Okay so you hate Dragonlance, how can the current designers improve it?

[DragonLancer]

You prefer to run a non-linear adventure, and let the players take you to what story they want to make, instead of you?

You must be good at improv.

If your're thinking of dungeon crawl modules, well, yes, I'll give you that. Otherwise, sure I want the players to have a say as to where the action goes, not the author.

 

[Banshee16]

Taladas is essentially a campaign setting in its own right, and although it shares many things in common with the core setting of Ansalon I think it has entirely different thematic and design goals. So, while it's cool that it's finally seeing some attention (beginning next month with the novel Blades of the Tiger by Chris Pierson) I don't think it's the "Dragonlance solution" so to speak.

Cheers,
Cam

Taladas has always retained a pretty high level of respect among everyone I've talked to who knew about it. The thread is about how to improve the line, and Taladas is part of the setting. Many of us would be very eager to be able to visit it in 3E..

Banshee

 

[Steel_Wind]

That would not be accurate. When Taladas was released, it bombed. Sales were not good at all.

Over time, it gained some admiration and respect and popularity grew for Taladas.

Problem is, the people who really like DragonLance? Current cutomers? One whose money you have a reasonable chance of plying out of their pockets?

Novels is what they want. So that's what WotC is going to give them. What novels get written and set where is not up to Sov Press - it's up to Wizard's publishing. Margaret Weis can control what she's goingto write - but she is not a series editor and cannot control what others will do.

There is yet another land mass being investigated and explored now in the Linsha Majere trilogy (which I have not read). THe third novel in the series contains the map to the new area.

The one thing on Krynn which is convenient about their continental land masses being so small. Always plenty of room for more, if that's your thing.

 

[Odhanan]

I'd like a DL campaign setting that allows me to play.

That is:
1/ a campaign setting that doesn't require from me to read the War of Souls or any other DL novels or any other era sourcebook.
2/ a campaign setting that isn't just a description of lands and rulers. I want campaign hooks. I want something exciting my imagination. Not the imagination of the authors enforced over mine.
3/ I want a clear organization of this book, making it a usable resource. As it is the DLCS is not clearly organized, IMO.

And that's it. If you read my wishes carefully, you'll see that would basically ask an entire rewriting of the setting, in form and overall background feel.

 

[Cam Banks]

And that's it. If you read my wishes carefully, you'll see that would basically ask an entire rewriting of the setting, in form and overall background feel.

Have you seen the War of the Lance campaign sourcebook? Because I think it addresses a lot of these problems.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[scourger]

I thought about picking up the DLCS d20 book along with The Key of Destiny after downloading a free sample of the adventure. I didn't because I realized that I have enough standard and non-standard fantasy d20 games to last me a lifetime of gaming. I've got over 40 issues of Dungeon just for d20 now (I sold off about 40 for AD&D when I purged that system from my holdings a couple of months ago). I've been running the Shackled City for 6 months and am still in the second adventure. I also hold onto finishing the Judge Dredd d20 modules, running The Last Hero in Scandinavia linked to Mesopotamia, and maybe even running an all-jedi Star Wars game with just the core book and free WotC downloads (I've got to get some use out out of all those minis!); not to mention my core/Greyhawk campaing that has been on hiatus for 2-3 years now and a few other new products on the horizon that look intriguing. There is just too much other material out there that I want to run for me to pick up DL for an epic campaing, as enticing as it is.

After skimming this thread, I checked out dragonlance.com and the DL classics mdoules at rpgnow.com. I read the original trilogy about 10 years ago and enjoyed it, althoug I recall little of it now. The new Age of Mortals Campaign looks exciting, but it would require a lot of books. In addition to the module, I need the PHB, DMG, MM & DLCS; and the Age of Mortals Sourcebook is recommended. It's just too much information, money and weight. There are about 10 DL d20 products on the schedule and only 2 of them are modules. It should be about 4 modules, in my opinion. One module for every sourcebook that gets released. And they should not be delayed or spaced a year apart.

I might be interested in a 3.5 update for the DL Classics Modules. It's a little too much work for me to get them and convert them myself. But buying them all for under $15 on 3 pdfs feels like more of a bargain than investing in the d20 epic. I don't care if the modules railroad the players into the adventures. I'm sure Bilbo Baggins felt railroaded in The Hobbit as did Frodo and almost everyone in The Lord of the Rings. I would tend to think that those moduels are classic for a reason. And they probably present all the "setting" information right in the modules.

So, there are my answers to the question. Little can be done at this point to get me into DL d20 since the opportunity cost is too high, but the buy-in could be cheaper. A d20 update of the classic modules could be very cool (but again don't make it contingent on buying 1 or more setting books).

 

[Ranger REG]

Reworking DL into a playable setting would be more effort than just writing a new setting. They'd need to disown about 150 novels...

Meh. I didn't like anything in the 5th Age, when DL went SAGA. So, I ignore that period. Are they going to send a DL police after me for ignoring novel canon? Puh-lease. I'd like to see Dragonhelm try and put the cuff on me.



Sighs. You guys are letting the novels dictate your own DL campaign setting. DON'T. As with Forgotten Realms, I firmly believe that a novel character should never be statted into a game character.

 

[Ranger REG]

If your're thinking of dungeon crawl modules, well, yes, I'll give you that. Otherwise, sure I want the players to have a say as to where the action goes, not the author.

Even if the author is your DM?

 

[Dragonhelm]

Meh. I didn't like anything in the 5th Age, when DL went SAGA. So, I ignore that period. Are they going to send a DL police after me for ignoring novel canon? Puh-lease. I'd like to see Dragonhelm try and put the cuff on me.

What, and take away the foremost supporter of Kara-Tur that I know? I don't think so.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I'd like a DL campaign setting that allows me to play.

That is:
1/ a campaign setting that doesn't require from me to read the War of Souls or any other DL novels or any other era sourcebook.
2/ a campaign setting that isn't just a description of lands and rulers. I want campaign hooks. I want something exciting my imagination. Not the imagination of the authors enforced over mine.
3/ I want a clear organization of this book, making it a usable resource. As it is the DLCS is not clearly organized, IMO.

And that's it. If you read my wishes carefully, you'll see that would basically ask an entire rewriting of the setting, in form and overall background feel.

If you looked at Sov Press' War of the Lance, you would see that every one of these requests - every one of them - is addressed by the book.