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EyesInTheNight
Acolyte
USA
5 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 17:16:55
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Greetings, all. ^_^ First post on the forums, and I have a bit of a tricky issue to resolve.
I was inducted into the FR universe through the Neverwinter Nights computer game not that long ago, and while I am absorbing information from various sources as quickly as I can, it's obviously the setting I know best. Hence, when beginning a story that I set in the FR universe, I figured to have my characters begin in Neverwinter since I knew the setting well, and have it set after the plague and seige, eventually moving the story elsewhere as I was able to beg/borrow/download sourcebooks and such.
Surprise! It seems that none of the events that happened in the game "actually happened", despite the Forgotten Realms logo on the box and the vast amount of stuff drawn in from the universe. Therefore, it seems that I ended up writing in a seperate continuity with substantial differences to the "actual" Forgotten Realms universe, which makes me want to stab random objects and people.
Is there any way that the events in the NWN original campaign can be blended into the FR universe around the edges while still being legitimate? Or are the changes so earth-shattering that I would do better to scrap the story's beginning and have it be set somewhere else, or a Neverwinter that was never plagued?
On a seperate issue, do characters like Aribeth and Fenthick really exist with references in other material, or are they too just characters made for convenience?
Thanks for any help you can provide!
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 17:21:12
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Aribeth probably does because there's a item of hers in.... Magic of Faerun, I believe it is.
However, why do you have to scrap the events for your version of FR? So, they don't exist in official FR, that doesn't mean that they can't exist in your version of FR.
I'm beginning to wonder about this because it seems a lot of people have issues about changing the world or ignoring official FR events and it makes me wonder why they do this or where the idea that you can't change the setting for your needs keeps coming up. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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EyesInTheNight
Acolyte
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 18:01:56
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*shrug* The thing about changing the setting is that it then very definitely becomes "alternate universe" -- another completely seperate reality that bears some resemblance to FR, but isn't exactly the same thing.
Remember, I'm coming from a background of other universes where the canon was fairly definite. One couldn't go altering past events to suit them without noting that they're writing AU. For example, saying that the Borg partially succeeded on their assault on Earth in "The Best of Both Worlds" is very, very obviously an alternate Star Trek universe -- one that might be interesting to write, but isn't Trek as most people know it.
Am I to gather that people are encouraged moreso in FR to alter the universe as it suits them? If so, how does one seperate out what's actually canon and what is change for convenience? (And how much will it cost to do so... mrargh... sourcebooks...)
One further issue concerns the audience. I am discovering now that there seems to be quite a bit of contempt for the NWN original campaign among the people who are most likely to be reading fiction. Hence, I'm unsure about whether anything with references to that plot will be well-received. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 18:39:35
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Still doesn't see the problem.....
Every campaign box set to the FRCS for 3e has said, if you don't like something from the official setting, as a DM, then change it or ignore it. Page 297 says this in the FRCS.
Yes, most of us change the world because many of us have DM'd in FR since 1e, 2e, or even 3/3.5e and we've had PC's, and as DM's, change the setting.
Maybe you are then using a "alternate" version of FR, or maybe you're not. My FR is closer to the original FR that Ed created then it is towards the official canon TSR/WOTC FR that get's changed every time a new sourcebook or a trilogy of novels is printed.
Is my FR a "alternate" version? I guess it could be but then so is TSR/WOTC's.
So my point is, whose the say that official canon FR is the "right" version of the setting. To me, it isn't half the time because, again to me, WOTC has strayed far from what the original FR was like.
As for how to know what is canon and what isn't.... I'm not sure I understand what you mean. There's TSR's/WOTC's official canon and then there's your's, mine, Ed Greenwood's, etc.
And FYI, the Neverwinter game isn't official canon since WOTC has said, repeatedly, that most of the computer games, because they sometimes have multiple endings, and other reasons, aren't canon. However, if there is Dragon/Dungeon, novels, sourcebooks, and WOTC web articles about them, then those items are. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 24 Jul 2006 18:43:50 |
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EyesInTheNight
Acolyte
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 18:49:47
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Ah, I would contest that DMing and writing a complete story are two different things (though I would not know, as I have never been a DM). Remember, I'm still working my way through the written material, and thusly I haven't come across the explicit permissions to alter the universe. Right now, I'm doing my best just to figure out what's in it. >_< Mrrfl.
That said, speculation time. What effects would the plague have had on Neverwinter and the North? Would the economies of allied cities such as Waterdeep have been hit by the sudden lack of trade? How widespread would knowledge of the events have been, and how much would the average person know about what took place? |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 18:57:35
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| Here's an easy solution. Label your fanfic "NWN Official Campaign" rather than "FR fanfiction." Problem solved. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:04:03
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
Ah, I would contest that DMing and writing a complete story are two different things (though I would not know, as I have never been a DM). Remember, I'm still working my way through the written material, and thusly I haven't come across the explicit permissions to alter the universe. Right now, I'm doing my best just to figure out what's in it. >_< Mrrfl.
That said, speculation time. What effects would the plague have had on Neverwinter and the North? Would the economies of allied cities such as Waterdeep have been hit by the sudden lack of trade? How widespread would knowledge of the events have been, and how much would the average person know about what took place?
I wouldn't contest that at all, since as DM you are writing a story but the PC's are also writing part of it with thier actions and how they react to the DM's story arcs.
As for the questions in the second paragraph, I'm not sure. I never got that far into that game and I ignore the events of that game. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 24 Jul 2006 19:09:09 |
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EyesInTheNight
Acolyte
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:08:11
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@Winterfox: The thing is, I didn't -want- to be writing for the NWN official campaign since I wanted to expand the story outwards into many other different settings -- I just thought it would make a good setting for some initial stuff. I was, however, writing under the mistaken impression that something set in the Forgotten Realms universe really was.
Your opinion, then, is that the two are completely seperate universes that should be labeled as such? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:11:38
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
@Winterfox: The thing is, I didn't -want- to be writing for the NWN official campaign since I wanted to expand the story outwards into many other different settings -- I just thought it would make a good setting for some initial stuff. I was, however, writing under the mistaken impression that something set in the Forgotten Realms universe really was.
Your opinion, then, is that the two are completely seperate universes that should be labeled as such?
No matter what you write, it's not going to be official FR material and the same goes for what the fans write or what DM's and players change to the setting.
ONLY material written by TSR/WOTC and Dragon/Dungeon magazine is official canon material. Well, except for what Ed Greenwood writes, since his contract states this, unless TSR/WOTC changes what he writes with a in game explaination. :)
However, this doesn't mean that you are still not playing/writing in FR. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 24 Jul 2006 19:16:00 |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:20:25
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
@Winterfox: The thing is, I didn't -want- to be writing for the NWN official campaign since I wanted to expand the story outwards into many other different settings -- I just thought it would make a good setting for some initial stuff. I was, however, writing under the mistaken impression that something set in the Forgotten Realms universe really was.
Uhm, nothing stops you from taking the fanfic outside Waterdeep or even Toril. Have planar travel. Throw in kender. Whatever. The only difference from writing a fic based on canonical FR is that the events in the NWN OCs happened.
If you want to write fanfiction based on the canonical FR, then disregard everything that's happened in the games. That's all. End of the story.
quote:
Your opinion, then, is that the two are completely seperate universes that should be labeled as such?
No, but they are two seperate fandoms. In the same way that Baldur's Gate games comprise a different fandom, or the way that KotOR is a sub-fandom of Star Wars that doesn't have much to do with the rest of the fanbase due to different degrees of exposure, choice of material, and attitude toward canon. |
Edited by - Winterfox on 24 Jul 2006 19:21:38 |
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EyesInTheNight
Acolyte
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:23:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
No matter what you write, it's not going to be official FR material and the same goes for what the fans write or what DM's and players change to the setting.
ONLY material written by TSR/WOTC and Dragon/Dungeon magazine is official canon material. Well, except for what Ed Greenwood writes, since his contract states this, unless TSR/WOTC changes what he writes with a in game explaination. :)
However, this doesn't mean that you are still not playing/writing in FR.
I know that. What I am trying to do is make it as true as possible to the fluff and feel of the universe, possibly tying into events that happened in official material. Hence my original question was whether there was a way to blend in the events of the NWN OC so that it felt more "authentic", or whether I should ditch that material entirely. It seems that we're going around in circles, though.
EDIT: Just saw Winterfox's reply.
quote:
No, but they are two seperate fandoms. In the same way that Baldur's Gate games comprise a different fandom, or the way that KotOR is a sub-fandom of Star Wars that doesn't have much to do with the rest of the fanbase due to different degrees of exposure, choice of material, and attitude toward canon.
And that, I did not know. Chalk it up to inexperience. Thankses. |
Edited by - EyesInTheNight on 24 Jul 2006 19:25:05 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:25:50
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
I know that. What I am trying to do is make it as true as possible to the fluff and feel of the universe, possibly tying into events that happened in official material. Hence my original question was whether there was a way to blend in the events of the NWN OC so that it felt more "authentic", or whether I should ditch that material entirely. It seems that we're going around in circles, though.
Then, I still don't see the problem. Nothing is stopping you from doing that.... except because you found out that those events aren't official canon, so you decided to drop the idea. Why? Have at it and enjoy yourself. You can still write the tale and still set it in FR and it would still be a FR tale but it wouldn't be official canon FR. However, as I said, this doesn't mean that it's still not a FR tale.
As I said above, NWN's isn't considered official by WOTC at this time. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 24 Jul 2006 19:27:03 |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2006 : 19:40:58
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
EDIT: Just saw Winterfox's reply.
quote:
No, but they are two seperate fandoms. In the same way that Baldur's Gate games comprise a different fandom, or the way that KotOR is a sub-fandom of Star Wars that doesn't have much to do with the rest of the fanbase due to different degrees of exposure, choice of material, and attitude toward canon.
And that, I did not know. Chalk it up to inexperience. Thankses.
It's kind of, well, expected. If you write NWN fics, people expect you to refer to events in the OCs or include characters who only appear in said OCs; if you write FR fanfics, people expect to see, oh... Drizzt or Cale or your own original characters. Likewise, if you label your Star Wars fanfic "KotOR", people will expect to see Revan or Canderous or Bastila and so forth, not Anakin Skywalker or Threepio or Jaina Solo. Such fandom fragmentations happen when the franchise gets big. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 02:03:09
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
I know that. What I am trying to do is make it as true as possible to the fluff and feel of the universe, possibly tying into events that happened in official material. Hence my original question was whether there was a way to blend in the events of the NWN OC so that it felt more "authentic", or whether I should ditch that material entirely. It seems that we're going around in circles, though.
That's just it. Whatever you decide for your own campaign, is "authentic" with regard to your Realmslore and your campaign, and no one can tell you otherwise. If you want to tie the material and events from NWN to your own FR, go right ahead. It's just as authentic to your campaign as the events would be to mine if I were to use the material, because I'm shaping the events themselves to my own interpretation of FR.
NWN isn't officially canon, according to WotC, so any material you do make use of from the game itself will relate only to what you've already established in your own campaign. That's it. In fact, you've got a lot more freedom to do what you want with the material from NWN because it lacks a solid connection with printed Realmslore by TSR/WotC.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Lore Seeker
Acolyte
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 02:38:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
As I said above, NWN's isn't considered official by WOTC at this time.
Whew! Quite the redundant thread we have here.
But out of curiosity, Kuje, what do you think is the likelihood of WOTC making something like that official?
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"So let it be written.....that I might read it."
Lore Seeker |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 02:58:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Lore Seeker
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
As I said above, NWN's isn't considered official by WOTC at this time.
Whew! Quite the redundant thread we have here.
But out of curiosity, Kuje, what do you think is the likelihood of WOTC making something like that official?
I honestly can't answer this.... As I said above, I never got that far into the original and add on's and so I don't know what happens in them.... But, it's possible somewhere down the line someone will reference the material from the games in a novel or sourcebook or article. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 04:03:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by Lore Seeker
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
As I said above, NWN's isn't considered official by WOTC at this time.
Whew! Quite the redundant thread we have here.
But out of curiosity, Kuje, what do you think is the likelihood of WOTC making something like that official?
I honestly can't answer this.... As I said above, I never got that far into the original and add on's and so I don't know what happens in them.... But, it's possible somewhere down the line someone will reference the material from the games in a novel or sourcebook or article.
Indeed.
Behind-the-scenes Realmslore, as several game designers here have noted, is always in flux... and sometimes references and plots and events mentioned now, and not truly canon, may not have any true significance in published Realmslore. But, at some point, a writer or game designer may decide to utilise a particular element of NWN for a plot in a novel, or as a throw-away reference by a character... which will bring the event itself into canon FR, for the most part. And if a game designer utilises a reference or something from NWN for an FR sourcebook, that also could lead to that particular reference or element now being considered canon.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 04:50:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Lore Seeker
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
As I said above, NWN's isn't considered official by WOTC at this time.
Whew! Quite the redundant thread we have here.
But out of curiosity, Kuje, what do you think is the likelihood of WOTC making something like that official?
NWN - Pretty much nothing of the story (I hope), but some of the characters invented for the game may well pop up in official lore (that is not Nasher, Arkleem Greth, the High Captains of Luskan for instance, but Aribeth, the BBEL [can't be a BBEG when she's a lady, eh ?]
SoU - This is the expansion with the weakest plot according to me, but it changes so little that I'd not have any problem with any of it being considered canon. (Okay, I really wish the AO-followers had belonged to another god)
HoTU - No effing way. |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 05:52:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Kajehase
NWN - Pretty much nothing of the story (I hope), but some of the characters invented for the game may well pop up in official lore (that is not Nasher, Arkleem Greth, the High Captains of Luskan for instance, but Aribeth, the BBEL [can't be a BBEG when she's a lady, eh?]
She could still be the BBEG -- Big Bad Evil Girl (or Gal).  |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2006 : 17:10:14
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quote:
Originally posted by EyesInTheNight
Is there any way that the events in the NWN original campaign can be blended into the FR universe around the edges while still being legitimate? Or are the changes so earth-shattering that I would do better to scrap the story's beginning and have it be set somewhere else, or a Neverwinter that was never plagued?
The way I've looked at NWN and all computer games is that the company that makes it, Bioware in this case, is the DM and you're just playing in Bioware's campaign. It's an official campaign, but not part of the Realms continuity... whatever that is.
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"Evil prevails when good men fail to act."
The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2006 : 16:15:37
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I went through and came up with a streamlined version of what might have happened in NWN that isn't quite as earthshaking (i.e. the Neverwinter/Luskan war, destruction of Helm's Hold, death of various High Captains), and brings some things back into what we know of the Realms in light of previous continuity (i.e. the Sarukh, Ophala and the Many Starred Cloak . . . )
If you are intersted, I posted it here:
http://www.candlekeep.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7394 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 22:24:18
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While I worry about remaining canon, I do so with a little bit of a leniency. I find that as time traverses, something that was perfectly canon that you wrote a year ago becomes totally non-canon a year later when X author writes something. For instance, in one of my campaigns, I had written in that the salamander wars that happened in Thay occurred roughly around the time of troubles. Thus why the salamanders gained an upper hand, because magic was nuts. A year or two later, more specific dates were put to things and that whole concept was out the window. Of course, by that time, I wasn't running that campaign any longer. Thus, it really didn't bother much.
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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FridayThe13th
Learned Scribe
USA
132 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2006 : 05:03:54
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On Wikipedia they say that the events of the original NWN are canon. It said that in the year 1373 the High Captains were forced to flee because of the cultist Maugrim bringing a civil war to the town in hopes of uniting it against Neverwinter.
But I don't think that the HoTU events are canon. HoTU supposedly happened after the events of original NWN. But they also happened during the silence of Lolth, around the time of War of the Spider Queen. That was in 1372, which according to the timeline is before the events of NWN original. Plus they put Mephistopheles in a role of trying to make Toril into the tenth hell. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that something that the demigod/archdevil Gargauth is supposed to do? |
"The Lady of Pain? You mean Loviatar runs this place?"
-- Torilian Prime
"You guys should seriously rename yourselves The Horny Society, you popularity would soar."
-- A miscillaneous Kender to a member of the Horned Society
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2006 : 05:11:35
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quote:
Originally posted by FridayThe13th
On Wikipedia they say that the events of the original NWN are canon. It said that in the year 1373 the High Captains were forced to flee because of the cultist Maugrim bringing a civil war to the town in hopes of uniting it against Neverwinter.
But I don't think that the HoTU events are canon. HoTU supposedly happened after the events of original NWN. But they also happened during the silence of Lolth, around the time of War of the Spider Queen. That was in 1372, which according to the timeline is before the events of NWN original. Plus they put Mephistopheles in a role of trying to make Toril into the tenth hell. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that something that the demigod/archdevil Gargauth is supposed to do?
An issue that's been brought up here more than once before is the fact that Realms info on Wikipedia isn't necessarily correct. There were even incidents where one of our scribes would correct an article, only to have it changed back to the original, inaccurate listing. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2006 : 05:22:32
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quote:
Originally posted by FridayThe13th
But I don't think that the HoTU events are canon.
None of the video game events are "canon", as far as that's important.
quote:
HoTU supposedly happened after the events of original NWN. But they also happened during the silence of Lolth, around the time of War of the Spider Queen. That was in 1372, which according to the timeline is before the events of NWN original.
Nope, NWN takes place in the summer of 1372 (which was the current time in the Realms back when the FRCS came out). Like Wooly said, the Wikipedia article isn't accurate. 
quote:
Plus they put Mephistopheles in a role of trying to make Toril into the tenth hell. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that something that the demigod/archdevil Gargauth is supposed to do?
No reason why Meph couldn't try something similiar. *shrug* Who cares? |
"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) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 29 Jul 2006 05:23:39 |
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Durak
Seeker
68 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 13:29:07
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The question would now be, Which computer games are canon? I am nearly 100% sure Baldurs gate was, maybe not the outcome, but the event itself.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 14:01:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Durak
The question would now be, Which computer games are canon? I am nearly 100% sure Baldurs gate was, maybe not the outcome, but the event itself.
The BG games can't be considered canon, largely because of their multiple endings -- thus they can't find any true support in official WotC Realmslore or Realms history.
Rich Baker, Ed Greenwood and Ed Bonny have all confirmed this as well. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 03 Aug 2006 14:05:32 |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 14:10:55
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Durak
The question would now be, Which computer games are canon? I am nearly 100% sure Baldurs gate was, maybe not the outcome, but the event itself.
The BG games can't be considered canon, largely because of their multiple endings -- thus they can't find any true support in official WotC Realmslore or Realms history.
Rich Baker, Ed Greenwood and Ed Bonny have all confirmed this as well.
However, novels or game products that incorporate part of a computer game ARE canon, but only so far as the novel or game product discusses the events in the computer game. In other words, the Baldur's Gate novels are canon, references to such events in Power of Faerun are canon, but the games themselves are not.
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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FridayThe13th
Learned Scribe
USA
132 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 14:38:09
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| Thanks for clearing things up Eric. Sometimes WoTC can just be so inconsistant. |
"The Lady of Pain? You mean Loviatar runs this place?"
-- Torilian Prime
"You guys should seriously rename yourselves The Horny Society, you popularity would soar."
-- A miscillaneous Kender to a member of the Horned Society
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 15:20:47
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Durak
The question would now be, Which computer games are canon? I am nearly 100% sure Baldurs gate was, maybe not the outcome, but the event itself.
The BG games can't be considered canon, largely because of their multiple endings -- thus they can't find any true support in official WotC Realmslore or Realms history.
Rich Baker, Ed Greenwood and Ed Bonny have all confirmed this as well.
However, novels or game products that incorporate part of a computer game ARE canon, but only so far as the novel or game product discusses the events in the computer game. In other words, the Baldur's Gate novels are canon, references to such events in Power of Faerun are canon, but the games themselves are not.
--Eric
Aye. I've discussed this numerous times both here and at WotC -- and earlier in this scroll, in fact.
The BG novels are canon. WotC lists them as taking place in 1368 DR and 1369 DR. As well, the characters from the novels were stat’d up in DRAGON #262 for 2e and there is the Bhaalspawn template for 3e in DRAGON #288. Ed wrote a sourcebook that complements the novels -- Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. In addition, Jim Butler answered this question in 2000 on the FR Mailing List. There's also some tidbits Lost Empires of Faerun.
And finally, the author of the last novel chimed in on the topic -
"<Ulairi> <Howdy> Are the BG games considered canon Forgotten Realms history by WotC?
<Drew2_Bio> Because of our multiple endings, the BG games can't be considered "official" in the FR world. However, the novels (including the upcoming TOB novel - another free plug for me!) are considered canon."
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Durak
Seeker
68 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 15:55:09
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Well the computers games aren’t canon had me confused. But now the mist has been lifted from my eyes.
Basically I now understand how it works. Even if I feel The Sage has beaten me over the head with facts and information :) I remember most of all that, that’s why I got confused.
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Sorry if distracting from the Original posters query.
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Continuity Issues and NWN
