Straight Dope on Eberron . . .

[DaveMage]

I hope for WotC sake the setting does well. It had better, since they have invested at least $120,000 in it already (and probably close to double that with artwork, additional staff, printing costs, etc.).

It will be interesting to see how well Realms fans receive it. Since the Forgotten Realms became the most popular setting (and apparently the only one that WotC felt should be continually supported), other settings have apparently not genereated enough $$ to be of interest to management.

I'm not sure if another setting will catch on or not (though I hope it does). Keith Baker is certainly talented, but I have this bad feeling that after the initial release there will be very little interest in the support products (although if they tap someone like Salvatore to write a novel in the setting, that would go a long way towards building support).

With over 25 campaign settings available in stores right now, it remains to be seen if Eberron will be able to create an impact with so many alternatives.

Now granted, the average gamer will probably have only heard of 1-5 settings, so there may be hope after all...

 

[Greatwyrm]

Think about it, when was the last time you heard someone say: "I wish there was more magic in D&D"

I haven't heard anyone say that. But I have thought about why most D&D campaigns don't have a "Lamplighter's Guild" of low level mages who go around casting continual light for cities and towns. In the real world, as soon as there was reliable light that didn't depend on fire, there were plenty of people willing to pay for it.

Remember the teleport specialist in T&B? Fast transportation always equals power. Why did it take so long for the idea to catch on in D&D? After all, if a team of horses can pull a wagon quickly, an air elemental ought to be able to do it really quickly.

Warfare, which apparently Eberron is no stranger to, also tends to produce new industries and technologies. Why is it so unusual to believe this would hold true in a fantasy world as well?

I don't think any of this stuff -- the scyscraping castles, the bound elementals pulling train-like vehicles, dedicated artificers -- should be beyond the realm of a fantasy game. Moreover, if everyone has access to better tech/magic, it's not unbalancing--it's just a different balance.

 

[Hardhead]

The more I see about Eberron, the more I like it.

 

[kigmatzomat]

.... From what I've seen, it copies a lot from the Talislanta setting, right down to the windships.

Not sure about Talisanta, but it is *really* close to EarthDawn. Scary elves, skyships, large cities, orcish bards, massive, intercontinental wars, and industrial-grade magic against a backdrop of conniving groups? Seen it all.

I'm going to flip through it but in all honesty I don't think anyone in my group will really be interested in it. We've got tons of material for Barsaive already and while ED is more complicated than d20, it does "epic" grade characters far better. And with the Second Step chargen program, it's much easier to manage.

 

[Psiblade]

As I have learned more about the setting, the more interested in the setting I have become. I am now place myself in the definitely going to take a look group now. It will also be nice to have more support for a campaign world other than Forgotten Realms. Also, I am looking forward to a campaign world that incorporates psionics more.


-Psiblade

 

[Hawkshere]

Not sure about Talisanta, but it is *really* close to EarthDawn.

While I love Earthdawn, and can see the similarities, I think its a mistake to make too much of them. Ebberon looks a bit Earthdawnish, it looks a bit Steampunkish, its definitely a bit Kitchensinkish, but when you read the text its clear they are really focusing on the Pulp angle. Since when is Pulp Fantasy an overdone genre?

The whole kitchen-sink approach was entirely predictable - it was clear to me from the get-go that WotC wanted something they could map the entire core rulebooks to. Forgotten Realms is the same way for the same reason.

Anyone remember Justice Inc. for HERO? That, and Danger International, were my favorite HERO genre books...

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

As someone who has also sent a submission to the Setting Search, I found some of the parallels to Urbis interesting:

1. If it exists in D&D, then it has a place in Eberron. A monster or spell or magic item from the core rulebooks might feature a twist or two to account for Eberron's tone and attitude, but otherwise everything in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual has a place somewhere in Eberron.

Same with Urbis. I didn't want to re-invent the wheel, but simply take all the basics of D&D and convert them into a world that really hangs together without discarding suspension of disbelief (such as the societal implications of spells like ressurection, the applications of fireball and teleport, and the question just where all those magic items come from...). I wanted to keep everything from the rules, and also keep the rules additions to a new minimum.

3. A world of magic. The setting supposes a world that has developed not through the advances of science, but by the mastery of arcane magic. This allows for certain conveniences that were never imagined in other medieval timeframes. Through the binding and harnessing of elemental creatures, airships and land rails become possible. By creating a working class of minor mages, spells provide energy and other necessities in towns and cities. And advances in magic item creation have led to everything from farming implements to sentient, free-willed constructs.

Also similar to Urbis. I wanted to create a high-magic world, and I did. Magic keeps cities of more than a million people functioning, and allows for conveniences unheard of in other worlds.

4. A world of adventure. From the steaming jungles of Argonnessen to the colossal ruins of Xen'drik, from the towering keeps of Sharn to the blasted hills and valleys of the Demon Wastes, Eberron is a world of action and adventure. Adventures can and should draw heroes from one exotic location to another, across nations, continents, and the entire world. The quest for the Mirror of the Seventh Moon may take the heroes from a hidden desert shrine to a ruined castle in the Shadow Marches and finally to a dungeon deep below the Library of Korranberg. Through the use of magical transportation, heroes can reach a wider range of environments over the course of an adventure, and thus deal with a diverse assortment of monsters and challenges.

Same here. I've striven to make each and every location (and especially every city) of Urbis truely unique and memorable...

Well, what lesson can I learn from this? That I have to keep working on my salesman's skills...

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

1. If it exists in D&D, then it has a place in Eberron. A monster or spell or magic item from the core rulebooks might feature a twist or two to account for Eberron's tone and attitude, but otherwise everything in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual has a place somewhere in Eberron.

I wonder how literal this statement is. PHB gods will be in Eberron? Red Wizard PRC from the DMG?

 

[Quasqueton]

Who are the heroes?
Heroes can assume all sorts of roles. The hard-drinking dwarven detective who has a tendency to fall for the wrong dame. The sorcerer who hides her face behind a colorful mask, using her mystical powers to prey on superstitious criminals. The noble paladin determined to clean up the corruption in the city guard. The barbarian jungle girl raised by apes. The elven archaeologist determined to find the ancient artifacts of long-forgotten civilizations. The archetypes are those of the pulps, but that detective still has his battleaxe strapped to his back, even if he does carry a rod (and I do mean a rod!).

Imagine a group of Players coming to you (the DM) with these ideas for their PCs. How to make them fit together and go on adventures as a party?

I would rather the question be "What are the adventures to be experienced?"

This just doesn't sound like a Dungeons & Dragons game to me. Probably could make excellent books and movies, but just not a D&D *game*.

I just don't see how the standard D&D-type adventurers could go on D&D-style adventures. This is being billed sort of as the ultimate D&D world, by incorporating everything in the D&D books, but the flavor is coming out anti-D&D. D&D has always been about groups of adventurers going out and exploring lost and mysterious places and peoples. This campaign setting seems to be about individuals interacting with a known world of commonplace magic.

There are plenty of places in Eberron from which monstrous characters (from your copy of Savage Species) could hail -- and fit right in. Eberron also introduces four entirely new character races: changelings, the kalashtar, shifters, and warforged.

If Players could easily use any creature from the MM or SS, whats the need of four new races? Changlings? Why not just use dopplegangers? Warforged (constructs?)? Why not just use golems? And if the kalashtar turn out to be a new elf race, I'll puke.

I actually was kind of excited about this campaign setting in the beginning. But now, the more I learn, the less interested I become.

Quasqueton

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

After reading the description of Eberron which all of us have done and the excerpt in Dragon it still has yet to capture my interest enough to purchase it, unlike when I read Morningstar which I have enjoyed quite a bit. When I read R. Scott Kennon's submission which he posted long ago on these boards it caught my attention. When I see Eberron in the stores I'll pick it up and take a look at it. I'll also read the reviews and if I end up liking it I'll purchase it but at this moment I don't plan on buying it, though I do hope it sells well enough to receive continued support for those gamers who do purchase it, which unlike my favorite setting, Greyhawk, only gets a little support in Dungeon which I am truely grateful for. Thanks for keeping it alive Erik!