immortality" can be at times. Or like Proxies, but not limited to one god. For 3ed it would likely be a Prestage Class like a specialty priest or a template like a chosen. For 4ed it might be an epic tier career path.
Thoughts? |
Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems! |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2008 : 18:42:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm
What if you narrow the aspect of the Zeitgeist some what as an alterntive? Instead of it being a world altering ability, it is a personal alteration aspect?
For example, a character devotes himself to an ideal like good, war or craft? Develops himself to the point of great expertise in the art, worships only gods connected with those ideals as far as they can, and speads the idea of the concept to the people of the land. Till at some point they become a living incarnation of the ideal with powers developed around this idea.
That would create what some people would, in hindsight, perhaps call a zeitgeist (ie. the spirit of an age). But it probably wouldn't apply everywhere or to everyone, and the character you mentioned likely wouldn't think of himself as "creating a zeitgeist" (if he used the word "zeitgeist", I definitely wouldn't buy it). |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Dragon Article: Zeitgeist, useful for the Realms?
