WotC's Chris Perkins Talks Realms & Sundering

Den of Geek has a lengthy interview with Chris Perkins about the Forgotten Realms and The Sundering. He also very briefly touches on other settings, indicating that WotC hopes that other worlds will be covered in the future if the right story comes along. On past controversial changes to settings, he says "Our guiding principle is to embrace the past and not pass judgment or rewrite history. We’d rather let the fans tell us what they like about the Realms and focus on those elements going forward." (thanks to MerricB for the scoop!)

 

[dd.stevenson]

Another thing that has me confused about 5E is how WOTC can have open, honest communication about the game during development but they can't be bothered to talk about the Realms.

Maybe it's the nog talking, but I don't understand. For the last two years they've done nothing but talk about the realms.

 

[HobbitFan]

dd.stevenson: Maybe I've been reading different WOTC stuff than you becuase I've read stuff from them stressing the new Edition. They've barely talked about the Realms in what I've read.....

 

[HobbitFan]

Just spitballing, but quite possibly because of contractual obligations that restrict fan input on the Realms, or that Greenwood isn't listening and has final say, etc.

In many ways, it might have been better for the game (but not the D&D brand as a whole) to have come up with a new setting without the baggage, and then have novelists write for it... kind of like what Sweatpea did for the (supposedly rather lame) movies. (On the other hand, Ken Whitman once mentioned that Courtney is in fact a gamer.)

Oh, and someone leaked a link to a playtest copy of the Epics module; it appears that the Epics modules will shape the "future" of the setting involved for their AL seasons.

Which tends to indicate that, from a certain point of view, Organized Play is becoming the way that the future of the setting is being influenced by gamers. (Note: A former WotC parter, AEG, has been doing this for their flagship game for a decade: L5R CCG... the winner of the big tournament helps determine the nature of the changes based upon a combination of their deck in finals and how it plays out. But they weren't the first, either.)

I think you may be on to something Aramis. It kinda looks that way. If Organized play is in the Driver's Seat though, they need to clarify this with the fans because alot of people are still under the impression that novels and rpg sourcebooks are how the Realms are shaped.

 

[Irennan]

Maybe it's the nog talking, but I don't understand. For the last two years they've done nothing but talk about the realms.

They have told us the same thing over and over. They said something along the lines of ''the Sundering books are but a snapshot of a whole huge events that is going to reshape the Realms. NPCs are returning, lands are returning, gods are returning, the feel is returning. No more RSEs''. However they then proceeded to let us know very little about this event that would change the Realms forever and ever, its consequences and how the FR and its pantheon would be 'reshaped' by it.

Basically the 5e FR still don't exist beyond the changes listed in the novels.

 

[Barachiel]

Just to reiterate...Null's Falazure aspect would have been a better choice than Tiamat. (Especially for the Cult of the Dragon)

 

[MerricB]

It's probably really worth listening to the two Forgotten Realms panels at the most recent Gen Con.

http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/forgotten-realms-panel-1-gencon-2014/
http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/forgotten-realms-panel-2-gencon-2014/

One of the big things they wanted to do was put more mystery back into the Forgotten Realms. Rather than have everything cut and dry, they would like there to be areas that are much more up to individual DMs to decide "oh, that's what actually is happening there".

There will be a 5E Forgotten Realms book, but they're not going to rush into it. 5E under Mike Mearls is very much taking a slower approach to things - being a lot more careful of user feedback and the like. So, you'll probably find them really looking at how the first couple of Realms events are received before they publish the book.

The Sundering is fascinating, because although we were led to believe it was about Abeir and Toril becoming separated, it was far more about the gods becoming more separated from the world. In particular, the Sundering saw the wholesale slaughtering of the Chosen. There will be a few Chosen still around, and a few fake ones as well, but it is no longer going to be every god has a Chosen. We get to see that played out in Dead in Thay and in the final book of the Sundering, "The Herald", by Ed Greenwood, although the Chosen are front-and-centre of most of the Sundering novels. (I still haven't read all of them, and some aren't that good, but anyway...)

At present, the baseline for the Realms is still contained in the 4E books, with modifications coming from the Neverwinter Campaign Setting (excellent, excellent book) and the D&D Next adventures. Hoard of the Dragon Queen describes activities of the Cult of the Dragon, but doesn't change that much (save the fate of Greenest); Rise of Tiamat changes things up a bit more, especially with regard to the Lords of Waterdeep, but I'm not familiar enough yet with the product. Give me a couple more months!

Cheers!

 

[Mirtek]

In particular, the Sundering saw the wholesale slaughtering of the Chosen.

At the moment, after the six primary Sundering novels, it's the exact opposite. We have more chosen then ever before. The least demigod now at least has several running amok all over the realms. The shadovar could fill several prison camps with chosen and yet are far from capturing all (and a whole camp was just liberated in one of the Sundering novels).

but it is no longer going to be every god has a Chosen.

Before the Sundering that never happened. There was no more than a dozend of so (out of over 100) deities who bothered with chosen, now during the Sundering they all went crazy with appointing them.

We get to see that played out in Dead in Thay and in the final book of the Sundering, "The Herald", by Ed Greenwood,

Don't know about DiT, but during the Heral nothing happened to thin out the ever growing ranks of chosen (well Mystra lost one, but she always had chosen to spare anyway. No major trimming of the countless chosen mentioned to stir up trouble all over the realms)

At present, the baseline for the Realms is still contained in the 4E books, with modifications coming from the Neverwinter Campaign Setting (excellent, excellent book) and the D&D Next adventures.

Well, a few things of note happened during the Sundering-Six. Filling the Sea of Fallen Stars back to the former level, annihilating the netheril empire, destroying Myth Drannor (again), etc.

Yet with the promised/hinted scope of the Sundering these are mere drops in the ocean

 

[Irennan]

It's probably really worth listening to the two Forgotten Realms panels at the most recent Gen Con.

http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/forgotten-realms-panel-1-gencon-2014/
http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/forgotten-realms-panel-2-gencon-2014/

One of the big things they wanted to do was put more mystery back into the Forgotten Realms. Rather than have everything cut and dry, they would like there to be areas that are much more up to individual DMs to decide "oh, that's what actually is happening there".

There will be a 5E Forgotten Realms book, but they're not going to rush into it. 5E under Mike Mearls is very much taking a slower approach to things - being a lot more careful of user feedback and the like. So, you'll probably find them really looking at how the first couple of Realms events are received before they publish the book.

Having lore and detailed info is a positive thing -yes, even over detailed info- because it means having options, ideas and inspiration to work with(what you are paying for). Any DM can decide "oh, that's what actually is happening there", no matter what the canon says, changing/picking from the lore as they please because it's their campaign. However no one needs a book to tell them ''LOL man, you can totally make up your lore, don't you know? Now pay WotC''. I buy this kind of RPG supplements to have details on a world setting, to have options, not to be told that I can make stuff up. If I were to buy a 5e FRCS, it would be because I want to know how the 5e FR look like, not because I want ''mystery''.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

Not everybody purchases setting books for heavy details.

Some DMs--in fact, a lot of DMs, myself included--want the basic details of the setting and then room to maneuver. Overwriting established campaign information is a waste of time when there are cities and places isolated enough that the DM can fill them in.

What once made the Realms useful was that so much of it was wide open. It had the right mix of detail and open spaces to really catch the imaginations of DMs and set them on the path to building their own cities, nations, etc., in the Realms.

Part of being a DM is worldbuilding. Even in an established setting. That promotes ownership, enthusiasm and constant interest on the part of the DM (and the players, if the DM is any good).

The Realms will best serve 5E D&D by having a combination of both attributes: areas of detail and areas that are sparsely detailed.

This way WotC can preserve the concept of levels of immersion in the setting, and can be comfortable saying to DMs "You don't have to play in Waterdeep. No worries. Here are all these other places we're leaving alone so you the DM can exercise your creative muscles and really deliver a custom campaign experience to your players."

 

[Sailor Moon]

Not everybody purchases setting books for heavy details.

Some DMs--in fact, a lot of DMs, myself included--want the basic details of the setting and then room to maneuver. Overwriting established campaign information is a waste of time when there are cities and places isolated enough that the DM can fill them in.

What once made the Realms useful was that so much of it was wide open. It had the right mix of detail and open spaces to really catch the imaginations of DMs and set them on the path to building their own cities, nations, etc., in the Realms.

Part of being a DM is worldbuilding. Even in an established setting. That promotes ownership, enthusiasm and constant interest on the part of the DM (and the players, if the DM is any good).

The Realms will best serve 5E D&D by having a combination of both attributes: areas of detail and areas that are sparsely detailed.

This way WotC can preserve the concept of levels of immersion in the setting, and can be comfortable saying to DMs "You don't have to play in Waterdeep. No worries. Here are all these other places we're leaving alone so you the DM can exercise your creative muscles and really deliver a custom campaign experience to your players."

Hopefully Wotc will have heeded their already failed attempts at this kind of thing and go all out with the detail.

Why you ask? Well in the end it gives everyone what they want. The fans of rich history get their juicy setting while the fans who want a not so juicy one can simply ignore whats written and make your own stuff up. Making your own stuff up is what generic worlds are for, not pre-established settings like the Forgotten Realms. It's the rich history and loads of detail that make FR what it is.