Dragonlance Dragonlance or Mystara?

[PabloM]

Books or actual RPG supplements?

RPG supplements. Here`s a list (the 3.x section is on the end)

List of Dragonlance modules and sourcebooks - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Edit: I never paste the link!

 

[see]

The biggest problem with Dragonlance as a setting is that it's ethically twisted by using the story beats appropriate for a (Moorcockian) story of Law vs. Chaos for a battle of Good vs. Evil. The Comic Relief Species are self-marginalized and so easy to excise from the game, but fixing the ethical scoliosis of the setting's backbone is much harder.

It's an especially odd problem in the context of this poll, given that it's Mystara that spent most of its existence on a one-dimensional Law vs. Chaos alignment axis.

 

[dave2008]

After an old Cataclysm, the Gods have abandoned the world, and also magical creatures such as Dragons are gone. The world is gritty and faithless. Suddenly, one day, endless armies of Evil Dragons and dragon-men invade the world. The heroes must find a way to survive. But then. Will they be able to unveil the mystery of this invasion? To call the old Gods for aid? To bring back the Good Dragons and lead them to battle? To reforge the mighty Dragonlances, the only weapons able to cast Wyrms'Doom?

Nice synopsis, but I've actually read (some of) the books and know the story. I was asking in reference to Morrus' comparison to Star Wars. Which he already explained. Thank you though!

 

[Neonchameleon]

For the record, I like Kender fine. And Tasslehoff was a great character in both of the first trilogies and in a handful of short stories featuring him I read back in the day.

Tasslehoff was a good character (especially to read about) although I suggest not re-reading anything Dragonlance in case the suck fairy has visited. Just as Jack Sparrow (in his first three outings anyway) was a great character. Making all kender like Tas makes about as much sense as making all living pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe like Jack Sparrow.

 

[Helldritch]

I can not choose as both worlds are unique and different in their approach.
Mystara was great and the adventures we've had in Norworld are still vivid in my memory. It is also un Mystara that 6 characters became immortals and we've had a great fun playing litteral gods for a while. It was pretty challenging to build adventures for such characters but I managed to make them. It gave us a unique insight as to why gods act like they do and it still affects how I play them even today.

Dragonlance was a great world to have fun in. As a rule, just like any novel based game (Star Wars, Middle Earth, Darksword and so on) the goal is to either play way before or way after the events. This prevents the urge to replay what the heroes in the novel did.

Special note about the Kender. Most players got the Kenders wrong. Kenders are not thieves. Whenever a player wanted to play a kender in my game, I was systematically explaining that no attempt to pick pockets would ever succeed if it was for money. The kenders are as likely to take a nice looking teddy bear on a bed as they could take the diamond necklace beside it. In fact, they will probably prefer the teddy bear as if they give it the the Solamnic Knight, it might help that stuck up to sleep better as his sleep would improve so much with a nice teddy in his arms... what I did however was to give a kender to have a chance to have exactly the right item for a particular event. It was 15% + 1% per level. Ho we need acid, by the gods! I have just one vial here in my pack. I don't remember when I got it though. Or the caster would need a crucial component for a spell and by pure luck, the Kender just have that component in his pouch. A petal of a rose? I have a petal of lotus, would it do? (A petal of lotus in my games, at that time, would enhance the sleep spell by doubling the number of HD affected and upgrade the HD affected to 6+ HD, yes I was/am a Conan fan...).

With these little clarifications, Kenders were loved in my games and never hated as I have seen in other games. The Kenders are not thieves, well not in their minds.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Dragonlance. But not War of the Lance. Right before or after the cataclysm. Not sure why they haven’t developed that time period further as far as setting material.

I think the problem with that idea is that then you have no dragons and no dragonlances, so the setting's namesakes are just gone. Unless you already know the setting pretty well, it doesn't really make sense.

No, I think the only way it really works is if you re-create DL1-16. It's not only the most iconic adventures, and they really could do with an update.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Special note about the Kender. Most players got the Kenders wrong. Kenders are not thieves.

If this is the case, then I still blame the books. It's like they say about tests: If one student fails a test, then then it's that student's fault. If every student fails a test, then it's the teacher's fault.

 

[Helldritch]

If this is the case, then I still blame the books. It's like they say about tests: If one student fails a test, then then it's that student's fault. If every student fails a test, then it's the teacher's fault.

No, the books are clear enough. Tas does not steal all the times and most of the time it is not things that are valuable but things like a knife and other knick knacks of no consequences. But, sometimes, perception can be skewed from the original. That would not be the first time it happens in the history of books and events. Somewhere at some point in time, one player played a kender as a real thief with bad intentions and got away with it. Then, a few heard of it and reproduced it and with conventions and tournaments the story spread and many others tried the same hoax and so on in a manner that became the norm. I had to show all the passages I was referring in the six original novels to prove my point to players who wanted to play Kenders as thieves...

Even the rules from the hard cover stipulate that kenders should not be viewed as thieves but as borrowers as likely to take baubles as they are to leave valuables. They are even prone to let their valuables in exchange for useful baubles (or what they perceive as useful ). This recommendation was often overlooked, too often. Kenders are hated simply because a lot of DM did not read the novels or the hardbound rule book. Even the soft cover DL5 had such recommendations. If you decide to ignore the thing that restricts something, don't be surprised if that thing (kensers i our case) gets abused and perverted from its original intent.

 

[jerryrice4949]

I think the problem with that idea is that then you have no dragons and no dragonlances, so the setting's namesakes are just gone. Unless you already know the setting pretty well, it doesn't really make sense.

No, I think the only way it really works is if you re-create DL1-16. It's not only the most iconic adventures, and they really could do with an update.

Not necessarily. Other time periods of Krynn had dragons and the lances like the time with Huma. That is the beauty of being a DM you can customize.

 

[el-remmen]

Eight days left on this poll and looks like Krynn has a chance to close the gap!

Who knows if and when I'd get to run this games, but I think it'd depend on what me and my players were in the mood for. . . I think it could be fun to run War of the Lance with different characters (and make the actual Dragonlances impressive and useful).