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<blockquote data-quote="Graf" data-source="post: 392809" data-attributes="member: 3087"><p>(edited with forgotten idea)</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In order to sell you we have to know what you want. The Scarred Lands is a more flexible and simpler setting in a lot of ways. There are probably fewer places in the Scarred Lands than most other game worlds you hear a lot about here (Kalamar, FR) but they are more intimately twined together by a complex history. </p><p></p><p>Partially I think acessablity is a big seller. </p><p>The books are written with a common theme, quality is consisent and so is the voice and most of the major themes (though they do like to present an occaisional in character essay that's radically different the one by the titanworshiper in the front of the SLCS).</p><p></p><p>I think Psion put it best (in a prior responce on a similar thread) when he said: "the same but <em>different</em>"</p><p>(massive paraprase occured in the line above)</p><p>One of my players was talking about why he liked it yesterday night for dinner and he said something like, "I like that you're heroes because you -need- to be. I like that the world is dangerous and that there are old ruins to be explored because whole civilizations have been destroyed."</p><p>(ok its not the best line typed but it sounded pretty good last night with him smacking his hands together and talking about it)</p><p></p><p>Unlike a lot of other settings SL is also notable for what it doesn't have:</p><p>It lacks stuff which could be described as cute (except for a few divine creatures like Tanil's fox, which you're supposed to kill and the moon cat).</p><p>It lacks weaker stuff. There are no gnomes (termenia is out there for gnome appeasers but its not part of the Gelspad game), kobolds aren't mentioned.</p><p>It lacks stronger stuff: there are no dragons anymore, every town doesn't have its own archmage, you can't really buy magic items (and in my game its hard to sell them preceisly because there's no market for it). NPC levels are such that its possible for the party to interact meaningfully with them.</p><p></p><p>It's also directly contrary to a couple of big trends we've seen in the last few years:</p><p>1. Cool bad guys so PCs can play them as characters (drow, shades, etc.). The bad guys in SL are really bad. They have lots of interesting modivations and complecated relationships. But few people want to play a Slitherin or a Fatling. This gives the setting more of an absolute flavor to it.</p><p>2. multitudes of gods, with lots of ranges and poorly defined relationships. I like having a finite number of divine actors with a strong set of history and relationships. SL does this. And they they let to eat the cake too by creating Demi-gods (who, for all practical player purposes are gods) and who sort of muck about and get into trouble and get killed and start insaine cults and so on.</p><p>3. the planes. I love planar games and SL doesn't ban the planes. But it also doesn't address them at all. SL doesn't have a great wheel or anything like that. You just go to the realms of the gods if you die. Demons and Devils don't come from archeron or the Abyss. they come from hell and that's that.</p><p></p><p>I think the "good guys in trouble" & "gritty" stuff from the post above is also pretty good. Its been touched upon in a lot of other posts already though. Other good things:</p><p></p><p>The greek influence in the game</p><p>the "greater threat" of the titans & its effects on the divine relationship</p><p>the dead gods stories</p><p>the S-------------</p><p>built-in psionics</p><p>environmental stuff (beyond the ho-hum druid-terrorists who seem to live in every wood in most major settings)</p><p>weird post-war roleplaying</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Graf, post: 392809, member: 3087"] (edited with forgotten idea) In order to sell you we have to know what you want. The Scarred Lands is a more flexible and simpler setting in a lot of ways. There are probably fewer places in the Scarred Lands than most other game worlds you hear a lot about here (Kalamar, FR) but they are more intimately twined together by a complex history. Partially I think acessablity is a big seller. The books are written with a common theme, quality is consisent and so is the voice and most of the major themes (though they do like to present an occaisional in character essay that's radically different the one by the titanworshiper in the front of the SLCS). I think Psion put it best (in a prior responce on a similar thread) when he said: "the same but [i]different[/i]" (massive paraprase occured in the line above) One of my players was talking about why he liked it yesterday night for dinner and he said something like, "I like that you're heroes because you -need- to be. I like that the world is dangerous and that there are old ruins to be explored because whole civilizations have been destroyed." (ok its not the best line typed but it sounded pretty good last night with him smacking his hands together and talking about it) Unlike a lot of other settings SL is also notable for what it doesn't have: It lacks stuff which could be described as cute (except for a few divine creatures like Tanil's fox, which you're supposed to kill and the moon cat). It lacks weaker stuff. There are no gnomes (termenia is out there for gnome appeasers but its not part of the Gelspad game), kobolds aren't mentioned. It lacks stronger stuff: there are no dragons anymore, every town doesn't have its own archmage, you can't really buy magic items (and in my game its hard to sell them preceisly because there's no market for it). NPC levels are such that its possible for the party to interact meaningfully with them. It's also directly contrary to a couple of big trends we've seen in the last few years: 1. Cool bad guys so PCs can play them as characters (drow, shades, etc.). The bad guys in SL are really bad. They have lots of interesting modivations and complecated relationships. But few people want to play a Slitherin or a Fatling. This gives the setting more of an absolute flavor to it. 2. multitudes of gods, with lots of ranges and poorly defined relationships. I like having a finite number of divine actors with a strong set of history and relationships. SL does this. And they they let to eat the cake too by creating Demi-gods (who, for all practical player purposes are gods) and who sort of muck about and get into trouble and get killed and start insaine cults and so on. 3. the planes. I love planar games and SL doesn't ban the planes. But it also doesn't address them at all. SL doesn't have a great wheel or anything like that. You just go to the realms of the gods if you die. Demons and Devils don't come from archeron or the Abyss. they come from hell and that's that. I think the "good guys in trouble" & "gritty" stuff from the post above is also pretty good. Its been touched upon in a lot of other posts already though. Other good things: The greek influence in the game the "greater threat" of the titans & its effects on the divine relationship the dead gods stories the S------------- built-in psionics environmental stuff (beyond the ho-hum druid-terrorists who seem to live in every wood in most major settings) weird post-war roleplaying [/QUOTE]
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