Destan
Citizen of Val Hor
I’ve got a story to tell.
The UPS guy arrived a couple days ago, and changed my gaming life forever.
He was delivering four, fairly large boxes. I knew their contents without looking – my books. Ever see the movie The Jerk? In it, Steve Martin runs around joyfully shouting “The new phonebook’s here! The new phonebook’s here!” Well, that was a little bit how I felt. Finally, after months of writing and editing and second-guessing, my Valus campaign sourcebook had arrived.
But…the UPS guy wasn’t finished. There was something else for me as well.
He handed me a thin, brown box. Just one book was inside: Eberron. It seemed Wizards of the Coast had been foolish enough to release their campaign sourcebook the same time I released mine. Haha! Some heads were gonna roll within WotC's marketing department, I had no doubt.
As I turned to go inside, I saw a thin guy riding his bike down the road in front of my house. It was Keith Baker. He held up a finger at me. I guess he was letting me know he was my “number one” fan. Slightly confused, I closed the door.*
I needed a quiet place to review the contents of the packages. My wife – let’s call her Iggwilv – and our cambion children ensured there was not a moment’s peace on the ground floor. So I needed to go to my secret place. I grabbed a knife, cut into the boxes, and pulled out a single copy of the Valus. I tucked it and my copy of Eberron under one arm and lightly tip-toed down the stairs.
I opened the door to a back room off our basement. Sepulchrave was there, as usual.
“Hi, Jim,” I called cheerfully. “How’s the update coming?”
“W-water…” He moaned weakly. Sep held hands toward me, causing the manacles chaining him to the computer desk to go taut.
“You’ll get water – and food – when you finish that update.” Honestly, that Sepulchrave was such a kidder; he’d make things so much easier on everyone if he just updated his story hour more often.
I didn’t feel like listening to Sep’s feverish whining so I closed the door and headed down the hallway. I passed Hong and Hypersmurf along they way. One of them had the other in a headlock, and I heard a muffled voice shouting that it was an illegal grapple check, per the rules. Those two…jeesh.
Finally, I reached the end room. Closing the door behind me, I flicked on the light and sat down at a desk. Eberron vs. Valus. We all knew who would win this one, huh?
Yep – Eb didn’t stand a chance.
Keith Baker made a comment about his campaign setting on these very boards. Or, rather, he commented about some of the negative criticism he had seen prior to Eberron's release. Seems some folks were comparing Eberron, sight unseen, to “st00pid Dinotopia with trainz.” That made me laugh when I first read it, and it makes me laugh now.
I was fairly certain there was no way I’d like Eberron. I’m not a fan of steampunk or technomagic or whatever they’re calling it now. I’m old school, man! Old school!** In my books, the “he” pronoun is still gender-neutral! I game with opaque dice! Give me a black-and-white sketch by Jim Holloway any day over the anime stuff they’re using now.
But, as I hid in the corner of my basement, I began to sweat. My face grew flushed as I flipped through the pages, one by one. I looked at the pictures first, then read the text. In short, I looked and felt like a kid covertly thumbing through an adult magazine.
Eberron, my friends, is good. I said that aloud, in my basement, and I felt guilty. My own campaign sourcebook looked at me with hurt in its eyes. I like him, too - don't get me wrong. But I knew I liked him.
I had no idea that I'd like Eberron as much as I did.
This realization has – at the fear of sounding over-the-top – rocked the foundation of my D&D world. I needed stability. Someone had to ground me - this was too scary, too different. I went over to hear what Sean K. Reynolds had to say – he’s always complaining about something – but even he likes it. Oh, no.
A very strange transformation began to occur. Suddenly “old school” began to feel a bit primitive. Heck, the Forgotten Realms had always been my measuring stick of "too new" for me. Yet, now, even FR seems...well, old. Maybe even outdated. Perhaps bland?
In my opinion (and all of this drivel, of course, is just my opinion) Eberron has propelled the gaming industry forward. Like it or not, we’re all along for the ride. Now, instead of pitting the Valus sourcebook against Eberron, I'm wondering how I might fit my little island into the wonderful tapestry Keith Baker has weaved.
I had every reason in the world not to like Eberron. But the guilty little secret is that I do. Very much so. It’s washed away my ‘old school’ skepticism with a freshness that stems from more than just novelty.
Gaming, suddenly, feels new again.
Thanks for reading.
D
* Honestly, Keith didn’t make an obscene gesture at me. Nor was he riding a bike. He was in a Mercedes SUV with a bunch of his WotC minions, and the guys in the back kindly showed me a couple of Eberron’s moons as they passed.
** I’m not really old school. I’m thirtyplus. But my mindset and my sentiments rest firmly with the days of 1st Edition AD&D. I know, I know – some of you will raise your Ziploc bags containing the Chainmail rules and claim 1st Edition isn’t “old school”. Whatever.
The UPS guy arrived a couple days ago, and changed my gaming life forever.
He was delivering four, fairly large boxes. I knew their contents without looking – my books. Ever see the movie The Jerk? In it, Steve Martin runs around joyfully shouting “The new phonebook’s here! The new phonebook’s here!” Well, that was a little bit how I felt. Finally, after months of writing and editing and second-guessing, my Valus campaign sourcebook had arrived.
But…the UPS guy wasn’t finished. There was something else for me as well.
He handed me a thin, brown box. Just one book was inside: Eberron. It seemed Wizards of the Coast had been foolish enough to release their campaign sourcebook the same time I released mine. Haha! Some heads were gonna roll within WotC's marketing department, I had no doubt.
As I turned to go inside, I saw a thin guy riding his bike down the road in front of my house. It was Keith Baker. He held up a finger at me. I guess he was letting me know he was my “number one” fan. Slightly confused, I closed the door.*
I needed a quiet place to review the contents of the packages. My wife – let’s call her Iggwilv – and our cambion children ensured there was not a moment’s peace on the ground floor. So I needed to go to my secret place. I grabbed a knife, cut into the boxes, and pulled out a single copy of the Valus. I tucked it and my copy of Eberron under one arm and lightly tip-toed down the stairs.
I opened the door to a back room off our basement. Sepulchrave was there, as usual.
“Hi, Jim,” I called cheerfully. “How’s the update coming?”
“W-water…” He moaned weakly. Sep held hands toward me, causing the manacles chaining him to the computer desk to go taut.
“You’ll get water – and food – when you finish that update.” Honestly, that Sepulchrave was such a kidder; he’d make things so much easier on everyone if he just updated his story hour more often.
I didn’t feel like listening to Sep’s feverish whining so I closed the door and headed down the hallway. I passed Hong and Hypersmurf along they way. One of them had the other in a headlock, and I heard a muffled voice shouting that it was an illegal grapple check, per the rules. Those two…jeesh.
Finally, I reached the end room. Closing the door behind me, I flicked on the light and sat down at a desk. Eberron vs. Valus. We all knew who would win this one, huh?
Yep – Eb didn’t stand a chance.
Keith Baker made a comment about his campaign setting on these very boards. Or, rather, he commented about some of the negative criticism he had seen prior to Eberron's release. Seems some folks were comparing Eberron, sight unseen, to “st00pid Dinotopia with trainz.” That made me laugh when I first read it, and it makes me laugh now.
I was fairly certain there was no way I’d like Eberron. I’m not a fan of steampunk or technomagic or whatever they’re calling it now. I’m old school, man! Old school!** In my books, the “he” pronoun is still gender-neutral! I game with opaque dice! Give me a black-and-white sketch by Jim Holloway any day over the anime stuff they’re using now.
But, as I hid in the corner of my basement, I began to sweat. My face grew flushed as I flipped through the pages, one by one. I looked at the pictures first, then read the text. In short, I looked and felt like a kid covertly thumbing through an adult magazine.
Eberron, my friends, is good. I said that aloud, in my basement, and I felt guilty. My own campaign sourcebook looked at me with hurt in its eyes. I like him, too - don't get me wrong. But I knew I liked him.
I had no idea that I'd like Eberron as much as I did.
This realization has – at the fear of sounding over-the-top – rocked the foundation of my D&D world. I needed stability. Someone had to ground me - this was too scary, too different. I went over to hear what Sean K. Reynolds had to say – he’s always complaining about something – but even he likes it. Oh, no.
A very strange transformation began to occur. Suddenly “old school” began to feel a bit primitive. Heck, the Forgotten Realms had always been my measuring stick of "too new" for me. Yet, now, even FR seems...well, old. Maybe even outdated. Perhaps bland?
In my opinion (and all of this drivel, of course, is just my opinion) Eberron has propelled the gaming industry forward. Like it or not, we’re all along for the ride. Now, instead of pitting the Valus sourcebook against Eberron, I'm wondering how I might fit my little island into the wonderful tapestry Keith Baker has weaved.
I had every reason in the world not to like Eberron. But the guilty little secret is that I do. Very much so. It’s washed away my ‘old school’ skepticism with a freshness that stems from more than just novelty.
Gaming, suddenly, feels new again.
Thanks for reading.
D
* Honestly, Keith didn’t make an obscene gesture at me. Nor was he riding a bike. He was in a Mercedes SUV with a bunch of his WotC minions, and the guys in the back kindly showed me a couple of Eberron’s moons as they passed.
** I’m not really old school. I’m thirtyplus. But my mindset and my sentiments rest firmly with the days of 1st Edition AD&D. I know, I know – some of you will raise your Ziploc bags containing the Chainmail rules and claim 1st Edition isn’t “old school”. Whatever.
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