| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 04:03:35
The nearest we have ever gotten close to destroying Elimistar, Mystra and the harpers - Every Evil Villain from 3e |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 24 Mar 2013 : 14:25:02
Some small part of me 'almost' agrees with you. See below.
quote:
Originally posted by Dark Wizard
Nearest to destroying but not entirely. So where does that leave us? Nowhere really. Worst than that, it's a weird iffy limbo.
For all of 4E Realm's bluster at the onset of the edition, it actually didn't have the cojones to do half the things some felt the setting "really needed". <snip>
This goes back to some of what I was saying at the very beginning of 4e - it seems they wanted to make 'great sweeping changes', but lost a lot of their nerve during the initial fan-backlash. It was painfully obvious the 'returned Abeir' part was shoe-horned in at the last minute just to put some of Ed in the setting guide, and that kinda flopped (not because of Ed). While trying to make the place a 'smaller playground' (by bringing elements like the Shou, Szas Tam, etc, closer to everything else), they created a whole 'nother continent they suffered from 90% of what the original (Maztica) did - a lack of any significant reason to travel there. There was nothing in returned Abeir you couldn't do in Faerūn-proper (just as you could have done just about any of the Maztican stuff right in Chult). In fact, Returned Abeir was even less useful to DMs then Maztica was.
What 4e appears to have been was a whole bunch of ideas (some good, some bad - the whole spectrum) that were crammed into the 'new setting', irregardless of past lore, and without ENOUGH development to make any of it really catch our fancy. There were a few 'shining stars' - like the Eminence and the Warlock Knights - but most of it seems to have just been pasted in just because 'they could'.
So I would agree with both DW and the above poster - maybe if they had the sheer audacity to actually present something new and different - instead of 'pooping' all over the existing setting - we would have liked it. Basically, instead of a new setting, we got a 'Frakensteined' version of the old one. So perhaps instead of doing too much, they stopped short of doing enough.
Just food for thought. |
| Thauranil |
Posted - 24 Mar 2013 : 13:29:46
Its a pity that 4e did not last longer. i get the feeling that it could have become a lot more enjoyable for everyone if WOTR had out in some more time and effort. But on the other I cant deny that the Sundering seems to be exciting. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 24 Mar 2013 : 07:11:05
quote:
Originally posted by Old Man Harpell
4th Edition had some definite high points. It got rid of the Anauroch Desert, which was good. And I liked seeing the Imaskari make their mark on the Realms, not continuing to skulk in their underground hidey-hole. And Laerakond/Returned Abeir, aside from where it landed, was one of the best parts of the 4th Edition FRCG
- OMH
I loved Anauroch - it made the whole continent make sense (how east and west are so divided, how hard it is to trade, etc.). I'm pretty sure the Imaskari came up in 3rd Ed. or 3.5 more like.
As far as the people who wanted it more different, my answer has always been, so why have it be FR at all? There are literally countless worlds in the Prime Plane that could have been the new radically different world.
Basically 4th E made no sense to me at all.
In my dreams, 5th E rewinds to Ed's maps from the 80s. |
| Old Man Harpell |
Posted - 23 Mar 2013 : 01:00:17
4th Edition had some definite high points. It got rid of the Anauroch Desert, which was good. And I liked seeing the Imaskari make their mark on the Realms, not continuing to skulk in their underground hidey-hole. And Laerakond/Returned Abeir, aside from where it landed, was one of the best parts of the 4th Edition FRCG
I didn't read any 4th Edition novels (the ones I wanted to read were all on e-book, so that was out), but as I understand it, the situation in Cormyr made for some awesome reading - if it ever comes out in actual print, I will go back and read them.
Looking forward to what 5th Edition has. If Sire Greenwood is looking forward to it, that's the best recommendation a Realms setting can get.
- OMH |
| Eilserus |
Posted - 23 Mar 2013 : 00:16:57
4E did a good job with giving DMs a sandbox to play in, since nothing was really detailed. I really, really like how Cormyr was portrayed in the various Elminster novels. My feelings were of a fallen golden age, where the country is slowly rotting from the inside out. Lots of great role playing opportunities with that. My biggest gripe was always the wrecking of the map. Sure we lost hundreds of NPC's in the time jump, but now Ed and everyone gets to write up new ones. No more recycled lore, which personally, drove me nuts in the later 2E era when I'd purchase a product.
Really looking forward to 5E, especially if they're aiming for the gray boxed feeling because that era was epic. Loved the lore and especially the old nuggets like all of Ed's articles from the Polyhedron days. |
| Dark Wizard |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 22:04:12
Nearest to destroying but not entirely. So where does that leave us? Nowhere really. Worst than that, it's a weird iffy limbo.
For all of 4E Realm's bluster at the onset of the edition, it actually didn't have the cojones to do half the things some felt the setting "really needed".
The two most iconic lightning-rod NPCs remained, as did a handful of others in the same category. It was the little guys (the more mundane mortal NPCs) who passed with a virtual whimper in the century time jump without much coverage or resolution.
Most of the core areas remained. How much more interesting would the setting have been if an really iconic location changed drastically. Instead many of the peripheral regions got mangled.
Felt obvious to me WotC was trying to appease very different segments of their fans, and their own pocket books to boot, they might have been out for the blood of sacred cows, but they stayed well away from the cash cows.
Not denying the 4E setting contained the seeds of good ideas, but it felt unfocused or rather far too focused on pointing out the pandering it did to promote how something old was "improved" with something new. I don't feel WotC ever gave the setting a chance to stand on its own as opposed to a desperate attempt to dress something up in the 'it' trends of the moment. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 21:09:30
4th will remain for along as any other edition of the game has. So long as people play it and enjoy it and talk about it, it endures.
I think 4E did great things for the Forgotten Realms, but that's me and I know my views are in the minority here but oh well, I know what I like.
5E seems........well I won't comment until it's released and even then, I pledged to give it 1 full year to facilitate the sorts of games I enjoy. If it doesn't, I go back to 4E and 3E/Pathfinder as I've always done. |
| Jeremy Grenemyer |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 20:28:50
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
First "5e" novel comes out Aug 6th.....so that is the longest that 4e has ...but really other products have and are blending in new 5e elements, so really 4e died a quiet death awhile ago.
As I understand it, Ed Greenwood writes his Eye on the Realms articles in batches to cover a whole year.
I wonder if we'll see a gradual shift 'forward' in content for those articles to include 5E?
If I had to bet on it though, I'd say no, we probably wont see the articles adjust their perspective forward in Realms time, and the articles will likely be just as unconcerned with the Spellplague and other BIG events as ever. |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 20:18:06
Alas, poor 4th ed.... We(meaning I) never knew ye. Don't really miss it, either. |
| The Red Walker |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 19:30:06
quote:
Originally posted by silverwolfer
The nearest we have ever gotten close to destroying Elimistar, Mystra and the harpers - Every Evil Villain from 3e
First "5e" novel comels out Aug 6th.....so that is the longest that 4e has ...but really other products have and are blending in new 5e elements, so really 4e died a quiet death awhile ago. |
| Kilvan |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 19:25:32
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Glad the 4e Realms appeals to you; hope you enjoy it...
.. while it lasts. 5e is on its way and things are going to change all over again.
Could be we'll all like it. Could be we'll all hate it. Only time will tell. Doesn't really matter though - you play in whatever era you like, and the 'canon' only effects you if you are a fan of the novels.
Bob's comments on the upcoming 5th ed/Sundering made me very optimistic about it. In my case, it can't be worse, as I am not using a single element from the 4th edition lore. I really enjoyed Erik's novel Downshadow thought, I hope the rest of the serie will come to paperback form someday. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 16:39:46
Glad the 4e Realms appeals to you; hope you enjoy it...
.. while it lasts. 5e is on its way and things are going to change all over again.
Could be we'll all like it. Could be we'll all hate it. Only time will tell. Doesn't really matter though - you play in whatever era you like, and the 'canon' only effects you if you are a fan of the novels. |
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