Please Support Eberron!

[Hellcow]

Thank you. It's been a tough month, but we are getting back on top of things. I appreciate the thoughts... and I really appreciate the support for both charities. Both events went very well, and it was by far the best year for ChariD20.

 

[diaglo]

got an email from Satine today. wooHoo.

haven't downloaded yet. but thanks.

 

[Hellcow]

I'm just glad it finally got to you - it was a frustrating experience all around. Thanks again for supporting the cause!

 

[Herobizkit]

This weekend looks like it's going to be a lot of fun; I'm going to be running for John Rogers (creator of Leverage)...

This explains why Leverage is such a fantastic series... Jon plays D&D! ^_^

 

[Hellcow]

This explains why Leverage is such a fantastic series... Jon plays D&D! ^_^

John Rogers also wrote one of the D&D comics! And we've got him in our list of possible guest writers for my new RPG Phoenix, though we still have a ways to go before that happens.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

He did a great job on the D&D comic. I really enjoyed that.

Keith, do you keep a list of active Eberron fan sites and, if so, would you mind posting them please? I normally run FR but kept up with my purchases of Eberron because I think it's a truly fantastic setting but I am not seeing a lot of online fan support along the lines of, say, Candlekeep for FR and Canonfire for Greyhawk.

Is there anywhere you could point me and any other Eberron fans who happen to be reading this?

 

[Hellcow]

Keith, do you keep a list of active Eberron fan sites and, if so, would you mind posting them please? ...Is there anywhere you could point me and any other Eberron fans who happen to be reading this?

Over the last few years I've posted a lot of Q&As at my website, and it's something I still try and do every month; you can select "Eberron FAQ" in the categories to find them. And for old things sadly no longer supported - there's always the Dragonshard archive.

There have been a few active sites in the past, but the one I am aware of now is The 13th House.

It's frustrating for me that I can't provide more support for the setting; I've been talking to WotC for years now, and while the mood is still positive I don't know if it will be months or years before further support for the setting happens. This is one of my primary motivators for creating Phoenix - to have a new setting that I can support as fully as I wish. If Phoenix is successful enough to merit it, I'd love to develop the setting more deeply with additional adventures, source material and/or fiction... but that's really going to depend on how successful the setting is. As I am producing it through my own company, if interest isn't there we'll need to move on to other things. Essentially, Phoenix is my attempt to create something more like Eberron; if it doesn't take off I'll probably focus on smaller projects, more along the lines of Gloom.

Here's a question for you (and everyone reading this): Do you think Phoenix would be more appealing if I offered conversions for game material to other OGL systems? It's not something I've considered because the Phoenix system is closely rooted in the design of the world, which is why I decided to create a new system instead of just making a sourcebook for an existing system. Phoenix isn't just about leveling up when you die: it's a setting where the odds are against you and the stakes are brutally high. Thus we remove the random factor of dice. Using cards for resolution means that there's a random factor from turn to turn, but that in any particular turn you know what you're capable of. Essentially, it's like saying that you know this round whether you're going to roll a 10 or a 20 - and if a 10 isn't good enough for what you wanted to do, find an action that you can accomplish with a ten. Or burn sparks to push beyond what you have in your hand... but when you run out of sparks, you die. It's a simple system that handles the stakes of the story very well. I could create stats in other systems for the threats, etc - but it wouldn't give the same feel or the sense of control you have over your character's actions.

As a side note, the "Prop" house rule I dropped into "One Night In Graywall" is actually a standard thing in Phoenix.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Thanks, Keith. I've actually got everything you mentioned; I was hoping there might be more out there beyond that. I think it's worth mentioning the simply outstanding Winter Coalition actual play blog (note to self: you're a few weeks behind...).

I can only imagine the frustration you feel being unable to explore your own creation further. And I am sure the mood is positive - I am a Realms fan where the mood is also positive... and also doesn't translate into anything concrete - but I like action better than mood.

As for the questions regarding Phoenix, I'm basically comfortable with 4E, will run 5E in a pinch, and think 13th Age has tremendous potential so I am not looking for another system. I keep up with what you're doing because I like your work... but I'm not a particularly good customer. But I wish you all the best. You have a serious talent: I like that.

 

[Hellcow]

As for the questions regarding Phoenix, I'm basically comfortable with 4E, will run 5E in a pinch, and think 13th Age has tremendous potential so I am not looking for another system.

Makes sense, and that certainly is the challenge with Phoenix. Originally I was working on a system-neutral setting, but Phoenix is driven by a certain type of story and the system we're using is particularly suited to that sort of story. But obviously pushing another system out into the world is a tough sell!

 

[fuindordm]

I'll probably buy Phoenix.
I'm a firm believer in rules supporting the setting, and I think it's great that you've gone in that direction. I don't feel a need for conversion information.
Thanks for writing this!
Ben