Forgotten Realms - Public petition

[Glyfair]

The reason the Eberron outcry made a difference, at least in part, is that the Eberron book's still quite some ways away.

Also, Eberron has a different paradigm than the FR. FR has had strong ties to the "metaplot" since at least the launch of 2E. Enough so that it's a complaint many have about the setting.

Eberron, on the other hand, is designed to be more about making the world your own. Most of Forgotten Realms' secrets are well known facts to anyone who reads the material. Eberron has a number of secrets that are designed to either stay mysteries or else for DMs to come up with their own solution. For example, James and Keith both agree that the Mournland will never have an explicit cause published.

That's not to say that either one fits perfectly within those criteria, or that you can change it. However, the general approach is different.

 

[Sundragon2012]

No thanks on the petition.

FR needs a reboot and this is coming from a fan of the setting. I love it for its depth and breadth, but it is a gigantic unwieldy beast that is daunting to those who are new to DMing to get into or hell even those who are experienced to approach without being steeped in esoteric FR lore.

I think it is good that they want to darken up the Realms a bit. My realms were always more mature and dark than the shiney-happy FR presented by WoTC. In my game the bad guys are often smart and very competant and sometimes they win. My FR isn't as dark as G.R.R. Martin's Westeros or the Midnight setting, but it is definately more complex and thoughtful with a lot of grey and little black and white.

I like what I have read about the changes and support them entirely.

If enough current FR fans hate the changes as much as the Greyhawk true believers hated From the Ashes, they will kill FR via word of mouth by poisoning the setting to the new players and DMs it needs to survive. Be careful FR fans or your favorite setting will be going to way of Greyhawk in another 7-9yrs. I'm a gaming grognard in age (37) but am against the current grognardisms of maintaining traditions for the sake of nostalgia. Change can be very good and what I am reading about 4e it seems like its going to be very good indeed.



Sundragon

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I too am a fan of the Realms, AND think the Realms need revision.

However, I'm firmly of the mind that this revision needs to take place out of game. There should be no in-game rationale for any changes. The 4E Realms should just be different, no explanation. No more "Time of Troubles"-style events. Save the RSEs for novels, and divorce novels from the campaign setting. Once that is done, you can lock down the Realms like they are doing to Eberron.

 

[Szatany]

Awhile back I put up a poll to get an idea of how many people around here favored change vs. how many wanted the realms to remain the same. Last time I checked the count it was 235 to 139 FOR changing the Forgotten Realms.

My opinion is that the Realms could stand a good spring cleaning, so I’m sorry that I can't join in on your petition.

Peace though,
Sam

Pretty much what he said. Sorry but I like what they are doing.

 

[Obergnom]

We just played. A friend of mine (NOT very sure in realmslore) was DMing. We play Chaos Rising by Necromancer Games. Jubilex is in there, and I suggested to him, he should just use Ghaunadar, no one knows a lot about him, in he replaces Juiblex/Jubilex in the realms...

Who could have known that one of the players in our group just read some novels were it says that an avatar of ghaunadar was slayn 50 years ago by some cleric of Elistrae (He plays a cleric of Elistrae)

... and because the DM is not very firm in realms lore, that overwhelmed him. And he read the whole CS, but in the realms, thats pretty close to knowing nothing when half of your group knows the realms pretty well.



sooooo, no, I will not sign that petition. If I want to play a realmslore heavy game, I have everything I need, with the stuff already published. Actually, it might be a true bessing if that old setting does not evolve anymore... but to get more players into the realms, it is useless! Sorry to say that, but our DM is only running the Realms because the "realms fan players" (me included) in our group like to create characters that use the realms rich background... but I understand it is a pain for him, and he would never do so for a longer campaign.

 

[White_Wizard]

Thanks all for your replies, they are most appreciated even if most disagree with me.
I'm happy the post didn't simply fall unheard: it means that people still cares for the Realms.
Thanks all.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think it needs change.

Probably not that much change, but I like some timeline advancement and the death of Mystra. I can't vote against change in general, however.

 

[see]

The Realms need a reboot, yes. But what they need is a real reboot -- a return to the Year of the Prince -- followed by a temporal lockdown, such that the setting never advances to the Year of Shadows, and a divine lockdown.

Instead, it's getting the Avatar Crisis on Steroids, and it'll just wind up encrufted with all sorts of super-NPC doings and god-centric plots again, this time just a hundred years in the future. And we'll have another clamor for a reboot come 5th Edition.

 

[Mortellan]

Aren't petitions a bit late anyways? If they said we are thinking of doing this or that with the Realms I can see getting a movement going, but its past the point of no return. Drizzt novel, Grand History of the Realms, etc. You can't take those back once they are published.

 

[Obergnom]

The Realms need a reboot, yes. But what they need is a real reboot -- a return to the Year of the Prince -- followed by a temporal lockdown, such that the setting never advances to the Year of Shadows, and a divine lockdown.

Instead, it's getting the Avatar Crisis on Steroids, and it'll just wind up encrufted with all sorts of super-NPC doings and god-centric plots again, this time just a hundred years in the future. And we'll have another clamor for a reboot come 5th Edition.

Yes, that might have been the best thing to do. Or better yet, they could have gone back in time and make it an alternate realms, so they might have changed things, like fewer gods etc.