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

[reanjr]

I love the Dragonlance world and novels. In the past, I hated it as a campaign setting. It just didn't seem very playable for some reason. It had a bit of the mover-and-shaker syndrome that FR is generally known for. And it didn't have the amount of detail to avoid this problem.

In the 3e incarcation, though, I think they've made a truly enjoyable setting for reading and for playing. The more hands off approach of the gods, the non-dominance the major organizations have fallen to (Wizards of High Sorcery, Knights of Solamnia, Knights of Neraka), the problems the elves now face all add up to a much more entertaining world for play.

Even the War of the Lance sourcebook gives all sorts of tools to build your own Ansalon rather than play the published one. The army details, little-known NPCs, etc.

The only disappointment for me so far has been the Beastiary. Not because it's bad in any way, it just doesn't match the SAGA beastiary, a book I consider one of the best of its kind.

 

[reanjr]

And I might add; it's very much a case of vice versa. Speaking from experience - if you are a DL fan, Planescape is generally the setting you hate the most.

I'm a Dragonlance fan. I also LOVE Planescape. The only settings I never got into were Forgotten Realms (and all of its tagalongs like Al Qadim, Kara-Tur, Maztica, etc.), Greyhawk, and Spelljammer. I personally think Planescape and Forgotten Realms are more anathema to one another in the themes.

 

[Logan]

I can sum up everything I hate about Dragonlance in two simple words:

Tinker Gnomes.

 

[Turanil]

When I run again a D&D campaign (if I ever do it), it will be in the Dragonlance setting. Otherwise it will be a heavily houseruled d20 Grim Tales campaign set in Warhammer's Old World. For me, DL is perfect for a traditional, as per the rules, D&D campaign. I will nonetheless do a few alterations to the stories, so it will look like a cross between War of the Lance and Age of Mortals. But no need to rewrite the setting for that.

 

[Captain Tagon]

I can sum up everything I hate about Dragonlance in two simple words:

Tinker Gnomes.

Butwhywouldyoueverhatesuchlovablecreativecreaturesthattalkamill...oh, sorry. I love the tinker gnomes. They make me laugh.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I love Tinker Gnomes, like Kender, enjoyed the initial Chronicles, hate the Next Gen cast and novels, and very much like the d20 products.

I also hate Planescape, so that maybe means I'm a DL fan?

 

[Ottergame]

Butwhywouldyoueverhatesuchlovablecreativecreaturesthattalkamill...oh, sorry. I love the tinker gnomes. They make me laugh.

I think that's the problem, same with kender. You have a serious and dreadful world, and these two races are crammed up it's ass to provide comic relief. They are the square peg hammered into the round hole of Dragonlance.

Oh, and I did not like the Chronicals books, they read like a "paint by numbers" fantasy book, so dry and lifeless.

 

[Ranger REG]

I can sum up everything I hate about Dragonlance in two simple words:

Tinker Gnomes.

Meh. For some reasons I am more interested about tinker gnomes than I am about the other archetypal gnomes (garden gnomes with red pointy hats). Can't really hate them.

However, I'm not fond of gully dwarves.

 

[Draco Paladin]

It's obvious from my screen name that I love Dragonlance. For all it's worth, But I feel that something's gone seriously wrong with the setting.

Unlike many people though, I don't really hate the concept of multiple cataclysms and the strange things like Tinker Gnomes, Kender, etc. I've always felt that a lot of the things people hate about Dragonlance are ideas that could have been brilliantly executed.

Problem is, execution's been spotty. Too many of the novels, stories, and accessories were written by hacks who don't seem to care enough about Krynn to even get their facts straight or even use proper English grammar. And even the top writers of the setting have had their off moments.

Dragonlance now resembles the fascinating, rambling, eclectic mess that is the Forgotten Realms. I find the Realms interesting. But the appeal of Krynn has always been its distinct, focused character.

Because of this, Dragonlance hasn't been aging gracefully. And I've become more and more jaded about the world over the years. The Sovereign Press books are relatively good, and do a decent job of trying to tie up the loose ends and fixing the worse errors of judgment. But the books are a good tune-up for something that I feel is due for an overhaul.

I'm all for an 'Ultimate Dragonlance', in the spirit of Marvel's Ultimate comic book line. Maybe the rumored upcoming Dragonlance movie can be the vehicle for that.

The constellations of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut, Paladine, Draco Paladin) and the Chromatic Dragon (Tiamat, Takhisis, Draco Cerebus) have disappeared forever from Krynn's night sky.

But there is a world where these stars still shine in the heavens. A universe where, like the Dragonlance I fell in love with 20 years ago, the mysterious gods, scheming dragons, terrible cataclysms, and savage wars blaze and rage with terrible glory. It's a planet where elves also sequester themselves in an ancient forest kingdom. Where gnomes create technological wonders.

It's Eberron. Part of me feels it's Dragonlance Done Right. (But with orcs and drow and lycanthropes.) I know that's a hasty generalization. But it's a young setting, and feels like it's crafted with the loving care that went into early Dragonlance. I know people are trying to nurture Krynn back to health now, but I think I'll be spending my vacation in Eberron while Krynn heals.

 

[Ranger REG]

Dragonlance now resembles the fascinating, rambling, eclectic mess that is the Forgotten Realms. I find the Realms interesting. But the appeal of Krynn has always been its distinct, focused character.

Sometimes it can too distinct, too focused. It's like with Middle-Earth, some gamers don't think they can get as much enjoyment from playing in the setting because they will always be second-rate to guys like Aragorn and Gandalf.

No matter what, everyone have different ways of looking at the world from their own angle. Even a franchise as good as Dragonlance is bound to have mediocre tales that will never rate to the epic ones.