| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mastermustard |
Posted - 14 Feb 2016 : 00:12:43
I'm reading through some old Eberron novels and it strikes me once again how how much potential this setting has, and how much of it hasn't been tapped.
Steam/Magicpunk fantasy, magic permeates every aspect of technology, set in the aftermath of a great cataclysm with war-torn survivors trying to make sense of it all and find their place in a newly (relatively) peaceful world. Really interesting premise and a lot could still be milked from that.
So a few years ago Eberron books just stopped. I recall there was one book (The third of the Lanternlight Files)that was on its way down the pipeline and just disappeared. After that we were only getting a few books a year before they stopped coming completely.
Does anyone know what happened to Eberron? -And if there's anything in the works for the future? |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 01 Mar 2016 : 00:45:12
quote:
Originally posted by LordofBones
Eberron is unique in that it actually recognizes that magic is a staple feature of the world and has adapted to it. Honestly, a lot of the conveniences and quality of life improvements in Eberron are ones that the Realms should have by virtue of having so many spellcasters around.
It's sort of like the whole gunpowder controversy in the Realms, because what kind of self-respecting wizard wouldn't have adapted and researched new spells to enhance, circumvent or bypass the benefits or weaknesses of firearms entirely? That, and a wizard dual-wielding revolvers with fireball and lightning bolt bullets would be hilarious.
Lol, there used to be a 2nd edition spell meant to be put on things like doorknobs. Basically, it stored an electric charge in metal, but the caster could handle the metal. Bullets were metal balls. Sleyvas had returned to Toril from the Ravenloft: Red Death setting, where he had some civil war six shooters. Yeah.... that was way overpowered.... just WAAYYYY overpowered...... taking down dragons with a pistol.... But, hey, I was around 22 to 24 at that time. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 23 Feb 2016 : 16:22:09
They did come out with books for the continents of Xendrik and Sarlona. Both are good, but Sarlona is a tough fit for the Realms (unless you stuck it somewhere FAR away, like where Osse is).
Xendrik is very good, and I've used it to replace Katashaka in MY Realms. Nyambe was always recommended, and is very good as an 'Africa knock-off', but in that regard, I find that it its a bit lackluster for an RPG setting, much as Maztica and K-T were for the Realms (TOO MUCH derivation, to the point where they almost look like parody). Xendrik fits the bill nicely as a 'Realmsish' Jungle continent WITHOUT all the derivation-baggage. Its also where their online game took place, so even there, it was easy to adapt one to the other.
I think they made a major mistake not using the Realms for their original online world, and Neverwinter was too little, too late.
Hindsight, and all that. |
| Starshade |
Posted - 21 Feb 2016 : 20:11:02
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I think they just weren't selling. While I liked the basic campaign premise, honestly I wasn't buying much from it. My problem was I wasn't really interested in the world's main focus. I wanted to hear about the continent where the rulers were all hosts for invading entities, or down where the giants and drow were, etc...
Were not those areas probably meant for the PCs to explore, and the DM to fill them With his/her own content? Similar to the FR continents in 3.5? |
| LordofBones |
Posted - 21 Feb 2016 : 06:48:00
Eberron is unique in that it actually recognizes that magic is a staple feature of the world and has adapted to it. Honestly, a lot of the conveniences and quality of life improvements in Eberron are ones that the Realms should have by virtue of having so many spellcasters around.
It's sort of like the whole gunpowder controversy in the Realms, because what kind of self-respecting wizard wouldn't have adapted and researched new spells to enhance, circumvent or bypass the benefits or weaknesses of firearms entirely? That, and a wizard dual-wielding revolvers with fireball and lightning bolt bullets would be hilarious. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 15 Feb 2016 : 11:09:34
If Keith Baker has posted here, he's not done it under his own name or otherwise identified himself. |
| Caolin |
Posted - 15 Feb 2016 : 08:34:11
quote:
Originally posted by mastermustard
Is WOTC that strapped for cash these days?
Hasbro (the parent company) is not strapped for cash at all. But they reorganized WoTC a few years ago so that each IP had to live and die on it's own. Pretty much for the past 15 years, WoTC's bread and butter has been Magic the Gathering. The income from that IP allowed them to pump money into other IP's that weren't as financially successful. So some IP's were cut while others were scaled back greatly. You can guess which category Eberron was in.
quote:
It's unrelated to the Realms, but I wonder if Keith Baker has posted anything on the forums about this?
I think you answered your own question here. I'm not sure if Keith Baker ever frequented these boards. But this being 2016, I am sure you can contact him through his web page and ask him some questions. http://keith-baker.com/ |
| mastermustard |
Posted - 15 Feb 2016 : 03:18:06
If I'm not mistaken DDO - Eberron Online, the MMORPG was making quite a bit of money at the time. Eberron didn't have the kind of wide-appeal that the Realms has, and like you say, the more interesting parts were rarely explored(which is something that could have been fixed if a greater volume of content were released) but it's baffling to me that they just shut it down when they could have used the game to market the novels.
Is WOTC that strapped for cash these days?
It's unrelated to the Realms, but I wonder if Keith Baker has posted anything on the forums about this? |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 14 Feb 2016 : 01:03:20
I think they just weren't selling. While I liked the basic campaign premise, honestly I wasn't buying much from it. My problem was I wasn't really interested in the world's main focus. I wanted to hear about the continent where the rulers were all hosts for invading entities, or down where the giants and drow were, etc... |
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