Give DAWNFORGE some love!

[Le Noir Faineant]

Hey,

So, the other day, in some of the secret chambers of the good Comeback Inn,
I made the case for one of my more obscure RPG items in my collection:

The Dawnforge d20 setting, as released by FFG, which I hold as some of my favorite possessions!

Yet, I had to find out that it was discontinued after only two splatbooks,
and as of today, has practically vanished from the internet's collective memory.

How's that, and does anybody still play? Did anybody EVER play?

Yours,

Rafe

 

[Yora]

I was really quite interested in it, but it seems to take the approach of a magically created world in which the supernatural is still very strong, before it started to fade as in most generic fantasy worlds.
I am a much bigger fan of the evolutionary approach, where the humanoid races have just evolved from primitive creatures and are starting to discover new technolgies and magic.
In Dawnforge, the world seems to have started with magic and sophisticaton at the maximum, which then will slowly decrease over thousands of generations until there is only a purely mundane world left. While there is some charm in that, it just doesn't seem to be very interesting in the long run. I didn't read the book completely, but the world really didn't seem new and interesting to me.

 

[TheYeti1775]

I actually liked Dawnforge's approach.
Played in a regular campaign for it till I moved a distance away that didn't allow me to attend the weekly game anymore. It's still going on strong as well. I think it was an ad in the old Gamers meeting Gamers forum here that I found that game.

I even have multiple copies of the three books and have given the three book set as Christmas presents.

One thing you have to remember is changing the party's CR rating as suggested. I believe levels 3-7 is a +1 and > 7 is a +2 to the CR rating.
It's not a level adjustment, just takes into account the party base characters are stronger because of the customized race buld mechanic to the system.

It's actually that mechanic that I like best as well as the 'everything is new' for the world.

It's actually a strength and curse of the world to only have three books. A strength because $40 and you have all three books (main, player supplement, module) and that you don't have 50 splat books running out of things ending up with Volo's Guide to Yeti's Outhouse.
A curse because they don't offer anything in the way of support for it now and when it came out you had a little used forum that was it.

One other item of note for it, for any that use it. It was originally written with 3.0E in mind not 3.5E. Nothing major, just something to factor when reading the stat blocks.

 

[Starman]

I was really quite interested in it, but it seems to take the approach of a magically created world in which the supernatural is still very strong, before it started to fade as in most generic fantasy worlds.
I am a much bigger fan of the evolutionary approach, where the humanoid races have just evolved from primitive creatures and are starting to discover new technolgies and magic.
In Dawnforge, the world seems to have started with magic and sophisticaton at the maximum, which then will slowly decrease over thousands of generations until there is only a purely mundane world left. While there is some charm in that, it just doesn't seem to be very interesting in the long run. I didn't read the book completely, but the world really didn't seem new and interesting to me.

It's hinted at being that way, but there's no reason you have to play it that way. You can completely ignore the few paragraphs by the future historian discussing that and play out the future of the setting however you envision it.

That was one of the most exciting parts of the setting to me, the fact that it really emphasized that the world was mostly young (save the yuan-ti) and that there was so many ways for the world to go. Dawnforge is one of my favorite settings and I wish it would have attracted more attention when it came out.

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

Ooooh, spammers! Good morning!


As to DF, I agree, and I disagree.

I have to say, at this point in my gaming "career", I really look less for settings to dissect, and more if the overall image is appealing.

DF's core adventures were moody enough, if not perfect, and the rest of the setting was fairly charming as well. But, yeah, it's fairly standard epic fantasy, and can't the hide the Tolkien and the WoW.

But is that really a disadvantage? I don't think so. Rather than that, I like to tread on fresh, yet well-known grounds. The mini-campaign "Path of Legend" was pretty nice, too, and so it can make for a few nice months of gaming, at the very least.

Now, of course, there's a lot of equal or better stuff out, but overall, I think Dawnforge can stand its own ground. Like, probably one of the less likely books to make it to my ebay box.

 

[Lwaxy]

I only have the core book - what splat books are there?

 

[Starman]

I only have the core book - what splat books are there?

Unfortunately only a player's book (which was mostly fantastic) and an adventure (which was okay, if not great).

 

[TheYeti1775]

I only have the core book - what splat books are there?

You have the main book, Age of Legend (player splat) and Path of Legend (module).

AOL is on Amazon right now for $9.

 

[Greatwyrm]

Also:

RPGNow.com - The leading source for indie RPGs

 

[Treebore]

Never ran it, but stole lots of ideas from it, especially stuff relating to the druid class.