D&D 4E FR 4E SPOILER - Grand Histoy of the Realms info

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There's a school of thought that runs that it's better for a franchise to be cancelled than to keep moving in a bad direction. That then opens the door for the following sequence of events:

1) The IP lies fallow for a number of years.
2) At some later point, a new group takes charge. This new management team look at the property, recognise all the wonderful things about the setting before it was 'messed up', and decide to do something about it.
3) The IP is relaunched. In essence, it returns to its roots, the way it was before it was 'messed up', while at the same time coming up-to-date with all the latest trends and techniques.

A very successful, albeit controversial, example of this is Battlestar Galactica. Another is Doctor Who.

Well, Dr. Who not as much, since it self-retcons whenever there's a new actor. The Time War happening off-screen is as close as that gets.

In any case, the theory hasn't worked out for Greyhawk, Spelljammer, Planescape, Birthright, Mystara, Al-Qadim, Maztica, Kara-Tur, Jakandor or Dark Sun.

Hoping 4E FR dies so that it'll be reborn as a retro setting in 5E or 6E ignores that it simply doesn't happen with D&D settings. The closest it's come is with Ravenloft, but that setting's barely ever been out of print, even if the version in print hasn't always been to every fan's liking.

(And yeah, I know you don't agree with the theory, either, but you did lay it out very nicely for me to respond to.)

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey all!

It would be cool if Elminster became a villain.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

I totally approve of these changes. FR4e just moved from "maybe" to "must-buy". Everything sounds good so far.

 

[Glyfair]

It would be cool if Elminster became a villain.

I'm still voting with Elminster taking over the magic deity role. Of course, the two situations aren't necessarily incompatible.

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

Comparing the FR novels to Tolkien seems... somehow very wrong... even as someone who dislikes the over-emphasis placed on Tolkien... just not right...

I mean, some FR novels are certainly decent fantasy novels, but good lord, the rest are pretty questionable...

I find him dry to the point of unreadable, having sacrificed character on the altar of detail. I respect him immensely as a world builder and linguist, very little as writer. He does get a nod for volume of words.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I find him dry to the point of unreadable, having sacrificed character on the altar of detail. I respect him immensely as a world builder and linguist, very little as writer. He does get a nod for volume of words.

It's impossible for me to agree more with your assessment of Tolkien, yet even then, I've read the Moonshae books, and some of the later Drizzt novels, and, god help me, the Time of Troubles novels, and really, even I, legendary Tolkien-hater, could never say "this stuff is as good as Tolkien!".

Of course, I liked the first two-three Alias novels, so I can probably shut up, eh?

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I find him dry to the point of unreadable, having sacrificed character on the altar of detail. I respect him immensely as a world builder and linguist, very little as writer. He does get a nod for volume of words.

At the risk of a mass lynching, I'll say that I too despise Tolkien.
The movies were better than the books.

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

It's impossible for me to agree more with your assessment of Tolkien, yet even then, I've read the Moonshae books, and some of the later Drizzt novels, and, god help me, the Time of Troubles novels, and really, even I, legendary Tolkien-hater, could never say "this stuff is as good as Tolkien!".

Of course, I liked the first two-three Alias novels, so I can probably shut up, eh?

Wow. If they're bad enough to bother someone who enjoys Alias novels, I may have to revise my opinion. Though in fairness, I should point out Tolkien was merely a handy example of an author whose reception could be mixed; it could as easily have been Stephen King.

The movies were better than the books.

Agreed.

 

[Remathilis]

You KNOW this makes an Eberron fan VERY, VERY nervous right?

 

[Fobok]

You KNOW this makes an Eberron fan VERY, VERY nervous right?

Why? Forgotten Realms has a history of major (aka Realms-Shaking) events. It's what sells the novel line. Eberron, on the other hand, seems designed to go the complete opposite way.