Is it time for a new setting?

[ProfessorCirno]

What part of "almost cover to cover" did you not comprehend? I'm sure I can provide definitions from dictionary.com to help you understand what almost means in that context.

"Have you read the Artificer section?"
"No, I just glossed over it.
"So you HAVEN'T read all of the Eberron book?"
"Of course I did, I read it almost cover to cover."
"...So the very large number of pages dedicated to Artificers...you read those?"
"No, there is in fact a large chunk of the book I did not read."
"So you haven't read the book completely?"
"Don't be asinine, I've read the entire thing."


See why this is an issue?

 

[MindWanderer]

Why I don't Like Eberron

1. It's poodoo.

Lucid argument, there.

2. It's a melting pot of everything D&D. In unreasonable ways. It's like they tried to take every splatbook, every monster manual, and every monster and race out of those books and cram them all into one setting. Along with steamcrunk.

Yes, they did. To do otherwise would prevent players from being able to use their favorite material in that setting. And aside from the steampunk factor, how is this different from FR, Grayhawk, or the new implied default setting? Why design a setting that is specifically incompatible with core products? No reason I can think of.

3. It's disjointed. Even though it's a melting pot, it's more like a um... mixing pot where the oil and water are missing the emulsifier or whatever it is that's used to blend the elements together.

Let me try to infer meaning from this: you feel like the various elements in Eberron don't mesh with each other--that the political turmoil, the Xen'drik ruins-fest, the threats of the Quori and the Daelkyr, the Draconic Prophecy, etc. don't work well in the same setting. That's a valid criticism. I disagree with it--I think those elements work perfectly well together, but more importantly it gives players and DMs many different plotlines to work with, from low- to epic-levels--but it's a resaonable opinion.

4. It wasn't created to be unique or have a specific theme. It was created specifically for a silly contest. Something as important as a campaign setting should be more than just something you throw together. It should have meaning to the builder. It should make sense overall. It shouldn't feel like a patchwork quilt from different D&D sources. Unles of course it specifically is a patchwork through planar tears in the barriers between primes and other stuff...

It absolutely was made to have a specific theme. It's not quite as obvious as Planescape, Spelljammer, Dark Sun, or Ravenloft, but it has at least as much theme as Dragonlance and Birthright. And I actually think a less-obvious theme is a good thing; once you've played in Dark Sun for a campaign, you don't really want to play in it again for a long time.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

It absolutely was made to have a specific theme. It's not quite as obvious as Planescape, Spelljammer, Dark Sun, or Ravenloft, but it has at least as much theme as Dragonlance and Birthright. And I actually think a less-obvious theme is a good thing; once you've played in Dark Sun for a campaign, you don't really want to play in it again for a long time.

God, yes. Dark Sun is fun every so often, but my players can only take so much of it before going "Ok, enough with snapping the bones of our allies to make crude weapons. Can we swing on chandeliers now?"

 

[Aria Silverhands]

"Have you read the Artificer section?"
"No, I just glossed over it.
"So you HAVEN'T read all of the Eberron book?"
"Of course I did, I read it almost cover to cover."
"...So the very large number of pages dedicated to Artificers...you read those?"
"No, there is in fact a large chunk of the book I did not read."
"So you haven't read the book completely?"
"Don't be asinine, I've read the entire thing."


See why this is an issue?

It's one pathetic class which I have heard many people complain about because it's cheese. People whose opinion I trust. So what if I haven't read the class crap about the artificer? It's only ONE class out of the entire book of fluff and junk.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

It's one pathetic class which I have heard many people complain about because it's cheese. People whose opinion I trust. So what if I haven't read the class crap about the artificer? It's only ONE class out of the entire book of fluff and junk.

Stop saying you read the book if you obviously haven't.

 

[Kishin]

yeah whatever. Firefly and eberron have nothing in common. Try again.

That just showcases the breadth of your ignorance. I'm sorry the concept of pulps are foreign to you.

The whole damn setting. It's been stated by Keith that the setting was specifically made to try and put in as much of D&D as possible and WotC has been doing that ever since.

I love how many people misconstrue that quote. Especially since its been clarified a half dozen time since then. Tirian beat me to reposting the most obvious, though.

You haven't answered the question.

They're crystal clear points, imo.

I've stood in murky puddles after rainstorms that have possessed more clarity. You lack a single concrete example for anything you've said.

It's one pathetic class which I have heard many people complain about because it's cheese. People whose opinion I trust. So what if I haven't read the class crap about the artificer? It's only ONE class out of the entire book of fluff and junk.

You really can't make a lucid argument without resorting to childish mockery, namecalling and cursing, can you?

(To be fair, though, the artificer is a very easy class to optimize. But then again, its not like spellcasting classes werent already breaking the game with relative ease.)

 

[Belorin]

Have you thought about a deathcage match? Last person standing is right?

I voted yes in the poll simply because, of the settings currently available, most are tied to a specific genre and these genres more often than not don't quite fit the new edition. Yes they can be adapted and will be as WotC releases them on an annual basis. Most people have a concept of D&D and many don't see certain settings as fitting that concept.
For example, myself:
Greyhawk; when I started playing this was the setting as in the only setting.
Dragonlance; it didn’t click for me, draconians, tinker gnomes and it had kender.
Forgotten Realms; this was the setting for me, it just clicked with my D&D concept.
Kara-Tur, Maztica and Al-Qadim; although technically a part of the FR, not my cup o' tea.
Dark Sun; Mad Max with magic and psionics, definitely not my concept.
Ravenloft; I played Call of Cthulhu for horror, but Ravenloft was more gothic and I liked it.
Birthright; I prefer the small adventuring party as opposed to nation ruling.
Council of Worms; again not my concept.
Mystara; even though we played a majority of the modules we adapted them to AD&D rules.
Planescape; too much intrigue and not my concept.
Spelljammer; I don’t know why I liked this so much, it just clicked with me.
Eberron; magi-tech, warforged, not my concept.
PoL; I kind of like the fact that all those locations from classic modules show up here. Would like to see maps and support for it.

New setting; I see a setting that has elements of western and eastern cultures as well as varying levels of civilization. A place where the Paladins Code and Bushido both are valid.


Bel

 

[Kishin]

Have you thought about a deathcage match? Last person standing is right?

Only if we can get a large enough crowd of people to chant 'two men enter, one man leaves' outside of said cage.

Speaking of Maztica (Well, at least Belorin was) wasn't there something about it being retconned out of the new realms? Did I hallucinate that?

 

[MindWanderer]

Speaking of Maztica (Well, at least Belorin was) wasn't there something about it being retconned out of the new realms? Did I hallucinate that?

Nothing whatsoever has been retconned. They've been adamant about that. I gather that it basically blew up during the Spellplague, and was replaced by the continent with the brand-new dragonborn empire which gated in from Abeir.

 

[Green Knight]

I voted no. I want to see some of the old settings converted to 4E before a new one comes out. Especially those settings which aren't run-of-the-mill D&D settings, like Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, and Spelljammer.