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<blockquote data-quote="Glyfair" data-source="post: 3440790" data-attributes="member: 53">Who said it was focused?&nbsp; I think it has an overall theme, but not a particularly focused one.I'm not familiar with the details of FtA, but it's not just that a big war ended.&nbsp; A big war ended without any true resolution, with war simmering ready to break out any second.&nbsp; There are other parallels to the situation in Europe as well.&nbsp; It's not a direct analogue, and it shouldn't be.Who said that's what makes it a pulp setting?&nbsp; I said they were put into the setting to facilitate themes in pulp adventures,&nbsp; There are plenty of settings with airships, for example, that don't have a particular pulp feel.What makes Eberron good at doing certain genres of pulp?1)&nbsp; Action Points:&nbsp; Creates a setting where the heroes have an edge on their opposition (villains don't get action points except in rare situations, and not at a heroes level).&nbsp; Could it be done differently, with a better pulp feel?&nbsp; Sure.&nbsp; That doesn't negate the tool.2)&nbsp; Heroes stand out:&nbsp; Eberron NPCs are NPCs (PC classes are rare), and the PCs don't really have high level characters they can run to for help.&nbsp; Once a PC reaches mid-level, they are movers and shakers.&nbsp; That also means if they fail than there is going to be a big mess, because the backup won't be as powerful as the PCs.3)&nbsp; There are shades of gray in alignment:&nbsp; No, alignment hasn't been eliminated (sticking to the D&amp;D rules was part of the contest rules).&nbsp; However, there are a lot of things that make alignment a much trickier situation in Eberron compared to the standard D&amp;D campaign setting.&nbsp; Consider that even the most chaotic evil priest of the Silver Flame will detect as lawful and good, not as chaotic and evil as one example of this.4)&nbsp; Atmosphere:&nbsp; As I mentioned the campaign has gone to pains to create the atmosphere of the pulps.&nbsp; The political atmosphere is Post-WWI Europe.&nbsp; Xen'drik covers the lost mysterious continent.&nbsp; Lighting Rails and Airships make fast travel much easier, without relying on the teleport spell (which is very, very rare because of the low level of NPCs in the campaign). Something that's rarely mentioned is that the kalashtar and Dreaming Dark conflict draws somewhat from the 50's cold war feel, which was important to the post WWII pulpish fiction.Do these things make it pulp?&nbsp; I wouldn't say that.&nbsp; However they do facilitate the pulp stories.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Glyfair, post: 3440790, member: 53"] Who said it was focused? I think it has an overall theme, but not a particularly focused one. I'm not familiar with the details of FtA, but it's not just that a big war ended. A big war ended without any true resolution, with war simmering ready to break out any second. There are other parallels to the situation in Europe as well. It's not a direct analogue, and it shouldn't be. Who said that's what makes it a pulp setting? I said they were put into the setting to facilitate themes in pulp adventures, There are plenty of settings with airships, for example, that don't have a particular pulp feel. What makes Eberron good at doing certain genres of pulp? 1) Action Points: Creates a setting where the heroes have an edge on their opposition (villains don't get action points except in rare situations, and not at a heroes level). Could it be done differently, with a better pulp feel? Sure. That doesn't negate the tool. 2) Heroes stand out: Eberron NPCs are NPCs (PC classes are rare), and the PCs don't really have high level characters they can run to for help. Once a PC reaches mid-level, they are movers and shakers. That also means if they fail than there is going to be a big mess, because the backup won't be as powerful as the PCs. 3) There are shades of gray in alignment: No, alignment hasn't been eliminated (sticking to the D&D rules was part of the contest rules). However, there are a lot of things that make alignment a much trickier situation in Eberron compared to the standard D&D campaign setting. Consider that even the most chaotic evil priest of the Silver Flame will detect as lawful and good, not as chaotic and evil as one example of this. 4) Atmosphere: As I mentioned the campaign has gone to pains to create the atmosphere of the pulps. The political atmosphere is Post-WWI Europe. Xen'drik covers the lost mysterious continent. Lighting Rails and Airships make fast travel much easier, without relying on the teleport spell (which is very, very rare because of the low level of NPCs in the campaign). Something that's rarely mentioned is that the kalashtar and Dreaming Dark conflict draws somewhat from the 50's cold war feel, which was important to the post WWII pulpish fiction. Do these things make it pulp? I wouldn't say that. However they do facilitate the pulp stories. [/QUOTE]

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