D&D 5E 5e isn't a Golden Age of D&D Lorewise, it's Silver at best.

[Ruin Explorer]

I think it would be unimaginably difficult to have a new comprehensive campaign book for FR that was consistent with all the preexisting lore while also adding anything new. Unless of course they just reboot everything. If they did that I think there's a possibility of torches and pitchforks coming out.

Yeah I'm not really commenting on the FR.

I actually think the FR situation, at this point, is fine. I'm not saying "OMG WE NEED AN FR SUPER DETAIL BOOK!" or something. As you say, it wouldn't be likely to add much and a reboot might be unpopular (albeit I suspect less unpopular than many think).

But when stuff like VRGtR covers dozens of places, whilst modernising them in interesting ways, but covers them in so little detail they barely feel run-able, and particularly it doesn't feel like it was worth paying for that level of rushed coverage, that's not great. And VRGtR isn't even the worst. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like VRGtR and some of the areas are covered enough (albeit just barely!) - but others it's like, why even bother to quarter-arse it like that?

I mean, this has been an ongoing problem with WotC in 5E with both adventures and setting books. Some are absolutely fine. Especially ones from earlier in the edition (with the exception of SCAG, which is a mess, but I'm tempted to forgive that). Some however, feel like they're not giving you very much, at all, for your money. That, for me, is the real problem here. If you provide so little detail that I'm essentially not paying for anything, you raise the question of why I'm giving you money at all.

One person's "simply very shallow/cursory" is another's "streamlined usable GSM material." There is no objective value there.

That's not a point, that's an unsupported and illogical opinion that you've expressed.

Repeating an unsupported opinion with no argument, no rationale, no logic, is, as I said, like standing up before the orchestra, raising your baton, then making a run for the door! You're saying "I could be a conductor!", but you're not actually conducting anything.

And no, the idea that "streamlined" and "cursory/shallow" are merely different perspectives on the same material, without specifying the material is frankly just nonsensical hot air. Whether you like it or not is subjective, but cursory and shallow are not words without meaning, nor is "streamlined". These are words that mean things and cannot simply be substituted for one another dependent on taste.

 

[el-remmen]

I don't think I've bothered to read any lore in D&D books since sometime during the heyday of 2E and even then it was just to see what I could adapt or steal wholecloth.

To me, a book like Ghosts of Saltmarsh has the perfect amount of "lore" - a bunch of suggestions of places and organizations and NPCs to use how you want (or not) with the adventures included. This is why my game has a group called "The Scarlet Brotherhood" but they are more like sinister Knights of Columbus than evil monks.

 

[Parmandur]

One real downside is the world lore will never move forward short of Drizzt novels and Faerun video games.

Dragonlance is probably about to get the last trilogy is will ever receive

Putting a stake in the heart of a moving metaplot and burning the body is one of the best parts of the current approach.

 

[Parmandur]

That's not a point, that's an unsupported and illogical opinion that you've expressed.

Repeating an unsupported opinion with no argument, no rationale, no logic, is, as I said, like standing up before the orchestra, raising your baton, then making a run for the door! You're saying "I could be a conductor!", but you're not actually conducting anything.

And no, the idea that "streamlined" and "cursory/shallow" are merely different perspectives on the same material, without specifying the material is frankly just nonsensical hot air. Whether you like it or not is subjective, but cursory and shallow are not words without meaning, nor is "streamlined". These are words that mean things and cannot simply be substituted for one another dependent on taste.

Well, take Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, which you brought up: you called it shallow and cursory, I find it sleek and useable for actual play.

 

[wicked cool]

I lived both
The authors golden age. Best modules was back then but there were tons of problems
-lore was scattered and incomplete. The forgotten realms boxed set was full of lore but not dm friendly
We had 8 million settings. Settings would get dropped and there was no real desire to return. Forgotten realms planescape dragon lance etc.
really thanks to the internet the lore is much more organized

I do agree the lore for this edition is poor. Watched an interview with Perkins and they had to insert something into the realms due to the movie. It was missing something
New players right now have no idea about
The underdark-it’s really not fleshed out like it was. Heck I don’t even know what it is right now. Are drow friendly now. Is there now a city so different from what salvatore fleshed out. Same really goes for a lot of new races introduced in 5e
Plus the modules are more hit and miss. Ravenloft is golden age but better. The rest other than the starter need work
They need to go back to how the starter adventure was setup. That’s how classic adventures worked. Tomb of annihilation is good but the execution is poor. Same goes with others

I would say final thoughts both have problems but as someone who lived the classics/experience I have an easier time converting the old temple of elemental evil into 5e as opposed to running storm kings thunder

 

[MadArkitekt]

Sarevok.

What can change the nature of a man?

Consuming your bodyweight in cocaine! ... I mean.... that can really change a man.....

(Love?)

 

[Mind of tempest]

Consuming your bodyweight in cocaine! ... I mean.... that can really change a man.....

(Love?)

if it is love then many are out of luck as love can only be given not procured in any other way.
the amount of cocaine changes you from a live person to a dead one which is honestly an overdone change of nature and not even a desired one.

 

[Weiley31]

(Love?)

 

[Mind of tempest]

love is the thing that can only be given as it has alluded me thus I can't be more helpful sorry.

 

[teitan]

Alternative take, 5E lorewise is more streamlined and useful than the metaplot bloat of 2E. What counts as a "Golden Age" in lore quality is entirely subjective, unlike sales or player activity.

What did Magneto say? Oh yes. Perfection.

While I love lore I hate lore that almost or actively forces me to go in a certain direction and drives a setting. Metaplot killed the WoD. The novels killed Dragonlance as a gameable setting right out of the gate and kept driving home exactly why it was not an ideal setting for gaming because every time they set it up as a great game world they would then do novels that killed it’s gameable quality and reflect it in the setting material they published. Even Dark Sun met the same fate.

Greyhawk worked for so long because it didn’t have a timeline driven forward by a metaplot. It was plunked down and they said here is the world, have fun. Then ten years later they did Greyhawk Wars and From the Ashes and after having already lost a lot of people from the satirical takes of the late 1e and 2e era, no matter how great Sargent’s work was they gave Greyhawk a metaplot and it hurt the setting.

5e Realms works because it doesn’t have the metaplot driving it like previous editions. Yeah the timeline has updated with the adventures but it’s not monolithic, it isn’t what’s most discussed (long time fans try to drive it for sure) but you can grab a SCAG and start playing and no one bats an eye and you can say, for the first time since the Avatar Trilogy took a dump all over the place like a bad Will Ferrell movie, this is my Realms.