Straight Dope on Eberron . . .

[The Mirrorball Man]

It's all so very...blue. Very relaxing.

This is excessively blue. Azure. Cobalt. Cerulean.

But what does it tell us about the campaign setting itself really? Very little. In my opinion, if Eberron has all the standard D&D trappings, it's probably going to look very familiar, like Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Mystara and many others before. After all, nothing prevents a clever DM to include elements of pulp literature and "dark adventure" (whatever that is) in a Faerun campaign. I'm not sure I'm getting it right now. In Hollywood terms, what's the pitch?

 

[Nightfall]

I think the pitch is this: Ebberron is and isn't your typical D&D setting.

 

[Desdichado]

uhhhhh, the Orcs will be the Nazi equivalents, that much became obvious to me after three sentences into the whole pulp noir thing, at least IMHO the orcs will be Nazis

If this is "obvious" from what you've seen already, that is further proof that all of your other "observations" below are equally screwed up, wrong and frankly kinda insulting.

i was kinda perked up about this setting after all the debate had settled down the first time, but now i am totally turned off. I could have just bought d20 modern for the tech and thrown in Shadowrun artwork to make this campaign for my home game, and my players would have laughed me into the dirt. Now i am not interested anymore.

Apparently you haven't actually read any of the preview material, have you?

But the teenyboppers today will find this right up their alley, i think. It will be the equivalent of the movie Dune to the Herbert novel. All the fluff and excitement with none of the thought provoking stuff.

But I digress ...

Actually, it seems like a lot more thought was put into this than FR or Greyhawk, certainly. The fact that you're making these very ignorant claims about the setting is ironic, given your statement that Eberron isn't for those who want thought-provoking.

 

[Nightfall]

Josh,

I recommend saving your breath. Reason doesn't prevail no matter how hard you try. There are numberous of real world examples I could use...but unfortunately it would violate the no "politic/religion" rule.

 

[Desdichado]

I agree, but it had to be said! If he's got the balls to come here, ignore 90% of what we know so far about Eberron, take the other 10% and warp it all out of proportion, and then insult anyone who likes his chimeric interpretation of the setting ought to at least be told that he's way off base!

 

[Henry]

Joshua D, let's not get near personal attacks, please. It's OK to knock the concept, but not the person. Romp's got an opinion he's valid in espousing, even if it's not agreed with by you or myself.

I did want to call this one point up, though.

But the teenyboppers today will find this right up their alley, i think. It will be the equivalent of the movie Dune to the Herbert novel. All the fluff and excitement with none of the thought provoking stuff.

As a man in his mid-thirties, I find the term "teenybopper" both flattering and amusing. It's not the way I expected to recapture my youth, mind you, but it'll serve.

I am also curious to hear your definitions of both "thought-provoking" and "fluff", however. From the overviews we've seen thus far, "thought-provoking" is one word I would DEFINITELY use to describe the setting. To date, I have not yet seen a campaign setting so ambitious as to advance a magical society to an envisioned logical conclusion.

That, and the choice of pulp 1930's tone is one that I've not seen done outside of games set in the real-world 1930's. It's the main reason why I do have the interest I do in the setting.

 

[diaglo]

I think the pitch is this:

where they play sports in the UK.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I think the pitch is this: Ebberron is and isn't your typical D&D setting.

Well, in that case, I certainly won't and probably will buy it.

 

[Nightfall]

I agree, but it had to be said! If he's got the balls to come here, ignore 90% of what we know so far about Eberron, take the other 10% and warp it all out of proportion, and then insult anyone who likes his chimeric interpretation of the setting ought to at least be told that he's way off base!

Yes but remember Josh, just because you feel you're a champion of justice doesn't mean he's not a champion of injustice.

Well, in that case, I certainly won't and probably will buy it.

Which is exactly the thinking guiding a lot of WotC products at times.

where they play sports in the UK.

That's rugby not pitch, diaglo.

 

[Ashy]

If I'm not mistaken, they gave planescape over to the planewalker website, who have been promising to release something for, oh, about 3 years now.

Yea, yea, and we all know whos fault *THAT* is.....



How many times does a guy hafta apologize?