Elminster? Really? Why is he so popular?
- Thread starter Olgar Shiverstone
- Start date
Jiggawatts
Adventurer
I thought it needed to be clearly stated, Elminster will only be in ONE of the six books, the other five are all by different authors and all will feature different stories and characters, that will most likely only be tied together using the metaplot of The Sundering.
I am somewhat apathetic regarding Elminster himself, and Drizzt, while I have enjoyed some of Bobs novels, has never gripped me. Khelben and Elaith Craulnober are my two favorite FR NPC's....both dead (personally hoping one or both is brought back), Halaster would probably be number three, also dead.
I am somewhat apathetic regarding Elminster himself, and Drizzt, while I have enjoyed some of Bobs novels, has never gripped me. Khelben and Elaith Craulnober are my two favorite FR NPC's....both dead (personally hoping one or both is brought back), Halaster would probably be number three, also dead.
Alisair Longreach
First Post
I look forward to the Sundering series but I also have bad taste in literature, movies, music and no fashion sense.
Squire James
Explorer
I was fine with Elminster being a level 26 wizard (which I think was what his original design was). Level 26 wizards are powerful, but not entirely impossible to deal with. They kind of "jumped the shark" in that novel where they HAD to make him a dual-classed Thief, Fighter, and Cleric that BTW has an ongoing sexual relationship with the Goddess of Magic and the majority of the Seven Sisters.
I suppose if you can put up with Robert Heinlein's Lazarus Long, you can put up with Elminster. They're essentially the same guy!
I suppose if you can put up with Robert Heinlein's Lazarus Long, you can put up with Elminster. They're essentially the same guy!
(Psi)SeveredHead
Adventurer
Elaith is dead? Too bad. Which book did he die in?
No I don't want Khelben back, or any other Chosen. Halaster was cool in the Fall of Myth Drannor, but I don't know if he's done anything cool recently.
Tell me about it. I read the War of the Spider Queen series (my allergy to drow only extends to good-aligned drow) and it's actually my favorite FR series. Partly because it has an actual adventuring party (it's amazing how many D&D novel characters are adventuring parties unto themselves), but also because Pharaun and Gromph are written "correctly". Their magic is powerful and they can do things others can't, but they're not unstoppable. Gromph also plays as if he had a high but not overwhelming Intelligence. He even makes mistakes, of the tactical and non-tactical kind... as well as sometimes completely bamboozling opponents to the point of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
No one wants to watch a long video. Is there an executive summary of it somewhere?
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
See the link in the first post of this thread.
My apologies -- I didn't set out to start and Elminster bashing thread. I'd hoped that, since the continual re-use of Elminster in FR novels indicates that he's a popular character, some Elminster fans would pop in to acknowledge that they are fans and explain why the character is so popular.
I can understand the nerdrage; I'm trying to understand the other side of the argument.
Ulrick
First Post
Maybe you should have titled the thread: "Why is Elminster so popular?"
I would like to understand the other side of the argument, too. When I watched the keynote, and Greenwood started talking about Elminster, people in the audience started cheering, I was like, "what? Is Elminster really that popular? Why?"
evildmguy
Explorer
I enjoy Ed's game material but have never liked his books. I once bought all of the Elminster books to read them but couldn't do it. I don't like Ed's fiction.
I loved Driz'zt at first and read all of the books. But about the time of his other series (Woods Out Back, Demon Wars), I stopped liking Salvatore. Then, I don't remember what caused the long pause in his DND books but maybe the 4E series (Hunter?) I didn't like it at all. I think I had "outgrown" Salvatore. But it's more that I've changed and the focus on combat bores me now, and I find myself skipping it. The last things I read, though, I did stop caring about the characters.
In gaming, I love FR and used it for over twenty years. I never used Elminster or Driz'zt, that I remember, but did have my own mary sue characters as a young DM. I'm trying to get over that. Recently I came to dislike 4E and the 4E Realms, so found a gray box in my FLGS, bought it and used it for the basis of a new campaign. Really enjoyed that! It didn't last for other reasons but it was enjoyable.
tl;dr : They lost me a long time ago because I've changed and don't like what they emphasize in the Realms as a game world anymore.
I loved Driz'zt at first and read all of the books. But about the time of his other series (Woods Out Back, Demon Wars), I stopped liking Salvatore. Then, I don't remember what caused the long pause in his DND books but maybe the 4E series (Hunter?) I didn't like it at all. I think I had "outgrown" Salvatore. But it's more that I've changed and the focus on combat bores me now, and I find myself skipping it. The last things I read, though, I did stop caring about the characters.
In gaming, I love FR and used it for over twenty years. I never used Elminster or Driz'zt, that I remember, but did have my own mary sue characters as a young DM. I'm trying to get over that. Recently I came to dislike 4E and the 4E Realms, so found a gray box in my FLGS, bought it and used it for the basis of a new campaign. Really enjoyed that! It didn't last for other reasons but it was enjoyable.
tl;dr : They lost me a long time ago because I've changed and don't like what they emphasize in the Realms as a game world anymore.
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