Does an upgrade to a new edition (I'm specifically talking about D&D here, but it applies to any RPG) mean a "World-Shaking" event occurs in your campaign? Because, sometimes, the new rules can be quite different to previous ones and it may come as a shock to your players if you just, all-of-a-sudden, update the whole game world.
I know that when 1E went to 2E, TSR created "world-shaking" events for both their FR and GH campaigns to explain the transition. In the Realms, there was the Time of Troubles, in Greyhawk, there was the module "WG8: Fate of Istus".
The rules aren't invisible, and changes to the basic skeleton of the campaign (the rules) can change the "feel" of your world and how everything makes "sense".
If one does create a world-shaking event, this creates a couple of dilemmas if you choose to allow your players to travel BACK in time. Does this mean you have to pull out the 2E rules? Or, if they go way back, do you pull out the 1E rules? Take a look at the 2E FR supplement, "Arcane Age". That supplement -- in terms of timeline -- is placed before the Time of Troubles (ie. 2E) and, because of this, it actually presents for the DM the basics to run a 1st Edition AD&D game (even though it's a "2nd Edition" supplement!). Now, while I thought it was very cool of the "Arcane Age" author to stay true the concept laid down with the Time of Troubles, somehow I think all of this business isn't necessary.
In my game, there was no world-shaking event when I went from 1E to 2E because there wasn't a great deal of difference. However, 3E was quite different, and I felt the need to create a world-shaking event. To get over the time travel dilemma, however, I said that the world-shaking event created a paradigm shift that updated the past, present, AND the future!
This stance I took is the exact opposite of WotC's stance. For example, back in the days of 1E to 2E they felt there was a need to create an event to simulate the transition, but with 2E to 3E they produced no such event for FR or GH.
What are you own experiences?
I know that when 1E went to 2E, TSR created "world-shaking" events for both their FR and GH campaigns to explain the transition. In the Realms, there was the Time of Troubles, in Greyhawk, there was the module "WG8: Fate of Istus".
The rules aren't invisible, and changes to the basic skeleton of the campaign (the rules) can change the "feel" of your world and how everything makes "sense".
If one does create a world-shaking event, this creates a couple of dilemmas if you choose to allow your players to travel BACK in time. Does this mean you have to pull out the 2E rules? Or, if they go way back, do you pull out the 1E rules? Take a look at the 2E FR supplement, "Arcane Age". That supplement -- in terms of timeline -- is placed before the Time of Troubles (ie. 2E) and, because of this, it actually presents for the DM the basics to run a 1st Edition AD&D game (even though it's a "2nd Edition" supplement!). Now, while I thought it was very cool of the "Arcane Age" author to stay true the concept laid down with the Time of Troubles, somehow I think all of this business isn't necessary.
In my game, there was no world-shaking event when I went from 1E to 2E because there wasn't a great deal of difference. However, 3E was quite different, and I felt the need to create a world-shaking event. To get over the time travel dilemma, however, I said that the world-shaking event created a paradigm shift that updated the past, present, AND the future!
This stance I took is the exact opposite of WotC's stance. For example, back in the days of 1E to 2E they felt there was a need to create an event to simulate the transition, but with 2E to 3E they produced no such event for FR or GH.
What are you own experiences?
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