Why is Eberron being pushed so hard?

[Mystery Man]

I'm pretty displeased they didn't choose either Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms for the MMORPG, but I'm actually happy they are pushing a new setting.

I giggled with relief.

 

[Desdichado]

Swashbuckling can't mix with "medievalism?" Since when? Haven't you ever seen Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood? Still the best take on the legend ever produced.

And as for demanding too strict a definition of medieval -- I think that's foolish. Medievel in the D&D sense has long since been code for "we use swords and have kings" and little more than that. It doesn't, and never has, tried to tie that to any type of historical society, culture or way of life.

 

[Knight Otu]

Medievel in the D&D sense has long since been code for "we use swords and have kings" and little more than that.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=medieval

I'm seeing 3 basic definitions:

1) Relating or belonging to the Middle Ages. Doubtful that any non-historical setting will ever fulfill this one.
2) Old-fashioned or unenlightened. Some settings might be.
3) Characteristic of the time of chivalry and knighthood in the Middle Ages. That sounds like a number of settings I know, including Eberron.

 

[fanboy2000]

Eberron=non-toolkit approch

FR = useful TO my homebrew and therefore good.

Eberron = NOT useful TO my homebrew and therefore NOT good.

One reason I like FR is that it dose take a toolkit approch to setting design. Still, it gets a little trite when the latest setting book details yet another sub-race of elves (Cosmic Ray Elves! Wee!), more regional feats, and more spells.

Like you, I run homebrews. Currently I'm running 2 games, one homebrew set in a world where the inhabitants worship the Norse gods, and a new one set in Eberron. When I read Eberron, I realized that most of the new rules, spells, feats, and prestige classes were setting spicific and not teribly useful to my Norse campaign, but I really liked the setting.

I think not taking the toolkit approch actually helps the setting. Consider:
1. Most of the new feats deal with new rules introduced to the setting, like action points, dragonmarks, and druidic orders. This gives the setting a sence of unity, that the rules really do help support the setting, rather than a setting that's being retrofitted to support the rules.

2. All but one of the new prestiges classes are fewer than 10 levels. All the prestige classes add to the theme of the setting.

3. We already have rules for rules stake books, the 3.0 X & Y books and the 3.5 Complete X books. WotC already has a setting that they promote as a toolkit useful for everyone. I've said it before and I'll say it again, WotC already has a campaign like Forgoten Realms, what they need is a campaign setting for people who don't use or buy FR books.

I'm not too worried about Eberron's sales slowing because they don't offer a toolkit; I think that people buy Ebberron because it isn't a toolkit. Besides they're doing, what 1 book a quarter? Hardly a push that'll cause FR to be sidelined.

lightning rail is the one thing pro-Eberron people point to every time "what's new" comes up. but if you mention magi-tech and the pro-Eberron people start talking about how insignificant the lightning rail is.....

As a pro-Eberron person, I just want to state, for the record, that I've never had a problem with magi-tech (except that I think it's a silly word, but that is neither here nor there ) or any word similer to it.

And common, do we really need to start divideing people into pro-Eberron, anit-Eberron people? What, next we have seperate water fountians? (I'm sorry, I can't help myself, the whole concept of pro-Eberron people, magi-tech, and such makes me giggle.) It's a setting, some will like it some won't, some are netural, some will both like it and hate it.

 

[Nisarg]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=medieval
.
3) Characteristic of the time of chivalry and knighthood in the Middle Ages. That sounds like a number of settings I know, including Eberron.

Only as soon as you have magical tech, a nihilistic post-war culture, "pulp action", lightning rails, and armies of juggernauts fighting armies of undead, the whole idea of "chivalry and knighthood" surviving in such an environment requires such a huge leap of faith that you are bound to break every bone in your body in the attempt.

I would have been much more satisfied if Keith Baker and the boys at the WoTC boards had said "ok.. right, Eberron is NOT medieval, it couldn't possibly be and make any sense, but we aren't likely to lose any customers by not using that word meaninglessly, and instead just make Eberron theindustrial post-war relativist transitional world it HAS TO BE without feeling the need to put the m-word in there".

Nisarg

 

[megamania]

Why is Eberron being pushed so hard?

My answer to this question is simple- its new.

This game world has had more press because of its origins and creation than any other I know of or remember at least.

Its not worth fighting it. Darksun has been OOP for seemily forever but I still play it and find new stories to do regularly. FR and Greyhawk will never die. There is just too much info out there for it to.

 

[Ranger REG]

One reason I like FR is that it dose take a toolkit approch to setting design. Still, it gets a little trite when the latest setting book details yet another sub-race of elves (Cosmic Ray Elves! Wee!), more regional feats, and more spells.

To be brutally honest, if I wanted a toolkit, I'd buy one those D&D core products. I'd prefer something that is more setting-specific.

Which is probably why I am disappointed with Serpent Kingdom. I mean take away the FR logos and related text, and you have Volume 2 of Savage Species.

Although they later released the saurial material (opinion varies as to whether the material is 3.5e revised) as a free web enhancement, I'd still prefer it be in the book. Even though they are not indigenous to Toril, the saurial is one of FR signature races, thanks to Dragonbait. I mean, that's like putting together a DL dragon & lizardfolk book, but leave out the draconians.

 

[deadboydex]

Only as soon as you have magical tech, a nihilistic post-war culture, "pulp action", lightning rails, and armies of juggernauts fighting armies of undead, the whole idea of "chivalry and knighthood" surviving in such an environment requires such a huge leap of faith that you are bound to break every bone in your body in the attempt.

I would have been much more satisfied if Keith Baker and the boys at the WoTC boards had said "ok.. right, Eberron is NOT medieval, it couldn't possibly be and make any sense, but we aren't likely to lose any customers by not using that word meaninglessly, and instead just make Eberron theindustrial post-war relativist transitional world it HAS TO BE without feeling the need to put the m-word in there".

I think the only reason they used the word "medieval" is to emphasize that Eberron is not a setting where you can get +1 flintlocks. Yes there are knighthoods and monarchies in Eberron, but there are knighthoods and monarchies in the 21st century, too.

There are obvious parallels to be drawn between Eberron and Earth post-WWI, but there are other parallels that can be drawn to the Enlightenment and the Renaissance. One of the exciting things about Eberron is that it's a world on the brink of a lot of massive changes. It's a medieval world in many ways, but it won't stay that way for long. The Treaty of Thronehold is as much the Magna Carta as it is the Treaty of Versailles. The three remaining monarchies of Khorvaire are all unstable in one way or another -- the only reason they're still around is that there haven't been any revolutions...yet. Artificers, magewrights, the lightning rail, and warforged are all relatively recent developments, and where one development occurs, others follow shortly. Their (arcano-)industrial revolution hasn't happened yet, but it's on its way. In fact, the key phrase behind Eberron is "it hasn't happened yet". But it will. Eberron hasn't found its Cromwell, its Da Vinci or Galileo, its Martin Luther, Ben Franklin or Thomas Jefferson...but it will. That's what the PCs are there for.

This is one of the major appeal Eberron has for me. Many of the old TSR settings felt static to me, like the big stories had already been told and the PCs weren't included. Eberron is at the beginning of the story. Those thousands of years of history described in the book? That's the title crawl. That's over. Time for your story.

 

[Hawkshere]

Those thousands of years of history described in the book? That's the title crawl. That's over. Time for your story.

/applaud

 

[Incenjucar]

To be brutally honest, if I wanted a toolkit, I'd buy one those D&D core products. I'd prefer something that is more setting-specific.

Which is probably why I am disappointed with Serpent Kingdom. I mean take away the FR logos and related text, and you have Volume 2 of Savage Species.

Although they later released the saurial material (opinion varies as to whether the material is 3.5e revised) as a free web enhancement, I'd still prefer it be in the book. Even though they are not indigenous to Toril, the saurial is one of FR signature races, thanks to Dragonbait. I mean, that's like putting together a DL dragon & lizardfolk book, but leave out the draconians.

I prefer to think of it as a "Serpinomicon", much like the 2e Draconomicon which was, in a technical sense, for FR, but applied easily to another setting.

As for the Saurials, that's just due to WotC's DVDism. There always has to be some bloody director's cut out there so they can get you near their advertising, even if there's absolutely no reason to exclude it from the main product.