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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 7715333" data-attributes="member: 59082">Sometimes I wonder if there are maybe a dozen or fewer conversations that happen on EN World, with just endless variations and starting points, yet all threads eventually morph into of the (Un)Holy Twelve (or whatever number it is).That aside, I really don't get the Realms hatred. I mean, I get that Elminster is annoyingly smarmy, Drizzt's kewl factor peaks at age 12 and declines steadily from there (and at an increasing rate of decline once one gets laid for the first time), and that there are many other great settings in the D&D canon. But the hate? It seems so unnecessary.I also don't get the cries of "bring back Greyhawk!" These folks are, quite frankly, living in the past. There is a reason that WotC has put their chips behind the Realms and not Greyhawk, and it probably has something to do with the difference between the words "Verbobonc" and "Sembia." I have many fond memories of Greyhawk, in a similar way that I have fond memories of Galaga, acid-washed jean shorts, and fanny packs (OK, not really the latter two). They were fun at the time, but aren't coming back. For whatever reason, the Realms feels less anachronistic, more timeless, and perhaps a bit more palatable to a wider number of folks. This isn't saying that one is better than the other in some kind of absolute way, but that one is better than the other for the purposes of WotC. In other words, it makes perfect sense why WotC sets their story arcs in the Realms, and it is also rather easy to adjust them to your homebrew setting, or another D&D world. To be clear, I don't run in either world. I haven't played much D&D in recent years, but when I do DM, I always homebrew, because I probably like world-building and playing with ideas as much or more than actually playing. But I like setting books; in fact, they're my favorite type of RPG product - whether for mining (stealing) ideas, reading of far-off places, or just scanning demographics of cities and wondering why Calimshan had two million people in one edition, and 200,000 in the next. And you know what? I'd buy either a FR or GH setting book, or any setting book WotC publishes. But what I'd like to see more than anything is a new setting. Bring something new to life, even if it is just going back to Nerath and properly developing it, or digging up the runner-up in the setting contest from bygone ages or (preferably) building something fresh.I doubt it will happen, but I can see valid reasons why it would be a good idea. In fact, I'd love to see them publish something like the "Tales from the World Serpent" mentioned up-thread, and a massive story arc to bring them all together, then put all those older worlds on the back-burner, and focus on creating something new. Why do we always need to go back and re-hash the past? This is a cultural trend, and I get why it is done - it is safer to re-introduce Captain Kirk again, than give Jenna Blazethorn and the Cosmic Wayfarers a movie. But it is, well, creative cowardice. Why not explore new worlds?</blockquote>

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