Wizards 2008 releases?

[Nepenthe]

All well-put, but none of it requires that the novel world be at the expense of the gaming world. A modest shift in editorial direction would continue letting the goose lay her golden eggs, but do it in a way that didn't make gamers second-class citizens of the Realms.

I was pretty much going to write that, so I'll just QFT it.

It's kind of funny that, to me at least, the current gen Dragonlance gaming products pretty much have the Forgotten Realms stuff beat, considering the relative quality of the brands in the past and the past role of DL as the "novel world"... (Not to say that there aren't some excellent books in the current FR range, the way City of Splendors uses the guild system from DMG II is brilliant and very mineable, which is even better! )

 

[Flynn]

Out of curiosity, what does RSEs have to do with WOTC's 2008 releases? Did I skip a post about some upcoming cataclysm or something? If so, when in 2008 will we find out about it? And will it be a novel, a supplement or both?

Thanks,
Flynn

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Out of curiosity, what does RSEs have to do with WOTC's 2008 releases? Did I skip a post about some upcoming cataclysm or something? If so, when in 2008 will we find out about it? And will it be a novel, a supplement or both?

2008: Year of the Cataclysm​

A catclysm every month! In every game world! Including the world of the Knights of the Silver Dragon!

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Out of curiosity, what does RSEs have to do with WOTC's 2008 releases? Did I skip a post about some upcoming cataclysm or something? If so, when in 2008 will we find out about it? And will it be a novel, a supplement or both?

Big events that are going on in current D&D novel series: (See spoiler text below)

Spoiler

Mass deicide in the Drow pantheon, with Selvetarm a goner and Vhaeraun presumed dead and his stuff assimilated by his sister - though it's not unlikely that the whole thing was staged, and that the two want to get at their mother.

Lots of warmongering going on in in Sembia, with talk in the novels about Shar's great plan coming to fruitation soon. That great plan, of course, is the obliteration of everything.

Then there's some serious partying going on in Thay, as Szass Tam decided that the whole council thing was too much of a hassle and started to go to war against the rest of Thay. It's not that unlikely that he'll succeed and cover the neighbouring countries with war, too.

Obould Many Arrows having established the first ever Orc Kingdom, and the heroes of Mithral Hall being less than happy about their new neighbours.

I think that all of these novel series have novels coming out in 2008, some of them beyond, too.

 

[Broccli_Head]

:

Spoiler

-

---Khelben Blackstaff's death

---Halaster Blackcloak's death

-

When/what book did those happen?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

When/what book did those happen?

Use your secret ring to reveal the hidden scripture!

Spoiler

People are complaining when no Chosen of Mystra dies. People are complaining when one does die. It seems the old proverb is wrong: The only constant thing isn't change: It's people complaining!

Not that I didn't like our oatmeal-devouring, skunk-bearded, waterdhavian archmage, mind you.

 

[jhallum]

Ugh, I hate the Realms novels so much now I've quit reading them.

I have half suspected for a few weeks now (I'm a bit slow), that after the Grand History of the Realms, there might not be any more Realms books, or at the very least, some sort of grand concluding product for the realms in '08. With the death of so many characters, a flurry of huge Realm changing events over the past year, with the release of the trilogy of Supermodules (and the hidden RSE in Undermountain), and even the article in Dragon last month (which is another RSE of minor proportions). I suspect that they are building up to something pretty impressive.

However, death has never been a career ending injury in the Realms, so nothing is ever set in stone, and I could be wrong.

 

[Faraer]

It's not necessary to have RSE in a FR novel. It's an editorial choice, and one that puts the novel readers ahead of the gamers.

Not novel readers in general, but the portion of the novel readers for whom the RSEs are a draw, after having been trained to expect escalating spectacle (as Jim Butler admitted on REALMS-L) since 1989.

Actions and events should have consequences and repercussions and the world should (and currently does) reflect that.

If the RSEs occurred organically and credibly from the setting, and their effects were treated with depth and verisimilitude, that would be one thing. Excepting a couple, I've never even read an argument that they do.

It's harder to come up with dozens of events that go on in the world, but aren't connected to your party.

This purpose could be met much more effectively by the rumours and current clack once common in Realms sources than by a relatively small number of grandiose novel trilogies with fixed canonical outcomes.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not novel readers in general, but the portion of the novel readers for whom the RSEs are a draw, after having been trained to expect escalating spectacle (as Jim Butler admitted on REALMS-L) since 1989.

At some point, though, the habit has to be kicked, or they'll have to have the world almost being destroyed every novel, and the readers are going to start laughing and wandering away. It's why Marvel Comics periodically dials back the silliness of the X-Men books for a year or so before reescalating things (and having 10,000,000 spin-off books) again.

 

[Shazman]

Back to the original point of the thread. I can understand going in cycles, but the shift in emphasis by WotC seems more dramatic than anything I've seen since 3E was released. There seems to be a significant drought after July.