Hussar
Legend
Ginnel - that's pretty much exactly what I was thinking with my little fanfic above.
The thing is, you can do "philosophers with clubs" pretty well in any system. You absolutely do not need the Wheel to do that.
See, I don't quite agree with this. What separated FR from Greyhawk wasn't the level of magic, but, rather, that Greyhawk saws its inspirations in Sword and Sorcery Fantasy and FR in High Fantasy. Both S&S and High Fantasy can have very different levels of magic. LotR is High Fantasy for example, yet doesn't feature a whole lot of magic. Certainly not "everyday" magic.
The difference between the two is that High Fantasy deals with plots that affect the entire setting. Grand sweeping dramas that touch every part of the setting. LotR is a textbook example. S&S fantasy, OTOH, tends to be very local. The setting never really changes that much. The protagonists deal with personal problems rather than having these large scale plots.
That's why I really think the FR changes are very much in keeping with FR. From a thematic view, FR has always been about these grand, huge plots that touch all over the place - the Chosen of Mystra, Myth Dranor, Evermeet and the exile of the elves, Time of Troubles (heh), on and on. Things in FR play out on very large stages. So, when changing the setting, doing so with a very large brush is in keeping with the theme.
Eberron is far more pulpish in its approach. Really, it's closer thematically to Greyhawk in inspiration. The reduction in NPC levels plays to this. Pretty much every sourcebook points to S&S and pulp fiction for inspiration. There's a reason a large chunk of the adventures for Eberron in Dungeon feature murder mysteries and crime stories. They fit with the "feel" of the setting.
So, to me, the specific elements of a setting - Elminister, this god, that demon lord, don't really matter. It's the thematic feel of the setting that sets each setting apart. At least for me.
The thing is, you can do "philosophers with clubs" pretty well in any system. You absolutely do not need the Wheel to do that.
Although one could argue FR doesn't have much of an essence, what set the FR apart, mostly, was that Greyhawk assumed (for argument's sake, at least) a lower magic level, FR was high magic all the way. Eberron has sort of taken high magic to a new level, leaving FR as sort of... generic fantasy with Elminster.
See, I don't quite agree with this. What separated FR from Greyhawk wasn't the level of magic, but, rather, that Greyhawk saws its inspirations in Sword and Sorcery Fantasy and FR in High Fantasy. Both S&S and High Fantasy can have very different levels of magic. LotR is High Fantasy for example, yet doesn't feature a whole lot of magic. Certainly not "everyday" magic.
The difference between the two is that High Fantasy deals with plots that affect the entire setting. Grand sweeping dramas that touch every part of the setting. LotR is a textbook example. S&S fantasy, OTOH, tends to be very local. The setting never really changes that much. The protagonists deal with personal problems rather than having these large scale plots.
That's why I really think the FR changes are very much in keeping with FR. From a thematic view, FR has always been about these grand, huge plots that touch all over the place - the Chosen of Mystra, Myth Dranor, Evermeet and the exile of the elves, Time of Troubles (heh), on and on. Things in FR play out on very large stages. So, when changing the setting, doing so with a very large brush is in keeping with the theme.
Eberron is far more pulpish in its approach. Really, it's closer thematically to Greyhawk in inspiration. The reduction in NPC levels plays to this. Pretty much every sourcebook points to S&S and pulp fiction for inspiration. There's a reason a large chunk of the adventures for Eberron in Dungeon feature murder mysteries and crime stories. They fit with the "feel" of the setting.
So, to me, the specific elements of a setting - Elminister, this god, that demon lord, don't really matter. It's the thematic feel of the setting that sets each setting apart. At least for me.