hint for new Forgotten Realms/Spellplague in Unsolved Mysteries of Dragon magazine?

[Markustay]

We think that this is it! http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=13858477&postcount=64 Very interesting post!

Don't listen to THAT guy - he's frakin' nutz.

 

[hopeless]

Intriguing post...

I still fail to understand why they need an in-game expanation for the changes in a metagame concept (rules mechanics).

Why can't they just update to the new rules and publish a new campaign setting without blowing the world up (figuratively speaking)?

I suspect it will turn out that when they turned up to discuss the matter they later turned to the WTOC exec who looked at the combined total of books detailing FR and said," Get rid of the lot!"

Disbelieving the Fr designers look back.

"You heard what I said make a complete restart just keep the original name so we can ship it out and they won't know the difference... god knows we can't!"

Now how would the designers let the others know without causing a major eruption?

No way back, no way forward so they call upon the setting reset button except this one doesn't involve the TOT this is How not to **** off the fans and get away with this without losing their jobs...

A bit much I suppose but it fills the appropraite blanks we've been seeing.

Personally I'd rather they have Mystara turn up but not at the cost of the entire setting though!

Apologies if this upsets anyone but after looking at the price for Shadowfell and these 2 preview books well what else would i think?

 

[FourthBear]

I suspect it will turn out that when they turned up to discuss the matter they later turned to the WTOC exec who looked at the combined total of books detailing FR and said," Get rid of the lot!"

It's an interesting theory, but I must admit I find it hard to credit. I mean, do you *really* think that the WotC execs would look at the Realms books and think anything other than "how can we sell more of these?" Why should the execs care how confusing or numerous the books are, as long as they're still selling? I mean, there's no sign of the Realms novels slowing down.

I feel the following is more likely. Sales of the RPG books slacking off and the team told that unless they go up, they're axing the Realms RPG line. It's the novels that make the big bucks, anyway (just like in Dragonlance). The RPG book team decides that in order to revive the line, they'll couple it with the roll-out of 4e and create a Big Event. Just like in comics, Big Events tend to stimulate sales (I'm none too fond of most of them, but this cannot be denied). Several of the Realms designers have always been bothered by some of the criticisms pointed at the Realms, including the powerful NPCs and the crowd of redundant deities. So they decide that since the Avatar Trilogy set a precedent (and didn't impact sales negatively), they can have a similar event for 4e.

They get together with the novel writers (note that the statements that they all got together in 2005, when the D&D team began 4e work in earnest). They talk to the writers and get some consensus on the changes. They begin planning them out and come up with a plan for the novel and RPG lines. They get some ideas that they've always wanted to do in the Realms and some areas of the Realms that they don't feel add too much to the setting.

No real nefarious schemes or backroom politics needed. Just a combination of financial necessity, an opportunity (4e) and the usual impulse of writers to want to change things around and run all over the fresh snow.

 

[Shroomy]

All this speculation is interesting to me. I owned the original FR Grey Box and the post-ToT hardback from the early 90s back, back, back way before all this canon was created (I dropped out of gaming around 1994, so imagine my surprise that when I came back to gaming in 2005, Sembia was fleshed out!). While I understand that many FR aficionados love the canon, I personally view it as a burden and I'd love if we could go back to the level of information that was available back in the late 1e/early 2e period. Basically, detailed, but not too detailed. I'm playing a game not writing a thesis.

 

[FourthBear]

By the way, I forgot that from rumor about the deal they have with Greenwood, they may not be able to stop the RPG Realms line. Something about them having to publish so many RPG Realms supplements or the rights revert to Ed. Anyway, I'd still bet that on the level of the "upper execs", that sales are of far greater concern than narrative coherence or an overly detailed background.

 

[The Little Raven]

By the way, I forgot that from rumor about the deal they have with Greenwood, they may not be able to stop the RPG Realms line. Something about them having to publish so many RPG Realms supplements or the rights revert to Ed.

I've heard the same thing before.

Anyway, I'd still bet that on the level of the "upper execs", that sales are of far greater concern than narrative coherence or an overly detailed background.

I think people give non-R&D executives way more credit for their influence on R&D than is the case. I think it's more of a case of them going to the R&D guys and saying "Hey, we've experienced a lull in <X Product Line> and we need to figure out a solution. <Product Y> sold best, and <Product Z> sold worst. Figure out the problem and see if we can't make <Product Y>s than <Product Z>s." and then the R&D guys sit down together in meetings and say "Okay, <Product Z> makes the baby Jesus cry. How do we fix this?"

And then they fix it.

 

[Shroomy]

Anyway, I'd still bet that on the level of the "upper execs", that sales are of far greater concern than narrative coherence or an overly detailed background.

I hope so. Upper management should be primarily concerned with the overall financial health of the company and not doing the job of lower-level employees.