POLL: How will they mess up Eberron?

[TheAuldGrump]

A constantly advancing "timeline" under the ridiculous belief that it "makes the world seem living and breathing".

Considering that I like a steadily advancing timeline I don't believe that 'ridiculous' quite sums that up.

How about screwing it up with a 'static timeline where nothing ever happens' in the ridiculous belief that the world should center around the PCs and monsters should just wait in their dungeons for the characters to attack...


The Auld Grump

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

How about screwing it up with a 'static timeline where nothing ever happens' in the ridiculous belief that the world should center around the PCs and monsters should just wait in their dungeons for the characters to attack...

Of course it's a ridiculous belief! The world doesn't center around the PCs, and it certainly doesn't follow novels or any other futile attempts to hijack your campaign. The world, as we all know, revolves around the GM. It's his job to ensure that it's dynamic. His wishes are paramount. He's the Boss, the King, the Grand Poobah, the Numero Uno.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

If Eberron gets screwed up, I suspect it will be most likely due to metaplot coming from the novels and electronic gaming lines.

Honestly, from everything I've read, it doesn't sound like it's going to be too prone to any of the above flaws. I'm quite excited to pick this up and see how it plays.

 

[Cbas10]

I'm looking forward to it a lot more than I would have originally anticipated. I love Pulp-style movies, books, and games. However, every time that I have read about or dealt with "magical equivalents of technology," it has come out as a very lame and infantile system filled with inconsistent concepts.

I think the style of the game will be AMAZING to read about; it is a good idea. However, I think that (unless they throw the same resources at it that they throw at Forgotten Realms) it will be the typical crunch-fest that embodies D&D 3.Hasbro.....

I voted for bad editing and growing inconsistencies....

 

[Arnwyn]

Considering that I like a steadily advancing timeline I don't believe that 'ridiculous' quite sums that up.

*shrug* Whatever. I don't need WotC to advance the timeline for me, thanks. I tend to believe that DMs can do that on their own.

How about screwing it up with a 'static timeline where nothing ever happens' in the ridiculous belief that the world should center around the PCs and monsters should just wait in their dungeons for the characters to attack...

Oh yeah, I forgot. If WotC doesn't do it, then of course it will never get done. How silly of me.

Edit: Typo.

 

[Hardhead]

*shrug* Whatever. I don't need WotC to advance the timeline for me, thanks. I tend to believe that DMs can do that on their own.

Edit: Typo.

Actually, I also like the timeline to advance, so long as it's done slowly. I guess it's just one of those things you either love or hate.

 

[Altalazar]

I really don't much like timelines moving forward in D&D worlds - I'd rather that be handled at the discretion of the DM - there are so many different worlds there just seems like way too much to keep track of.

The only game I didn't mind a timeline was Shadowrun, and I didn't mind because I sort of knew it way in advance of the dates that the game was at - so I could incorporate it into the storyline rather easily - plus many of the adventures touched on it here and there. It was all so effortless. Shadowrun actually published a lot of adventures as opposed to mostly splatbooks.

Since WotC doesn't publish adventures, timelines will NOT have ANY adventures relating to them - that just makes it stupid, IMHO, to have any changes at all.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Advancing the timeline is ALWAYS done at the discretion of the DM, since only he can decide whether events have happened or not. That said, a VERY SLOW advancement is a good thing...think about Planescape. In the time from the boxed set to Faction War, exactly one semi-important thing might have happened -- the slip of the layer of Arcadia into Mechanus. Otherwise....the PC's were the focus. And that is as it should be. But the world doesn't remain entirely static. Which is also a good thing.

That said, novels always have a tendancy to screw up a world, and WotC is definately more focused on crunch, so the new feats/PrC's will probably have a few problems (though the statement 'reduced the number of original PrC's the group was working on by half to make sure each one really fit into the world' is definately encouraging...).

The biggest problem will definately be the tie-ins. But I've seen settings easily weather that storm too (PS lost nothing from Torment, for instance).

 

[SemperJase]

So this is the obligatory bash-WotC-before-they-release-the-product thread.

According to this thread, the product is already bad. This is why producers should largely ignore the Internet.

Continuing these kinds of meaningless comments only weakens this community's credibility.

 

[Tonguez]

That said, novels always have a tendancy to screw up a world, and WotC is definately more focused on crunch, so the new feats/PrC's will probably have a few problems (though the statement 'reduced the number of original PrC's the group was working on by half to make sure each one really fit into the world' is definately encouraging...).

The biggest problem will definately be the tie-ins. But I've seen settings easily weather that storm too (PS lost nothing from Torment, for instance).

The best thing for the novels to do IMHO is stay small scale and Pulpy and be used to give insights and vignettes of life in Eberron

Do things like Indiana stops a group of Nazis from using the Ark, nonetheless the Reich (as overaching megaplot) still exists. Or Tarzan saves La from the lost city of Ophir, but being a wild jungle Lord never actually tells anyone so Ophir remains a secret. Or even the potentially world shaking plot of the Shadow movie - ie the Villains WANTS to conquer the world (and thus blow the whole megaplot) but because of the hero(s) NOBODY outside the small circle will ever know (or be affected).

That way history moves, interesting ideas are introduced but DMs can choose to ignore stuff, PCs can still meet the book NPCs and develop the megaplot however they choose...