D&D 5E Forgotten Realms

[delericho]

Sure, but even then, how much will any of that stuff ever get hit by any player? When you have something like what, 50+ different nations or areas across Faerun (which is probably a very conservative estimate)... you'd need to play several games at once for like only 3 month campaigns to eventually make use of a good percentage of everything that would have gotten written in the book.

I'm not saying that a giant campaign book is a bad idea in of itself... but I do not think it is as inherently useful (and thus more likely to be bought) as a smaller, individual campaign zone book.

The problem is that there are a certain number of campaigns set in the Dales, a certain number in Waterdeep, a certain number in the Moonshaes... WotC are limited in the number of books they can put out in a year, so they can either do one "broad sweep" book or they can do a "detailed look" book for one of these areas. Which is likely to be useful to the biggest number of people? More to the point, which is likely to sell more?

I think this is probably one of those areas where there are no really good answers. Some people want a little information about everything, some want a lot of information about a very specific area. Heck, some want a lot of information about everything!

So WotC pick the strategy that they think best suits the needs of their customers (and the business, of course). Maybe they get it right, maybe they get it wrong. And then, with the next edition, they invariably try something else.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

The problem is that there are a certain number of campaigns set in the Dales, a certain number in Waterdeep, a certain number in the Moonshaes... WotC are limited in the number of books they can put out in a year, so they can either do one "broad sweep" book or they can do a "detailed look" book for one of these areas. Which is likely to be useful to the biggest number of people? More to the point, which is likely to sell more?

I think this is probably one of those areas where there are no really good answers. Some people want a little information about everything, some want a lot of information about a very specific area. Heck, some want a lot of information about everything!

So WotC pick the strategy that they think best suits the needs of their customers (and the business, of course). Maybe they get it right, maybe they get it wrong. And then, with the next edition, they invariably try something else.

The Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide for 4E started with a fairly interesting concept: focus on Loudwater and the surrounding area as a play to set a mini-campaign. Sadly, this idea - no doubt inspired by the Shadowdale booklet that came with the 2E campaign setting - was spoilt because instead of a useful, interesting and inspiring regional map this was the stool that was excreted:



What is any DM supposed to do with that stain?

Nevertheless, I think that sort of close-in focus is a good way to begin the new version of the Realms but:

1. Make sure the map actually serves a purpose other than adding some colour to what would otherwise be white space.
1a. Get Mike Schley or Sean MacDonald to do the map.
1b. Maps should have scales and features. Yes, features. Not smudges.
2. Don't introduce an area and then set a series of novels in it.

 

[Mournblade94]

[video=youtube;s59W4ElcxkA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s59W4ElcxkA[/video]

Here's the panel.

IMO Greenwood and Salvatore shouyld have been kept as far away from Realms design as possible. Salvatore's writing actually was starting to improve again when he had to create some new characters and Greenwood should be kept far, far away from the Realms. He sold it, then whines when it's not what he wanted.

No he whines when people ruin it.

Like happened with the spellplague.

 

[Mournblade94]

Nope, wasn't that. Just watched that whole thing, and it didn't even come up.

The one I am referring to is where Ed describes how he was planning for years how to return the Realms back toward his vision, waiting for the post-4e call from WOTC asking him to do that. And then when they called he said yes, I know exactly how to fix the Realms. He goes into some depth on what happened during the 4e era, and what changed in the lead-up to 5e.

This was actually RA Salvatore who SAID what you are thinking. Ed and he worked together on fixing the realms that the spellplague broke.

Here is a youtube link to a video where he talks about the fixing of the realms on Geeks and Sundry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLf1hBUr9M4

Hope that works.

 

[Mournblade94]

Of course it seems right to you, you love his edition warring garbage as it falls right in line with yours.

The guy sold the rights and then expected to still have say in what happens? Talk about a ridiculous entitlement complex. If he wanted to still be the directing force he shouldn't have sold it off. Nobody forced him to, he wanted his cake and eat it too. He could have licensed, so-opted, any number of things but he sold it off. Live with that choice, Ed, you made it of your own free will.

Mod Note: See my post below, please. ~Umbran

Here's what your are missing Herchel. WOTC messed up the realms with the SPellplague, which they did not consult Ed on, and many fans protested. So to hopefully generate revenue again they made the FREE MARKET CHOICE to enlist Ed Greenwood to make something the Forgotten Realms fans wanted again.

WOTC made the choice to enlist ED. There is nothing that ED could do to MAKE them do it if they did not want too.

I for one am thankful for that.

ALSO: I challenge you to find anything Ed Greenwood says that is edition warring. You will not find it.

 

[Mournblade94]

Say what you will about the Spellplague era -- it was something /new/.

When my friend in the military got Clamydia that was NEW to him as well.

 

[Mournblade94]

Lots more people eat breakfast cereal than Beef Wellington.



No. Creators do not get credit for simply vomiting high fructose corn syrup.



Depends on what they're playing. I refute the un-wisdom that reading is somehow always better than playing a video game. Not every video game is breakfast cereal, and not every book is Beef Wellington.

You claim he is just vomiting words on a page, yet according to your last post you have not read his last few novels. Novels that many people (NOt me) consider to be some of his finest because he had to do something "New". I find his 4e novels to be no better or worse than his others.

 

[Mournblade94]

Again, he sold the rights to TSR, nobody forced him to. He made some coin from the deal, good for him. However, selling the rights also relinquishes the ability to dictate what happens.

Also the rights revert BACK to Ed Greenwood if WOTC choose to no longer publish the realms. Much like Marvel got the rights to make a Daredevil Movie again.

 

[Mournblade94]

While I'm no 4E fan, I believe WotC lost a great opportunity with 4E Realms. Instead of showing fans that the system could deliver in versatility and emulate their experience from previous editions and implied settings, they took the most popular D&D Campaign Setting and added points of light, dragonborns and shadowfell to it. It basically said: this is all about the kind of setting and gameplay we will enforce from now on, evolve or die. I can't believe someone really thought that people would be just fine with that.

Cheers,

Absolutely!

What the 4e showed me was the type of game I wanted to play with 4e was not possible.

In future years, I chose to run encounters for the game store, and I came to realize they could have kept the realms just as is. It did not need to change for 4e rules any more than it needed to change for 3rd edition.

By that point I was already sold on Pathfinder as being the true successor to D&D. I was running 4e as a service to the game store but would never use it for home campaigns.


Ultimately I had fun playing 4e as the ENCOUNTERS session because it was ultimately like playing a REALLY good version of D&D Miniatures. I couldn't imagine replacing normal D&D with it for my home campaigns.

 

[Mistwell]

This was actually RA Salvatore who SAID what you are thinking. Ed and he worked together on fixing the realms that the spellplague broke.

Here is a youtube link to a video where he talks about the fixing of the realms on Geeks and Sundry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLf1hBUr9M4

Hope that works.

Thanks. Yes, that question was answered a week ago.