Points of Light and the Forgotten Realms

[ChaosShard]

Rich Baker just killed this thread.

Sounds like a good balance... And yes, I'm basing that on 4 lines of text.

Honestly, as fun as speculating can be, I'm really glad that he said something before heads truly began exploding.

Here's to hoping that they don't disappoint!

 

[delericho]

It seems rather odd that the Spell Plague would happen 10 years after the current canon, and then have the new version of the campaign setting start 90 years after that. If they were going to do that, why not have the Spell Plague set 1 to 2 years after the current canon date, so that people who still want to use their 3e FR fluff can play through the Spell Plague era by extrapolating the effects on the setting now, instead of adding in 10 years of extra fluff before it happens? I think it would make more sense if the new base time is more like 10-20 years after the Spell Plague, instead of 100.

It could well be that the Spell Plague is an absolutely devastating event, such that campaigns set just after it would essentially be post-apocalyptic. So, they advance the timeline a further 90 years to give the people of the world some time to gradually rebuild, and bring the campaign 'back' to a feel that is not too dissimilar to the Realms as they currently are, with a touch of "Points of Light", and with significant surface detail changes.

I don't think Wizards would really want to fundamentally alter the Realms to make it something it's just not - better to start a new setting than do that. At the same time, they probably don't want to leave it quite the same, because people won't just rebuy all the same stuff.

Obviously, just one possibility out of many...

 

[Dm_from_Brazil]

The "Days of Future Past" possibility

< First post ever at EnWorld! >

Well, there IS another (very interesting) possibility: that this "Realms of the Future" may not come to be - that, in a sense, this is like the "Days of Future Past" storyline form the X-Men comics, the classic "imperfect future", that come to be by actions (or inactions) from the people of the present.

And what this has to be with the Realms? Well, if you read well, you´ll perceive that no Drizzt, no Elminster nor any of the "Great and Powerful" of the Realms were able to stop the coming apocalypse (let´s admit: it IS an apocalypse - how one´s call the decimation of the Sword Coast and the rise of a new Netheril Empire?) - but can´t the actions of the simple PCs CHANGE this dark future?

You see, THIS were always one of the big troubles of the Realms as a setting: your character was a mere witness to the world shaking/world saving actions of the many Chosen of Mystra (and other powerful heroes and villains). But if ONLY the actions of your character can change the world (as we know that EL & Co. wasn´t able to save the Realms).

With that "Drizzt Profecy" you introduce an element of menace and urgency that was lacking ("Save the Realms? Nah, that´s business to Kelben Blackstaff and all this power-houses..."), and shifts the center to the player characters, who must act now on, so the "Dark Realms" don´t come to be - hey, I think I´m going to call my first 4ed Realms character John Connors!

Ok, so it´s only a possiblity, but with Rich Baker saying that they " are not going to overthrow worlds with that much breadth and history", it´s a VERY PLAUSIBLE theory - and one that makes the Realms better too (i.e. this PC-centric point of view is considered one of the strengths fo the Eberron setting).

 

[tylerthehobo]

I think you're all reading waaaaay to much into this prologue and epilogue to "The Orc King".

We know that the "Spellplague" is going to be the next RSE (Realms Shaking Event) from other 4e tidbits.

Gotta agree - didn't the third Drizzt trilogy jump ahead about 15 years or something, if I remember right? All while the D&D timeline stayed closer to where it had been at the time of troubles. Who's to say the Salvatore isn't doing the same thing again?

WWEGD? What would Ed Greenwood Do?

 

[Piratecat]

< First post ever at EnWorld! >

Welcome.

 

[JVisgaitis]

BTW, apropos of nothing, I need to do some work for you guys one of these days.

You need to drop me a line then. When we start working on our 4e stuff for next Gencon, I'll be looking for a few good writers.

 

[Selvarin]

Just a snag from Salvatore's site:

The Orc King: Transitions, Book One
R.A. Salvatore. Wizards of the Coast, $27.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-7869-4340-1

Celebrating his 20th year as one of Salvatore's most popular Forgotten Realms characters, dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden whirls into action in this first installment of a new trilogy. As the Year of Wild Magic arrives in the Silver Marches, bloody conflicts rage between Mithral Hall dwarves, Kingdom of Many Arrows orcs, Moonwood elves and Silverymoon wizards. Recently widowed barbarian Wulfgar must wade through the political morass to undertake a life-changing journey, aided by Drizzt's brave wife, Catti-brie. Meanwhile, archeologists are unearthing an ancient city where orcs and dwarves once lived side by side in peace. Drizzt and dwarven king Bruenor Battlehammer wonder if such peace can be achieved again, but half-orc/half-ogre Grguch, King Obould VI of the orcs and angry dark elf Tos'un Armgo won't go down without a fight. Salvatore mixes neatly choreographed battles with philosophical musings from self-styled “renegade soul” Drizzt, lending a little depth to an otherwise straightforward hack-and-slash adventure. Author tour. (Oct.)

Further reinforces (in my mind) that while Drizzt may be writing a century after the events, the events themselves are closer to current Realmsian time. Of course, I'm not too keen on the orc-and-dwarves-in-a-lovefest thing but anyhow...

 

[Khairn]

I'm a huge Midnight fan and actually do like the "points of light" campaign flavor that WotC is introducing. But, in retrospect the previous meta-plots like Time of Troubles, lead to some real problems with FR, and I'm not certain that such a dramatic change will be so readily accepted by the majority of the FR gamers.

Sometimes the concept of breaking something just to have change is not necessarily the best idea.

 

[Mortellan]

This is all very exciting to watch develop.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I have it on good authority that the default setting for 4E will be The Empire of Izmer (from the D&D Movie).