D&D General Eberron - why don't you run it? [-]

[Micah Sweet]

Have you reminded your players it's called a role playing game? The whole point is you're supposed to put yourself in a different mindset.

Seems a little antagonistic. I don't run into this problem often at my table, but I have seen it in the past many times and have no reason to doubt @DEFCON 1 's general claim.

 

[Lanefan]

That's great when you are in your local neighborhood, but if you were traveling and had to stop for food, do you trust some random diner or McDonald's?

I just got back from a 10-day road trip where we did a mix of both "random diners" and chain places (Denny's, McD's, etc.) and while the food was fine at the chain places it was generally better at the random diners.

McDonald's might not be top tier, but the menu and pricing is fairly consistent across the country and you know what they are going to offer. Dragonmark houses offer the same reliable services and standardized pricing.

I can see how something like Dragonmark or other magic chain-franchises would evolve but that bridge goes a little too far for me. However, basic things like widespread lighting in cities, curing spells used to augment health care, weather spells used to help crops grow, and so on just seem so obvious that their assumed absence in a setting like FR is a bit jarring.

 

[pukunui]

After reading most of the Eberron stuff for 3rd edition I came away from it having a difficult time justifying this in other settings. How do all of you Realms and Greyhawk etc. people approach this now? Or do you still handwave it (which is certainly a fine approach, fantasy rpg worlds don't need to be super logical, just gameable)?

In the Realma at least, I’d say Baldur’s Gate is probably closest to Eberron in feel. It’s very noir, and it’s got more (magi)tech than other FR cities, thanks to the Temple of Gond. It even has relatively modern cranes in its port.

Lantan is another part of the Realms that has a strong Eberron vibe, but it’s never really been explored in much detail. Chris Perkins wanted to do something with it after including it on the map in Tomb of Annihilation, but I guess it didn’t pan out.

 

[Lanefan]

It might be worth mentioning that in the UK we tend not to have random diners. Motorway services are pretty much all chains and are pretty terrible, as well as having hugely inflated prices. Hence the picnic.

In the UK you do, however, still have some random pubs that haven't been snapped up by the chain operators yet; and my memory of those is that they can be very hit-or-miss, much like the random diners here.

 

[TiQuinn]

My favorites are the truck stop diners if you run into them during a road trip. Personally I’d take Waffle House over a McDonald’s any day.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In the UK you do, however, still have some random pubs that haven't been snapped up by the chain operators yet; and my memory of those is that they can be very hit-or-miss, much like the random diners here.

Would never go to a chain pub. Real pubs are a lot more hits than miss. Chains serve frozen garbage.

Slug and Lettuce? They are lying about the lettuce.

 

[TiQuinn]

Would never go to a chain pub. Real pubs are a lot more hits than miss. Chains serve frozen garbage.

Slug and Lettuce? They are lying about the lettuce.

Googled the menu on that one. Lots of alarm bells going off there. Bottomless Brunch for starters. Don’t think I’ve ever been to a place with unlimited mimosas that wasn’t a complete s#!@show.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I think that picking McDonalds as an example might have derailed the Brand argument, but its not just that Khorvairans know that the Golden Dragon inn will have a reliably similar menu and services wherever it is located. They also know to look for the House Ghallanda seal on any independent establishments, certifying that that place meets certain levels of hygiene and service.

I would agree that 'in the world of Eberron' that is what is supposed to happen, and if this was a novel series then absolutely the protagonists would have no problem doing so, talking and working with everyone and anyone. But I'm saying as a practical matter at the game table... I personally do not believe most players do that. They've been conditioned not to by DMs always trying to take them by surprise. DMs LOVE to take their players by surprise because it's one of the few ways the game gives the DM the advantage, since the actual game rules are designed to have the PCs succeed most of the time. I mean, isn't that why we have all the complaints about Darkvision? Because Darkvision removes one of the better ways DMs have of surprising their players, and if that happens, what's left? Well... the only thing that's left is for narrative twists in the story by having supposedly-friendly NPCs sudden turn on the party and force their will upon them (if not outright try to kill them.) And players know this because they've experienced these DMs trying to do it to them. And that's why (I believe) they usually will not give any NPC anything and just do everything themselves as they play the game.

At some point though, even players who have had unfortunate experiences with bad DMs like that are probably going to have to interact with NPCs.
Not only for purchasing goods and services, but also that staple of the adventuring life: being given quests.

 

[Lanefan]

Would never go to a chain pub. Real pubs are a lot more hits than miss. Chains serve frozen garbage.

Most of the time I'd only be there for beer anyway, but my (admittedly ten-years-ago) experience with the chains is their food was good enough to be good enough.

@TiQuinn - I second the motion re truck stops. And it's easy to tell which are the good ones, as that's where all the trucks are.

That's what D&D settings need - a chain of travellers' inns and waystations along major intercity roads, analagous to Flying-J truck stops.

 

[Argyle King]

The recent discussion gave me the idea of D&D Yelp reviews for taverns.

This leads to a disgruntled tavernkeeper becoming a villain because a bad review from the PCs destroyed his business.