Dragonlance Campaign Setting: Missed Opportunity?

[rounser]

While I liked them I got frustrated when they handwaved bits and pieces that seemed important to the storyline. For instance, when the party travelled to find the Frostreaver (or whatever that ice weapon was called) and told the story in a few paragraphs to get on with the rest of the story.

Yup, they handwaved Dragons of Ice. Guess that's an artifact of basing novels on a series of modules - not all that works as a module works in fiction. Kind of like Peter Jackson abbreviating or passing over bits of the Lord of the Rings, I guess.

 

[Wolf72]

I'd be ordering this book ... if it wasn't for a severe lack of funds.

 

[M.L. Martin]

It's doubtful that I'll buy any other releases for Dragonlance, unless they put out a Dragonlance Monster Manual-like book.

Kane

The _Bestiary of Krynn_ is due out this spring or early summer. More info can be found at www.dragonlance.com; the writers worked on the core book and can be found hanging around the WotC DL board.

Matthew L. Martin

 

[Kanegrundar]

The _Bestiary of Krynn_ is due out this spring or early summer. More info can be found at www.dragonlance.com; the writers worked on the core book and can be found hanging around the WotC DL board.

Matthew L. Martin

Thanks for the info! The monsters were one of the few things I really loved about Dragonlance. Hopefully, they'll do a better job with them than they did with the Campaign Setting...

Kane

 

[DragonLancer]

If you won't even take a look at Dragonlance because you feel that the novel line constricts you to certain events, then I'm shocked. The point of buying any campaign setting is that you make it what you as the DM want it to be.

Same goes with the races you guys seem to hate with a passion. Don't like Kender, Gully Dwarves and Tinker Gnomes (and I still have never heard a decent excuse why people don't) then change them. Make Kender into Halflings and drop the bits you don't like.

A campaign setting is what you make it.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Same goes with the races you guys seem to hate with a passion. Don't like Kender, Gully Dwarves and Tinker Gnomes (and I still have never heard a decent excuse why people don't)

Kender: ammoral little thieves, who for some reason are not responsible for their actions. Hard to integrate into a group with such repeated behavior.

Gully Dwarves: one trick jokes, also hard to integrate into a group with repeated use of the stupidity.

Tinker Gnomes: silly, my main problem with them is not that they are tinkers themselves, but that the archetype has bled through into other campaign worlds gnomes as well. Inventing is not a good campaign model for most people.

All three races are useful from a literary standpoint, but integration into an adventuring group is usually more of stereo types and repeated jokes than it is a well developed character. Sure you can break the mold, but then why use the mold if only to break it?

That said, I've had a mad tinker gnome, and DMed a group with a minotaur and kender barbarian (in 1.5 edition). The games were fine, but there are valid reasons that people don't like them in a long lasting campaign.

Least of all, because they seem to have some form of legal protection for their antics. I think at the dawn of time they must have submitted an insanity plea and become Wards of the Celestial Court or something.

It's almost as silly as Steel Pieces. ("steel is used for coinage, because steel is useful. Now pay me 15 steel pieces for this 4 pound steel sword." even worse now that it's 50 to a pound, but still silly when it was 10 to a pound.)

 

[Vocenoctum]

If you won't even take a look at Dragonlance because you feel that the novel line constricts you to certain events, then I'm shocked. The point of buying any campaign setting is that you make it what you as the DM want it to be.

Oh, forgot his part.
The problem with the early novels is that there was really nothing else for DL at the time. It was novel play, but not much more in the form of adventurers or stuff.
My aforementioned campaign was actually set in Greyhawk. They were a team sent to open diplomatic ties with Verbobonc

They returned later to Krynn.

 

[Wolffenjugend]

I thought the DL adventures were based off the novels, not the other way around...

 

[DragonLancer]

I thought the DL adventures were based off the novels, not the other way around...

I may be wrong, and if so others will correct me, but I seem to recall reading that the modules came first and the novels were based (loosely) upon that campaign.

 

[DragonLancer]

Kender: ammoral little thieves, who for some reason are not responsible for their actions. Hard to integrate into a group with such repeated behavior.

Gully Dwarves: one trick jokes, also hard to integrate into a group with repeated use of the stupidity.

Tinker Gnomes: silly, my main problem with them is not that they are tinkers themselves, but that the archetype has bled through into other campaign worlds gnomes as well. Inventing is not a good campaign model for most people.

All three races are useful from a literary standpoint, but integration into an adventuring group is usually more of stereo types and repeated jokes than it is a well developed character. Sure you can break the mold, but then why use the mold if only to break it?

Because then your playing to a stereotype. I've had kender, and gnomes (never a gully dwarf) in my campaigns and they were never caused a problem to the game. They enhanced it if anything. All too often it seems that people are more interested at looking at the supposed downside of the races and not at the true roleplaying potential.

It's almost as silly as Steel Pieces. ("steel is used for coinage, because steel is useful. Now pay me 15 steel pieces for this 4 pound steel sword." even worse now that it's 50 to a pound, but still silly when it was 10 to a pound.)

Its called suspension of disbelief. Don't worry about it. It is not important. Its flavour for the setting.