Eberron Setting?

[Tyrian_Spellstealer]

Back when ISRP moved off the wizards of the coast website and onto unlikely heroes just before coming here to glorious enworld, the idea of more rooms and settings was thrown around. In the end, a Faerun setting was decided on through vote of users. A sigil setting also got put up due to popular support for the idea, however for a very long time both the new settings rarely got used.

Now, I constantly see all the settings used rather frequently. To be fair, the CRT still generates most of the traffic, but in the last six months the use of the Bazaar, the Rotunda and TMP has increased tenfold. Maybe it’s only a small handful of people using it at a time, but when I log on, there’s almost always someone using them.

Back when we were voting on settings, it was widely viewed (and a view I supported at the time) that an Eberron room wouldn’t be used because of lack of popularity. At the time, I agreed with the idea, the setting was still relatively new, and there wasn’t a lot of source material out there.

Now I see more and more Eberron based characters popping up in the other settings. Not just a handful, but a large amount. Even characters that aren’t from Eberron seem to have some Eberron ties. On top of this, I’ve been asking some peers, and there seems to be more and more support of the idea of an Eberron setting. Of course, this could just be my imagination.

However, is it possible that after the 18 odd months (rough guess there) since the decision not to have an Eberron setting was made that its popularity as a setting has increased? With the other rooms getting more and more use now as well, I find it rather silly that we have a setting such as sigil (which I will always have a small place in my heart for) which is practically discontinued, and not a setting such as Eberron which is quickly becoming one of the (arguably) most popular dnd settings out there.

To be fair, we already have three fantasy settings. We have Magi who work hard (and great) to keep these settings running, and it might end up being a lot of work to draw up a new one, and I personally wouldn’t want to put any more strain on their hard working asses then I have to. However, with the increased popularity of the setting, and the unique style Eberron has I think it would be a nice something to add with a bit of effort and community support.

So, ideas… Yes? No? I’m just throwing the idea out at the moment to see if it’s at all possible, but as mentioned before, with an apparent increase in the other settings, what could possibly be lost by adding a new one? Its clear now more then ever that more settings are getting used, and that there is more community support for new projects, and I thought I’d just bring up the Eberron topic again.

 

[Dark_Figure]

I would also love to see an Eberron setting room. I myself have two characters based in Eberron.

 

[Zeren]

Who's to say that it's not just going to end up being another 'Bazaar', where there's only a relatively small group that plays there?

I'm not against the idea entirely, it's just that I feel that it's just going to end up being used by a handful of people and is just going to me more of a hassle to moderate for the Magis.

Meh, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about and it would be a success, though I seriously doubt it.

We have enough rooms as it is, in my opinion.

 

[Dribble.]

Hm. Some want more rooms... but if will be a hassle for the Magi. What about, more Magi?

 

[Deirdre]

The majority of the people I see who show interest in being a Magi are rule offenders themselves...

Not saying I don't support the Eberron suggestion.

 

[Magi_Trelian]

There's been some interest from people in becoming a Magi, but our qualifications are pretty high. (We'd rather have a few good Magi than more not-so-competant ones.)

Training also takes a long time since Siani and Gabe are so very busy in real life.

Putting up new setting rooms (whether Eberron or home-brew or whatever) isn't technically difficult. But you would need to get one of the Magi to agree to be setting coordinator. That means not someone brand new to being a moderator because it's someone willing to work out the details of the setting, to do the write-ups, to monitor the logs to check if the rooms are being used appropriately, and to be available to answer questions about setting restrictions. Even people who are willing to be a Magi don't necessarily want all that!

This doesn't mean it can't or won't happen, just letting you know what's involved from this side of things.

 

[Magi_Gabriel]

Aside from technical and staffing considerations the two most important things to consider for a new room are:

How many people will actually use it? (That means specifically want it and are eager to use it, not will go there if there's no other rooms in use)

How will it be different to the existing rooms?

We actually were pretty specific in our picking of the current three fantasy setting rooms to try to cover as much ground as possible, thus hopefully minimise the need for more rooms to fill niches.

Magi are a consideration, but more important to consider is the volume of people using rooms and how many per room we like to cram in. Generally speaking it's better for a community to have three rooms with thirty people each than thirty room with three each.

So, if you want an Eberron room, perhaps the best starting point would be to discuss what would be special about this room other than being listed as an Eberron room.

 

[Jeajea]

I *so* want an Eberron room. I also *so* want to run it, though there I can only dream. Eberron... I'm in love with the setting... I will definately be involved with any talks with respect to what it should be like, though, despite my upcoming exams. Mmm, tasty Eberron goodness.

 

[Tyrian_Spellstealer]

So, if you want an Eberron room, perhaps the best starting point would be to discuss what would be special about this room other than being listed as an Eberron room.

Fair points.

Ok, so, what would an Eberron Room have that our current rooms don’t have:

Well, as a starting point, Eberron offers a unique pulp action style that some of the other settings lack. If an Eberron room were to pop up, it would have to be in Eberrons 'style' (a lightning rail lounge coach with a fighting room of 'up the hatch', for example... nothing screams Eberron more like a fight ontop of a moving Lightning Rail Coach). However, that is still something that could easily be plugged into the Carpe DM room, and still falls under listing of 'Just an Eberron Room'.

Besides style, Eberron is also a (relatively) low level setting. And by that, I mean that majority of people in Eberron are low level (below level 5), with a rare few above that (levels 6-15). Epic levels are practically non-existent. While the style of Eberron dictates that anything in dnd is present in Eberron, usually in a big way (for example, gargoyle messengers for house Cannith is quite plausible, or perhaps a troll bodyguard), epic level challenges are, to a degree, extremely rare. Whilst one could easily pass off OOC the idea of having a polymorphed dragon studying the draconic prophecy in Khorvaire slide, it is unlikely that anyone in Eberron would tolerate the idea, let alone sit by and watch as an ancient dragon fought alongside a lightning rail carriage against a wizard casting meteor swarm spells. And I use the Lightning Rail Carriage again simply as an example, because it’s just so ‘Eberron’.

In terms of a setting for ISRP, this basically translates into: low level setting. We have a restricted setting, yes, but Eberron is not restrictive. Orc, goblins, bugbears, drow, vampires, all could easily find a place somewhere in an Eberron room. The restriction would instead be on power. Our other restricted settings are still quite prone to epic powered patrons. To quote the Players Guide to Eberron: “Assume that player characters who reach epic levels are among the first people to accomplish such a feat, at least in recent memory.”

That in turn leads the argument down a different path: not an Eberron setting, but a room with a low-level restriction on it (to, as you said, discuss what would be special about THIS room as opposed to some of the other rooms we already have).

In terms of drawing up setting restrictions for a room like that, it is doable. Epic characters would not be walking around Eberron casting hellballs, fighting demi-gods or cleaving through armies with a rusty sword. In terms of translating that into an ISRP freeform freedom of destiny room however, could be problematic. I’m just setting up the idea, and to have an Eberron Room that offered something the others did not, a level restriction room at the moment is the only idea I can come up with. I’m thinking something along the lines of Epic Level Characters are still allowed, just not allowed to show off their epic abilities (or, at least disguise them be they great wyrm dragons, or ancient demons). Maybe spells above certain levels (8 or 9?) aren't allowed to be cast in the rooms? Again, however, this is all very 'static' thinking, and doesn't much incorporate the fact that it is a FREEFORM chat, not a DND chat.

Downsides: “Eberron, however, is not an epic world – at least, not as it stands now.” This is not to say that in the future Eberron will advance into Epic Levels, and thus put the need for the room out the window (at least, the need I’m trying to pitch.) It is however, a fair guess, that if Eberron should anytime be including epic levels into the world, its not going to suddenly come about very soon.

As for desire for the room itself, and the question on would it get enough use, from what I have seen, I would say a definite yes. In terms of fitting it into our ISRP community though, the only pitch I can come up with (so far) is the idea of a power restricted setting.

So, new question and starting point: is there support for a level/power restricted room in ISRP?

((Fights for the Eberron room!!))

 

[Mortonia]

I would have to say yes, at least from my point of view. Not that I don't play powerful characters at times (ignores Toni's hand waving and jumping up and down) but there are altogether different and exciting challenges in running a low level character.

The real problem is not so much one of support, but one of enforcement. How do you insure the setting isn't abused? How do the Magi keep tabs on the "power" of any given character, especially in a world where character sheets are (for some folks) a laughable concept.

Could it work? Perhaps. I'd certainly like to think so. But given my experience with the more power-hungry and less regulated characters on ISRP (and you know who you are ) I'm not sure.