D&D 4E The Realms being the first 4e setting

[Nyaricus]

I'm excited to hear FR is getting the good treatment here - back in 1999 when I was 11 and getting into D&D, the Ruins of Myth Drannor was my intro to the whole shebang.

And now, with the release of 4e only 8 or so months away, it's going to hopefully get the star-studded treatment it got in 3E, only even better.

3e was truely a step forward in rules - everything was streamlined under the d20 system, and it was much easier to use. Now, with 4e promising an ever better treatment of the rules with the sticky parts even removed fully or fixed adequately, I'm just all smiles. 4e realms is going to be something good, of that I am sure.

cheers,
--N

 

[Tharkun]

Well, they're coming out with the realms as the first setting for 4E? I can feel the bile coming up in the back of my mouth already.

Now if they do a Planescape or Ravenloft I'll buy at least one (more than likely two or three).

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Caught this from a blog on the FR seminar:

Rich further hinted at what changes may be taking place with the new edition of the Realms (involving world-changing events—named the Spell Plague—to explain changes, as opposed to ret-conning)

Sounds like we're headed for another "Time of Troubles"-style event to explain why the majority of Vancian magic disappears to be replaced by at will, per encounter, and per day powers.


If true, blech. Don't they remember what a disaster ToT was?

 

[The Cardinal]

hey ,maybe they kill off Elminster, a certain drow and at least another handfull of iconic Uber-NPCs...
...well, it's a nice dream...

 

[Emirikol]

FYI: There are discussion groups for Living Forgotten Realms:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/LivingFR/
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/LFR-CO/ (Colorado)

jh

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

hey ,maybe they kill off Elminster, a certain drow and at least another handfull of iconic Uber-NPCs...
...well, it's a nice dream...

I share your dream ... yet I don't see the need for a Realms-shattering event to change editions. Just update the campaign setting to the new rules without acknowledging the change -- why have an in-campaign reason to explain something that is a metagaming concept: the rules of the game?

I guess RSEs sell novels, but in the camapaign setting they should leave those things to DMs.

 

[Ripzerai]

I rather doubt they'll ever "do anything" with Greyhawk, not unless Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk sells beyond all expectations.

It sounds like the "default world" will be some vague, make-it-up-as-we-go-along place with a mixture of Greyhawk, real-world, and completely new elements. That is to say, more or less the same as the 3.5 "default world" was. It certainly wasn't Greyhawk; the cities in Cityscape weren't Greyhawk cities, the gods introduced in most of the supplements were often not Greyhawk gods.

I think there's a strong chance they'll get rid of the Forgotten Realms cosmology, since it's given them nothing but problems in 3e (making FR fans less likely to buy generic planar supplements and adventures, while not really adding anything interesting to the lore). But I'm biased.

 

[SSquirrel]

I dunno I always enjoyed the Time of Trouble books and the 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures was one of the more useful hardbacks they released. How did the FR gods give them nothing but problems in 3E? Creating as much information as they did on each god and how their priests differed was really just revamping the information from the old 2E pantheon books.

Greyhawk>I started gaming in the late 80s and while a buddy of mine had Greyhawk it never did anything for me. I don't have the attachment some people do so I don't care if it goes by the wayside. I recognize its historical significance to the game, but I have no desire to adventure there. I started playing shortly before 2E came about really so while I have all 3 editions of the FR setting, I also have all the grest 2E settings like Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Spelljammer and some Planescape material. I don't see all of them coming back, esp since they're only doing 1 a year, but a couple might. Hopefully if they do a 4E Dark Sun it won't suck as bad as those Dragon conversions did. I liked the Spelljammer stuff they released in Polyhedron tho

 

[rounser]

It sounds like the "default world" will be some vague, make-it-up-as-we-go-along place with a mixture of Greyhawk, real-world, and completely new elements. That is to say, more or less the same as the 3.5 "default world" was. It certainly wasn't Greyhawk; the cities in Cityscape weren't Greyhawk cities, the gods introduced in most of the supplements were often not Greyhawk gods.

I still reckon they should use Thunder Rift. It's the low level D&D default setting given a map, pretty much, and you could put it in any D&D world with a mountain range....so it would make any world you like effectively "the default setting" once you outgrew the rift.

 

[Thurbane]

I don't think Greyhawk WAS the default or implied setting of 3E. Other than the gods, there was never any real mention of Greyhawk names or the like.

I think, aside from the aforemtioned gods, that Bigby, Otiluke, Mordenkainen, Tenser, Nystul, Tasha, Melf, Evard, Leomund, Rary, Drawmij, Otto, Quaal, Keoghtom, Nolzur, Murlynd, Kwalish, Daern, Zagy and Kas might chose to disagree.