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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nymrohd" data-source="post: 4475590" data-attributes="member: 59126">I can grow to like a metaplot (though I will always be initially skeptical to it) as long as it does not mess with what I at least consider the core assumptions of each setting. In some settings, things have changed so dramatically so often (Dragonlance, I am looking at you) that a long running campaign simply is forced to ignore the metaplot. In other settings changes also happen often, and though they may be less dramatic they can easily sidetrack your campaign if they happen in your location (most of FR between Year of Shadows and Year of Blue Fire). In some settings a single event can change several basic aspects of a setting (Faction War and the Prism Pentad changed basic aspects of their settings). Some metaplots can be dramatic and still work, at least for me (the Grand Conjuction in RL for instance). And there are some games where the metaplot is extremely engaging, possibly more so than the game itself (Vampire).The question is how necessary is a metaplot. Would the FR and DL novels be diminished if they were no longer canon? I for one do not think so. What would ofc happen is that the novels would not be sold as easily, since people would not buy crappy writing just to see where the setting is heading (not that all the novels are crappy but many of them are, especially some of the amazingly tacky and trope-ladden FR trilogies). I don't think that a metaplot is necessary to sell new accessories either. The crunch changes between editions can give you a lot of writing space, and there most often is a lot to write anyway. Not to mention that even in settings thick with metaplot like FR you can find accessories that have entire paragraphs copy-pasted from the past (and not just once).And then there is the Eberron approach. Instead of a metaplot, tons of plot hooks, with many alternate plot hooks per story. As a previous poster said, you can easily have an entire accessory planning out alternate ways one story could be resolved. The fact that a timeline is static does not mean the setting cannot be vibrant.</blockquote>

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