| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| pursuinginsanity |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 04:33:13
A disclaimer: I considered putting this into the RPG products forum as there was already a CoS: Waterdeep thread there, but as my questions were a bit broad I thought this the best place. Sorry if it's in the wrong place.
CoS: Waterdeep is the first (and so far only) 3rd edition product I have purchased. I thoroughly enjoy the juicy lore in the book and feel Eric Boyd did a wonderful job with the (too little) space he had. However there are a few issues I have, mostly concerning maps. Here goes.
At least two map locations, both in castle ward, do not seem to be on the (rather poor to be frank) maps within. These are C80 - Tolgar Anuvien's residence and C84 - Nurneene's Marvelous Masks. Do these locations appear in any one elses copy? If not, I guess I'll shoehorn them in somewhere.
Next up there appears to be a problem with location $33 - The Eirontalar Noble villa. The villa appears in the old City of Splendors product at the more north-eastern location at the corner of Diamond Street and Vondil Street. The second location marked $33 is left unmarked in the old boxed set. It is located in south-eastern Sea Ward, just south of $53 - The Bladesemmer Villa, and just east of the Courtyard of the Well. My question is was this intentional? If not, just WHAT is located at the south-eastern $33?
I'm curious if any other scribes have information concerning the following locations:
D61 - Jester's Clubhouse Guildhall. Just what guild does this building belong to?
$66 - Mystra's Arms Asylum. What sort of asylum is this? Does it appear in any other product?
N76 - Firesong Villa. Any information would be welcome.
N71 - Greenglade Tower. Ditto.
It seems I may have an early printing of this book considering that on page 55 under Blazidon one-eye's bio appears the following line:
"in Virgin's Square$GS: on map?, where most caravan ..."
I'll be starting a nobles' style campaign in this wonderful city this month and these issues are rather important to me. Thanks in advance for any insight. |
| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 11 Jul 2009 : 13:52:29
To paraphrase an interview I heard with Ed (I think it was on "the Tome."
Player: "But I've read this book by Ed Greenwood, and it says that that NPC has a red shirt."
DM's response (as Ed would have it): "Who's Ed Greenwood? Is he the one standing in the street right in front of you telling you that the NPC has a mauve and beige cat-shaped tattoo instead of a shirt?" |
| Rosemary Jones |
Posted - 11 Jul 2009 : 08:46:55
Real cities change all the time. My hometown of Seattle is in a constant state of flux as new buildings are being built, old ones torn down, a train added through the center of downtown, and so on. Yet, I can still stand on the top of a hill here, and see the same Space Needle that everyone knows and loves, the same ferry docks, and so on. A guidebook printed a year ago may be generally accurate but not absolutely correct.
I'm sure that Waterdeep also is a city constantly being rebuilt, changed, and not to be taken for granted. Keep your characters on their toes: don't let them think that they know everything just because they've read some guidebook. Or even some novel set in Waterdeep!
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| George Krashos |
Posted - 06 Jul 2009 : 14:53:41
quote:
Originally posted by pursuinginsanity
D61 - Jester's Clubhouse Guildhall. Just what guild does this building belong to?
From Advanced Dungens & Dragons comic #9.
quote:
Originally posted by pursuinginsanity
$66 - Mystra's Arms Asylum. What sort of asylum is this? Does it appear in any other product?
From Dream Spheres novel, pgs.190 and 371.
quote:
Originally posted by pursuinginsanity
N76 - Firesong Villa. Any information would be welcome.
Building owned by the dragon Jalanvaloss - see Dragon#243.
quote:
Originally posted by pursuinginsanityN71 - Greenglade Tower. Ditto.
From Dream Spheres novel, pgs.116,206 and 358.
-- George Krashos |
| Blueblade |
Posted - 05 Jul 2009 : 16:28:32
Well, I know Ed is always snowed under with questions, but I'd ask him in his Questions thread in the Chamber of Sages about the Masks shop location and the moving Eirontalar villa, maybe the guildhall, too. Either you'll get silence, or you MIGHT get a swift reply because Ed knows off the top of his head.
He is the creator of the city and most of its features, after all...
BB |
| pursuinginsanity |
Posted - 05 Jul 2009 : 08:41:00
Well, thanks for everyone's candor. I'll have to find a place to put Nurneene's.. What would an upper class campaign be without silly, overpriced masks?
Ms. Jones - Like Dart, I'll be using this for sure.
Mr. Krashos - That would be most appreciated.
Ikki - I have VGtatM, I'll check into it. I'm not really interested in the mechanics. You guys have given me pretty much what I was looking for with the asylum.
Sage - That too would be nice. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 04 Jul 2009 : 01:13:44
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by althen artren
Gang, I think you got that from the Ravenloft novel with the
elven vampire. I think that is where the asylum is mentioned.
Yup yup, the Jander Sunstar novels. Nods. :) Think it was written about in one of the older Realms of anthologies.
Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden.
I can't immediately recall which of the anthologies stories it appeared in. I'll have to check.
|
| Ikki |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 22:31:52
$66 - Mystra's Arms Asylum. What sort of asylum is this? Does it appear in any other product?
Been in some books... (damned if i can remember which)
Anyways, check out volos guide to all things magical. It meantions how certain spellcombinations causes insanity to the caster, or how casting in a area already saturated.. or casting too many spells can cause this too. In waterdeep, during iakhovas invasion, blackstaff was busy blasting at the western beach walls, other mages there too... and a mention how many had already succumbed to madness from overcasting and how they would remain forever as mental wrecks.
This would be where those are stored and cared for.
However, the mechanics of it have never been really explained, and overall never really supported in any form either. And i strongly wonder if thuis wasnt something that dissapeared with the second edition... |
| Edain Shadowstar |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 19:53:24
Or possibly from Prince of Lies when Mystra traps Adon in an asylum for those driven mad by magical mishaps during the Time of Troubles... |
| Kuje |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 18:31:12
quote:
Originally posted by althen artren
Gang, I think you got that from the Ravenloft novel with the
elven vampire. I think that is where the asylum is mentioned.
Yup yup, the Jander Sunstar novels. Nods. :) Think it was written about in one of the older Realms of anthologies. |
| althen artren |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 18:05:49
Gang, I think you got that from the Ravenloft novel with the
elven vampire. I think that is where the asylum is mentioned. |
| Gang Falconhand |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 15:48:07
_$66 - Mystra's Arms Asylum. What sort of asylum is this? Does it appear in any other product?_
I don't know whether I dreamt this, but isn't it an asylum for those driven mad by magic and magical pursuits? Don't know where I got that from. |
| IngoDjan |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 15:41:13
Maps is NEVER accurate. See the Faerun Atlas Software and the 3.5 updated maps and you know what I'm talking about. |
| Dart Ambermoon |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 15:36:07
quote:
Originally posted by Rosemary Jones
Having spent an entire year squinting at the maps in Boyd's guide and also in Ed's Volo's Guide to Waterdeep, I can say that the mapmakers of Waterdeep are not all that accurate. Several locations shifted about and some streets just don't seem to go where the guides say they go.
My version of Boyd's guide also has the wonderful misprint "dark dearlings" instead of "dark dealings." Which I cheerfully lifted and used as character motivation in my Waterdeep novel.
I had wondered from whence the inspiration for that one came from. But it sounds simply fabulous.
quote:
My solution to the problem was simply to have a character state you can't trust what any author writes about Waterdeep: authors will say anything to get you to part with your money. Send your nobles where you want them to go, have great fun doing it, and if they say that isn't accurate according to the map, tell them that map isn't all that good to begin with and you can sell them a very wonderful map for a quite reasonable sum. It's what a Waterdhavian would do :)
Alright, THIS is another thing (apart from several ideas that came from/were tucked inside your fine novel IŽll be definitely using the next time my players enter the City of Splendors.
|
| Markustay |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 13:12:11
I've never been all that interested in Waterdeep. I ran one adventure there once, and it was a solo for a thief - the rest of the party just re-stocked and moved on (thank goodness).
Cities aren't my thing; I prefer smaller settlements.
As for you getting a rough, first printing... I've only seen two instances where TSR bothered to change things between print runs, and I've never heard of WotC doing so.
quote:
Originally posted by Rosemary Jones
authors will say anything to get you to part with your money.
QFT.  |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 08:47:49
I'll have a look at Eric's chapter rough-cuts and see what I can glean from them.
-- George Krashos
|
| Rosemary Jones |
Posted - 03 Jul 2009 : 06:53:33
Having spent an entire year squinting at the maps in Boyd's guide and also in Ed's Volo's Guide to Waterdeep, I can say that the mapmakers of Waterdeep are not all that accurate. Several locations shifted about and some streets just don't seem to go where the guides say they go.
My version of Boyd's guide also has the wonderful misprint "dark dearlings" instead of "dark dealings." Which I cheerfully lifted and used as character motivation in my Waterdeep novel.
My solution to the problem was simply to have a character state you can't trust what any author writes about Waterdeep: authors will say anything to get you to part with your money. Send your nobles where you want them to go, have great fun doing it, and if they say that isn't accurate according to the map, tell them that map isn't all that good to begin with and you can sell them a very wonderful map for a quite reasonable sum. It's what a Waterdhavian would do :) |
