D&D 4E Rich Baker on 4e Realms changes

[Vayden]

Well, I've never been interested in the Realms before, mainly because it seemed old and crusty, made me wonder why Elminster wasn't saving the world for me, and the players I ran into turned me off (obsessive, not particularly fun, superior types). But if they're pushing the re-set button, I'm definitely going to take a look at it when it comes out. The only published setting we use right now is Ptolus, and I wouldn't mind having another ready-made world to check out if we want to.

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

I'm a new player that's been turned off by the denseness of the realms, and the new FR is interesting for me. Whether it's more interesting than Eberron and whether I start buying books are still battles that need to be won, but it's certainly got more draw for me than "The gang's all here and you don't know a single bloody one of 'em."

 

[kennew142]

I've been a FR fan since Ed Greenwood first starting publishing articles about it in Dragon magazine. I've read more FR novels than I care to count, and have enjoyed most of them. I've played in several FR games and am currently running one set in Sembia.

That said, I'm extremely excited about the upcoming changes to the realms. Over on the FR boards I learned that just because I'm not totally negative on the setting changes, it means that I'm 'not a real FR fan.' I wasn't aware that there was a club and a secret handshake. I don't remember voting for the board of censors - and shouldn't I be grandfathered in because I've like the realms for so long?

IMNSHO, this is exactly the behavior (and attitude) that drives off new players.

I love many things about the realms (that's why I run games there), but that doesn't mean that I have to love everything that has ever been written about the realms. I find the changes to be both frightening and intriguing. I believe that the various novels have cluttered the realms with powerful NPCs. I also believe that there are too many gods, most of which are frankly uninteresting (or even uninspired). Recent history in the realms has become so congested that it is extremely daunting for new players (and especially GMs).

My brother-in-law is going to set his first 4e game in Waterdeep. I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

 

[Shroomy]

I would love if the Realms went back to the level of detail presented in the 1987 Grey Box set, which I love (and still own), and then developed the supplements so they are more in line with how the Eberron product line was developed. By that I mean broader overviews, a downgrade of NPC power-level to better emphasize the PCs, a DM tool-kit, and some add back some undefined mystery.

 

[Ryltar]

Rich Baker on Introducing New Players to the Realms, and related matters

1a. I have a pet theory I call the "elevator" theory. Each year, a certain number of people enter our demographic and become D&D players. We want to make sure that there's an elevator with an open door waiting on the "first floor" to take them up to the Realms. It's been a long time since we put an elevator on the first floor for the potential Realms fans. Without a regular influx of new fans, pure "life friction" and attrition will thin out the number of Realms games being played and books being read. If there's a proselytizing network out there as you suggest, they're not proselytizing enough to fill that elevator for us. We have to do some work too.

Doesn't this kind of defeat the whole idea, though? "The fanbase" isn't doing "enough" in Rich's opinion, so they plan to move the Realms wholly into another direction, so as to make the "fanbase"'s efforts obsolete? Because, IMO, the players that WotC is aiming at are quite different from those the "established" fans are trying to bring into the game ...

 

[Shroomy]

Doesn't this kind of defeat the whole idea, though? "The fanbase" isn't doing "enough" in Rich's opinion, so they plan to move the Realms wholly into another direction, so as to make the "fanbase"'s efforts obsolete? Because, IMO, the players that WotC is aiming at are quite different from those the "established" fans are trying to bring into the game ...

Not if WoTC's efforts induce more new players then the fanbase is currently able to do.

 

[kennew142]

I would love if the Realms went back to the level of detail presented in the 1987 Grey Box set, which I love (and still own), and then developed the supplements so they are more in line with how the Eberron product line was developed. By that I mean broader overviews, a downgrade of NPC power-level to better emphasize the PCs, a DM tool-kit, and some add back some undefined mystery.

I agree totally. The key issue would be to uncouple the novel line from FR canon, but I believe that we've been told that this idea is a non-starter.

 

[JosephK]

Me and my gaming group have been playing in the realms since about 1990 (we've played in alot of different campaign settings as well, but we've always had atleast one FR campaign around), and I'm really looking forward to the changes.. I remember disliking the times of troubles, killing off Myrkul, Bane and Bhaal, and inserting the upstart Cyric in their place (to this day, I dont think any of us has ever gotten over our dislike of Cyric), but I've come to like most of the changes the ToT brought. I hope that wizards wont back down from the changes they've planned over some vocal forum posts, change is good, imo. As long as they dont change the basics of FR (high fantasy and so on), I'll probably think it's cool. I havent seen any indication that they're changing the basics of FR (at all).

 

[Shroomy]

I agree totally. The key issue would be to uncouple the novel line from FR canon, but I believe that we've been told that this idea is a non-starter.

I agree, but that will never happen as long as the FR novels make tons more money than the FR RPG.

 

[Traycor]

I don't thinking making widescale changes to the Realms and then trying to sell it to the Realm's critics will work. The dislike of the Realms verges on rabid and I have seen a number of posts on different forums from anti-Realms fans that have stated that they will never touch a Realms product, regardless of what WOTC does to the setting. The dislike runs that deep.

It's quite silly to assume that everyone is on one extreme or the other. The very idea that everyone who doesn't play realms hates it with a passion is obsurd.
I know lots of players who don't run realms games because it just becomes too complicated sometimes. Or they feel like they have to learn too much about the world to play the game.

If the changes are marketed so that new or estranged players are aware of them, there is a large pool of players that may give the realms a shot.