Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms

[Dragonhelm]

I'm looking forward to this, but I'd also really like for WotC to let Keith Baker do a similar "Here's what the creator's core ideas look like" book for Eberron.

Personally, I'd like to see Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance.

 

[kitsune9]

What do you mean by 'conversion'? Because this is apparently the notes from Ed's home game, and that hasn't even reached the Time of Troubles yet.

Anyone else notice the conspicuous absence of a D&D logo on this cover?

The conversion from the material of the events of 3.5 to 4e; however, if it's pre-Time of Troubles, then I'm on board!

 

[scruffygrognard]

Very pretty. It's a shame we aren't likely to get "Gary Gygax presents Mordekainen's World of Greyhawk" to go with it. (Although maybe there are enough notes to assemble something like that. But I bet we would have heard something by now, if so.)

Ya know, I think WotC will be putting out a Castle Greyhawk that makes extensive use of Gary Gygax's notes.

Troll Lord Games was in the process of releasing Castle Greyhawk (renamed Castle Zagyg for legal reasons) in conjunction with E.G.G. and Jeff Talanian. After Gary's death, Gary's widow pulled back the license.

It would make perfect sense for her to sell Gary's Castle Greyhawk notes to WotC for top $$$... and it would make perfect sense for WotC to publish Castle Greyhawk for numerous reasons.

Add the fact that WotC is re-releasing 1st edition AD&D books and donating $$$ to the Gary Gygax Memorial Fund and I'd bet on this happening with little trepidation.

 

[Warunsun]

Ya know, I think WotC will be putting out a Castle Greyhawk that makes extensive use of Gary Gygax's notes.

I highly doubt this. Dave Arneson and his business also lost all rights to publish Blackmoor on his death. I would think whatever arrangement that Gary had with Wizards would be similar. Remember that WotC did pay off both Gary and Dave upon the launch of third edition so some agreements were signed.

I would buy this product from WotC but I just don't think it will ever happen. Despite the dozens of posts here and on the WotC forums suggesting that the World of Greyhawk return for fifth edition it isn't going to happen. It has already been confirmed that Forgotten Realms is going to get the treatment first.

Hell, I would bet that the fantasy world of Magic: The Gathering has a higher chance of getting campaign setting treatment then Greyhawk. I don't advocate that but I would imagine it is true.

 

[Ron]

Personally, I'd like to see Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance.

Even better, a Bruce Heard's Mystara.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Even better, a Bruce Heard's Mystara.

I've been assembling Mystara material over the past few years and developing an appreciation for it, but since Bruce Heard was in charge of it for almost the entire run, how different would this be from the published material? Or are you thinking of a combination of the old Gazetteers with the abandoned BD&D plans (Heldannic Knights and Synn as a major villain, IIRC)?

Tracy Hickman's DL could be interesting and doable--there's apparently a lot of proto-DL material floating around the archives (or was years ago), and the setting definitely changed with the various other hands involved, such as Margaret Weis.

 

[TirionAnthion]

New FR Book

In the new product seminar at DDXP Mike Mearls specifically mentioned that the book was a collection of Ed's notes. This is Ed Greenwood's version of the Realms. This means that many things in this book will not match up with existing printed material. This was billed as a "what if" kind of alternate reality with many of the core events in the recent history of the realms having never occurred.

That is also one of the reasons that the book is being kept system neutral, as it sits outside of the established canon of the realms. It is meant more as a cool look at Ed's campaign and as a way to spark ideas for DMs to steal.

While I am not a Realms fan, I am looking forward to picking up this book and taking a look at the Ed's spin on the Realms.

 

[Nebulous]

I will almost surely get this. I love the cover, i love that it is system neutral and not filled with statblocks, and it is something, as far as i can remember, D&D has not done before.

 

[Yora]

There were some, but they were mostly irrelevant.

 

[catsclaw227]

I'd also like to see this. I know very little about FR except what little I read from my 3rd edition books (which have since been sold) and the little I read from my post Spell-Plague 4e FR. I did read the Icewind Dale books in High School (1982ish?), but these were pre-Time of Troubles as well.

I also wonder what "era" these notes are set in. As far as I know the Time of Troubles and Spell Plague were the only major upheavals of FR, but weren't there other smaller "adjustments" as well?

I'd also like to see some Greyhawk treatment like this. What were the major upheavals in Greyhawk other than the Greyhawk Wars, which, from what I have read in threads, set the demarcation between people that play Greyhawk. They play either pre- or post- Greyhawk Wars games.

I could be wrong on all of this though...

Hell, I would bet that the fantasy world of Magic: The Gathering has a higher chance of getting campaign setting treatment then Greyhawk. I don't advocate that but I would imagine it is true.

I don't know... I didn't play the CCG, though I did play the XBLA game, but this "setting" seems rather flavorful. At least the art has always been evocative.