Points of Light and the Forgotten Realms

[Tharen the Damned]

If nothing else, it might encourage the old man to keep his pants buttoned up a little more often in the new edition.

Hah, this is why he should NEVER EVER be the Headmaster of a wizarding school ala Dumbledore. He would be chasing the girls instead of helping the half orc boy with the strange mark on his face. The only male half orc ever to be attack by Tromedlov, the Master of the CCC and still alive....

 

[grimslade]

That being said, I'd love to see a one-off "Mirror Universe" Forgotten Realms. That would be pretty cool.

Would everyone have to have goatees to prove they were 'evil'. Would Elminster have no beard?

 

[Uzzy]

So, why not, just like you didn't have an Elven Crusade in your game, not have the 100 year jump forward? Maybe even have a high-level campaign where your players can stop the spellplague. (Once we know more about what it is.)

Heh. I've no intention of having a 100 Year Jump, but you missed my point which I explained in my previous post.

While I am not using the Elven Crusade in my Realms, I'm still finding lots of use for various Realms products being released, such as Dragons of Faerún, Magic of Faerún, Power of Faerún. I'm not using the Elven Crusade, but that doesn't stop City of Splendours: Waterdeep from being very useful to me. Infact, many people who have variant, non canonical realms can find uses from the various sourcebooks put out. I'm happy recommending them to friends who play the Forgotten Realms.

If, however, there is a 100 Year Jump, it's effectively become another setting entirely, with none of the flavour of the current realms. Sure, Drizzt and Elminster might still be around, but as I said before, if Waterdeep, Cormyr, Sembia and the Dalelands have been drastically changed, my use for sourcebooks detailing those realms in 4th Edition is nil. This would make me upset, as I quite enjoy buying Forgotten Realms sourcebooks. It is not wise to make new fans by dumping the old ones, as the old fans of a setting are most likely to stick with it.

Elminster being perpetually out of town requires more suspension of disbelief than hit points do.

If he effectively can't exist in the game world, he needs to be changed or dumped.

Ed Greenwood, in a Radio Interview, described his role as 'Flavour Text'. That's how I use him. He works well in novels, but ingame? Using him and the other Chosen relentlessly is just poor DMing, by people who don't understand the Realms. He is off fighting threats that the PC's couldn't even hope to stand against. Heck, have Elminster give the PC's a task, if you want. That's how you use him in the Realms.

 

[Dire Bare]

So I take it that you love Bioware with every part of your body (including your pee-pee)?

Sorry. See, I post on these forums in order to *avoid* playing CRPGs (I've worked out the respective time costs a bit...)

Well, that's nice for you.

But why crap on somebody who comes to these boards who loves TRPGs and CRPGs??

 

[William Ronald]

It is hard to see if there would be a loss of fans of the Realms with a 100 year jump to a very different setting. I t would seem that people here have different experiences and different perspectives. We should remember that the views on this board for and against such an idea are a small subset of gamers. I think one question that WotC has considered or will likely consider is how hard or easy it will be to convert characters to the new setting. They may also desiere to shake things up a bit, in order to stimulate interest and sales. Also, some at WotC may feel that certain plot points have reached a dead end.

I don't see WotC separating the Realms from the novels, as the novels are now a much bigger factor at WotC than the campaign setting book. However, if there is to be a major shake up, make it matter and have the new FRCS book have examples of heroism and how the world has changed. I imagine that there would be some isles of stability like the Silver Marches, and these would be places of importance and give characters something to look to as they work in more chaotic areas. Also, I think it should be explained more clearly and shown why the Chosen (or what is left of them) and the various other NPCs are not solving all the problems for the player characters. (For example, Elminster should be busy doing something -- researching spells, unravelling the plots of his enemies, and generally acting as an agent for Mystra. He probably should NOT have much time for most adventurers -- which is where an organization like the Harpers might come in. Similarly, Drizzt should be fairly busy in the Silver Marches or with a few other things. The NPCs may admire the deeds of the PCs, but the PCs have their own tasks -- which the major NPCs are not really going to be involved in.)

Regardless of the changes to the setting, the focus should be on the PCs as heroes. They may interact with major NPCs, receive information, give and receive information, and maybe work with them. However, what the major NPCs do, while important, must not be the focus of the setting. Rather, it should be on the player characters making a difference, just as some of the NPCs have done. A good DM makes sure that NPCs do not overshadow the players. I have seen DMs do this, and I have seen DMs pretty much render player characters irreleveant. I suppose that the Forgotten Realms and any other setting are what you, whether you are a DM or player, make of it.

 

[hong]

Well, that's nice for you.

But why crap on somebody who comes to these boards who loves TRPGs and CRPGs??

Hey, it's cool. Don't be gettin' heavy with the ruleslaw guy.

(WTF is ruleslaw anyway? A tasty concoction of shredded rules, carrots and mayo?)

 

[ruleslawyer]

Well, that's nice for you.

But why crap on somebody who comes to these boards who loves TRPGs and CRPGs??

Hmm...

I wasn't actually "crapping" on hong or anyone else who likes CRPGs; just joking, and pointing out the relative uselessness of my post by joking about my own addiction to the boards. Not meant to be taken in any derogatory sense whatsoever. I'm a little surprised that it came off that way to you, but if it did to any other CRPG fans, I apologize.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Ed Greenwood, in a Radio Interview, described his role as 'Flavour Text'. That's how I use him. He works well in novels, but ingame? Using him and the other Chosen relentlessly is just poor DMing, by people who don't understand the Realms. He is off fighting threats that the PC's couldn't even hope to stand against. Heck, have Elminster give the PC's a task, if you want. That's how you use him in the Realms.

The bolded part illustrates horrible game design. Particularly if the players can reach similar power levels with time.

If this is really how he is intended to be used, he should strictly stat-free, and treated more as a sort of demigod, rather the Sean Connery with a staff.

If you fail to accept that continually saying "He's fighting threats you couldn't even understand" has a deleterious effect on player morale in most groups, then well, I think that's pretty "out there". The problem is he's a superhero in a non-superheroic setting, and there are a number of other "superheroes" too. It's inappropriate, and the reason they exist is not "flavour text", despite Greenwood's claims, but bad author pet-character-pushing.

If it were otherwise, the authors would ensure their characters were reasonably powered and didn't get in the way of the setting. Instead, they insist on creating giant Marysue Fixififfle Bumblefluff III types and slapping them down in the center of things. As a result of this, the Realms is in sore need of a reboot or mass-culling of unecessary, OP NPCs.

 

[ruleslawyer]

The bolded part illustrates horrible game design. Particularly if the players can reach similar power levels with time.

QFT.

 

[Davelozzi]

I was a huge fan of the Realms in the early days (Grey Box and original FR series of supplements), and I continued to purchase as quality declined through most of the 2e era. I'll admit that the 3e products seem to be an improvement, but I've only bought a 4-5 of them.

The idea of a 100 year leap and such significant changes as those mentioned here does intrigue me a bit, and may entice me to look at a couple of FR products that I otherwise would have passed on. After all, there is no way I am going to buy yet another updated version each region with new stats unless things are pretty different. That said, I don't think it is the best idea, history has shown us that blowing up a campaign world is generally pretty poorly recieved. As an example, I enjoyed Greyhawk From the Ashes yet the overall public opinion seems to be that it was a disaster that should never have happened.

As for the sample chapter from The Orc King, I read it last night and was not impressed. Granted, my days as a Salvatore fan are long behind me, but the whole idea of the good orc kingdom and the CCC does nothing for me.