Points of Light Killed the Campaign Setting...

[BeauNiddle]

Thanks for clearing that up.
I think it´s the first time I´ve encountered this expression on enworld - is some new, cool trendy stuff, or has it been used for a while? And where does it come from? Sorry for the threadjack.

First talked about in World And Monsters, one of the (paid for) preview books for 4th ed.

It allows them to write adventures and modules that can be folded into many campaigns in the hope of acheiving the successes of early modules (like Keep on the Borderlands, against the Giants, etc.) where a large percentage of the user base have a 'shared' experience. KotS has already had expansions in Dungeon magazine (or was it Dragon?) for adapting it to Eberron and Forgotten Realms.

There has been discussion for about the last 6 months on the 4th ed rules forum about this but now the books are out it's popping up in General

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

The term is new, but I don't think the method of design was unknown before. Wizards just gave us a nice little definition for it.

 

[SSquirrel]

You would do well to investigate the ironic humour school of derision.

FWIW, I saw what you had said the same way he did. It didn't come across as sarcastic or anything. Text needs a bit more to carry a feeling sometimes

The PoL setting is interesting but intentionally vague. Yes Tieflings ruled the world at one point but crap happens and they lost it. The intervening years are up to your DM to decide. Rough outlines w/o much specific info leaves LOADS of room for personal flavor

 

[Snoweel]

FWIW, I saw what you had said the same way he did. It didn't come across as sarcastic or anything. Text needs a bit more to carry a feeling sometimes

Or alternatively, you could give people a bit of credit. We really do underestimate others to our own detriment.

Personally, when I read something someone's written that looks like pure idiocy (especially when they have a good command of spelling, punctuation and grammar - it's an indicator that they may be capable of nuanced thought) I ask myself if I'm not the one missing the point.

Likewise when I use sarcasm to make a point - dumbing it down just insults peoples' intelligence. I like to think that people are smart enough to comprehend without needing everything spelled out for them.

 

[SSquirrel]

Too many years of seeing people being completely serious and taking things to completely opposite angles really. Or maybe being snarky just didn't add anything to the thread and you should have avoided the comment, b/c you didn't make a point really.

This isn't the first place I've seen someone say that certain innovations in mathematics and such were lost in Dark Age Europe and weren't reintroduced until they came back from the Middle East years later. Matter of fact, pretty sure it was the History Channel saying it.

 

[Mark]

Likewise when I use sarcasm to make a point - dumbing it down just insults peoples' intelligence. I like to think that people are smart enough to comprehend without needing everything spelled out for them.

How do you mean?

Too many years of seeing people being completely serious and taking things to completely opposite angles really. Or maybe being snarky just didn't add anything to the thread and you should have avoided the comment, b/c you didn't make a point really.

Not quite following that . . .

 

[SSquirrel]

Not quite following that . . .

He said he was just being sarcastic and people should give posters the benefit of the doubt. I've spent too many years reading forums full of people reacting similarly to what he said was sarcastic, only they really meant it. He wasn't clear at all that he was kidding and the snarkiness didn't help the thread at all.

 

[Mark]

He said he was just being sarcastic and people should give posters the benefit of the doubt. I've spent too many years reading forums full of people reacting similarly to what he said was sarcastic, only they really meant it. He wasn't clear at all that he was kidding and the snarkiness didn't help the thread at all.

Any thoughts on irony?


Oh, and in regard to POL campaigns, I usually run something along those lines and have since the seventies. Isolated pockets of civilization, surrounded largely by danger, always something over the next hill that needs handling by heroes. That's my idea of fun.

 

[S'mon]

This isn't the first place I've seen someone say that certain innovations in mathematics and such were lost in Dark Age Europe and weren't reintroduced until they came back from the Middle East years later. Matter of fact, pretty sure it was the History Channel saying it.

The crusaders did bring a lot of Classical knowledge back with them. Not sure how much came from the Arabs rather than from Byzantium, though.

 

[SSquirrel]

Any thoughts on irony?

My original statement was one thought in an otherwise topical post.

As far as the influence of the middle east on Europe from the 10th to 13th century, here is a wikipedia link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_contributions_to_Medieval_Europe

My wife is in the process of putting together something involving the PoL setting and I think she's pondering using mostly her own stuff, but maybe Ptolus will have to be our own Constantinople