Bob Salvatore on the various editions of D&D

[Windjammer]

Bob Salvatore dodges the edition wars - and he does so beautifully. Watch and learn from a man who clearly appreciates the comparative merits and weakness of all the many proud editions of D&D (timed link):

YouTube - Meet Author R.A. Salvatore

Here's a salute to Bob, and a thanks for an early Christmas present.

And for those who missed it when it came up, watch Bob play D&D live here:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy8-NNlE80A[/ame]

The interactions between him and Larry Elmore show that what makes D&D a truly great pastime transcends the minuate of ascending vs. descending AC.

 

[slwoyach]

I love how Ed Greenwood looks like he should live in a cave.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Bob Salvatore dodges the edition wars - and he does so beautifully. Watch and learn from a man who clearly appreciates the comparative merits and weakness of all the many proud editions of D&D

What I know of Salvatore is that a LOT of people really despise his most famous character. A character popular enough to be stridently reviled for decades. He sure seems like decent guy in the vid. Decent enough that someday I might actually READ something he's written.

 

[Wik]

Oh my god. I love Larry Elmore's voice.

 

[jonesy]

The whole interview is quite enlightening, not just the editions part.

 

[delericho]

Fascinating comments on the various editions. He's absolutely right about 4e, and specifically the need for creative players.

What I know of Salvatore is that a LOT of people really despise his most famous character. A character popular enough to be stridently reviled for decades. He sure seems like decent guy in the vid. Decent enough that someday I might actually READ something he's written.

Stick to the Dark Elf trilogy and maybe the Icewind Dale trilogy - basically his first few novels. As he goes on from there, he adds more and more 'goofy' characters with stupid names and ridiculous quirks. And pretty much all of them have to appear in every novel, so it becomes populated with nonsense.

It also becomes quickly apparent that he's in love with his characters, and that nothing truly bad can ever happen to them. I guess he decided he didn't want a repeat of the Chewbacca thing.

 

[MortalPlague]

Stick to the Dark Elf trilogy and maybe the Icewind Dale trilogy

I'd stick to the Dark Elf Trilogy, and give Icewind Dale a pass. The Icewind Dale books were his first published novels, and his writing is very rough around the edges. Dark Elf Trilogy was written much later, and has considerably more polish. It's also a more coherent story.

 

[filthgrinder]

Stick to the Dark Elf trilogy and maybe the Icewind Dale trilogy - basically his first few novels. As he goes on from there, he adds more and more 'goofy' characters with stupid names and ridiculous quirks. And pretty much all of them have to appear in every novel, so it becomes populated with nonsense.

It also becomes quickly apparent that he's in love with his characters, and that nothing truly bad can ever happen to them. I guess he decided he didn't want a repeat of the Chewbacca thing.

Or stick to his non-Drizzt books. His other series and nonFR branded books tend be good.

 

[Dire Bare]

What I know of Salvatore is that a LOT of people really despise his most famous character. A character popular enough to be stridently reviled for decades. He sure seems like decent guy in the vid. Decent enough that someday I might actually READ something he's written.

(not criticizing your post, merely riffing off it) I find the idea that Salvatore's Drizzt character has been "stridently reviled" for decades laughable. Sure, some folks dislike Salvatore's work, and that's fine, but like so many things in fandom, a loudly vocal minority has skewed perceptions on Salvatore's works and characters. If Salvatore was such a poor writer, and his characters so "stupid" and "annoying" . . . why does he consistently hit the NYT bestseller's list? Why does Wizards keep paying him to write more novels featuring Drizzt? How does he make his living as a full-time writer? Why do I enjoy all of his novels? Am I the only one who financially supports this guy?

 

[slwoyach]

(not criticizing your post, merely riffing off it) I find the idea that Salvatore's Drizzt character has been "stridently reviled" for decades laughable. Sure, some folks dislike Salvatore's work, and that's fine, but like so many things in fandom, a loudly vocal minority has skewed perceptions on Salvatore's works and characters. If Salvatore was such a poor writer, and his characters so "stupid" and "annoying" . . . why does he consistently hit the NYT bestseller's list? Why does Wizards keep paying him to write more novels featuring Drizzt? How does he make his living as a full-time writer? Why do I enjoy all of his novels? Am I the only one who financially supports this guy?

That doesn't mean the character isn't widely reviled, it absolutely is. There is just something about that whiny little elf that annoys people like me, but there are still a lot of people who like the books. If a million people love a book and nobody else cares you sell a million copies. If a million people hate the books and a million people love them, you still sell a million copies.

Personally I wish the focus had remained on Wulfgar.