| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 10:34:33
Presented in this month's WotC 'Previews' is an excerpt from the upcoming Races of Stone tome. The preview takes a look at the race known as the Goliaths.
Enjoy...
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| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 18 Aug 2004 : 16:27:08
quote:
Originally posted by Anubis
Does this really go with a dwarven deity or is this some type of misprint? Slaadi are not the most pleaseant of creatures.
They're also regularly not what most people expect. Remember, the slaadi embody the purest notion of chaos... it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility for them to choose to worship an unlikely deity... and this is only respective of the slaadi types that we know exist.
Slaadi are fickle in their moral outlook -- if it would serve their ultimate aims, the slaadi would just as likely worship the Spawning Stone as a deity-like figure (in fact, some do). The overall aspect to remember here, is that when it comes to the slaadi... everything is possible.
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| Kuje |
Posted - 16 Aug 2004 : 17:35:38
For those who said they were not going to by this book, well there is some nice stuff in it that can be used even in FR, even if it isn't FR specific.
Off the top of my head, since I haven't really read through all of it yet, since I only glanced at it yesterday before my game.
Naming charts for gnomes, dwarves, and that other race. (Yes if you have Dwarves Deep it also has name charts for well Dwarves, but that's a old sourcebook. :))
100 plot hooks.
The last two chapters of the book also have some good info on magic and equipment and some fluff on adventuring, etc...... |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 16 Aug 2004 : 13:53:54
Some Wallpapers are now up. |
| The Wanderer |
Posted - 11 Aug 2004 : 16:37:00
Speaking of the excerpt....
In the dwarven gods section the state that the allies of the Chaotic Neutral god Hanseath are Green Slaad and Death Slaad...
Does this really go with a dwarven deity or is this some type of misprint? Slaadi are not the most pleaseant of creatures. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 11 Aug 2004 : 16:13:33
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Yeah... I *just* got my hands on Mercs Revised yesterday! Of course, I'm not going to jump on all of the new books...
Do you mind if I email you privately to discuss this particular tome, Wooly?
You can, but keep in mind I'm on a Realms-reading kick right now, so all I've read of it is the Wolf's Dragoons entry. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 11 Aug 2004 : 14:07:35
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'll agree with that... Most of my gaming dollars go to the Forgotten Realms or BattleTech, so there's not much left over for the generic D&D stuff.
I'll be experiencing that particular problem shortly (as I'm sure you will be also)... especially with the multitude of CBT tomes due for release in the coming months...
Yeah... I *just* got my hands on Mercs Revised yesterday! Of course, I'm not going to jump on all of the new books...
Do you mind if I email you privately to discuss this particular tome, Wooly?
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| Bakra |
Posted - 09 Aug 2004 : 16:47:26
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Bakra
I don't think I would buy this one...due to the fact funds are limited and I noticed that there is book dealing with artic conditions. Frostburn will get my money.
I'll be purchasing this tome, if only because of the gnome-fanatic that resides within me...
I stand corrected, I shall have to sell some blood but it is worth it. The gnomes are worth it. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 09 Aug 2004 : 14:25:48
There's a new excerpt up from this product. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 07 Aug 2004 : 15:32:22
There is a designer interview up for this item. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 07 Aug 2004 : 07:58:39
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'll agree with that... Most of my gaming dollars go to the Forgotten Realms or BattleTech, so there's not much left over for the generic D&D stuff.
I'll be experiencing that particular problem shortly (as I'm sure you will be also)... especially with the multitude of CBT tomes due for release in the coming months...
Yeah... I *just* got my hands on Mercs Revised yesterday! Of course, I'm not going to jump on all of the new books... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 07 Aug 2004 : 06:05:57
quote:
Originally posted by Bakra
I don't think I would buy this one...due to the fact funds are limited and I noticed that there is book dealing with artic conditions. Frostburn will get my money.
I'll be purchasing this tome, if only because of the gnome-fanatic that resides within me...
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| The Sage |
Posted - 07 Aug 2004 : 06:04:15
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'll agree with that... Most of my gaming dollars go to the Forgotten Realms or BattleTech, so there's not much left over for the generic D&D stuff.
I'll be experiencing that particular problem shortly (as I'm sure you will be also)... especially with the multitude of CBT tomes due for release in the coming months...
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| Bakra |
Posted - 06 Aug 2004 : 16:08:39
I don't think I would buy this one...due to the fact funds are limited and I noticed that there is book dealing with artic conditions. Frostburn will get my money. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 06 Aug 2004 : 05:34:28
quote:
Originally posted by hammer of Moradin
I have many books which are useless when I roleplay. As inspiration, however, they are *cue visa commercial* PRICELESS.
Most of the Complete X Handbooks didn't even offer me any inspiration... That's why I have no interest in these other books. |
| hammer of Moradin |
Posted - 06 Aug 2004 : 03:11:28
I have many books which are useless when I roleplay. As inspiration, however, they are *cue visa commercial* PRICELESS. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 05 Aug 2004 : 22:43:22
quote:
Originally posted by Anubis
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Besides, I remember how useless the majority of the stuff in the 2E "Complete X Handbooks" was. Most of those books offered nothing more useful than a single kit or two.
That depends on the Handbook. I found that some of them helped flesh out both species and classes. There was this Psionicists Handbook (one of three we used) which practically disintegrated in our hands from all of the use that we gave it.
I think there will always be some books, no matter which edition, which will be useless to some. I myself feel that 3E has an overabundance of them.
(Even so, I do find this particular tome to be rather intriguing  )
Oh, yeah, that's a given. The Humanoids Handbook was, in my opinion, one of the better ones. One of my fave characters ever was inspired by that book. The psionics one was great, too -- in fact, it was the first one I bought.
But on the whole, I was disappointed with that series. Some of them were just plain useless. |
| The Wanderer |
Posted - 05 Aug 2004 : 18:52:00
quote:
Originally posted by kahonen
Arivia, you are suffering a bad case of 3E-itis. What you need is a good dose of 2nd Edition (you remember, real D&D). That will sort out your problem and have you feeling better in no time. 
I have to agree with this one. One thing I've noticed with 3E is the explosion of classes, new species, and PrCs. It is an never-ending hunger for new things which most consumers seem to posses these days, never really taking time to appreciate what is already there.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Besides, I remember how useless the majority of the stuff in the 2E "Complete X Handbooks" was. Most of those books offered nothing more useful than a single kit or two.
That depends on the Handbook. I found that some of them helped flesh out both species and classes. There was this Psionicists Handbook (one of three we used) which practically disintegrated in our hands from all of the use that we gave it.
I think there will always be some books, no matter which edition, which will be useless to some. I myself feel that 3E has an overabundance of them.
(Even so, I do find this particular tome to be rather intriguing ) |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 05 Aug 2004 : 15:39:31
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
I'll say it again: I simply do not have any money to throw away on products not bearing the FR logo... there's a whole line of products supporting the game setting I have chosen (FR, duh!) Why would I ever want to care or bother with "Goliaths" and their "Lord of Rams" deities and other stupidities...
I'll agree with that... Most of my gaming dollars go to the Forgotten Realms or BattleTech, so there's not much left over for the generic D&D stuff. Besides, I remember how useless the majority of the stuff in the 2E "Complete X Handbooks" was. Most of those books offered nothing more useful than a single kit or two. |
| kahonen |
Posted - 05 Aug 2004 : 12:52:13
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
What the hell ever happened to the simple, elven fighter, for example? No, now it's Tharg, half-demon goliath fighter! I'm just tired of new entries in this already overstuffed category, a Pandora's Box apparently opened by Savage Species. But, what do I know? I'm just a consumer, and not in the group they are trying to appeal to.
Arivia, you are suffering a bad case of 3E-itis. What you need is a good dose of 2nd Edition (you remember, real D&D). That will sort out your problem and have you feeling better in no time. |
| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 05 Aug 2004 : 02:43:02
I'll say it again: I simply do not have any money to throw away on products not bearing the FR logo... there's a whole line of products supporting the game setting I have chosen (FR, duh!) Why would I ever want to care or bother with "Goliaths" and their "Lord of Rams" deities and other stupidities... |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 04 Aug 2004 : 22:24:38
RPGShop is now showing this product as in stock. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 13 Jul 2004 : 02:40:29
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
But, what do I know? I'm just a consumer, and not in the group they are trying to appeal to.
And there's nothing wrong with being in the minority here. As a consumer you still have the power of not supporting products that you don't like or find appealing. I certainly have excercised that a great deal this year with D20 items. |
| Arivia |
Posted - 13 Jul 2004 : 02:14:58
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
I was just referring, Sirius, to the negative attitude we as posters are showing WOTC's newest tomes...in this case (and not to point fingers) I was referring to Arivia's comment: "Oh, it's another bloody race!". While I understand our trepidation at plunking down anohther 19.95 + tax for the tome, I still think that WOTC putting out lots and lots of product is a good thing.
I'm not suggesting we all integrate everything WOTC puts out into our game - and I don't think that's their intention, either:
"The information in this work provides you, the Dungeon Master, with a sketch, a snapshot, of a complete, living, breathing fantasy world in which to set your D&D game. It's...a set of suggestions for how you could play a continuing game..." - Faerun Campaign Setting (pg. 6)
So, I just don't see a point in us rolling our eyes everytime they offer us new material. Clearly they aren't suggesting that the game is incomplete without every book under the sun they produce.
Again, I think most of us would say that it's Faerun's vastness, its neverending growth and borderless room for good fantasy that have drawn most of us into Toril in the first place.
I have no problem with them offering new products, especially in this industry, where you have to produce new product or die. However, I do not think that we need new races, especially in the core D&D line, especially in a supplement devoted to two existing races! I don't know. Maybe I-maybe I don't share the same fixation WotC's consumer base seems to with new races! monstrous characters! and all that other overblown stuff. What the hell ever happened to the simple, elven fighter, for example? No, now it's Tharg, half-demon goliath fighter! I'm just tired of new entries in this already overstuffed category, a Pandora's Box apparently opened by Savage Species. But, what do I know? I'm just a consumer, and not in the group they are trying to appeal to. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 13 Jul 2004 : 01:50:08
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
I was just referring, Sirius, to the negative attitude we as posters are showing WOTC's newest tomes
Opinions vary, I can clearly point out to many online comments which make me suspect WOTC could publish 190 blank pages in a gaming product and it would still sell to some consumers because it's from WOTC.
quote:
...in this case (and not to point fingers) I was referring to Arivia's comment: "Oh, it's another bloody race!". While I understand our trepidation at plunking down anohther 19.95 + tax for the tome, I still think that WOTC putting out lots and lots of product is a good thing.
Not to point fingers...but it's your fault Arivia! Hang your head in shame.
This above comment makes me ponder another reason I can't get too excited about a WOTC generic product. D20 companies have beaten them to the punch. Now, some would say that WOTC puts forth better quality material than these D20 companies. However, in my experiences of a WOTC item versus a similar D20 item, results have varied as to who has come out on top.
Draconomicron was clearly better than any D20 dragon item I encountered. However, the early class books that WOTC put out, were in my opinion of a lesser quality than some D20 companies' offerings. Again, opinions can vary, but it's clear that WOTC feels that any previous D20 offerings will not hinder their sales when it comes to Races of Stone. For example, take a look some comments from Charles Ryan, Brand Manager of D&D at WOTC.
quote:
Q) Do you think that all the d20 books that are out on the market hurt the sales of individual WOTC books?
No, I think there is a lot of stuff on the market. I think it's a pie, where the more stuff that comes out, the slices get thinner and thinner. I'm not in the d20 publishing business so I can't say much about that except that I imagine that is a really tough business to be in since there are so many companies. I don't think us. I think there's very few people - talk about Races of Stone for example - who are going to make a decision between a d20 company's book about dwarves and our book about dwarves and choose not to buy ours. They may buy the other one in addition to see what other insights they get, but I think someone who really wants to know lots of stuff about dwarves - I think we're their first choice. Maybe that's a little hubris on my part.
I don't think it's hubris. I think he's dead on here. Now, whether that is because of quality or just the power of WOTC's name as the publisher, could be debated endlessly.
quote:
So, I just don't see a point in us rolling our eyes everytime they offer us new material. Clearly they aren't suggesting that the game is incomplete without every book under the sun they produce.
Actually, some recent comments in a Dragon magazine had me for the first time sensing hubris when it came to advertising or promoting a WOTC product. But, again, that's just my opinion. |
| Arion Elenim |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 23:44:21
I was just referring, Sirius, to the negative attitude we as posters are showing WOTC's newest tomes...in this case (and not to point fingers) I was referring to Arivia's comment: "Oh, it's another bloody race!". While I understand our trepidation at plunking down anohther 19.95 + tax for the tome, I still think that WOTC putting out lots and lots of product is a good thing.
I'm not suggesting we all integrate everything WOTC puts out into our game - and I don't think that's their intention, either:
"The information in this work provides you, the Dungeon Master, with a sketch, a snapshot, of a complete, living, breathing fantasy world in which to set your D&D game. It's...a set of suggestions for how you could play a continuing game..." - Faerun Campaign Setting (pg. 6)
So, I just don't see a point in us rolling our eyes everytime they offer us new material. Clearly they aren't suggesting that the game is incomplete without every book under the sun they produce.
Again, I think most of us would say that it's Faerun's vastness, its neverending growth and borderless room for good fantasy that have drawn most of us into Toril in the first place.
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 22:45:54
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
however, new races for detailed sections of my settings are useless to me. Wasted space.
I will say this about new races/etc. being introduced into FR. If it's going to happen, I'd like to see a novel detailing some lore/information about the new race as the Shades were featured in the Archwizards series. Such a move I belive helps draw in fan interest in this new element becoming part of Faerun.
I'll agree with that. Giving a new race air-time in a novel would go a long way towards making them feel more a part of the Realms, rather than something new hastily tossed in. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 22:08:18
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
however, new races for detailed sections of my settings are useless to me. Wasted space.
I will say this about new races/etc. being introduced into FR. If it's going to happen, I'd like to see a novel detailing some lore/information about the new race as the Shades were featured in the Archwizards series. Such a move I belive helps draw in fan interest in this new element becoming part of Faerun. |
| Arivia |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 21:27:38
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
Why does everyone here immediately slam new races? Folks, what is wrong with WOTC releasing new tomes with new information for new ideas? The option is that they do nothing , release no new material and completely forget about its fans and focus on Pokemon or something.....
It seems that the same people who complained about 2nd ed. being too limited are now complaining about the ever-expanding nature of 3rd ed...
For me, a new tome = a chance for new angles in my campaign. Maybe you people don't agree...oh well...I still love you all. Especially the ladies.
Oh, yes...the ladies....
Sigh. I'm hopeless.
Because it's one of the areas with the least design space. Races need to be so integrated with the setting that having new ones thrown continually at us in the generic D&D line is wasted space to me. This is also why I dislike monsters like the desmodu, as they are essentially races themselves. I will not bend over backward to integrate WotC's new offerings into my worlds-if they fit, they fit. I won't go against canon to put in the latest shiny powergaming tool. And these races don't fit-they aren't integrated. I have no problem with new books-however, new races for detailed sections of my settings are useless to me. Wasted space. |
| Capn Charlie |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 21:15:14
Even though it seems there is a whole chapter of the book dedicated to the new race(far, far more than is on elves in either the phb or the FRCS) I must agree that liekly ther will be, at best, the bare bones of lore for them.
However, that is a good thing. Just like with rules released they are there for DMS who want to use them to make use of, and in most if not all cases whatever was printed of theri history would be heavily altered anyway.
I like new things, races prcs and rules, and though I may not use them all I at least get a little mechanical inspiuration from most new races, and at the very lest I get a chapter to read about them in.
Now, as to whether I will buy the book, it depends on whether or not it is something useful enough for me to want to have it at my table. If it isn't, then I will just peruse it in the store, and let it go, like so many others. |
| Sarelle |
Posted - 12 Jul 2004 : 20:23:25
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
Why does everyone here immediately slam new races? Folks, what is wrong with WOTC releasing new tomes with new information for new ideas? The option is that they do nothing , release no new material and completely forget about its fans and focus on Pokemon or something.....
I just fail to see the point of these countless new races. Its a craze, like PrCs, that without the accompaniment of good, grounding lore is just a sad waste.
But that's my opinion - if you disagree that's perfectly valid. |
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