D&D General Joe Manganiello: Compares Early 5E to BG 3 . How Important is Lore?

[Zardnaar]

Joe Manganiello Compares Baldur's Gate 3 to Early Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition

Joe Manganiello sees Baldur's Gate 3 as being more in line with the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons [...]

comicbook.com

So in other thread people have talked about how WotC has butchered Spelljammer, Dragonlance and Ravenloft with their reimaginings.

Seems like sales are down as well from the bookscan sata.

Recurring trend seems to be every few years they think updating lore people will win new fans. That's the theory and what people said in 4E.

Seems like you end up appealing to no one. People complaining eother dont buy new product anyway or theres not enough of them. And you alienate existing fans.Personally I reject reimaginings generally across all media D&D specifically. Make quality product new and old will buy it.

I used to like FR lore a lot but it's never recovered for from the 4E nuking of the Realms. BG3 however does blend old and new togather very well. The Shar and Sune thing is a major subplot and I fell in love with that type of lore back in 1996 with Faith's and Avatars. My love of mythology predates D&D going back to age 5 or with archeology and Roman Deities via Asterix and Obelix by Totatus.

Illithids also are a major theme in BG3. Well that's also going through 2E Spelljammer, the Illithid book in 3E, 3.5 Book of Aberrations, and the 5E Volo books. New Gith lore freshest out the old Fiend Folo lore I was reading before I even played D&D. It's how I got into the game.

I don't mind new stuff either eg Ravnica, Theros, Wildemont but I hate reimaginings. Golarion then Midgard replaced FR for me. 5E Eberron was new but respectful of the old same with BG3. I bought Theros, Ravnica, Eberron, and Wildemont (haven't played any of them them I like reading and collecting).

Have not bought Dragonlance, Spelljammer or Strixgaven. Did get Ravenloft as it was basically free (did not like 2E Ravenloft). New one was more lackluster than bad.

New Multiverse book also got essentially for free and kinda felt ripped off as it is essentially a book of errata. That was one of the last 5E books I bought. Declining quality and charging for errata is a pass for me.

That story through the edition is what has kept me around. Its kot the mechanics tbh. Big flaws in 4E pushing its mechanics when I don’t really care that much for them when it comes to D&D.

 

[the Jester]

Since I run a long-term campaign setting that stretches through the decades and editions, I never overwrite existing lore (that has been used in the campaign). I modify, stretch, and integrate the new lore wherever possible, but in the case of an out-and-out conflict or rewrite, the old stuff stays. Precedent matters. Mind flayers use the lore from the 2e book the Illithiad; beholders use the lore from I, Tyrant; the fact that leprechauns are a cross between pixies and halflings, per the 1e MM, is in; the fact that elves and orcs can't breed, per 1e lore, overwrites any newfangled information to the contrary.

In very rare cases, I might decide that old lore that came up only as lore, but never as an in-game element that pcs saw for themselves, might be wrong. But usually, nope.

An example of integrating the new with the old: when 4e's new cosmology came out, I integrated it by saying that, first of all, nobody really knows how the planes are arranged and both the Great Wheel and the World Axis were mortal interpretations of the same underlying cosmology; and that the Elemental Chaos was just a deeper part of the Inner Planes where the various Elemental Planes mix together. I still use the para- and quasi-elemental planes.

 

[Minigiant]

Recurring trend seems to be every few years they think updating lore people will win new fans. That's the theory and what people said in 4E.

4e updated the lore because the new mechanics no longer matched the old lore.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I run almost any form of D&D in the 2E era. 4E blowing it all almost ruined D&D for me.

As for 5E, their half-baked Dragonlance was the final straw for me. I was already to buy in, then the previews started coming out. Just flat ruined it for me.

Kind of done buying 5E stuff until 5.5E comes out. I did pick up Planescape because the reviews seemed to be glowing but I'm waiting to mess with it when 5.5 comes out.

See WotC, if the product isn't a bland turd, people will buy it!

But yes, BG3 used a lot of 2E lore to carry the story, which thank goodness for that. I mean it is a sequel to 2E era games so makes sense.

I'm willing to bet BG4 or whatever won't.

 

[Zardnaar]

I run almost any form of D&D in the 2E era. 4E blowing it all almost ruined D&D for me.

As for 5E, their half-baked Dragonlance was the final straw for me. I was already to buy in, then the previews started coming out. Just flat ruined it for me.

Kind of done buying 5E stuff until 5.5E comes out. I did pick up Planescape because the reviews seemed to be glowing but I'm waiting to mess with it when 5.5 comes out.

See WotC, if the product isn't a bland turd, people will buy it!

But yes, BG3 used a lot of 2E lore to carry the story, which thank goodness for that. I mean it is a sequel to 2E era games so makes sense.

I'm willing to bet BG4 or whatever won't.

Sarevok seemed to be shoehorned in for member berries.

 

[DarkCrisis]

4e updated the lore because the new mechanics no longer matched the old lore.

Problem is they killed 90% of the (iconic) NPCs to do it.

Hearing Salvatore tell the story of how he and Greenwood tried to stop them is a sad tale.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Sarevok seeed to be shoehorned in for member berries.

He and Viconia.

I guess it kind of works for Vic if you take it as in the old games you saved her but never let her join the group.

I was expecting a good fight with Sarevok, and absolutely stomped him. Yeah what a waste on many levels.

 

[Zardnaar]

He and Viconia.

I guess it kind of works for Vic if you take it as in the old games you saved her but never let her join the group.

I was expecting a good fight with Sarevok, and absolutely stomped him. Yeah what a waste on many levels.

I thinknits so they can pitch it as a direct sequel. The 100 year jump makes it hard. Asking them and arguably Minsc and Jaheira doesn't fix that.

I didn't play BG 1&2 how is Minsc still alive?

 

[DarkCrisis]

I thinknits so they can pitch it as a direct sequel. The 100 year jump makes it hard. Asking them and arguably Minsc and Jaheira doesn't fix that.

I didn't play BG 1&2 how is Minsc still alive?

Turned to stone. 100 years later unstoned

 

[Zardnaar]

Turned to stone. 100 years later unstoned

Derp probably didn't pay much attention. You get them so late in the game. Jaheira also bugged