Forgotten Realms vs. Eberron

[Knightfall]

I am VERY intrigued by both settings and want to do a 4e campaign in one VERY badly. I know much more overall about Eberron but FR will be the first campaign setting released for 4e. I am reading through the 3.5 campaign setting books for each one trying to learn as much as I can about them in advance but I may have to end up doing 2 campaigns! One for each setting.

Sell me on one of these settings vs. the other! Why is one better than the other for my 4e setting? What makes each one unique and a blast to adventure in?

I recommend the Realms, but not the new Forgotten Realms. I recommend the old 2e version of the Realms. It has some of the best designed products available and many old classic Realms products can still be downloaded from WotC's website...

Previous Edition Downloads
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads

The classic Realms products are right at the top.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Derren]

I am VERY intrigued by both settings and want to do a 4e campaign in one VERY badly. I know much more overall about Eberron but FR will be the first campaign setting released for 4e. I am reading through the 3.5 campaign setting books for each one trying to learn as much as I can about them in advance but I may have to end up doing 2 campaigns! One for each setting.

Sell me on one of these settings vs. the other! Why is one better than the other for my 4e setting? What makes each one unique and a blast to adventure in?

Considering the huge time jump and changes in FR 4E its probably better to not read any 3E FR books.
Personally I prefer Eberron. The FR is (at least till now) more or less a big middle earth with much more common magic. The problem is that its a medieval world (+ every other real life inspired setting which can be used for fantasy RPGS like ancient egypt, old persian, the viking norse, etc.)with magic tacked on as an afterthought and that the magic doesn't really influence with the society of the world very well. With so powerful and common magic, why isn't it used to improve the live and productivity of the people?

Eberron feels as if the society feels more plausible as magic actually gets used (even though it imo borrows too much from the real world).

 

[Hellcow]

They will both be very different from what they were in 3.x.

If you mean mechanically, obviously this is true. The 4E warforged have already been shown in Dragon, and there will be a version of the artificer this month; things like dragonmarks will also change mechanically. However, I wouldn't say that Eberron will be "very different". At the moment, there are no plans to advance the timeline. The Eberron novels aren't canon, but I expect the novels I've written to make as much sense to someone who picks up the world in 4E as to someone who started in 3E; in fact, the novel I have coming out in November was completed before I'd ever seen any 4E material. So certainly, the unique game mechanics associated with Eberron will change. But I don't expect the fundamental principles of the world to change.

And as I said on my blog, I do think 4E is a great system for Eberron - I'm running two Eberron campaigns at the moment and playing in a third, and having a great time with it.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

Is it weird that I like both settings just about equally? So much so, that if you ask me what my favorite setting is, I'm as likely to answer the Realms as I am Eberron?

/shrug.

 

[daddystabz]

If you mean mechanically, obviously this is true. The 4E warforged have already been shown in Dragon, and there will be a version of the artificer this month; things like dragonmarks will also change mechanically. However, I wouldn't say that Eberron will be "very different". At the moment, there are no plans to advance the timeline. The Eberron novels aren't canon, but I expect the novels I've written to make as much sense to someone who picks up the world in 4E as to someone who started in 3E; in fact, the novel I have coming out in November was completed before I'd ever seen any 4E material. So certainly, the unique game mechanics associated with Eberron will change. But I don't expect the fundamental principles of the world to change.

And as I said on my blog, I do think 4E is a great system for Eberron - I'm running two Eberron campaigns at the moment and playing in a third, and having a great time with it.

Wow! Thanks for posting your thoughts in this thread I started, Keith! I really appreciate you chiming in. I almost got to meet you last year at GenCon and was going to have you sign my Eberron players guide but I barely missed you. I hope to meet you this year. I completely intend to run an Eberron game in 4e and am awaiting the 4e books for Eberron with huge anticipation. Thanks for creating a world where the players are the heroes!

 

[Mercule]

All I can do is give you personal preferrence. I like classic psuedo-Medieval fantasy with a dash of Conan mixed in -- basic core D&D. IMO, the Realms is possibly the worst way to build a setting that technically matches that definition. It was bad when it was released in a gray box and has only festered with age. I cannot recommend any pre-4e version of the setting, and have honestly been hoping for it to be discontinued since about 1990. To me, it is the Lorraine Williams era of D&D made manifest, with a few Mary Sues thrown in for good measure.

That said, it sounds like the 4e Realms will be one of the biggest shake-ups of a setting, ever. Even I am planning to view it as a new setting, rather than an update of an existing one. Based on my understanding of the scope of changes in the new setting books, I don't think anyone has enough information to actually compare FR to anything. It is not what it was.

As far as Eberron, as I said, I like my D&D classic in feel. But, there is something about the Eberron setting that entertains me. I prefer to downplay the warforged and Sharn, but the rest of the setting is interesting and well done. As has been said, the religions feel more "real" because of the distant gods and the factions and interpretations within each. The history feels both fantastic (with an Age of Demons) and "realistic" (with the ancestral lands and moves to reclaim them). There is a sense of something larger at work, but it isn't a factor in every adventure, or even every campaign.

When Eberron is released next year, I will be getting the books. I don't know that it'll ever be my primary setting -- I like to home brew too much. I do know that I'll enjoy the books, though, and it'll be good standby if I want to run a pick-up game or adventure path. And, for as easy as swapping critters around is in 4e, adding a bit of the signature Eberron flavor should be pretty clean.

 

[Hellcow]

I almost got to meet you last year at GenCon and was going to have you sign my Eberron players guide but I barely missed you. I hope to meet you this year.

I'll see you there, then. Keep an eye on my livejournal (gloomforge.livejournal.com) - I'll be posting my Gencon schedule there as the date draws closer.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Eberron seems a good fit for 4e. It's the most cinematic campaign setting published for D&D. Indiana Jones and The Maltese Falcon were important sources and action points are intended to encourage cinematic action. 4e is also cinematic as evidenced by minions and the increased importance of movement and terrain in combat.

 

[blargney the second]

I'd love to play 4e Eberron right now. There're some parts that'd be tricky to convert over at the moment, but you could cover the rest quite nicely!
-blarg

 

[Doug McCrae]

I know for a fact that innkeeper is an 18th+ level fighter.

Yeah, I was reading Ruins of Undermountain today and the dungeon portal inn is really run by an 18th level fighter.

I think the problem with FR is Ed loved his setting, and especially his NPCs, so much he made it unbreakable. The PCs can never affect anything because it's all so uber high level. They're at the mercy of all these whimsical oversexed wizards who are pretty much stand-ins for Ed as DM.

It's almost the exact opposite of Conan's Hyborian Age, which is low magic, anti-wizard, brutal and red-blooded. A world that can be changed by a single strong man. Forgotten Realms is a high magic, pro-wizard, pro-elf, fey, decadent, eternal, indestructible (except when the gods get bored and decide to change everything) Canadian hippy swinger party.