Why do you think warforged = robots?

[Hamburger Mary]

From what I have seen of Ebberron, steampunk is what I saw...

Fair enough. But your statement about "People have forgotten how to build warforged" implies that you haven't seen very much of Eberron. You're jumping to conclusions based on seeing a few pictures and hearing some inaccurate information.

Lots of people hate Eberron. That's fine. Robots or constructs, it's got warforged. It's got the lightning rail. Some people like it, others don't. But if you don't understand something, don't assume that it's an "unimaginative copout". What I like about Eberron is it's internal logic and consistency. If you don't like the idea of a world where magic is part of daily life, that's your right. But there's a lot more to it than you think.

 

[GreatLemur]

However, the point to me is that people who call EBERRON "Steampunk" are typically seeing it in the magic-and-technology camp...

Yeah. That annoys the hell out of me. Steampunk has been used in fantasy so frequently that a whole lot of people think steampunk is by default a fantasy subgenre. So much so that folks like Dice4Hire don't seem to even require steam power to label something "steampunk".

On the other end of the spectrum, I've recently heard people calling the computer game Bioshock "steampunk". This is a game which includes neither magic nor steam power, but electricity, combustion engines, and genetic engineering.

So, yeah, I'm basically sick of the word, as it's becoming meaningless through overuse and misapplication.

 

[Desdichado]

If the Shfter could get adamantine claws, I'd consider playing one!

Otherwise, I'm just not seeing the connection. Oh well, -- N

Rahne, I guess. Did she ever actually join the X-men proper? I always think of her as a New Mutant.

And the changelings, I suppose, are Mystique, but I don't think she ever joined the X-men either.

 

[Desdichado]

Looking at these last four points, it seems to me that at least three don't apply to Star Wars droids. Then again, some people WANT to play droids in fantasy, and good for them. I've seen people play their warforged as Terminators, and if that's what's fun for them, good - likewise, if PC sentient constructs of any sort leave a bad taste in your mouth, certainly, stay away from the warforged.

Apropos of nothing, those were some suh-weet suspenders you had on during the ENnies ceremony.

 

[Desdichado]

Then our definitions must not be the same. But that is ok, from what I have seen of Ebberron, steampunk is what I saw, and was touted as a defining part of the setting. Yes, it is magic based, but that makes no difference to me.

It seems like I just had this discussion with some guy (usernamed Steampunk) not long ago. What is your definition of steampunk? Nothing in Eberron is steam powered, and nothing fits the -punk dystopian worldview. Without either steam or punk, I'm really struggling to see how this is in any way steampunk.

 

[GreatLemur]

Rahne, I guess. Did she ever actually join the X-men proper? I always think of her as a New Mutant.

And the changelings, I suppose, are Mystique, but I don't think she ever joined the X-men either.

I'm not sure about Rahne, but Mystique definitely did, following that old tradition of making villains into heroes once they've been around so long that they're like protagonists in their own right. Similarly, Sabretooth was an X-Man right up until Wolverine recently killed him (wonder how long that'll last...), and Juggernaut is currently a member of Excaliber. And then, of course, Emma Frost is currently with the X-Men, for reasons I've never fully understood.

Wooooo, TANGENT!

 

[thulsadoomson]

Oooh, I can see the X-Men analogy taken even further in 4E Eberron.

Warforged = Colossus
Shifter = Wolverine (and several other characters)
Changeling = Mystique
Kalashtar = Marvel Girl, Emma Frost, Psylocke, Prof. X, etc.
Tiefling = Nightcrawler

My gaming group actually had a party in an Eberron game that was sort of similar. In fact, the warforged fighter was actually named Colossus, and his artificer buddy managed to acquire the nickname Forge. It was quite silly and at the same time very fun.

We also ran across an NPC party that was more or less the Avengers:
Paladin=Capt. America
Barbarian=Thor
Sorceror=Scarlet Witch
Warforge=Vision
Knight=Black Knight

Our group is just silly like that though, and we love goofy stuff like that as well as bad puns in our game.

 

[Hellcow]

Apropos of nothing, those were some suh-weet suspenders you had on during the ENnies ceremony.

I'm always looking for an opportunity to pull out those suspenders.

 

[Voadam]

I'd have to say even with souls and being individuals who can grow and change, warforged still fits as robots for me. I consider the transformers from the 80s cartoon as robots even though they are individuals with emotions and unique personalities.

 

[Gentlegamer]

I consider Warforged to be robots, but that doesn't disqualify them as legitimate parts of a D&D game. I'm sorta ERB sci-fi pulp adventure oriented, myself.