James Wyatt + FR!?

[A'koss]

ILook at it this way. Would a 35th Level PC go and slaughter the goblin tribe that's threatening some small village?

Although getting a little off-topic, it does touch upon something I hope they address in 4e.

My answer is to the question is - Why shouldn't he, if it's only going to take 5 minutes out his day? Teleport w/o error in, salt the earth the goblins, teleport back... then go have breakfast.

If you curtail just 2 things with spellcasters - teleportation & divination, then you take away the bulk of the strain HL NPC characters can put on a campaign setting. Because if they have to rely on conventional means of gathering information (spies, informants, runners & rumors - all of varying levels of reliability) and actually having to travel the intervening distance between points A & B, then there is far, far more incentive to have others deal with "smaller" issues.

HL characters will always have to be wary of being led away to deal with decoy problems, while a real threat strikes at thier homes. If you know it's going to take days or weeks before you'll be able to return home again, you can bet they'll be very discriminating about what what problems they do decide to go after...

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Edit: But Greyhawk is not a good example. The FR will always have their novels, which have a much larger influence than any Living Campaign could ever have. They will never be "simple".

Were you aware that the FR novel department and the RPGA Living FR administration are going to coordinate stories?

 

[Turjan]

Were you aware that the FR novel department and the RPGA Living FR administration are going to coordinate stories?

Sure I am. Why? And why should this concern me?

 

[Flynn]

Or, say, look at Traveller, first after the assassination of Strephon and then after the Virus. There's a reason every version of Trav issued since TNE has been set either before Stephon was killed or in an alternate universe where he wasn't killed.

As an aside, see, you might want to check out TNE 1248 by Avenger Enterprises, which blows away your expressed sentiment above :
http://www.comstar-games.com/csg-st...th=1_9&zenid=13ca15f973565af311a42cdec6545061

And now, back to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress...

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[see]

Rebooting the setting to junk Elminster, and his cronies, and Drizzt, and his cronies, and all the other people that solve all the PC's problems, or randomly show up to stomp a mudhole in the plans of Evil PC's sounds like a good thing to me.

Given that they've announced they're not doing anything to Drizzt or Elminster with this reboot, you're in favor of it why, exactly?

 

[see]

As an aside, see, you might want to check out TNE 1248 by Avenger Enterprises, which blows away your expressed sentiment above

Hmm, okay, my categorical was wrong.

(It's still just one line out of seven [T4, T20, GURPS Traveller, Trav classic reprints, BITS, the upcoming T5], and won't have its license renewed under the Mongoose deal.)

 

[Brewhammer]

Every shared world needs a reboot on occasion.

And there will be hue and cry from the established fanbase when that happens.

Ask Marvel and DC, they'll tell you.

I just asked Marvel and they wanted me to tell you that they haven't rebooted.

 

[3catcircus]

Until you realize there is this thing called Living Forgotten Realms coming down the line. Your suggestion is not even close to an option then.

I would beg to differ. Living Forgotten Realms will almost certainly have certain elements of the campaign setting that are restricted (e.g. no evil characters, PCs can't be from certain regions, races, or classes, etc.). This is no different than the DM in a home campaign imposing restrictions or choosing certain elements to emphasize over others.

 

[smerwin29]

On the topic of the RPGA running a Living FR campaign and its effect on the development of and continuing relevance to the FR setting, I think it is wise to not overstate things in either direction, especially with all the misinformation and prejudice about the organization out there already.

No one knows for sure how the Living FR campaign is going to integrate with the development of the setting, probably not even the people at RPGA HQ. The only public statement concerning this I am aware of was made by RPGA Content Manager Chris Tulach at GenCon 2007, where he said something to this effect: there was buy-in on the campaign from the Novels department, and wouldn't it be cool if the characters in a novel took one path, and the PCs in a Living FR adventure got to take the other path. Some have complained that the whole FR concept for 4e is being done because of the RPGA. That is laughable. The RPGA does not have that sort of power within WotC.

On the other hand, let's not understate the value of the RPGA to WotC, and not just as a marketing and OP vehicle. The RPGA is at the vanguard of 4e playtesting for a reason, and the Novels department at WotC is enthusiastic about RPGA interaction for a reason. The RPGA membership is large and diverse, and it is ever-growing. The RPGA play environment is one of the few good ways that WotC has to see in a reliable manner how the game is being played and what the players think about things on a large scale. It is one of the few ways that, if WotC wanted to let players help dictate the direction of a setting's development, they could do that. Yes, there are other ways they could do it, but none that WotC has as much control over and easy access to.

So while what happens in the RPGA does not--and should not--affect what happens in a home campaign or drive the development of the setting, people should not be surprised if an RPGA-run campaign does have an impact on a setting or the peripherals.

 

[Gwathlas]

Just that it looks more like they are clarifying what they are doing and why. "For the Forgotten Realms, the decision has been made. It wasn't made in a vacuum, it wasn't made without any input from outside these walls, and it wasn't made lightly." Looks like they've done what they are going to do and are going to be very careful about how they present it. It won't be so much "BOO! MYSTRA IS DEAD AGAIN! BOOGA BOOGA!" or whatever has spooked some folks, but something with smoother edges that is easier to swallow.

First I'm done buying any wotc/hasbro product from mini's to novels to rules. They get no more money from me. Second if they keep smoothing down the edges their new game is going to make Axis and Allies seem complex.

Your welcome to the anime combat system and the wreck they are making of the Realms.
I'm perfectly happy with 3.5 and none of their improvemtns excites or impresses me in the least. My players with Rapid will still get 2 shots, so much for starwars and dragons!