Are you excited about the Forgotten Realms setting changes?

[Hussar]

except that there is also the larger combined balance of people hating the changes and either keeping the current timeline or keeping 3.5. About 29% (combined) do not like and probably won't bother as opposed to about 11% who didn't like FR and now do.

Maybe WotC didn't know what they were doing.

Yup, if you ignore the majority who actually like the changes, the minority who don't outnumber the new people who do.

Isn't math grand. Ignoring the numbers for those who don't care, those that like the changes outnumber those who don't by about 2:1. That's pretty darn good.

 

[Cmarco]

I am stoked for the 4e Realms.

Hope that some of you will at least join in with us on Living Forgotten Realms. It'll be fun.

 

[The Little Raven]

Maybe WotC didn't know what they were doing.

Or maybe math isn't one of your strengths, since the first entry alone (a pro-4e FR attitude) comprises 35.77% of the poll's votes.

 

[Uzzy]

Since when were internet polls accurate? Besides, you can go stick this poll on Candlekeep and the WoTC FR Boards and get pretty much a 90% response of disliking the changes. *shrug*

Of course the FRCG is going to sell well. You'll have those people who's interest in the realms has been gotten via these changes, those who want to play the LFR, those who want to see how a campaign setting works under 4th edition and even some of the old timers who want to see the 'damage' done.

Will that interest turn into long term commitment, though? Will that majority stick around for the 2nd sourcebook? The 3rd splatbook and the new adventure path? Who knows? WoTC certainly admit they are taking a huge risk on this. If it does take off and becomes successful, well that's sad but I've got plenty to work with for my current campaign.

 

[The Little Raven]

Since when were internet polls accurate? Besides, you can go stick this poll on Candlekeep and the WoTC FR Boards and get pretty much a 90% response of disliking the changes. *shrug*

Hussar and my point was not that this poll is accurate, but the person we quoted claimed that this poll said something that supported their opinion, because he ignored the actual results of the poll.

If it does take off and becomes successful, well that's sad but I've got plenty to work with for my current campaign.

That's a real nice attitude to have.

"If it succeeds, well... that sucks... if it fails... well... party time!"

 

[Uzzy]

If this risk succeeds, then WoTC just saved me a whole lot of money, as I won't be purchasing another Realms product. This makes me sad, as I like the Realms and like supporting the Realms by buying the products, but I won't spend money on what I consider to be a useless and substandard product. If it fails, then it's possible WoTC will release a 'Classic Realms' or just kill the thing. Either way, I've plenty of stuff for my current campaign.

As for polls, well it's silly using that one to back up what he said.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

This makes me sad, as I like the Realms and like supporting the Realms by buying the products, but I won't spend money on what I consider to be a useless and substandard product.

Pretty much how I felt about the FR continuing down the "MOAR DETAILED NPCS" "Every innkeeper a level 16 fighter!" "Lengthy, complicated RSEs you don't care about!" "Good goddesses of necessarily-neutral concepts!" "Detailing every tiny fraction of setting no matter how many times we said we wouldn't!" path of late 2E and 3E. I did stop spending money on the product, whereas I will almost certainly spend money on this product.

As for all the attitude about "Oh but will it turn into commitment?", the only real deciding factor is likely to be the actual quality/usability of the FR books WotC put out. If they put out a ton of crap detailing places that I don't really care about esp. in uselessly crunch-tastic detail (I'd rather NOT know what level the King and his bodyguards are, thanks, then I can tailor it to fit my campaign without "contradicting" anything), and/or stuff that isn't useful to running a non-dungeon-delving FR campaign, then I'm not likely to buy it. If they fill books with "A PrC for every possible organisation!" and "More feats than you'll ever need!" like in 3E? Then I probably won't buy it.

If they fill books with earlier-2E-style, or Shadowrun-style setting info, though, full of non-crunch goodness, adventure hooks in the best possible sense, stat blocks for cool and interesting monsters (not freakish good-aligned things...), FR-specific magic items with style (like in 1E/2E), pump out a nice campaign or ten and and remember to leave areas blank, and mysteries unsolved, then, well, they could take a lot of my money.

 

[Najo]

Or maybe math isn't one of your strengths, since the first entry alone (a pro-4e FR attitude) comprises 35.77% of the poll's votes.

His math is correct. The 35.77% are current fans who like the changes. Either at 3e or 4e, they are on board with Forgotten Realms. There are 11% who are now considering playing the realms and like the changes who didn't like the realms previously. There are nearly 30% though who liked the way it was and do not like they changes. The rest essentially do not care either way. So, that means before 4e 65.77% of the enworld users polled like Forgotten Realms, while only 46.77% like the new realms. According to this poll, WOTC hurt the setting's core market.

Now, will the new Forgotten Realms apply more or less to either group after we know more? That is a wait and see. Will the new Forgotten Realms draw in new players? Doubtful, but who knows.

Personally, my gut is that WOTC made one mistake with the new edition of Forgotten Realms. Forgotten Realms needed an easier entry point and it needed some re-focusing for DMs and players to start playing. I also think it needed some clean up on gods, magic and heroes. I even think some of the things they did to do it are fine. The key though, is the Realms had a soul to it that was guided and nurtured by Ed Greenwood. This spirit of Forgotten Realms is rich with lore, life and gives the realms a depth of realism and mythic scope that its fans love. The characters and locales were tied to this soul. WOTC may have snuffed some of that soul out when they made these changes, which is why the negative reaction of the long term fans who loved the Realms for its spirit.

WOTC should have worked harder to keep that soul intact while making the changes to the setting that needed to be done. Hopefully those things are in there, but as of now, it isn't looking that way, and that is why the fans are upset.

 

[Pulsecrawler_79]

-is about to paint a hate here sign on his own back-

I for one like the changes and don't think there where enough done. Now for all of you who say that I'm wrong. Thats fine. It's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. I don't like the idea of there being 13 different gods for one portfolio do more trimming.
I don't like the idea of there being super power beings running around with the power to help or harm the world with too few if anyone able to police them aside from other super powerful muckers that you really can't see eye to eye with. FR to me lost it's luster a long time ago.
Trim the gods more trim ALL of the Elminsters and Semmemons and lets see some new groups running around getting noticed aside from the Harpers or The Cult of the Dragon, just something a little different. Now I know your going to say if you don't like it so much then don't play it. Well I don't this is just my opinion.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

WOTC should have worked harder to keep that soul intact while making the changes to the setting that needed to be done. Hopefully those things are in there, but as of now, it isn't looking that way, and that is why the fans are upset.

You're contradicting yourself so severely here ("should have worked harder" implying you know/have a clear idea vs "isn't looking that way", emphasis mine, proving that you do not) that it really makes a nonsense of your whole post. All you're succeeding in pointing out is that:

A) People who invested a lot of time and effort in something often fear change, particularly if that thing wasn't obviously failing financially (I would suggest that the current FR is/was slowly failing financially, but that's a different thread). Sometimes they fear change even if a product has basically been binned, dependant on the culture, but again that's another thread.

B) Self-proclaimed "fans" are pre-judging a setting based on extremely sketchy information, and going to great lengths to bend the information to their most negative possible prejudices. Which really says a lot more about them and/or human nature than the new FR.*

Either way, you're not telling anyone anything they don't already know.

As for the number, pffft, if we went by surveys on specialist messageboards, we'd believe a lot of crazy nonsense. Your math, particularly, is fantastical, and your attempt to work out how many people like the FR before the changes by messing around with these figures? Really silly.

* - Some of these posts, and esp. ones on the FR boards/Candlekeep really really REALLY remind me of Marvin the Paranoid Android, to the point where it's actually getting increasingly funny.