Zulithe
Explorer
I want to start off by stating that 4E is my current system of choice. I have one game in the works and am trying to squeeze my way into another as I write this.
With that established, I think enough time has passed since its release that I can say the 4E incarnation of The Realms has been a dismal failure, both critically and commercially, and I'd like to see WotC do something different for 4E Eberron. I believe it set a horrible precedent in terms of format and it has discouraged me from picking up any other campaign-specific material designed for 4E, even from third parties, since I have a feeling it will influence their conceptions for the worse.
The information speaks for itself: Reviews, both professional and casual, have been lackluster at best. I'd go so far as to say that, aside from the rare DM here and there, it has been panned by everyone other than the RPGA. As for sales, if we go by online sellers like amazon.com, it's always the lowest ranked 4E hardback, with the FRPG doing only marginally better due to its crunch content.
One may argue that campaign settings and other DM-centric books tend to sell less in the long term, and I'd definitely concede that. However, I would argue that with the new edition's momentum, WotC had an opportunity to retool the way settings were done and rise above, but either they didn't give it the effort it deserved, or were running out of time and rushed it out the door. It could have been the most ambitious, flavorful treatment yet, but they opted to over-simplify. To me, that just doesn't work, especially for the realms. Way, way too much has been lost in the translation and it saddens me.
We know that 4E Eberron won't see the sweeping world changes that 4E FR did, but that doesn't account for the presentation and content style which I think a lot of fans were displeased with, if not put off entirely by, when compared to the 3E way of doing things which just felt more juicy. I like that you can open up the 4E FRCS to any area and get some interesting plot hooks, but I don't believe that should exist at the expense of detailed information which a lot of DMs love to see in a CS.
Should WotC stick to its guns, and release 4E Eberron the same way despite what player feedback has shown? Or should they try something new (or dare I say, something old?) Or maybe you'd say I'm just not "getting" the 4E campaign setting style? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as well.
With that established, I think enough time has passed since its release that I can say the 4E incarnation of The Realms has been a dismal failure, both critically and commercially, and I'd like to see WotC do something different for 4E Eberron. I believe it set a horrible precedent in terms of format and it has discouraged me from picking up any other campaign-specific material designed for 4E, even from third parties, since I have a feeling it will influence their conceptions for the worse.
The information speaks for itself: Reviews, both professional and casual, have been lackluster at best. I'd go so far as to say that, aside from the rare DM here and there, it has been panned by everyone other than the RPGA. As for sales, if we go by online sellers like amazon.com, it's always the lowest ranked 4E hardback, with the FRPG doing only marginally better due to its crunch content.
One may argue that campaign settings and other DM-centric books tend to sell less in the long term, and I'd definitely concede that. However, I would argue that with the new edition's momentum, WotC had an opportunity to retool the way settings were done and rise above, but either they didn't give it the effort it deserved, or were running out of time and rushed it out the door. It could have been the most ambitious, flavorful treatment yet, but they opted to over-simplify. To me, that just doesn't work, especially for the realms. Way, way too much has been lost in the translation and it saddens me.
We know that 4E Eberron won't see the sweeping world changes that 4E FR did, but that doesn't account for the presentation and content style which I think a lot of fans were displeased with, if not put off entirely by, when compared to the 3E way of doing things which just felt more juicy. I like that you can open up the 4E FRCS to any area and get some interesting plot hooks, but I don't believe that should exist at the expense of detailed information which a lot of DMs love to see in a CS.
Should WotC stick to its guns, and release 4E Eberron the same way despite what player feedback has shown? Or should they try something new (or dare I say, something old?) Or maybe you'd say I'm just not "getting" the 4E campaign setting style? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as well.