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Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 13:00:34
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quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Edition neutral lore means no happy customers.
While I agree there will always be people who are unhappy, I disagree with the overly strong statement you made there. Honestly, this is their only real play. They don't have any other serious options.
I don't think the lore being released would be "edition neutral" in the sense that it's overly generic. I simply think the products released will be structured in such a way as to appeal to people no matter the era they want to create a game. I also think the products will encourage people to play games in ALL of the era's.
I don't see it as an attempt for them to throw those who didn't like the 4E changes a bone. I see it as an attempt to overhaul the way the product line is presented to customers.
For example, let's say we're reading a write-up on Myrkul. Well, he's been dead since the Time of Trouble's, and he wasn't included in Faith's and Pantheon's as a result. Since things would be edition neutral, he'd have to be included once again.
So, you'd get the standard Myrkul write-up. Then you'd get to the era specific information, which might look something like...
"Myrkul was the deity of the dead during the Age of Humanity, and all feared his name. However, during the Time of Troubles, which began the Era of Upheaval, Myrkul was killed and what remained of him was trapped within the Crown of Horns. In the Present Age, during the events of the Sundering, fanatical cultists of the former god of the dead have located the Crown of Horns in... blah, blah, blah, plot hook."
This information is useful to everyone, regardless of the era they play in, and it enriches the entire setting as a whole by being there. At that point it's up to the individual DM as to what era they want to play in, and whether or not they are interested in the plot hook put forward. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 14:06:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
quote:
Originally posted by Aldrick
Cormyr will feel like Cormyr regardless of edition (snip) and it makes old products backwards compatible with the new products.
Precisely.
This is something I've already experienced, using products from all eras for the last Realms campaign I ran, set in Cormyr.
Having lore available from all eras made me look like a much better DM than I am. I still get compliments from the players who participated in that campaign.
On Topic:
The Herald has me wondering less about the finished state of the Realms and more about the last of the surviving Chosen.
Will this be their last hurrah? Will this be the end of Storm and perhaps Elminster? Will they be given their final rest? Or elevated to godhood?
I've wondered this too at times. Can you imagine what kind of final, last stand or go down fighting El would be capable of? Honestly, I love Storm and El too much to see them die I think. Too much fun reading about the trouble those two get themselves into.
But, Ed has been building up on the tired old man laying down his burdens and passing them on to the next generation. So who's to say what will happen.
Can't wait for the Herald myself. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 15:20:01
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@Caolin - I had considered responding to your post on individual points, and then realized that that would not only be antagonistic toward you (which I wouldn't want at all), but some of the points I would want to address I would have some pretty harsh commentary on. Once again, NONE of it directed at YOU.
In fact, the only reason I am responding at all is because at this point, I fear you may be right. I had been of the opinion for the longest time that "if you build it, they will come". So many old scribes came out of the woodwork when 5e was announced - many were excited by the possibilities. I see now that most of them have headed back over into the Paizo camp, obviously not seeing or hearing anything they cared for.
So, my thinking now is that they should have just kept going with 4e and the 4e setting the way it was, and built the fanbase from that. 5e has little potential of gaining back past fans who now feel disappointed twice, and all 5eFR (NOT D&Dnext, BTW) will do is alienate the fanbase they still have - the 4e gamers.
As for novel sales - not really seeing them going anywhere in the near future. If they wanted to cash-in on a novel series for their games, they should have just licensed Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, or Harry Potter. The Realms aren't what they used to be, and I doubt they ever will be. However, Apple came back from the verge of bankruptcy in a big way, so you never know. Its a longshot, but it occasionally happens. This waffling back-and-forth with the setting, though, isn't doing it any favors. Of that I am sure.
They should have just embraced the fanbase they had and nourished that relationship. 5e has the potential of being 4e in reverse, with no-one left... and that would just be a damn shame. Unlike some of the folks here, I would rather see a healthy FR IP that I personally don't like, then to see it just wither and die.
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 08 Apr 2014 15:22:43 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 16:19:05
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So we are once more passing judgement on 5E FR, despite the fact that it's not out and we know next to nothing about it?
Since we obviously know the future, here, can someone give me some winning lottery numbers? |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 16:27:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
So we are once more passing judgement on 5E FR, despite the fact that it's not out and we know next to nothing about it?
Since we obviously know the future, here, can someone give me some winning lottery numbers?
according to Amy Allan or whatever her name is on the Dead Files, anyone using that kind of gift for personal reasons tends to lose it.....
edit: I Don't plan on buying 5e as in its ruleset because some of what I read I didnt like... therealms on the otherhand can be played using any ruleset, leaving me in the wait and see boat
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why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
Edited by - sfdragon on 08 Apr 2014 16:29:16 |
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Eltheron
Senior Scribe
740 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 17:28:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
So, my thinking now is that they should have just kept going with 4e and the 4e setting the way it was, and built the fanbase from that.
Meh. That's exactly what they've done. There's just a lot of smoke and hoopla floating around to distract people.
Think about it, seriously. What's changed?
A few unimportant and nameless earthmotes have fallen, the Underchasm got filled with dirt (no one used it or knew what it was anyway), there was a lot of rain, some nameless random portals were repaired, and a few of the dead gods are back. Oh, and a rather minor deity got un-spellplagued.
Shar and Netheril are just as active and central to the plots. There are dozens more Chosen wandering around using flashy superpowers. They've built upon the ToT and AO metaplot to flesh out the 4E metaplot. And there are some active wars in the main regions.
Has anything of consequence changed? Has the tone changed back?
All we really have is a large promise that things will be "better" once the Sundering is finally over.
In no way does this feel like being "catered to" by WotC.
As Wooly said, we honestly know nothing - at all - about what the post-Sundering Realms will be or look like.
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"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful."
--Faraer |
Edited by - Eltheron on 08 Apr 2014 17:31:50 |
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Caolin
Senior Scribe
768 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2014 : 22:07:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
@Caolin - I had considered responding to your post on individual points, and then realized that that would not only be antagonistic toward you (which I wouldn't want at all), but some of the points I would want to address I would have some pretty harsh commentary on. Once again, NONE of it directed at YOU.
In fact, the only reason I am responding at all is because at this point, I fear you may be right. I had been of the opinion for the longest time that "if you build it, they will come". So many old scribes came out of the woodwork when 5e was announced - many were excited by the possibilities. I see now that most of them have headed back over into the Paizo camp, obviously not seeing or hearing anything they cared for.
So, my thinking now is that they should have just kept going with 4e and the 4e setting the way it was, and built the fanbase from that. 5e has little potential of gaining back past fans who now feel disappointed twice, and all 5eFR (NOT D&Dnext, BTW) will do is alienate the fanbase they still have - the 4e gamers.
As for novel sales - not really seeing them going anywhere in the near future. If they wanted to cash-in on a novel series for their games, they should have just licensed Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, or Harry Potter. The Realms aren't what they used to be, and I doubt they ever will be. However, Apple came back from the verge of bankruptcy in a big way, so you never know. Its a longshot, but it occasionally happens. This waffling back-and-forth with the setting, though, isn't doing it any favors. Of that I am sure.
They should have just embraced the fanbase they had and nourished that relationship. 5e has the potential of being 4e in reverse, with no-one left... and that would just be a damn shame. Unlike some of the folks here, I would rather see a healthy FR IP that I personally don't like, then to see it just wither and die.
Yeah, I'm not trying to be antagonistic about this and I appreciate what you're saying here. I love the Realms and I will consume whatever novels they throw at me. But I can see clear as day how WoTC is trying to jump through hoops to bring back a fanbase that isn't going to come back. I'm just hope that they aren't banking on those fans coming back. Something tells me they aren't and this is all a move to regain some credibility. But there's always that small chance that they really don't know what they're doing.
Personally, I've been enjoying the novels and what they're trying to do with the story. I've really enjoyed the new Salvatore novels. He seems to have a fire in his belly. |
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Mapolq
Senior Scribe
Brazil
466 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2014 : 03:39:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Eltheron
Think about it, seriously. What's changed?
A few unimportant and nameless earthmotes have fallen, the Underchasm got filled with dirt (no one used it or knew what it was anyway), there was a lot of rain, some nameless random portals were repaired, and a few of the dead gods are back. Oh, and a rather minor deity got un-spellplagued.
Shar and Netheril are just as active and central to the plots. There are dozens more Chosen wandering around using flashy superpowers. They've built upon the ToT and AO metaplot to flesh out the 4E metaplot. And there are some active wars in the main regions.
Has anything of consequence changed? Has the tone changed back?
All we really have is a large promise that things will be "better" once the Sundering is finally over. (...)
Well, just keep in mind there's no such thing as a monolithic opinion of what the Realms should be, either from old fans or new fans. For me, the changes such as the ones you described are the most important things. I don't mind much what happens to the Chosen, if we end up with 0, 1, 10 or one million Chosen. I don't really like the fact that every lost empire in history gets a revival, but I don't care that much about it either. But I do mind a lot that the Underchasm is filled up. I didn't know they had done it, actually brought a silly smile to my face (just hoping now they didn't, you know, put something equally stupid in its place). So... different tastes I guess. |
Never sleep under the jackfruit tree.
Tales of Moonsea - A Neverwinter Nights 2 Persistent World. Check out our website at http://www.talesofmoonsea.com and our video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am304WqOAAo&feature=youtu.be, as well as our thread here at Candlekeep: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12955
My campaign thread: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16447 |
Edited by - Mapolq on 09 Apr 2014 03:40:29 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2014 : 04:07:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Caolin
But I can see clear as day how WoTC is trying to jump through hoops to bring back a fanbase that isn't going to come back. I'm just hope that they aren't banking on those fans coming back.
I don't think WotC's goal with the Realms lay in trying to bring older Realms fans back.
I think they're trying to win a bigger market share of D&D gamers in general by winning them over with 5E/Next and by expanding the number of D&D fans by bringing in new gamers.
The Realms in 5E will try to ride D&D's coattails on these two fronts, and will be (in my not so humble opinion) marketed to new fans.
I'm sure WotC is well aware that they lost some Realms fans with 4E, but they lost a bigger share of non-Realms/regular D&D fans to Paizo, so they'll try to win these people back first.
I don't see WotC's efforts with the Realms as bending over backwards to old fans; rather they're fixing the setting for the sake of fixing the setting, with an eye to the future and a new fan base that can discover the Realms.
To do that right, the Realms needs to be a little closer to what it was than what it became after the Spellplague. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 09 Apr 2014 04:09:09 |
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Mapolq
Senior Scribe
Brazil
466 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2014 : 05:01:09
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I agree with Jeremy. The pre-4e Realms stood on its own merits. The 4e Realms failed due to its own demerits (and yes, it's a generalization here, the 4e FRCG didn't do it all by itself, but it certainly did a lot of it). It's a badly-made setting. WotC trying to bring the Realms closer to what it was doesn't mean (just) bringing back old fans, it means bringing back the perceived notion of quality the setting once enjoyed among the general D&D public. Even though there was always a large segment who hated it, if you started to talk about D&D settings, and fantasy settings in general, you often would mention the Realms and its many qualities. After 4e... you can pretty much ignore it, and you don't lose much.
Also, on the Dragonlance comparison. Complex behaviours can't be predicted with anything close to the certainty this argument claims. The fact something failed before doesn't mean a similar effort will fail now, in a completely different environment. |
Never sleep under the jackfruit tree.
Tales of Moonsea - A Neverwinter Nights 2 Persistent World. Check out our website at http://www.talesofmoonsea.com and our video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am304WqOAAo&feature=youtu.be, as well as our thread here at Candlekeep: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12955
My campaign thread: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16447 |
Edited by - Mapolq on 09 Apr 2014 05:10:31 |
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore
1621 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2014 : 22:22:38
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They've kind of done that by killing off some of the most powerful and aggressive Princes of Shade.
I hope that Myth Drannor servives and I like that Phlan compareson, basically divide it into civilized sections and unresettled dungeon sections.
One thing I hope it has is is a map for the 5e realms! The other novels have the 4e map, but for the last novel thier is no need for it. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2014 : 23:09:36
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| A 5E map in the latest style they have been using would be absolutely gorgeous. I'm not too worried about what happens in 5E as long as they let Ed churn out new lore for us to read. And I'm still yammering for some new Volo's Guides! ;) |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2014 : 23:13:43
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| Okay, I came into this discussion late. I personally hope they keep Myth Drannor and don't destroy it again. I know some people didn't like it's return, but having it fall again would be yet another retcon. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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Mapolq
Senior Scribe
Brazil
466 Posts |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2014 : 00:43:39
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I hate that I have to wait several months to talk about this book with people.......
GRAAAAAAH. The blessings and curses of ARC's
Realistically, My thoughts going into the book were, I do not know what to expect. I just prayed for some of the big bads to be in the book, significant things to happen without killing too many iconic characters off, The full return of the weave and Shadow weave and Ed to improve his battle scene writing from his past style(I love Ed's books for lore, but am not a fan of his writing style)
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2014 : 01:28:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
I hate that I have to wait several months to talk about this book with people.......
GRAAAAAAH. The blessings and curses of ARC's
Realistically, My thoughts going into the book were, I do not know what to expect. I just prayed for some of the big bads to be in the book, significant things to happen without killing too many iconic characters off, The full return of the weave and Shadow weave and Ed to improve his battle scene writing from his past style(I love Ed's books for lore, but am not a fan of his writing style)
I know the feeling. A guy just wants to start gushing about all the neato things, but as Ed likes to say, that would ruin the surprise! ;) |
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore
1621 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2014 : 04:21:24
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They've kind of done that by killing off some of the most powerful and aggressive Princes of Shade.
I hope that Myth Drannor servives and I like that Phlan compareson, basically divide it into civilized sections and unresettled dungeon sections.
One thing I hope it has is is a map for the 5e realms! The other novels have the 4e map, but for the last novel thier is no need for it. |
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Thrasymachus
Learned Scribe
195 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2014 : 02:38:24
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@OP - Regarding your point by point possibilities, I have no idea. I am not excited about the Herald, or any of the series.
My expectations are low, like I expect the book will be published and no more than that. I get that Greenwood is batting cleanup, but I don’t believe for a second that the Herald will fix the woes of the various edition factions. There seems to be hopes and dream by some that that is a possibility. I only hope that this doesn't turn the latest wide-eyed puppies into the newest layer of angry edition Gronards that will lament the good old days of 4th edition when 5th comes out.
And if it does I still want the lot of them to stay off my lawn. Snivel elsewhere I say! *waves cane*
So, I am rooting for Ed, but I am not buying stock in Hasbro.
Sidenote to the novel tangent: I can’t name another RPG setting that has 225 novels written for it. I believe more people played in the Realms first, then bought into the novels, as suppose to the other way around. Just my gut. I wonder if there is a poll.
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Former Forgotten Realms brand manager Jim Butler: "Everything that bears the Forgotten Realms logo is considered canon". |
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Thrasymachus
Learned Scribe
195 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2014 : 02:54:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
So we are once more passing judgement on 5E FR, despite the fact that it's not out and we know next to nothing about it?
Since we obviously know the future, here, can someone give me some winning lottery numbers?
We don’t actually know the future, but we can look at a very consistent pattern of past performance and make a reasonable guess at how things are going to turn out... again
How many times does Lucy pull the football before we know it's her thing to do? 
I don’t know if you are being professional because you’re an admin here, but admit it. Those admin Pom poms must get a little heavy at new edition time.  |
Former Forgotten Realms brand manager Jim Butler: "Everything that bears the Forgotten Realms logo is considered canon". |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2014 : 04:15:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Since we obviously know the future, here, can someone give me some winning lottery numbers?
I'll bite.
4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42.  |
"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2014 : 04:56:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Thrasymachus
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
So we are once more passing judgement on 5E FR, despite the fact that it's not out and we know next to nothing about it?
Since we obviously know the future, here, can someone give me some winning lottery numbers?
We don’t actually know the future, but we can look at a very consistent pattern of past performance and make a reasonable guess at how things are going to turn out... again
How many times does Lucy pull the football before we know it's her thing to do?
I don’t know if you are being professional because you’re an admin here, but admit it. Those admin Pom poms must get a little heavy at new edition time.
Hey, 3rd edition was pretty good...
And I'm just saying -- as I said when 4E was coming out -- that we should wait until it's released before rushing to judge it. That's not me saying it as a mod, that's me saying it as a person who believes that you can't make an informed decision without the relevant info.
I said the same thing when 4E came out... And then I gave all of my gaming money to companies other than WotC. I certainly wasn't cheering for them once I had the books in hand.
I actually have no opinion on the 5E ruleset. I'm hopeful on the 5E Realms because the designers are saying some (not all, but some) of the things I want to hear, and because Ed himself told me he was excited about it. That last fact alone is enough to get me to give the 5E Realms a fair chance. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Lilianviaten
Senior Scribe
489 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2014 : 13:51:51
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I'm headed to work now, but if you want to discuss the book, I can PM you this evening. I just finished it late last night (and of course, I'm tired for work). I can't wait until mid June to discuss it either. It might literally kill me.
quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
I hate that I have to wait several months to talk about this book with people.......
GRAAAAAAH. The blessings and curses of ARC's
Realistically, My thoughts going into the book were, I do not know what to expect. I just prayed for some of the big bads to be in the book, significant things to happen without killing too many iconic characters off, The full return of the weave and Shadow weave and Ed to improve his battle scene writing from his past style(I love Ed's books for lore, but am not a fan of his writing style)
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Delwa
Master of Realmslore
USA
1268 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2014 : 14:26:27
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On the original topic of this thread, my expectations for The Herald are pure awesome. It's Ed Greenwood, how can I have less? I dove into Realmslore and started really learning about this beautiful world Post Time of Troubles. I started with the 3E Setting and then dove deeper into 2E as the Spellplague hit.
The Spellplague left a bitter taste in my mouth, somewhat akin to the sadness I felt when Frodo and Gandalf sailed off to the Undying Lands at the end of Return of the King.
What I'd been learning about and fallen in love with was dead.
But the Sundering has been my Christopher Tolkien. It's not the same; it never will be. It can't, simply because of the age old fact that you can't please everyone and you can't turn back time.
I still love the Realms. I've loved the Sundering. Some might not, and I've about as much hope of changing their mind as turning back the tides.
My hopes for The Herald are simple. I would like to see The Old Sage pass on the baton, like he's been building up to. If El does die, so be it. I'll miss his stories, but really he's lived a good life. I'd like to see him truly retire and fade away; just become that wise old sage full of memory and knowledge. He can still throw down a mean fireball, but that's for his students now.
If Ed decides to rejuvenate El, I'd like to see him happily reunited with the goddess he once spent a steamy night with, not the impersonal one that came later. Perhaps the old sage will even become a deity like Azuth, but have a much *ahem* closer relationship with the goddess he serves.
I would like Myth Drannor to stay reborn, but I'd like to see it have lower dungeon levels where the ruins are still there, full of danger and adventure. Ed keeps talking about how his world is just one empire built on top of the ruins of another, that's what I want to see Myth Drannor as; the start to what one day will be - in the distant future - a city with secrets like Waterdeep's warrens and Undermountain.
I want to see Shade diminished, but staying alive. Perhaps reduced to a level of power equal to the old Zhentil Keep, a city with influence, but not nearly the numbers for outright conquest.
I want Cattie Brie's prophecy to be true in part, but not as total a wipe as to utterly destroy the lands now there. I don't want the Anauraoch (sp) to go back to its original boundaries. I want it smaller.
I want the Realms to have blank areas again, places where I can plop down my own kingdoms and city states, and I don't want those blank areas to just be in the Boarder Kingdoms. I'd like to build a city state in those fertile new lands in Old Netheril, have it run by a Bedine Prince who decided wandering wasn't for him anymore.
I'd like those blank areas to be all over the map, so low-level travel to Cormyr, or Waterdeep, is not a trans-continental journey.
But I guess I've gone beyond what I want for the Herald into things I want the Herald to Herald in.  |
- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!
"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus |
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Clegane
Seeker
65 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2014 : 18:55:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I haven't been able to keep up with the story line (haven't found the books at my local B&N yet), but I think Selunarra returning would be a BIG mistake. It would be the same thing as Shade showing up, and thats one of the few things in 3e most people disliked.
If they truly intend to make FR have that 'Old Realms Feel', then adding yet another flying city of super-mages is NOT the way to go, IMHO.
Thay should be restored (somewhat - I still wouldn't mind just Thaymount sticking with the newer 'Walking dead' format). As for Mulhorand and Unther... *meh*. I miss them, but I have to ask myself, is it because I actually liked them, or is it because I am just feeling nostalgic? If they do return, I'd rather Ed put his own spin on them the way he envisioned them, and none of that derivative crap.
Same should go for Kara-Tur and especially Maztica - tone down the derivations and do something original (if they do anything with them at all). Just getting rid of them to replace them with flavors we already had elsewhere isn't fixing anything.
I think 'new Calimshan' wound up too much like Zakhara - something Steven Schend worked real hard to steer it away from. At this point, I'm not sure what they should do with it - having Zakhara in the setting kinda throws off all the other neo-Middle Eastern regions.
I guess what it comes down to is, whatever they do, I just want them to do it right. At this point its not the setting I fell in love with, and will never be that setting again, but if they do something interesting, maybe I will like the new setting as well. I'm really not all that interested in how it gets there, though... not really a 'novel fan' anymore. I only care about the end result.
I hope this is the template. I started out with the novels, specifically Elaine Cuningham's Songs and Swords. It drew me to the Campaign setting. The first run of novels and the original campaign setting material really had both excitement and that comfortable old shoe feeling in perfect blend. |
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore
1842 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2014 : 17:40:40
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1. I think Myth Drannor will return to its former state (in 2e) but who knows. I don't want the Reclamation or the Conquering to succeed...though I do not mind an elven presence in the city.
2. I'm hoping that Shade will live on but fade in power. Honestly, I don't like Shade...but I don't want it simply removed just because I (and some others) don't like them. Besides, others love Shade. My main problem with Shade (and Imaskar for that matter) is the dead empires should have remained dead. Anyway, I think Shade will lose power but still be around. I do think Sembia should gain their freedom.
3. Southern Faerun likely wont get much attention...though they should. Tymather etc. should go away or be shunted over seas where they should have been placed to begin with. Some elements should remain though (a few dragonborn for instance) for enterprising DMs and players to use in their home games.
4. Thay should return but not to full power (that should take time).
5. I think all of the gods are coming back save for a few obsure ones (like Ibrandul or Zinzereena).
6. Dunno about Calimshan. I liked them as they were in 2e.
7. Halruall BETTER get restored somehow...even if it's done in a 'grade A factory cheeeeese' way. I still fume over the destruction of that nation. Same goes for Nimbral.
8. Other expectations. Halaster's Return, explanations regarding Larloch (but not too much...he should remain mysterious). A Neutral-aligned Mystra who NEVER gets killed again. A map set detailing the entire planet. |
I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one. |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2014 : 17:49:12
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I still would prefer Myth Drannor to remain an active elven city.... to turn it back into a ruin would please many and piss off others. Though I do agree have it like waterdeep and have a dungeon under it..... and that is assuming that all those who said it was fully repaired and populated city in that time period and were wrong.( it took Germany 50 years to rebuild itself)
as for Thay, can care less. Eitherway its time Tam to go, we need and want a new bbeg in charge over there.
Semia should just wake up and say they can not defend themselves anymore and just concde themselves and become part of Cormyr....
Shadowvar, they need to go, all the other netherese cities in faerun are all on the ground ( this does not include selunarra), and they should be too. |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
Edited by - sfdragon on 21 Apr 2014 17:51:52 |
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Mournblade
Master of Realmslore
USA
1287 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2014 : 20:48:58
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I am hoping a Chosen of Talona launches a plague which affects all spellscarred, and creatures that come from a line that originated in Abeir.
I would like that but it won't happen. I like many wanted a total reboot, but I am willing to compromise as long as most of the old realms is returned. |
A wizard is Never late Frodo Baggins. Nor is he Early. A wizard arrives precisely when he means to... |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6351 Posts |
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Caolin
Senior Scribe
768 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2014 : 22:53:28
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| Awesome! I hope you succeed and give gamers an alternative to geek out on. Then WoTC can do their thing without feeling like they have to always please an unpleasable crowd. |
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Rils
Learned Scribe
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2014 : 22:03:17
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Coming late to the discussion, I think it's important to address the other half of the question - what NOT to expect from the Herald. Both WotC and the authors made it very clear before the series came out that these 6 books weren't the story of the Sundering - they were stories about people, that happened during the Sundering. So I don't expect Ed's book to "clean up" or "wrap up" anything, to be honest. We've been told there's much more to the Sundering event than what is being covered by these 6 books, and much of the official fall out is yet to be seen once the campaign setting material is released. So I'll pull up an armchair with Wooly to "Wait and See" (tm).
That said, what I DO expect is a typical Ed story full of magic and mischief. Nothing more, nothing less. It may answer some of our burning questions, it certainly won't answer a good number of them, and it will very likely raise even more. Ed doing what he does best, of course. :) |
Dugmaren Brightmantle is my homey. |
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Expectations for The Herald
