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<blockquote data-quote="kenjib" data-source="post: 1322784" data-attributes="member: 530">Do a google search on &quot;jewish golem.&quot;&nbsp; The word has a different meaning in the bible, but by medieval times it's meaning is quite recognizable and has nothing to do with technology.&nbsp; Done properly, the golem is actually a great example of how to make something magical that doesn't smell of technology.Speaking of smells, I think every campaign setting has certain intangible qualities to it that can be best described as a smell, or taste that is left in your mouth when you think of it.&nbsp; Remember cracking open and reading the old FR grey box set for the first time?&nbsp; Gary Gygax's Greyhawk?&nbsp; What do you taste when you think of Middle Earth or Hyboria?&nbsp; Lovecraft's occult Earth?&nbsp; Planescape?&nbsp; Ravenloft?&nbsp; Dune?&nbsp; Star wars?&nbsp; It's usually something you can't explain very well, but recognize instantly.I still don't get a cohesive scent from Eberron (but then the same can be said of most of the 3e/d20 settings).&nbsp; It seems like a cacophony of smells and flavors borrowed from other worlds and ideas that have yet to coalesce into anything distinctive and inspiring.&nbsp; However, I don't think there is nearly enough info on the world yet for such cohesion anyway, so maybe it will emerge when the book comes out.I do think that limiting onesself to working within the self-referential D&amp;D style is very counter-productive to achieving this though, and Eberron is very much crippled in this regard.&nbsp; For me, the D&amp;D tropes have become utterly worn out, no matter how well anyone tries to spin them in new directions.&nbsp; You can already see it in the previews:&nbsp; yuan-ti, drow, beholder, continual flame, fireball, elemental, two dozen organizations named &quot;*noun* of the *adjective* *noun*&quot; or some similar permutation, new prestige class, new subrace, new template, new region with a name like &quot;the sea of blood&quot; or the &quot;forest of DOOM!&quot; kingdom of this, evil empire of that.&nbsp; Fill in the blanks, create an &quot;original&quot; hook, and voila another new campaign setting.&nbsp; Underneath the new coat of paint it's still the exact same old stuff.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kenjib, post: 1322784, member: 530"] Do a google search on "jewish golem." The word has a different meaning in the bible, but by medieval times it's meaning is quite recognizable and has nothing to do with technology. Done properly, the golem is actually a great example of how to make something magical that doesn't smell of technology. Speaking of smells, I think every campaign setting has certain intangible qualities to it that can be best described as a smell, or taste that is left in your mouth when you think of it. Remember cracking open and reading the old FR grey box set for the first time? Gary Gygax's Greyhawk? What do you taste when you think of Middle Earth or Hyboria? Lovecraft's occult Earth? Planescape? Ravenloft? Dune? Star wars? It's usually something you can't explain very well, but recognize instantly. I still don't get a cohesive scent from Eberron (but then the same can be said of most of the 3e/d20 settings). It seems like a cacophony of smells and flavors borrowed from other worlds and ideas that have yet to coalesce into anything distinctive and inspiring. However, I don't think there is nearly enough info on the world yet for such cohesion anyway, so maybe it will emerge when the book comes out. I do think that limiting onesself to working within the self-referential D&D style is very counter-productive to achieving this though, and Eberron is very much crippled in this regard. For me, the D&D tropes have become utterly worn out, no matter how well anyone tries to spin them in new directions. You can already see it in the previews: yuan-ti, drow, beholder, continual flame, fireball, elemental, two dozen organizations named "*noun* of the *adjective* *noun*" or some similar permutation, new prestige class, new subrace, new template, new region with a name like "the sea of blood" or the "forest of DOOM!" kingdom of this, evil empire of that. Fill in the blanks, create an "original" hook, and [i]voila[/i] another new campaign setting. Underneath the new coat of paint it's still the exact same old stuff. [/QUOTE]

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