Why is Eberron being pushed so hard?

[Mouseferatu]

Would you see any meaning in the statement that one of the most devoted myrmidons of Eberron didn't like the most commercially successful setting ever?

Not really. I love Eberron and dislike FR. I know people who love both. I know people who hate both. (And for the record, I don't hate FR. I just have no liking for it, either.)

Not sure I really feel the phrase "most devoted myrmidons" is appropriate either. I'm a fan of the setting, nothing more. Believe me, there are plenty of people out there more "devoted" than I.

Anyway, I've tried reading my copy several times and I see the same thing each time. A world where you are told where everything goes. How that increases adventure options, I will never understand. I've yet to see an actual example of adventure that can be done in Eberron, but not in my homebrew.

Odd. I see a new plot hook or adventure idea every few pages, and haven't yet once run across something that made me feel "I can't do this" or "I'm limited in that."

As far as comparing Eberron to homebrews, I've found stuff I can do in Eberron that I couldn't do in my previous homebrew settings as written. I've also got things in the homebrew settings that I couldn't do in Eberron. I'm not looking for the perfect setting in which to play all my future campaigns. No such thing exists, not even of my own creation. I love the feel of Eberron, and I will play many games in Eberron, but I will continue to tell stories in my own setting, and other published settings, as well.

I do not believe that "the perfect" campaign world exists, because my tastes in campaigns and stories varies.

There is an amazingly developed, detailed and tangled political world in Eberron. And I can completely understand the appeal of that. But beyond that its just telling me what I can and can't do. Who needs that?
Of course I can ignore any of it I want to. But if I start doing that, then what is the point of buying the stuff in the first place?

I like having an amazingly developed, detailed and tangled political world, because that's one of the primary things I look for. I want a world that fits together and feels like an actual, cohesive place. One that doesn't feel slapped together.

Again, I've never once felt that the book was telling me what I could or couldn't do, unless the book saying "Most orc tribes live in these locations" is a limiting factor. I don't find it to be such.

I love FR. I've never actually PLAYED in FR that I can recall. FR is a mountain of mix and match classic fantasy elements. So much that it doesn't even make sense as a single world. But it is all modular and I shred it and toss the stuff I don't like and blend the cool stuff into my home brew.

That's just the point, to me. If I buy a campaign setting, I want a campaign setting. Sure, I'll probably steal bits out of it and use them in my own homebrew as well, but I want the setting to stand as a world. The fact that FR doesn't is a failure on its part, IMO.

(To be fair, I don't attribute that failure to Greenwood. I attribute it to the fact that this single fantasy setting has had dozens if not hundreds of different creative directions and developers at one time or another.)

But a setting that doesn't hang together as a world isn't a setting, IMO. It's a toolkit. Toolkits are great, but not when you expect to be buying a setting.

Eberron is the opposite. An extremely consistent and rational world that gets there by linking everything in one giant gordian knot.

Sounds like the best parts of real-world history/historical fiction to me.

 

[Incenjucar]

A note: I never said Eberron was bad. However, it's not what I consider a good direction. I consider concepts like Planescape or Dark Sun a good direction. If you put that sort of creativity behind the notion "Classic fantasy", you'd have a heck of a good setting.

However, instead, we have Eberron, which, while not bad in and of itself, is market-driven, not concept-driven. They're not trying to make art, they're trying to make money.

That's also why they have shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force". I watch it. But it's not anywhere near what I consider high quality. It does make it easier for me, though, since I'll be leaving my TV home when I go to college in two weeks.

Interesting how that works.

 

[Ahrimon]

The fact that the world was designed to appeal to "Johnny Playstation" (by resembling Final Fantasy) and support a MMORPG are two pretty damning criticisms of Eberron...

I wouldn't say that it is "designed" to support a MMORPG, but by being new and having fewer details set in stone, it gives the computer game desingers more leway to build a workable MMO game. Room to adjust is always a good thing when crossing genre's.

Ahrimon

 

[Asmo]

I always thought that the MTG world was called Dominiara?

Asmo

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

There's a time and a place for everything. GH and FR had theirs. Now it's time to move on. I don't think it's healthy for a gaming company to sit on the same ol' same ol' campaign worlds indefinitely. Eventually people acquire enough source materials and simply run their own homebrew campaigns, limiting future sales of new source materials.

While I'm not a fan of Eberron, I do congradulate WotC for taking the next step and moving on with their business. In order to survive in business, you've always got to grow. And Eberron potentially allows them to do that in a manner FR and GH does not. And you've got all the marketing advantages of having something brand new as well.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

For those who don't much like Eberron, Greyhawk is well supported in Dungeon, these days, and the realms still gets material. Dragonlance is outsourced, and Planescape is fan supported. There are always options.

Yeah, I still think Midnight is the best new setting but then again FFG was lucky enough to get their hands on it for publishing... not WOTC. I honestly think Eberron is being pushed because of all the third party campaign settings. Then again, wasn't Kalamar the first WOTC endorsed 3.X edition setting? It certainly seemed to drop below the radar... I just don't hear that much about it these days. I guess WOTC decided that they'd show Kenzer how it was done.

 

[Thanee]

I think it is not a good idea to use Eberron, basically because the Forgotten Realms are so highly reckognized out there.

A MMORPG is not "just a computer game". It is highly expensive to develop and maintain and you need a huge customer base to run it properly.

Chances to get there are simply better with FR.

Now, the really important factor is how good the game itself is, regardless of the world it is set in, but the already big name of the Forgotten Realms in the computer market would surely have helped to get more customers to take notice.

Then again, maybe it's enough to say it's a D&D game. Because most people will use D&D and FR synonymously, anyways. And as long as it is cool, noone will really care whether it is Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms or Eberron.

I only hope they do it right and don't end up on the huge pile of unsuccessful or cancelled MMORPGs out there. That would be a pity.

About Eberron: I think it is build with the 3rd edition in mind, unlike the other settings, which already existed before and are merely converted. That's the biggest advantage I see there. New ideas are always good to keep things going as well. I personally like the FR and will continue to play there, but who knows, maybe we'll play an Eberron campaign eventually, too.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Reynard]

The fact that the world was designed to appeal to "Johnny Playstation" (by resembling Final Fantasy) and support a MMORPG are two pretty damning criticisms of Eberron...

By whose standards? Yours. Right. I guess they aught to close it down then.

These features alone demonstrate why it will not appeal to many traditional fantasy enthusiasts.

Again, who says? By and large, 'tradational fantasy enthusiaists' read Robert Jordan and dog eared copies of the Lord of the Rings. They don't play D&D, and if they do it is a lot more likley they are doing it on their computers and playstations, where it is accessible and only as effort and time intensive as one desires it to be.

But as a gimmick to attract new gamers? Sure, the kids will love it.

Which is the whole point, if you want to, you know, have a RPG industry or even hobby in 10 or 20 years when all the grumpy old gamers finally buy the farm.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

However, instead, we have Eberron, which, while not bad in and of itself, is market-driven, not concept-driven. They're not trying to make art, they're trying to make money.

Man. Curse these companies for trying to turn a profit, pay their employees AND provide entertainment for the unwashed masses. White Wolf and Wizards of the Coast must be the devil incarnate. How could they do this to us?

 

[Reynard]

I think it is not a good idea to use Eberron, basically because the Forgotten Realms are so highly reckognized out there.

But the brand they are selling isn't Eberron, it's D&D, which is certainly far more recognizable than the Forgotten Realms.