Has FR "jumped the shark"?

[MasterOfHeaven]

3E FR is the best campaign setting I've seen so far. I don't really see the point of discussing the books, as they only have as much impact on your game as you want them to have. The thing I love about the Realms is it gives you a great baseline with which to run a game, and has great possibility for customization, at least in my experience.

 

[rounser]

But when Bane dies we both miss the guy and get annoyed about how he left.

If I know people and how they think, you can bet your bottom dollar that if Elminster had died for real during the Time of Troubles (and never came back) that people would be whinging about how it was the beginning of the downfall of the original coke FR after he died, how killing off Elminster was a terrible mistake, and you'd see posts on how people "fixed" FR by bringing him back.

That said, if we could ignore the existence of the novels department who are still making money off of him and just concentrate on gamer needs, I theorise that he'd probably be better off dead....but as a very, very active ghost. Elminster can then pop up at inappropriate times to scold, bluster and dispense information across the entirety of Faerun and, free of mortal restrictions, believably have his fingers in every pie the DM cares to cook up.

 

[The Traveler]

Rounser: Theoretically that's what the FR developers have been doing ever since the new hardbound. You'll notice that in the gaming material, Halaster is still crazy as ever, etc.

More power to 'em, the novels are just plain whacky.

 

[Ezrael]

Well, I don't play FR (I did buy the most recent Campaign Setting, but I'm a whore, I buy tons of game material I will never ever ever use in the hopes of cannibalizing it, I even bought The Silver Marches just because Sean Reynolds guilted me into it...and because, as I admitted, I'm a whore) so I couldn't say if it's been revving its engines and heading for a ramp near an aquarium tank.

But Greyhawk hasn't jumped the shark, because it didn't get a chance to. All of the early GH modules (ones like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, White Plume Mountain, Tomb of Horrors) weren't especially identified with the setting when they came out and are now almost all out of print. The last time Greyhawk got a setting was during the 2E days, and it was never as extensive as the Realms. (I don't count From The Ashes here...maybe I should, but I don't.) I would love to see Greyhawk get more than an assumption of default status in the D&D Core, a lame Gazeteer and some modules. (The Living Greyhawk Gazeteer was better than the D&D Gazeteer produced right after 3e came out, admittedly.) There's been some good stuff put out for Greyhawk...RttToEE comes to mind...but I'd really say that it hasn't had a chance to jump any sharks as yet.

However, if I had to pick something, I'd say the destuction of Rel Astra was a Shark Jump just for the big flashy noise and lightshow value, although I don't dislike that event. I also don't dislike the episode of Happy Days where Fonzie makes that piscean dare, either.

 

[Falcon of Lugh]

Back to FR....possibly...I love the setting, but I agree...it's just been done to death...there's portions of thw world that could be elaborated on and many FR would like to see that..but sales would probably be poor, and not worth it in the long run...

If The Silver Marches setting book is any indication of where they are going with their future FR lines, they're getting my money on the rest of that line. I've been a FR addict for as long as I can remember and loved the old 2nd AD&D box sets on the setting. With the 3E hardback and Silver Marches, I'm happy to say that WotC is bothering to recapture what TSR had given me as a player and DM.

 

[The Traveler]

If The Silver Marches setting book is any indication of where they are going with their future FR lines, they're getting my money on the rest of that line. I've been a FR addict for as long as I can remember and loved the old 2nd AD&D box sets on the setting. With the 3E hardback and Silver Marches, I'm happy to say that WotC is bothering to recapture what TSR had given me as a player and DM.

Depends on how well it sold. Sean gave the impression that it was sort of a "bet the farm" move for the direction of the line. If it sold well, you'll get more like that. If it didn't, then you'll get insane amounts of crunchies in sickening repetition.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

The Greyhawk metaplot, for instance, jumped the shark with the series of Vecna related modules, in particular the one that starts with the Circle of Eight being offed by V. (The implication here, of course, is that the PC's should care about the Circle of Eight - "Oh no! Mordenkainen's dead! How will Oerth survive?" instead of "Huh. Some high level wizard dude just died. More treasure for us, I guess.")

I don't know... I don't think there is much that puts as much fear into your player's hearts as watching EIGHT NPC's who are reputed to be some of the most powerful individuals in the world OBLITERATED IN A SINGLE ROUND. I thought that was a master stroke... I always wanted to run that module with my friends, but never got the chance.

I liked the Vecna modules... Vecna Lives! and Die, Vecna, Die! are two of my favorites.

 

[Yonshalmnu]

Forgotten Realms is munchkinland now. I feel sorry for the common guy just trying to farm his fields. You have to have at least a couple of character levels of fighter just to survive in that crazy world. It's a wacky realm.

Yonshalmnu sur ga Moriquai

 

[JPL]

Maybe it's the Marvel Comics I grew up on...I have no problem at all believing that Elminster and the other high-level Realmsfolk are otherwise occupied while the PCs save the world. Happens all the time. The Avengers are gone, so the FF save the world; the FF are gone, so the Avengers save the world...

Buy the Epic Level Handbook, and your character can eventually go toe-to-toe with Elminster. Heck, Drizzt is only, what, 15th level? And he's not even min-maxed, and his stats are nothing too outrageous.

One thing I love about the new FR: the NPCs really don't get any special breaks, rules-wise. That wasn't always the case.

I figure Elminster and company are just operating on a far vaster scale than most lower-level characters. See all that stuff in the Epic Level Handbook? That's what they fight. Been fighting it for years --- centuries, in some cases. And you wonder why they don't drop everything to stop a measly dragon or an orc hoard?

Anyway, we're only talking about a dozen or so uber-NPCs. Faerun is a big place. Any PC is a legend in the making.

 

[jester47]

hear hear JPL! In corporate speak, Elminster is busy keeping the realms from getting bought out but occasionally has to phone the mail room to get the numbskulls down there to make sure his mail shows up and doesnt get shipped to the broom closet.

Aaron.