Countdown to the Realms: Magic in the Forgotten Realms

[HeavenShallBurn]

Nothing, and I mean nothing says "Welcome to a fantasy world" like having a castle sized piece of rock float lazily by. See Escaflowne for visuals.

I know floating islands has been cool since Gulliver's travels. I've used them in homebrews for about 15 years, and not just castle sized either. I've got entire cities built on islands in the sky anywhere up to the size of Long Island.

 

[PeterWeller]

But the fact they had to go and replace already existing land to do it, irrespective of what players and DM's might have been doing with it is just plain disrespectful. Disrespectful of the hard work and potentially awesome stories that might have taken place there.

It's just rude and thoughtless and in the interviews that I've read, they seem awfully flipant about the changes they're making.

It's not disrespectful, rude, or thoughtless. This hyperbolic nonsense really needs to be dropped. Mearls didn't come in and scat all over your old campaigns or books.

 

[Ahglock]

If nothing else, this realms shaking event is good for bringing in >quote< Great motes of free-hanging earth balance on nothing but air, amazing all those who chance upon these mighty demonstrations of nature’s glory. >unquote<

Nothing, and I mean nothing says "Welcome to a fantasy world" like having a castle sized piece of rock float lazily by. See Escaflowne for visuals.

Eh that part doesn't say anything to me but played out. Heck isn't floating rock even in eberon. I guess in any place as massive as FR you kind of need it someplace but it stopped being cool to me a while ago.

 

[The Little Raven]

Why did they have to take up already used real estate?

Because the people that liked those particular things were in the minority as far as WotC's market research was able to discern, and gearing things towards a larger portion of your audience is the best way to increase sales and grow a product line?

 

[phoenixgod2000]

Because the people that liked those particular things were in the minority as far as WotC's market research was able to discern, and gearing things towards a larger portion of your audience is the best way to increase sales and grow a product line?

Which I don't mind. But that doesn't explain why they couldn't add it as a completely separate continent instead of actively replacing one that already existed. even if it was a minority, that doesn't mean it couldn't have proven valuable as it was. They wouldn't even have to talk about it. Just leave it alone and allow it to exist and spend their word count on their spiffy new continent.

That way they don't alienate people who already are fans of the realms in all their wackiness.

 

[The Little Raven]

But that doesn't explain why they couldn't add it as a completely separate continent instead of actively replacing one that already existed.

If part of your goal is to reduce setting bloat, then making it even bigger would be detrimental to that goal, wouldn't it?

even if it was a minority, that doesn't mean it couldn't have proven valuable as it was.

It didn't prove it's value in the past, which is why it got the axe. In fact, since the new Abeir stuff is going to be a big part of Greenwood's writing, I'd say that the new stuff is probably more "Realmsian" than Maztica was (being a real-world-analogue).

That way they don't alienate people who already are fans of the realms in all their wackiness.

So, if you bought a campaign setting and it explicitly ignored every mention of your favorite place, you wouldn't descend into nerd rage? If something is completely ignored, what is the point of retaining it if you don't intend to use it?

 

[phoenixgod2000]

If part of your goal is to reduce setting bloat, then making it even bigger would be detrimental to that goal, wouldn't it?

It didn't prove it's value in the past, which is why it got the axe. In fact, since the new Abeir stuff is going to be a big part of Greenwood's writing, I'd say that the new stuff is probably more "Realmsian" than Maztica was (being a real-world-analogue).

So, if you bought a campaign setting and it explicitly ignored every mention of your favorite place, you wouldn't descend into nerd rage? If something is completely ignored, what is the point of retaining it if you don't intend to use it?

I suppose ultimatly you are right. I just don't see it as setting bloat. I see it as background detail that adds needed flourishes to the game to give it a more realistic feel. I have players who've never so much as read a FR novel and they love the realms and don't experience any problems with the level of detail and I have other players who love doing things like going to the same party as Danillo Thann and Arilyin Moonblade or drinking beers with Mirt. Most of all, my players love the fact that all of our various adventures have taken place in a world where their past characters are still alive and doing stuff. Between the time jump and geographical devastation, they're characters might not have ever existed.
I know of at least one of my players who may not continue playing when we transfer to 4e. And we will, because I like what I've seen of the mechanics so far.

I hope you are right. I'll still probably buy the novels but I can't imagine having the same connection to the realms that I had before. It's too much a new world. And one I have no desire to play in.

I don't even remember what Maztican references there were in the 3e realms. When I set the RHoD in Maztica, I just used my old box set and made up the rest. I don't care if it isn't mentioned, or only mentioned rarely--I care about somebody blowing it up.

 

[The Little Raven]

When I set the RHoD in Maztica, I just used my old box set and made up the rest.

And there's nothing to stop you from doing this with 4e, using 3e (or earlier) fluff, except some time and effort. I know it sucks to not have the direct support for exactly the things you want, but it happens, and sometimes you just have to take what you've got and turn it into what you need.

I've got a Realms-lore nerd friend who is a little miffed about the changes. He's planning on running a pre-Spellplague Realms game with 4th Edition rules. Neither of us are expecting it to be too difficult, because he's got enough Realms lore in his head to be able to fudge things on the fly as needed. In order to get him to agree to play in my 4e post-Spellplague Realms game, I agreed to play in his 4e Grey Box-fluffed Realms game.

 

[BadMojo]

Or alternately, they could be trying to sell FR books to all of us old timers (fans from way back before the Gray Box) who like what they are doing.

I've been playing FR for years and actually do like these changes. It's more like the Gray Box and less like the "20 lbs of poop in a 10lbs bag" philosophy of 2nd and 3rd edition. The setting was starting to collapse under the weight of all that meta stuff, and geographically there were no open spaces, no mystery, very few frontiers left.

I'm honestly shocked that so many of the things that came out around 2nd edition seem to have become sacred cows.

 

[Spatula]

Because the people that liked those particular things were in the minority as far as WotC's market research was able to discern,

So Wizards spent money researching which areas of the Realms people played in? I'd be interested in reading about that. Link?