D&D 5E Points of Light setting and current cross-over strategy: Round peg in the square hole.

[Corpsetaker]

Wizards would have been better off using the Points of Light setting as a nexus between the different rules. Since PoL really hasn't much background info, it is the perfect place that could contain portals to other worlds and still give people a world that is fully generic.

They could have PC's go to the different worlds via their AP's or other material. They could also have the remake dungeons pop up in PoL and nobody would bat an eye.

Unfortunately they decided to make the Realms their dumping ground and when you have vast knowledge of the Realms, as well as every printed product, it becomes blatantly obvious when something just doesn't fit. That's why use the round peg and square hole analogy. You can fit the peg into a square hole but it's just not the right choice.

It appears they just use the popularity, and notoriety of the Realms to attract people but turn it into something else that just doesn't fit the history of the world.

They would have been better off just building on the Points of Light setting.

 

[jaelis]

Unfortunately they decided to make the Realms their dumping ground and when you have vast knowledge of the Realms, as well as every printed product, it becomes blatantly obvious when something just doesn't fit. That's why use the round peg and square hole analogy. You can fit the peg into a square hole but it's just not the right choice.

I haven't had any difficulty using WOTC material in my home setting. Of the books they've done only SCAG seemed to be Realms-centric. But I don't have that one. I found the adventure paths easy to place in any setting.

 

[Parmandur]

How would "they" be better off? Is "they" WotC, who seem to be doing fine...?

They could have used PoL, but that didn't take off with people. For various reasons, most people associate D&D and the Realms: Drizzt, Gold Box games, Infinity engine games, Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter...

They literally tried this in 4E, but that dog wouldn't hunt. They were all about FR products towards the end...

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

...when you have vast knowledge of the Realms, as well as every printed product, it becomes blatantly obvious when something just doesn't fit.

That's odd, my vast knowledge of the Realms, derived from the extensive catalog of printed products I own for it (I'm not sure it is literally every one of them, but I know it is very close to that), says quite clearly to me that there is literally nothing which doesn't fit within the Realms because it is a huge and incredibly diverse "kitchen-sink" style of setting, and appears to have always been such.

 

[Tony Vargas]

How would "they" be better off? Is "they" WotC, who seem to be doing fine...?

They could have used PoL, but that didn't take off with people. For various reasons, most people associate D&D and the Realms
They literally tried this in 4E, but that dog wouldn't hunt. They were all about FR products towards the end...

The last few 4e products that weren't PoL were Dark Sun. LFR (Realms) was dropped with the launch of Essentials. The last few Essentials products were HoTEC (PoL/World Axis), Into the Unknown (PoL/generic-Underdark), & Menzobarrazn (Underdark/Realms).

But, it's not like PoL was the first time D&D had a vaguely-described quasi-generic setting. That's how Greyhawk and Blackmoor started out.

 

[werecorpse]

I never picked up 4e. I have heard good things about the setting and have never had trouble stealing good ideas and reskinning.

Where is a good place to get decent detail of the setting? Online and/or book?

 

[JeffB]

I would love to see Nentir Vale support (or any other setting besides FR, for that matter..well except for planescape or spelljammer).

But I think WOTC will try to distance themselves from anything that 4e specific, it doesn't have much traction with the general fandom, and it doesn't help the video game, novel, movie,other media products at all (it would likely hurt those products if they are not tied to FR)

 

[Parmandur]

The last few 4e products that weren't PoL were Dark Sun. LFR (Realms) was dropped with the launch of Essentials. The last few Essentials products were HoTEC (PoL/World Axis), Into the Unknown (PoL/generic-Underdark), & Menzobarrazn (Underdark/Realms).

But, it's not like PoL was the first time D&D had a vaguely-described quasi-generic setting. That's how Greyhawk and Blackmoor started out.

I see...I was under the impression they abandoned other setting for books like Neverwinter.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I see...I was under the impression they abandoned other setting for books like Neverwinter.

Neverwinter was 2011, and coincided with another release in the CPRG franschise, IIRC. Also in 2011 were HoS, Gloomwrought, & HotFw (all World Axis/PoL) and Threats to the Nentir Vale (very PoL, indeed).

...

Now, the Encounters playtest-era modules (Murder in Baldur's Gate et al) did go all Realms, I guess foreshadowing the 5e emphasis.

 

[Parmandur]

Neverwinter was 2011, and coincided with another release in the CPRG franschise, IIRC. Also in 2011 were HoS, Gloomwrought, & HotFw (all World Axis/PoL) and Threats to the Nentir Vale (very PoL, indeed).

...

Now, the Encounters playtest-era modules (Murder in Baldur's Gate et al) did go all Realms, I guess foreshadowing the 5e emphasis.

Personally, I like the PoL stuff; it's good, solid and usually much better thought out metaphysically (thanks, James Wyatt!) than traditional D&D.



But, no novels, video games or potential movie tie-ins to be found there, sooo...business is business?