[Ampersand] Bill Slavicsek on campaign settings

[Dausuul]

I think its more the impression that some players get that you aren't ALLOWED to combine certain books.

I've seen it many, many times and its always baffled me. Its not a huge step, but I don't see it as a bad thing in any way.

Yeah, I've never understood it either. My group generally doesn't allow stuff from the Forgotten Realms books, but that's only because so many things in the Forgotten Realms books are broken as hell. We're fine with stuff from Eberron, as long as it fits into whatever homebrew world the DM is running.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I am also puzzled with the "any Core supplement will also be a FR/Eberron supplement" thing. So a supplement talking about the newest plan of the Zhentarim to take over the trade between Sembia and the Dales will also be just as usefull to Eberron?

Swap the names "Zhentarim", "Sembia" and "The Dales" for something else, and you've got something that's useful for a different campaign. If a single column on the first page which explains the qualities that are necessary to make the scenario work in a more generic fashion, then what's the problem? All you've got to do is make the name of the supplement generic enough that FR haters won't avoid it because it's FR, leave everything else the same except for a paragraph that explains the layout. If you know the realms, it fits into the realms without any thought. Otherwise you might have to either introduce the players into your campaign, or fit them in as existing groups.

The big problem is that FR was always full of broken rules, something that made a lot of people avoid something with an FR badge on it. And if you're not considering the product purely from an "it's forgotten realms - it's allowed to be broken" point, the material is far more useful.

And after you've done that, why does it need an FR badge? FR players know what the Zhentarim are, other players now know what they are too, but in a non-realm specific way and everyone can use the material because it's written with the core rules in mind.

 

[ThirdWizard]

That's always been true. I always could have played a Red Wizard (of Thay or Neutrality, as you prefer) in Dark Sun if I wanted to and could convince my DM it was OK.

Keep in mind that in the article he wrote:

So under 4th Edition, we're making every product look like a core product. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide releasing in August, for example, is a separate and unique setting on one hand, while being totally core D&D on the other. That means you can play a strictly Forgotten Realms campaign, or you can borrow the bits you like best to use in whatever D&D campaign you're playing in. This has always been true, but you wouldn't believe how many players were reluctant to cross the streams like that. I say cross away! (At least as far as your personal campaigns are concerned.) Why not use the best ideas, powers, feats, monsters, villains, and plot hooks from any product -- regardless of the campaign world your game is set in?

So, the two of you are in agreement!

 

[Henry]

Swap the names "Zhentarim", "Sembia" and "The Dales" for something else, and you've got something that's useful for a different campaign.

...The latest plot of the Emerald Claw to interrupt trade between Breland and Aundair by replacing it with their own series of trading costers under assumed names would work pretty well in Eberron, actually.

The big problem is that FR was always full of broken rules, something that made a lot of people avoid something with an FR badge on it. And if you're not considering the product purely from an "it's forgotten realms - it's allowed to be broken" point, the material is far more useful.

And after you've done that, why does it need an FR badge? FR players know what the Zhentarim are, other players now know what they are too, but in a non-realm specific way and everyone can use the material because it's written with the core rules in mind.

I can see one thing, though -- a lot of people follow the "meta-plot" of the realms through its modules and supplements, as well as its novels. To interrupt one of the major "metaplot" sources could be pretty jarring, and I wonder if WotC WILL get the increase in sales they're looking for. I do know that if they start revisiting old campaign settings, they'll definitely get a spur of growth from the fans keeping hope alive for old beloved settings.

Bill Slavicsek, old buddy, old pal, if you're reading this thread....

DARK.
BLEEPING.
SUN.

That's all I'm sayin'....

 

[malraux]

That's pretty much the opposite of what he said.

Instead of core books + Eberron books + Forgotten Realms books each year, they'll be producing a trio of books for a single setting and a bunch of books for "D&D in general". You won't be seeing Dragons of Eberron and Dragons of Faerun and Draconomicon, you'll just be seeing Draconomicon I and Draconomicon II - non-setting-specific D&D books which are just as useful in Forgotten Realms and Eberron games as they are in core games or in your DM's own setting.

That's mostly what I got out of it. A business plan that involves making all the "core rules" books useful to all players could work better for the long haul over a bunch of rather specific books, each of which could appeal to a fraction of the playing market. Of course, making the more specific campaign stuff part of the DDI also means that the hard core audience that'll buy everything will reliably have something to spend money on.

I'll also point out this goes along with the idea that WotC is trying to make people expand their idea of "core".

 

[NewfieDave]

My group has always embraced the concept of mixing and matching settings, especially in creating characters. For example, if the campaign is set in Ravenloft and you want to play somebody from the Realms just have the character pulled in by the mists as part of the backstory. Lots of our homebrew worlds have had mysterious portals to other campaign worlds to allow this sort of thing.

Ultimately, players know best what kind of character they want to play, and if it's not going to ruin everybody else's fun then why not let them play a Warforged Cleric in Dark Sun? Is it that hard to imagine in a game with a spell called Plane Shift?

 

[jaldaen]

I'd love to see Birthright redone... with both bloodline specific and "core" rules for creating political, mass-combat, and realm-ruling oriented campaigns. And if they need a freelance writer for it... I'm available

 

[theredrobedwizard]

DARK.
BLEEPING.
SUN.

What he bleeping said.

-TRRW

 

[hennebeck]

Took me awhile, but I really like it.

I have been a 4on since GenCon '07.

this was the first thing that I said, WAIT WHOA hold it there fella's.
I love FR. I play FR. I only buy FR.
I haven't bought one Eberron book. I only know about Warforged because of the DDMs.
I have never played Ravenloft or Dark Sun or Spelljammin'.
And I've been playing for 19 years!

So, this was scary the first time I read it. 3 books. Period. I am the guy that doesn't think outside the box. I like rules and I like to play with rules written by professionals because I am not a professional game designer.

But the more I read this, the more I think about it, the more I like it.
It means I can take any adventure, about lizardmen or about red wizards or about space pirates, and play it in FR. Anything.
And I don't have to figure our how to make it work. Someone else did the work for me and I get to have the fun.
What can be wrong with that?

4e 4fun.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

That's mostly what I got out of it. A business plan that involves making all the "core rules" books useful to all players could work better for the long haul over a bunch of rather specific books, each of which could appeal to a fraction of the playing market. Of course, making the more specific campaign stuff part of the DDI also means that the hard core audience that'll buy everything will reliably have something to spend money on.

I'll also point out this goes along with the idea that WotC is trying to make people expand their idea of "core".

Yes, the idea of core has expanded to everything they print, both books and the DDI. Nice attempt to get everyone to buy everything. Of course this has the long term problem of making new players be overwhelmed by the amount of stuff needed to start and buy into the game. As it stands now new players need really only the PHB to play. With this new system new players in a year will feel they need at least 6-12 books and in 2 years the number could be 20+ and a DDI subscription.