D&D 3E/3.5 5e Forgotten Realms - should it be closer to 3e or 4e?

[Mr. Wilson]

I voted 3E, but I really would prefer if the new "official" setting came from the book Ed's writing due out in the fall.

If not that setting, then I think all timelines should be supported. Something like the pre-Time of Troubles, Pre-Spellplauge, and Spellplague eras.

 

[Yora]

Support all time lines. Similar to how they did it in Star Wars. The core book supports them all. Then we have timeline specific splats. Considering that FR is the only setting that is still receiving hardback support from WotC in 4e that timeline must be popular.

The problem is, that the differences in FR are really not that great. Mostly you have the very same cities, nations, and even NPCs that don't change much at all, except for 4th Edition.

 

[delericho]

IMO, they should be letting the setting lie fallow for a good few years, before rebooting it entirely into a sort of "Ultimate" Forgotten Realms.

If they have to go for one of the existing versions, Grey Box is the best of the available options.

But if they have to choose between 3e and 4e, the one to go for is 3e. Advancing the timeline was a huge mistake, IMO - one of the key draws of the FR was precisely that it was such a hugely detailed setting; obliterating that at a stroke was a blunder. Again, IMO.

 

[DonAdam]

I voted 3e, but I feel like my ideal version of the Realms would take a 3e level of detail and:

a) De-level over half the archmages. I'm happy for them to be there but they should be mostly mortal. The setting should get closer to the NPC power levels of 3e Eberron (but not all the way there).

With 5e's flatter level progression hopefully this will be less of an issue.

b) Just cross out the stupid stuff that crept in over the years. The strength of the Realms is detailed history and personalities (social/cultural stuff). The weakness is when designers add more basic material (gods/magic/biological/physical stuff).

You can cross out (for starters):

-Dragonborn (I hate them)

-Anything else from Returned Abeir

-The Spellplague (though you can keep it in isolated corners, just not a world-wide thing)

-Half the elven subraces

-Half of all the subraces

-Giant hole in the ground

-Good drow god and lots of good drow

-A god for everything under the sun (a god of dancing? a god of hunting badgers with butter knives on Shieldmeet? but seriously, I don't need my druids and my wizards to basically be clerics)

-Those flying magic tapeworms in the desert

-Severely tone down the gonzo races (genasi)

-Dinosaur people (they are neither my friend nor a whole lot more)

 

[Yora]

But if they have to choose between 3e and 4e, the one to go for is 3e. Advancing the timeline was a huge mistake, IMO - one of the key draws of the FR was precisely that it was such a hugely detailed setting; obliterating that at a stroke was a blunder. Again, IMO.

Has, in the history of entertainment franchises, advancing the timeline by more than one generation ever been popular?

 

[Ahnehnois]

The 3e FRCS is one of the best D&D books ever released. I don't play FR, but after playing all the BG/NWN games I have picked up some of the supplements. They are gorgeous and evocative and mechanically interesting.

Conversely, 4e FR was a point of division among the fanbase. FR certainly isn't the place for those who think that magic should be essentally equivalent with nonmagic; it's a very distinctive style. The 4e changes both antagonized fans of the FR canon, and showed why others disliked the rules; such massive changes were needed because the classical conceptions of what D&D is, what a character is, and what a setting is didn't make sense under the new rules.

In other words, this isn't a tough choice. Don't mess with success.

 

[delericho]

Has, in the history of entertainment franchises, advancing the timeline by more than one generation ever been popular?

Well, Star Trek's "Next" Generation was actually 80+ years later.

But, honestly, I'm at something of a loss to think of too many instances where it has even been tried.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Well, Star Trek's "Next" Generation was actually 80+ years later.

True, but they didn't kill of all the characters or change the groundrules of the world. They also smartly used numerous references to the original series, and several members of the original cast, to appeal to that fanbase. Ron Moore is quoted as saying TNG is a "riff" on the original, and I think it is indeed very reverent, and has a similar setting and style of storytelling.

In other words, if it were an rpg, the rules for the two would be compatible.

 

[JeffB]

I think overall I'd be happy with the 1e Realms but presented in the 4e style. Emphasise it as a wild and unsettled land, and tone down NPC power greatly.

This. This. This.

 

[Mattachine]

I am not a fan of FR, but the 1e presentation was far better than how it morphed over the years. Whether that was 2e excesses, 3e power creep, or 4e strangeness.