D&D 5E Eberron popularity in 5E

[steeldragons]

I think Eberron popularity is highly overestimated by those with whom it is popular. As with, I suppose, most things D&D.

 

[MerricB]

I think Eberron popularity is highly overestimated by those with whom it is popular. As with, I suppose, most things D&D.

Eberron is a very unusual setting just because the timeline was "frozen" with its original release. Once you detailed all the areas once, that was it. It actually makes it much harder to revisit in later editions; to a large extent you're repeating what you've already done.

It's also a setting that was a big deal when it was released - the only setting designed for 3.5e by Wizards (and seeing significant support) - but it doesn't have that working for it any more.

I love Eberron, but it's a challenging setting to revisit.

 

[Jester David]

I am not sure how it could be super insulting to fans of every other world by asking for some more. What on earth are those other fans doing? Sitting quietly in the corner hoping that Santa will bring them what they want for Christmas because they were good.

Nah, if you want something then at least be honest about it.

I meant it was insulting in that Eberron received an entire UA article devoted to updating content and advice on converting a storyline to that setting and advice on using the new subclasses from SCAG in Eberron. Meanwhile, Ravenloft and many other settings received... nada. And Eberron is also one of the three settings to be updated in 4e, and one of the four settings to receive an official 3e book (one of the two settings to receive a book in 3e and 4e).
And yet it's not enough. We apparently need more Eberron as soon as possible. And before any of the settings that have not been seen since 2e or actually need a revision to reflect changing lore. And not just a small PDF either but a really large book despite all the lore in both the 3e and 4e books still being usable as settings are system agnostic.
That's why it's insulting.

Now, I like Eberron. I do. And I think the races are flexible enough to appeal to players in multiple settings, making that useful content for everyone. And an additive dragonmark mechanic might also be interesting, especially if you can strip away the dragonmark house elements and use it as a psionic wild talent or spellscar. A good PDF document would be worthwhile and I'd probably buy a copy like I did the Elemental Evil Player's Companion.
But I don't think a new Eberron giant hardcover setting book should be a high priority.

 

[Bluenose]

I don't think its as much FR is the their ticket to something bigger as much as its really the setting of least resistance.

* Dark Sun, Ravenloft, and Planescape are all "nontraditional" fantasy settings and don't represent the "typical" D&D experience.
* Dragonlance and Eberron are closer, having been home to either successful novels or video games, but have nonstandard elements and tweaks that change the assumptions of the core game.
* Greyhawk and Mystara are both "generic", but suffer from being barely-detailed skeletons of a setting that are better known for their iconic adventures than anything about the world itself.
* Nentir Vale has every problem GH/Mystara has, plus its stymied for being conceived of in 4e.
* Forgotten Realms is richly detailed, home to several successful novel series and video games, and doesn't violate or require parts of the Core Rules to be changed in order to play.

"Nontraditional" fantasy covers the whole game. D&D as a rules set (at least with 5e and arguably most of the time since 2e) simply isn't intended to deliver "traditional" fantasy. And if FR is such a perfect fit for the Core Rules it's due to the Core Rules being written with FR in mind, and anything different can get lip service. They've tried experimenting with doing different things and the fanbase revolted, so they're running back to their favoured setting and hoping it does well enough to satisfy their masters at Hasbro.

 

[delericho]

One of the central conceits of Eberron was that it would have a place for just /everything/ in D&D. In that sense, it'd've been a perfect setting for 5e, which was supposed to be so all-fired all-inclusive.

But, it does mean that until 5e rolls out it's version of (or deterministic conversion rules for) all that's come before, any version of Eberron will seem 'incomplete.'

There's a difference between it having a space for everything and something being a core element. The four Eberron races and psionics are pretty fundamental to the setting; Eberron doesn't really work without them. Goliaths and Binders... not so much.

(Psionics and Kalashtar are perhaps less important than the other three races, in that you can worn around their absence. However, the entire continent of Sarlona incorporates them as key elements, so if you include that, you pretty much have to have those two.)

 

[Shasarak]

I meant it was insulting in that Eberron received an entire UA article devoted to updating content and advice on converting a storyline to that setting and advice on using the new subclasses from SCAG in Eberron. Meanwhile, Ravenloft and many other settings received... nada. And Eberron is also one of the three settings to be updated in 4e, and one of the four settings to receive an official 3e book (one of the two settings to receive a book in 3e and 4e).
And yet it's not enough. We apparently need more Eberron as soon as possible. And before any of the settings that have not been seen since 2e or actually need a revision to reflect changing lore. And not just a small PDF either but a really large book despite all the lore in both the 3e and 4e books still being usable as settings are system agnostic.
That's why it's insulting.

If there was a decent UA article covering Eberron then I would be more inclined to see your point.

 

[Tony Vargas]

"Nontraditional" fantasy covers the whole game. D&D as a rules set (at least with 5e and arguably most of the time since 2e) simply isn't intended to deliver "traditional" fantasy.

FR has the trappings of traditional fantasy, however much it deviates from genre conventions, while Planescape or Eberron or Dark Sun have additional or different trappings. I think that's the distinction. FR may be as magocentric as anything short of Harry Potter, and that's decidedly un-traditional, but there are still rubes in armor, riding around on horseback and waving swords, as if they were in a traditional fantasy setting - there are no playable robots, insects, or devils.

And if FR is such a perfect fit for the Core Rules it's due to the Core Rules being written with FR in mind, and anything different can get lip service.

FR was a setting conceived specifically for D&D, back in the AD&D era. 5e harkens back to that era.

They've tried experimenting with doing different things and the fanbase revolted, so they're running back to their favoured setting and hoping it does well enough to satisfy their masters at Hasbro.

Heck, the fanbase is still revolting.... ;P

 

[Otterscrubber]

I'm playing an Eberron game at the moment. None of the players had taken on a race or class that were Ebberon, but one has a dragonmark. We worked out a homebrew dragon mark (as the UA version was awful) based on House Deneith and the characters background and motivation.

It works well for our game, but is too specific to that character to be something that could be a dragonmark 'template'.

NPC's and monsters are easier as balance doesn't matter so much with them. Just reskin another creature and give them a special ability.

As for action points, I'm Ok without them. Inspiration works fine for me.

Agreed, the vast majority of Eberron is the setting, which is prose and can be lifted into any campaign. As can the maps, NPC and faction relationships, etc....the only thing that is missing are the stats of monsters which as listed above can easily be taken from existing 5e creatures and re-skinned as needed, making minor changes to fit specifics on an ad-hoc basis. I do not see too much in the 3e or 4e settings that can't be easily transferred into 5e. In fact I've been playing 5e since the Beta in my group and it has always been in Eberron. Works just fine so far, although it makes a little extra work for me as DM to generate those stats, but it ain't too bad.

 

[doctorhook]

Agreed, the vast majority of Eberron is the setting, which is prose and can be lifted into any campaign. As can the maps, NPC and faction relationships, etc....the only thing that is missing are the stats of monsters which as listed above can easily be taken from existing 5e creatures and re-skinned as needed, making minor changes to fit specifics on an ad-hoc basis. I do not see too much in the 3e or 4e settings that can't be easily transferred into 5e. In fact I've been playing 5e since the Beta in my group and it has always been in Eberron. Works just fine so far, although it makes a little extra work for me as DM to generate those stats, but it ain't too bad.

...as long as you don't want to include any archetypical Eberron characters in your party. I'm sure many people have also had excellent holidays in Rome without experiencing the local food, wine, art, fashion, architecture, or history, as well.

 

[Shasarak]

...as long as you don't want to include any archetypical Eberron characters in your party. I'm sure many people have also had excellent holidays in Rome without experiencing the local food, wine, art, fashion, architecture, or history, as well.

I asked them to take me somewhere famous and then they took me to this huge ruin. Then we went for dinner, I asked for a nice drink to go with it and they tried to pass off this old bottle of wine! I mean what are they thinking - they did not even clean all the dust off yet? =;o)