Another Chris Perkins Interview - 4th Edition Realms

[Green Knight]

Whoops.

 

[Perun]

Meh... the Realms overhaul is overdue. While the change might cause shake-ups and potentially split the fan base, it will remove the general mustiness from the air.

I've read more than a share of threads over at the WotC boards where a relative newcomer to the Realms asked what looked like a simple question, and was then promptly beaten senseless by a torrent of posts from outraged FR traditionalists and/or purists citing sourcebooks that have been out of print for more than a decade.

The FR has evolved into a monster of a setting. It has over 20 years of rulebooks, accessories, and novels, and almost all of it is considered canon. It's virtually impossible to keep track of that many products, let alone read through them, especially if one hasn't been devouring through them from the very beginning.

So, for one, I'm all for the change.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Honestly, I'd probably prefer it if they took more of a Classic Battletech approach... but that's probably not feasible.

Nah, I'm sure they could make giant mechas beating the crap out of each other work in the Realms.

 

[MerricB]

Nah, I'm sure they could make giant mechas beating the crap out of each other work in the Realms.

I'll explain what I meant:

Classic Battletech (as opposed to the Wizkids "Dark Age" Battletech clicky game) has various eras, and the rules & technology get more complicated as you go along.

For the relaunch of the game, they've produced an Introductory Boxed set that is set at the beginning of the core game (just before the Clan invasion), before the techs started improving. They've also produced a Starterbook (Sword and Dragon) that points in the direction of the full game.

After the Introductory stuff, you move onto Total Warfare, and then onto the really advanced stuff.

So, a new player isn't overwhelmed by everything, but has a logical progression to follow to get up to speed with the game & setting.

(Let me just say that the Boxed Set and the Starterbook are fantastic! I've got both, and they're a heap of fun).

However, with a RPG you tend to always be dumped at the most recent time...

Cheers!

 

[The Ubbergeek]

The only way to save the Realms would be to keep Richard Baker and his lackeys away from it.

I still say, as heretic it sounds, that the Greyhawk PURIST GROGNARDS have a GOOD part in killing the setting much.

The reaction of the FR ones sound like it may be a good idea... Just to stop the setting from harden into a rigid, unfriendly canon. May be too late...

I means, I agree with the guys who said that the canon purists are forgotting finally the point of the setting - a fun game-driven setting.

 

[Keldryn]

I still say, as heretic it sounds, that the Greyhawk PURIST GROGNARDS have a GOOD part in killing the setting much.

The reaction of the FR ones sound like it may be a good idea... Just to stop the setting from harden into a rigid, unfriendly canon. May be too late...

I means, I agree with the guys who said that the canon purists are forgotting finally the point of the setting - a fun game-driven setting.

Canon-purist fans of anything seem to somehow forget the original point and obsess over extremely trivial bits. Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Star Wars, Ultima, Fallout... it doesn't matter what game, setting, or fictional universe we're talking about. They scare away newcomers, and frustrate people like me who just want to enjoy something.

 

[The Little Raven]

Canon-purist fans of anything seem to somehow forget the original point and obsess over extremely trivial bits. Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Star Wars, Ultima, Fallout... it doesn't matter what game, setting, or fictional universe we're talking about. They scare away newcomers, and frustrate people like me who just want to enjoy something.

I read a comment by a game developer once that said (paraphrased): "The worst fans for a commercial property are hardcore fans, because they're willing to sacrifice the creator's ability to profit simply to keep things in line with their own vision."

 

[The Ubbergeek]

Indeed...

not that I always agree with what come out, but I have often the feeling that the setting -which became my favorite after the Dragon of Summer events in Dragonlance - don't belong to me much anymore, that I am not hardcore or 'real' enough. I fear a Greyhawkification.

 

[borc killer]

"The worst fans for a commercial property are hardcore fans, because they're willing to sacrifice the creator's ability to profit simply to keep things in line with their own vision."

true dat

 

[Blair Goatsblood]

Canon-purist fans of anything seem to somehow forget the original point and obsess over extremely trivial bits. Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Star Wars, Ultima, Fallout... it doesn't matter what game, setting, or fictional universe we're talking about. They scare away newcomers, and frustrate people like me who just want to enjoy something.

I know one exception....fans of the Wilderlands, a setting that is explicitly "without canon"