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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JamesM" data-source="post: 3790480" data-attributes="member: 2762">It's pretty much a no-brainer for WotC. Making sure Ed is involved guarantees you not only a very talented and imaginative writer, but also gives you a bit more credibility with people who've been following the Realms since issue 30 of Dragon. What it does not do, however, is overturn WotC's apparent plans to "simplify" or otherwise change the Realms in ways some long-time fans probably won't like. Ed has little to no control over the direction of the published Realms and hasn't had since the day he signed his contract with TSR back in the day. Being smart and charming, he can often "push" developments slightly this way or that, trying to bringing it closer to what he would have done, but he cannot stop the momentum given it by WotC (or, before, TSR). I think the 4E Realms will certainly be better than it would otherwise have been if Ed hadn't been involved. He can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It's just a shame that sow's ears may be the favored materials from which to build campaign settings these days.</blockquote>