Is Eberron a dead world yet?

[El Ravager]

Ironically, my original comment about making an Eberron console RPG was only peripherally related to this discussion. I specifically meant a console-STYLE, or Japanese-style (JRPG) if you prefer, game, to target a different demographic than what the existing Forgotten Realms games were drawing on. IE, turn-based, story-driven, 'railroad' plot with explorable extras, and so on. Just to, y'know, sort of bring the thread back around to Eberron, and all.

Yeah, when someone references computer RPGs versus console RPGs this is that sort of thing that comes to my mind rather than any issues of hardware and whatnot. Console RPGs play very different from Baldur's Gate or NWN, etc. I really like both. While it might seem counter-intuitive for a DnD brand to be slapped on a console RPG, I think it might actually be cool. A Final Fantasy esque game with Eberron characters, plot, and theme. Could bring it to a whole new market.

 

[Crothian]

Totally agree. The adventures have not supported the "as advertised" look and feel of the setting (high action pulp). The first three, I thought, were abyssmal, actually. Secrets and Explorers at least gives you tools to build your own on the fly.

The first three adventures while not that great were pulp. There were chases, and battles on the trains and the airships. It had out of the way mystically locations and plenty of pulp elements.

 

[Shadeydm]

I can honestly say that I really detest Eberron, I don't need robots, trains and flying ships in my DnD game.
It feels like DnD by Fox Television no thanks its bad enough watching sports on Fox with all the little robot graphics etc /vomits.

 

[JustKim]

/vomits.

BLACKMOOR, QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS, EARTHSHAKER, EXPEDITION TO THE BARRIER PEAKS, HOLLOW WORLD, THE PRINCESS ARK, SPELLJAMMER AND REVERSE DUNGEON NEVER HAPPENED.

 

[Glyfair]

Totally agree. The adventures have not supported the "as advertised" look and feel of the setting (high action pulp).

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. "Chimes at Midnight" from Dungeon #133 is a great Eberron adventure that has a true pulpish feel and plays very well (plus Mr. Logue will have a sequel in a future issue).

There are other quality Eberron adventures in Dungeon ("Steel Shadows" comes to mind) but "Chimes at Midnight" stands out from the crowd.

 

[Wombat]

I am coming into this late, but have a couple of questions and comments, primarily as an outsider.

First up, one of my players, otherwise not much of a fan of D&D/D20, really likes the Eberron setting and is threatening to run it when I next take a break from behind the screen (this summer). I must admit that I am intrigued to find out what he finds so interesting about the setting.

Second, as far as I can tell from my FLGS (and the NSFLGS [Not So...]), Eberron seems to be a huge hit with the customers. People seem to be looking forward more to Eberron than anything to do with Forgotten Realms (and Greyhawk is entirely a dead issue locally).

Third, I am wondering what most people think of when they think of "pulp". Part of this comes from my own background (my father, a child of the 1930s, secretly loved his pulps, mainly because they were cheap throwaways and definitely did not have the literary merit that my grandmother kept trying to foist on him; a friend of mine had an uncle professionally wrote pulps, aka almost no money for a lot of work, churning out over 300 titles, 90+% of them "oaters"/Westerns) and partially because the word seems to be used to actually mean a genre, when during their heyday it merely designated lowbrow, low cost reads.

So what does "pulp" mean to you and how does Eberron differ from pulp?

Again, please recognize that I know very little about the setting.

 

[Glyfair]

So what does "pulp" mean to you and how does Eberron differ from pulp?

Well pulp has a lot of different genres. In my experience, when someone talks about "pulp" as a genre they are usually referring to pulp heroes (the Shadow, the Spider, Doc Savage) or the adventure genre (Indiana Jones). That's one genre that Eberron could do pretty well (admittedly, there has been little exploration of this genre, with "Chimes at Midnight" being the purest example, IMO).

Other pulp genres that Eberron directly supports: detective/mystery, lost worlds, horror/occult, war, "Men's Adventure". With some adaption the western & science fiction genres could be adapted as well. About the only ones that would be a bear to try would be sports and romance, but I suppose the right group could try it.

 

[Driddle]

What exactly is "happening in gaming today" that would give you that impression and what do you consider to be a "dead world"?

Oh, you know, silly: The way people post comments apropos of nothing, predicting the end of Eberron. Every time it happens, it gives me a brief impression.

Heck, just rereading my own message now has me worried about Eberron. <-- And this preceding sentence has compounded my anxieties.

The end MUST be nigh!

 

[Waldorf]

Yeah, but he also got killed by a group of kamikaze nilbogs.

I've got room for you in my salt mines...

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I've got room for you in my salt mines...

No, the salt mines are home of one of the richest, most powerful, and widespread family of dwarfs.

Google Wieliczka - there are salt mines that are places of pride. I see no reason not do so in Eberron as well.

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