Why is Dragonlance Your Least Favorite Setting?

[jollyninja]

speaking on behalf of the dragonlance fanboys, well put.

that was the one good thing about fifth age dragonlance. there were no heroes saving the world. sure you had some powerful npc's in the world but they were not going to get the job done. post war of souls seems to be set up in a more playable way. there are powerful groups but many of the figures that so dominated dragonlance novels and gaming products are no longer prominent. much of the baggage has been dropped flat on it's face. though a few decades/centuries later is the time i hope to see it set in not the following week. i think detailing the areas of ansalon that have not been touched in the novels will go a long way toward making it more playable. also if the pantheon of gods leaves the setting again, i go with them.

novel fans may want the rest of the story but gamers want to decide that themselves. while i enjoy the novels, i want to play dragonlance, i want my character to matter, give me something to work with you bastards, not a bunch of npc's who i can assist in saving the world. game designers for DL seem to have been stuck in hero worship mode in the past. just give me the info, let me do with it what i please.

 

[CRG]

Jamie / Vrykyl

Gracias for the response. I look forward to seeing the story lines as you guys present them. As long as there is "room" for the characters to grow, I think DL will gain back share in the settings market.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

Having just finished Dragons of a Vanished Moon (last of the War of Souls Trilogy), I was not thrilled with the ending. That said, I think I'll pass on the next DL campaign I run across that continues from where the last book left off.

 

[Randolpho]

Having just finished Dragons of a Vanished Moon (last of the War of Souls Trilogy), I was not thrilled with the ending. That said, I think I'll pass on the next DL campaign I run across that continues from where the last book left off.

I have to agree there... the ending left a *lot* to be desired. That, and the numerous editing mistakes left a really bad taste in my mouth about the series.

Personally, I got the feeling that the ending was tacked on to make room for the new campaign setting. I honestly believe there was a different ending, and when Weiss/Hickman found out WotC would release a Dragonlance campaign setting for D&D (Finally!), they tried to set it up with the book for that setting. That's all fine and dandy, but finish the book first!

Just IMHO, of course. I still have the highest regard for Weiss/Hickman. Everyone gets to have a bad book once in a while.

That being said, I think the new world *will* be a fun setting to play in. Nobody can complain about novel heroes overshadowing the PCs, because, of course, there aren't any. The old setting was very fun to play in, dispite those complaints. Too bad uber-fanboys always have to ruin it for people.

That's right, I blame the uber-fanboys for ruining Dragonlance for people. It's silly people who just have to play super-annoying little Tasslehoff-on-crack-clones and those who *want* mirror what's in the books who are to blame. Dragonlance never causes a problem for those who are able to ignore the novels. The two are not synonymous.

 

[Chromnos]

I enjoyed the novels immensely.

However, the way in which the setting was first presented seemed a bit inflexible. A better approach would be to capitalize on interest in a setting by selling the setting itself. Then if people want to play along the track set down by the fiction then they may do so to their heart's content.

Those of us who would like to use the setting a playground can do so as well without being forced into a predetermined time-scale or story line.

-C

 

[vrykyl]

Personally, I got the feeling that the ending was tacked on to make room for the new campaign setting. I honestly believe there was a different ending, and when Weiss/Hickman found out WotC would release a Dragonlance campaign setting for D&D (Finally!), they tried to set it up with the book for that setting. That's all fine and dandy, but finish the book first!

I can dispel that impression right away! War of Souls was plotted out and planned by Margaret and Tracy at the very beginning of the trilogy, and while minor things have changed, the novel was finished long before the licensing deal was hammered out. Even so, I think that the world after the trilogy is very well-suited for gaming, and we're all very excited about it!

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.

 

[Leopold]

this is dragon lance we are talking about right?

Well why not focus on the first part of the title..dragons..


The dragons in DL were the weakest, smallest, most worthless dragons in all the settings. They were allowed to be ridden, were the size of a greyhound bus, and had lousy lousy abilities. They were easily killed, easily captured, and easily manipulated. They never seemed like real dragons to me only flying lizards that breathed fire and so forth.


My hope is that you focus more on making the dragons feared and interacting with the setting more. None of this "I take a level in PrC X and get a great wyrm mount" . I know there will be dragon riders but make it gutsy, challenging, tough. Make the dragon resist, make them roll saves, roleplay getting the dragon. This is like asking a demigod if you can hitch a ride, i doubt it is going to say no but you never know.

Overall, don't twink the dragons anymore, make them FEEL like the way dragons should be and not some big flying scaley horse.

 

[Chromnos]

Make that core novels and the brother's sequel. The more recent stuff I can't comment on.

-C

 

[Vaxalon]

Kenders, gully dwarves, and gnomes are certainly included--they are an important part of Dragonlance! But some effort has been put to make all races balanced, playable, and useful, not just throwaway races for comic relief.

It seems to me that if you do that, they'll stop being Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Tinker Gnomes. Not that I'm complaining... I can't stand any of them... but if you take away what I can't stand, what do you have left?

 

[Randolpho]

It seems to me that if you do that, they'll stop being Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Tinker Gnomes. Not that I'm complaining... I can't stand any of them... but if you take away what I can't stand, what do you have left?

How about we take away the stereotypical dwarven fighter who carries a barrel of ale on his back and hurls curses like "sandstone" and whose women have beards instead? I've always hated stereotypes like that in D&D, yet they're still around and everyone seems to like it.

The problem with the "comic three" as everyone seems to like it being called, is that everyone seems to believe that the entire race is based upon the characters that were presented in the book.

Come on, now. Are all half-elves bearded rangers with an indecisive streak? No. Don't judge the entire race based upon the comic releif uses of the books.

Try reading the racial descriptions in the source material. Not all kender are Tasslehoff.