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 Out of the Abyss: My thoughts.
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe

Ireland
705 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2015 :  17:24:12  Show Profile Send Shadowsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
The more I hear about this AP the more I actually hate it.

The description to me sounds like what we used to do when we were younger where we would create high level characters and take on demon lords and gods until either we died or they all died. It just sounds way too over the top and too goofy for my tastes.

I mean let's look at what we have so far:

1: We have Tiamat trying to escape and making a presence in the Realms.

2: We have the Elemental Lords trying to make a presence in Faerun and trying to actually enter it.

3: Now we have a spell gone wrong "sure it did" and all the famous demon lords of old suddenly get pulled into the Underdark.

The more these stories arise the more I want to get away from the current Realms and hide in the old one. I was really willing to give this Realms a chance but my God do these stories make me want to run. Is this all Chris Perkins doing because I really wish they would give him his P45 and see him on his way. Why not just go ahead and unleash all the Devil Lords as well and really cause some damage?

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien

*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*.

Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe

Norway
410 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2015 :  20:41:39  Show Profile  Visit Caladan Brood's Homepage Send Caladan Brood a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I agree wigh your sentiment. I like to read these adventures but I could never run them (except 'Lost Mine..').
But then again, "my" Realms don't have tieflings or dragonborn or half the Monster Manual in the sense that there's stuff I just can't "believe" in. The Realms - perhaps especially 4th/5th is too cartoony for me, trying too hard to be cool while I can have blast with a small village of NPCs quarreling over the rights to fish in the nearby lake.
With 'Princes..' it is very obvious as there's no "true" evil. Just elements, no demons.
It's almost like I'd be happy with a good tale with a solid group of might be heroes and they just spam me with Superheroes
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Veritas
Learned Scribe

209 Posts

Posted - 09 Sep 2015 :  15:47:59  Show Profile  Visit Veritas's Homepage Send Veritas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Open bets on the next god(like) being(s) laying waste to the Realms as a setting?

Thats it, I'm packing up and moving to my private isle in Anchorome.

Edited by - Veritas on 09 Sep 2015 15:48:47
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6351 Posts

Posted - 09 Sep 2015 :  19:43:40  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Rather than abandon ship, why not join on the fan contribution band wagon. Several scribes (George, Eric, etc) have provided lore and expansions to the realms for years that might not officially be a part of the setting, but if you are sticking with 1340-1370 timeline it is of such good quality that it beats much canon lore.

I'm always looking to start off an alternate campaign setting that reboots the realms to 1340. I'm even writing a complete set of rules to go with it.

Have a go, pick an area, find an angle, do your research, and come up with something that others can use for their campaigns. That way WoTC won't completely destroy the setting, we can keep it alive as long as we are interested in it.

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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe

Germany
194 Posts

Posted - 09 Sep 2015 :  22:16:52  Show Profile  Visit Lirdolin's Homepage Send Lirdolin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Although I do agree, that the next adventure should/could be little bit less epic in scale (maybe something like an Indiana Jones Quest across the Realms to find *insert Realmsian Atlantis/ awesome artifact here*?), I must say, that at least 'Out of the Abyss' and the Tiamat Adventures take place during the Sundering (according to Salvatores books). And during that time every god and godlike being wandered the Realms, sending their Chosen against other god's Chosen. Armies clash, Earth shakes and so on. So in that context, These adventures make sense in their epic scale.
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe

USA
830 Posts

Posted - 09 Sep 2015 :  23:32:19  Show Profile Send Dark Wizard a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul

Why not just go ahead and unleash all the Devil Lords as well and really cause some damage?

I have it on good authority that the next adventure is called Hell on Faerun where all the Lords of the Nine make their play for the Realms.

j/k
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 10 Sep 2015 :  00:09:31  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lirdolin

Although I do agree, that the next adventure should/could be little bit less epic in scale (maybe something like an Indiana Jones Quest across the Realms to find *insert Realmsian Atlantis/ awesome artifact here*?), I must say, that at least 'Out of the Abyss' and the Tiamat Adventures take place during the Sundering (according to Salvatores books). And during that time every god and godlike being wandered the Realms, sending their Chosen against other god's Chosen. Armies clash, Earth shakes and so on. So in that context, These adventures make sense in their epic scale.



This is weird, because I remeber that the premise to the ToD storyline was: ''The Sundering is done, the gods are forced to be more distant, so Tiamat can go ham!! (as much sense as it can make, since Tiamat is a goddess)''. It even was on one of their GenCon posters, back in 2014.

Out of the Abyss is supposed to take place after the Sundering, AFAIK (isn't the date like 1490s or something?).

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 10 Sep 2015 00:10:41
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe

Germany
194 Posts

Posted - 10 Sep 2015 :  21:57:33  Show Profile  Visit Lirdolin's Homepage Send Lirdolin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yup, that's right. That was the case before 'Archmage' came out... See page 356 of Archmage that puts the start of Demogorgons Rampage in Nightal 1486 DR.
As for Tiamat failing to rise see page 2 of the same novel (so clearly before Nightal 1486 DR, and hints to this can already be found in the previous two novels, because of the drows White Dragon allies).
You can't imagine what a headache that info gave me as I tried to work it into my timeline...
Archmage kicked the date of 'Leagacy of the Crystalshard' onto the trash as well.
I really hope the Sword Coast Campaign Guide will have a timeline that clears this up.

Edited by - Lirdolin on 10 Sep 2015 21:59:37
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 10 Sep 2015 :  22:05:45  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lirdolin

Yup, that's right. That was the case before 'Archmage' came out... See page 356 of Archmage that puts the start of Demogorgons Rampage in Nightal 1486 DR.
As for Tiamat failing to rise see page 2 of the same novel (so clearly before Nightal 1486 DR, and hints to this can already be found in the previous two novels, because of the drows White Dragon allies).
You can't imagine what a headache that info gave me as I tried to work it into my timeline...
Archmage kicked the date of 'Leagacy of the Crystalshard' onto the trash as well.
I really hope the Sword Coast Campaign Guide will have a timeline that clears this up.




Meh, what a mess... we really need something to recap all that happened with the Sundering (including all the info about what happened, but wasn't in their ''snapshot'').

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader

USA
2708 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2015 :  19:04:40  Show Profile Send CorellonsDevout a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It sounds like WotC really wants to let "all the Hells break loose" in the Realms. I mean, most of the adventures thus far, from my understanding, have had something to do with great evils or some hellish lord or other vying for power or dominance in some way. Which could certainly lead to some epic storytelling, but at the same time, well...if there aren't anymore RSEs, then what are the end results going to be? I mean, if they're "just for fun" to give players more adventures, then...well I don't know how I feel about that, but if they're supposed to be events that happen in the Realms, then that could lead to some great lore, but how is that supposed to happen if there aren't supposed to be more RSEs? Or am I missing something entirely?

Sweet water and light laughter
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2015 :  19:13:35  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout

It sounds like WotC really wants to let "all the Hells break loose" in the Realms. I mean, most of the adventures thus far, from my understanding, have had something to do with great evils or some hellish lord or other vying for power or dominance in some way. Which could certainly lead to some epic storytelling, but at the same time, well...if there aren't anymore RSEs, then what are the end results going to be? I mean, if they're "just for fun" to give players more adventures, then...well I don't know how I feel about that, but if they're supposed to be events that happen in the Realms, then that could lead to some great lore, but how is that supposed to happen if there aren't supposed to be more RSEs? Or am I missing something entirely?



They're supposed to be RSEs that happen in the Realms (actually, no: only on the Sword Coast) every (in-universe) year or so, every single of them ending with adventurers fixing everything and everything turning more or less back to how it was before (maybe the evil guys will get a town destroyed, but that's it).

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 16 Sep 2015 19:13:55
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader

USA
2708 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2015 :  19:16:25  Show Profile Send CorellonsDevout a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Okay. Hmm, so there is the possibility of it being exciting, but it is also..predictable. I'm on the fence about this.

Sweet water and light laughter
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2015 :  19:33:57  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout

Okay. Hmm, so there is the possibility of it being exciting, but it is also..predictable. I'm on the fence about this.



Personally, I don't find it exciting. It's extremely far fetched. Every year, you have some god/uber evil that decides to conquer/destroy the world, and all of them (for some weird, unknown reason) happen to mainly direct their focus to the Sword Coast. And all of them are defeated by a band of adventurers. It has become a ''guess the apocalyspe of the year'' game. it cheapens the threat, and makes it really uninteresting and repetitive (to me, at least).

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 16 Sep 2015 19:38:43
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader

USA
2708 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2015 :  19:40:19  Show Profile Send CorellonsDevout a Private Message  Reply with Quote
That's why I'm on the fence about it, and why I said it's predictable. It has the potential to be exciting (the concept is there at least), but as you said, it is repetitive, and we know the outcome before it begins.

Sweet water and light laughter
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2015 :  19:43:16  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout

That's why I'm on the fence about it, and why I said it's predictable. It has the potential to be exciting (the concept is there at least), but as you said, it is repetitive, and we know the outcome before it begins.



Yes that hurts the enjoyablility of the books, but there's also the fact that this ''one apocalypse/year, all on the Sword Coast'' trend utterly destroys suspension of disbelief (even more than all the Spellplagues/Sunderings/divine dramas did).

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 16 Sep 2015 19:43:56
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Gurgle Gobblespit
Acolyte

USA
27 Posts

Posted - 17 Sep 2015 :  19:51:17  Show Profile Send Gurgle Gobblespit a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Veritas

Open bets on the next god(like) being(s) laying waste to the Realms as a setting?



The next D&D 5th Edition AP…… Fury of Devils
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 17 Sep 2015 :  19:59:06  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gurgle Gobblespit

quote:
Originally posted by Veritas

Open bets on the next god(like) being(s) laying waste to the Realms as a setting?



The next D&D 5th Edition AP…… Fury of Devils



The next adventure is likely to include a giant tentacled frog-like creature (according to a tweet from Perkins). So, something cthulhu-esque?

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
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pedro2112
Acolyte

11 Posts

Posted - 18 Sep 2015 :  06:55:56  Show Profile Send pedro2112 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Perkins also tweeted that they may include the Kraken Society in a future storyline.

Pedro2112
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6643 Posts

Posted - 18 Sep 2015 :  13:02:05  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yes, the Emerald Enclave is an ancient foe of the Kraken Society.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6351 Posts

Posted - 18 Sep 2015 :  13:38:21  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Ah George, your comments give me hope that the world has not gone completely mad yet, and they also make me snort my drink out of my nose while I'm reading them

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pedro2112
Acolyte

11 Posts

Posted - 28 Nov 2015 :  04:53:06  Show Profile Send pedro2112 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
From a recent interview with Perkins, it sounds like an upcoming AP may be Ravenloft based. Also, there was a hint of perhaps one based near Halruaa! (airships!)

Pedro2112
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe

USA
522 Posts

Posted - 28 Nov 2015 :  10:06:43  Show Profile Send moonbeast a Private Message  Reply with Quote
IMHO, I'd like to see WoTC steer away from these huge "epic" Evil-Godzilla-Demon-Deities-Gonna-Stomp-the-Sword-Coast every year adventures. It's getting really old.

I suggest they return to the small portable adventure "modules" (yes I remember that TSR called them modules in my younger days), similar in style to the old Keep on the Borderlands, or even the Giants series. By portable, I want them to be written (or re-written) that they can easily be used for almost ANY setting. For example, if the adventure takes place in a deep wicked forest, then it should easily be usable in just about ANY deep dangerous forest in Faerun, Eberron, or Greyhawk. Make them smaller adventures that do not involve ganking deities and Demon-lords. Make them completable in a few sessions. Maybe finishing the adventure will level up the PCs like 2 or 3 levels at most.

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