Hordes of the Abyss: Q&A

[Pants]

Pants,

I like the box set that Rappan Athuk Reloaded is coming in. Some people also liked the Midnight box set, along with the Judge's Guild box set.

But there you are.

I really didn't like the PS boxsets at all. Seems like there was no rhyme or reason for why some information was in one booklet while other info was in the other booklet. Just needlessly cluttered things.

PLANESCAPE was awesome in that it:

1) Was definitely a fantasy game taken to the "edge" (edge of time, reality, whatever, heh...)

Meh.

2) Connected ALL the campaign settings, universes, worlds, etc. WITHOUT invading too much of the campaign's theme (though in some cases it invaded more than others, Forgotten Realms for example, but it worked out still)

3) The crossovers were just awesome: Tiamat/Takhisis, Vecna and Ravenloft, Orcus and Primus with the Modron March thing, Elminster/Mordenkainen/Dalamar get-togethers...I dunno about you guys, but cameos and crossovers in Planescape was what made my players in PS swoon.

I didn't much care for this aspect. Seemed like every setting put out by tSR 'back in the day' got shoehorned into the Great Wheel for no really good reasons. Just because.

6) It's simply fun and a good place to take epic level characters too, as well

Part of the appeal of PS was that it allowed lowbies to "safely" adventure in the planes while still having challenges for 'epic' adventurers (even though 'epic' sorta meant Level 13+ back in the day). That was cool.

 

[Nightfall]

Oh so you're against the PS box sets, not box sets in general pants?

*just seeking clarification...*

Orcus rules!

 

[frankthedm]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

So would having to buy the dark sun box set to get the Psoinics rules been be a good thing?

but there is a lot of _great_ material in the later Planescape books, and the Monstrous Compendium Appendices were of great use to DMs using any setting.

Yeah, and it was real annoying when they spread the material over numerous book. And while the Monstrous Compendium Appendices were good, I did not need blank space, random quotes and oversized overstylized [though high quality] Tony Diterlizzi art swelling nearly all entries to two pages each.

 

[Nightfall]

Well it has the point of using Psionics rules from 2nd edition making more sense. I mean they were all over the map...

 

[KL]

Why I Hate Planescape

Personally I think Planescape had a lot of potential....

However, the adventures published for them sucked to high Abyss...
They are prime examples of how NOT to write an adventure. Players get "railroaded" so much that it is not even funny. They are no longer participants, but mere observers. Even if they do participate, it is toward an outcome that has already been determine.

Just read "The Deva Spark". What a piece of garbage that was. The second adventure in "Dead Gods" also, totally pointless. Don't even talk to me about "The Modron March!", or "Squaring the Circle" (no matter what the players do, the fiends loses their power to teleport).

 

[Shade]

Fiendish Aspects III is up, as well as a compiled zip of all the fiendish aspects.

 

[Pants]

Oh so you're against the PS box sets, not box sets in general pants?

*just seeking clarification...*

Orcus rules!

Well, seeing as I've only been exposed to PS Boxsets...

 

[Erik Mona]

Here's a question asked on IRC:

"Quick question for you all. Hordes of the Abyss mentions Archosian Brightflame of Celene. Is that Melf by any other name? Or another Brightflame?"

It's not Melf. I assumed a familial relation, but that's all.

--Erik

 

[Nightfall]

Pants,

You should really try other box sets than PS. The FR, the Birthright, and the Ravenloft ones were quite good. The Midnight one also rocks and plenty people keep saying how great the new Judge's Guild box set is. I'll let know what I think of the RAR box set.

 

[Razz]

The crossovers IMHO were just cheesy.

For some, probably, for others it was great. Least for my players it was. That's what it's mainly about, if the players have fun with it, not if the DM doesn't like it. I don't care too much for Eberron but I do look into it and learn about because I feel my players would really enjoy playing the new world