Eberron: The Metaphor

[MonsterMash]

Oddly enough this might be the one thing to make me give Eberron a second look, but I think I'd rather do a pulp fiction game based in the 'real world' 20s or 30s with minimal fantasy elements (limited magic with it possibly being smoke and mirrors, human race only) - come to think of it CoC does that!

 

[Aaron2]

The whole promise of the d20 system was to be able to go beyond D&D -- so why can't the gaming community friggin' DO that?

Sometimes, avoiding read-world politics is critical to keeping a gaming group together.


Aaron

 

[Cam Banks]

Heh, I've actually kind of been hoping someone would do something like this, and thought about trying to slap something together like this to run myself.

So did Fantasy Flight, and that's why they released SPELLSLINGER under their Horizon imprint. It's pretty much exactly that - D&D as a western.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Zappo]

Y'know, the more I think about this, the more cheesed off I get. Pulp setting games don't sell more than five copies, but when a D&D setting does "pulp fantasy," that's exciting??? WTF is that about?

D&D players like fantasy. It isn't that strange.

 

[Von Ether]

What next? D&D martial arts adventures, since Street Fighter was a flop? Are people going to be excited about their Shaolin Gnome? Spelljammer already did "D&D in space" so we don't have to bother with science fiction any more. How about D&D does the Old West? "Black Bart and his gang o' half-orcs gone and shot up the elvish settlement! Paladins, summon your mounts and let's ride! But under no circumstances let us play a straightforward western game!" -The Gneech

Ahem.
Wild West: Spellslinger -- Fantasy Flight Games

DnD in Space: Dragonstar -- Fantasy Flight Games

The whole promise of the d20 system was to be able to go beyond D&D -- so why can't the gaming community friggin' DO that?
-The Gneech

Because they never have. One of the greatest ironies in my life. I spent 10 years in the sticks, constantly fighting to get people to play something other than AD&D. It was an uphill battle every day and that reluctance made me a AD&D hater.

I finally move to a metro with more open minded players around me, and then d20 comes out. It's not a system that impresses me, but I quickly learn that I can shoehorn my games into it and the "DnD" brand brings a waiting list of people to my table. So now I am a supporter of d20.

Even though most d20 pulp games have been mediocre sellers, it seems that Eberron proves again that you get people jazzed to play any genre or setting if you package it the right way with DnD & WotC on the cover.

I guess this means Urban Arcana should have been a campaign setting for DnD, not d20 Modern.

 

[The_Gneech]

D&D players like fantasy. It isn't that strange.

They apparently also love the heck out of pulp, but only when it's also fantasy. Feh.

They also love horror, but only when it's fantasy.

And they also love soap opera, but only when it's fantasy.

And they also love sitcoms, but only when they're fantasy.

And they also love Iron Chef, but only when it's fantasy.

(loop endlessly over every genre in the universe)

I guess this means Urban Arcana should have been a campaign setting for DnD, not d20 Modern.

If they had released it as such, it probably would have been heralded as "brilliant," instead of being largely ignored.

Eh, don't mind me, I'm just bitter due to the previously-mentioned lack of Justice, Inc.

-The Gneech :\

 

[JoeGKushner]

Heh, I've actually kind of been hoping someone would do something like this, and thought about trying to slap something together like this to run myself.

Spellslinger. Great little setting that can actually be used with your standard campaign with a little tweaking. I enjoy it.

 

[Oni]

Thanks so much guys, I had totally missed this one.

 

[~Johnny~]

Even though most d20 pulp games have been mediocre sellers, it seems that Eberron proves again that you get people jazzed to play any genre or setting if you package it the right way with DnD & WotC on the cover.

I don't think that's quite what this shows. "Pulp" isn't a genre the same way that "western" or "space" are genres. It's a tone and an approach, not a code word for "like the 20's."
For example, Star Wars is very much "pulp." Saying "pulp fantasy" doesn't mean combining fedoras and airplanes with half-elves and orcs, it means taking sword-and-sorcery stories and applying the same themes of high adventure, exotic locales, over-the-top villains, and heroes fighting against all odds. Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Eberron all have this feel, but they're in three totally different genres. "Pulp fantasy" is more useful in distinguishing Eberron from "high fantasy" settings that have more of an emphasis on elegance and mythological scope. D&D has been moving more toward high fantasy over the years, but I'd say it actually started out as pulp fantasy.

Anyway, I think Mouseferatu's original comparison is quite apt, but Eberron isn't just aping pre-WWII Europe. And its success or lack thereof will have little connection to the success or failure of pulp adventure stories set in the 20's-40's. It's D&D, not Spellslinger or Dragonstar or Iron Kingdoms, and that difference goes beyond just the name on the cover.

 

[drnuncheon]

What next? D&D martial arts adventures, since Street Fighter was a flop? Are people going to be excited about their Shaolin Gnome?

<snip rant>

I happen to like the new Diet Coke with lime. This does not mean that every time I drink a Diet Coke with lime, I should instead be drinking a limeade.

Oh, and you forgot to complain about Shadowrun vs. CP2020.

J