| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 27 Mar 2004 : 21:43:15
No spoilers yet as I only obtained The Rage today. Anyone else have it yet? I'm looking forward to starting this tonight and discussing the destruction, I mean the changes to the Realms as a result of this series. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Sarta |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 10:36:26
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
And by not focusing on just one series at a time, they don't have to worry about losing those readers who may not follow a particular series. So doing several at once makes a good deal of sense, business-wise.
Not to mention the fact that they simply can't please everyone:
If they dumped the entire year of the Rogue Dragons stuff on us all at once, people would complain that they weren't releasing anything new over the course of the two years that they have allocated to represent a single year of realms time.
By dribbling it out they can't please the rest of us who are anxious to get more, but they can keep us on the edge of our seats if the books are as good as The Rage.
I guess William S. Burroughs was right, "The first thing you learn is you always gotta wait."
Sarta |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 07:46:15
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
As for the scheduling of the books, don't blame me! Book 2's written already. If necessary, I could certainly have Book 3 done by the end of the year. It's WotC's decision not to wrap up the series until '06. Actually, though, I'm not knocking them for that. They have a lot of different authors to publish, and they're eseentially doing us in rotation, which seems pretty reasonable. Though there are folks who'd like to see Year of the Rogue Dragons conclude more quickly, there are surely plenty of other readers who'd get irked if they thought the latter parts of the ongoing epics by Thomas Reid, Paul Kemp, Rich Baker, Lisa Smedman, and others were being delayed to crank my stuff out faster.
And by not focusing on just one series at a time, they don't have to worry about losing those readers who may not follow a particular series. So doing several at once makes a good deal of sense, business-wise. |
| Chyron |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 07:24:15
Thanks very much for your insights Mr. Byers. I can certainly appreciate the perspective from which you are writing from. I can fully understand the challenges that writing for a place like the realms (with all its restorative magic and resurrection miracles and such) can place on an author when they are trying to develop a story that not only creates significant drama for its protagonists but satisfies the readers as well. Your perspective handles these two factors nicely and it shows. I hope I did not come across as trying to pick holes in the book, as that was not my intent. Rather I simply was interested in your take on the possibilities and you have fully answered my curiosity. Dorn is a great character as he is and far more interesting than a standard knight or monster hunter. For me, he is what kept my eyes glued to the book. Thanks again. 
As for the release schedule…well I did have an inkling that WOTC was behind it. I had assumed they kept such a large timeframe between releases to allow for tie-ins of other product releases should the series really take off sales-wise. But now that you have clarified it, it makes even more sense. I don’t mean to complain really, I am just one of those readers who tears through a good story in less that a week, but then when I see that I have a year or more to wait to read the rest just feel like I want to burst. (At one point I actually stopped buying realms novels for a few years just to wait until entire series were available so I could read them all at once.) Well, anyway enough of my whining. Here's to waiting for 2005 and 2006.  |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 01:10:09
Id have to say I agree that the Rage series should be put out as soon as possiable if all 3 books could be published in a year then I wish they would do it.
One of the big problems with the WOSQ series is that its taken 2-3 years for the series to reach a conclusion (the story itself only cover 6-8 realms months), which has created problems for DMs intergrating it into a campaign involving drow and many have simply ignored WOSQ because its to much of a hassle
Now if I was running Wizards of the Coast novel department....
The entire Year of Rogue Dragon series would be published in 2004 and the entire Last Mythal trilogy (Year of Risen Elfkin) would be published in 2005. Now assuming that where going to see a Trilogy of novels for each FR Year each series could be writtn by a different author. So lets assume WOTC do 12 books a year (one for each month) 3 of those books belong to the Year book and the remaining nine can be distrubed among the other authors. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 02 May 2004 : 21:48:40
Delighted to hear you enjoyed the book, Chyron.
As for Dorn's condition, the reason he was given his metal parts originally was that his wizard master didn't want him to be normal. He wanted him to be a superhuman gladiator.
So why doesn't he seek normalcy through regeneration now? Well, there could be various reasons. First, maybe he doesn't know such a magic exists. FR fans like you have an encyclopedic knowledge of the possibilities of magic and the Reams in general that a character like Dorn does not possess. Second, you have to understand my perspective (even if you disagree with me) that the FR as described in the game system are a much simplified version of the "reality." They have to be, to give us a playable game system, but there's no reason why I should carry that simplification over into my fiction. Which is to say, when you play the game, healing magic works essentially without fail. In the FR of my fiction, that may not always prove to be the case. So, bearing that in mind, put yourself in Dorn's position. He'd need to have the iron limbs removed to give regeneration a chance. Suppose, then, it doesn't work and he winds up crippled. Maybe it's not a chance he's willing to take.
As for the scheduling of the books, don't blame me! Book 2's written already. If necessary, I could certainly have Book 3 done by the end of the year. It's WotC's decision not to wrap up the series until '06. Actually, though, I'm not knocking them for that. They have a lot of different authors to publish, and they're eseentially doing us in rotation, which seems pretty reasonable. Though there are folks who'd like to see Year of the Rogue Dragons conclude more quickly, there are surely plenty of other readers who'd get irked if they thought the latter parts of the ongoing epics by Thomas Reid, Paul Kemp, Rich Baker, Lisa Smedman, and others were being delayed to crank my stuff out faster. |
| Chyron |
Posted - 02 May 2004 : 16:37:27
I immensely enjoyed The Rage and I look forward to the rest of the series. I was disappointed with the Threat from the Sea series. I never really got the impression that the “threat” was ever all that great except for some coastal cities. The feeling here however is entirely different and it seems to be taking on an epic feel in the realms which I really like.
But a few comments  ...
1. I know the romance brewing between Dorn and Kara is the stuff of fantasy, but if feels like a bit of old Dragonlance to me. Not that it’s a bad thing at all, just my own feeling.
2. Dorn is a highly interesting character. Just wondering if he might or could be (or could have been) made whole via regeneration magic or is there something preventing that as yet unsaid? (Certainly this would have been a cheaper alternative to the golem magic that his wizard owner saw fit to create as he grew) Although arguably his current disposition seems that he would not want to undergo this process as it would then hinder his ability as a monster slayer.
Again Mr. Byers these are just my own personal ramblings, so if you perchance do read this don’t take any of this as real criticism. I really love the series so far and would love to see some game accessories developed along this storyline (similar to the City of the Spider Queen module).
BUT my biggest criticism is ….
2006 for part 3???? Oh the agony of wait….. All our modern tech and we can’t get you authors to pump out books out any faster….. I know, I know….the creative process (and the marketing process)…. Well I guess I can dig out the Avatar series and read them again…..Oh the agony…. 
|
| VEDSICA |
Posted - 30 Apr 2004 : 00:30:13
Damn elves!!!! |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 27 Apr 2004 : 15:09:42
Vedsica, I don't want to state that I would never, ever under any circumstances do the gaming writeups of any of my characters for Candlekeep (and thus, for free), but honestly, you probably shouldn't be too optimistic about ever seeing them here. You understand, these writeups do not already exist, in my personal notes or wherever. I don't work from gaming stats when I do my fiction. I'd have to create the game-stat profiles specifically and solely to post them here, and it takes me hours. Hours I could spend writing something I might get paid for.
But you will get to see a few of the characters in Dragon, and you know, really, any experienced D&D player or DM could probably read the trilogy and generate stats for the characters just about as well as I can. Maybe better.
I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed The Rage. The answer to your question is, Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. |
| VEDSICA |
Posted - 27 Apr 2004 : 02:00:26
ll of that aside.Richard I just finished The Rage last night.You did an awesome job man.I really enjoyed it.I was into the characters.As if you couldn't tell.The story was great,and the location was a great choice.I have one spoiler question though..........
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
?
Are you saying that the elves cursed dragonkind with The Rage???????? |
| VEDSICA |
Posted - 27 Apr 2004 : 01:54:25
Making a living is a good thing Richard for sure.But lets just say that you have chosen your four characters to write up.Would you ever consider doing the characters that don't make into Dragon on Candlekeep,or WoTC's website????For the love of fantasy of course |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 23:08:43
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Since I've already conferred with the editor at Dragon, and he expressed interest, I'd say the chances are excellent. Look for the first article early in 2005, about the time The Rite comes out, and the second one when The Ruin comes out in 2006.
Thanks for the update. Good to hear that they still have room for FR material. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 20:33:27
Since I've already conferred with the editor at Dragon, and he expressed interest, I'd say the chances are excellent. Look for the first article early in 2005, about the time The Rite comes out, and the second one when The Ruin comes out in 2006. |
| Krafus |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 18:29:20
Richard - What do you estimate are your chances of the stats getting published in Dragon? (Personally, I thought it was a given considering that it's already happened with the last three FR-shaking series.) |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 01:30:09
To be honest, Vedsica, it's not likely that I'd post that kind of material on Candlekeep in preference to Dragon. If it runs in Dragon, I get paid. And while I write partly out of a genuine love of fantasy, I'm also trying to make a living. |
| VEDSICA |
Posted - 25 Apr 2004 : 23:28:42
Richard thanks a million for asking for our input in this matter.Things like this definitely make me a Byermaniac.As for who I would lke to see written.
1.Dorn(also would love to see an illustration of him)
2.Kara
3.Sammaster(probably already done,but I want to see it anyways)
4.Taegan
For the record I would rather see their stats here on Candlekeep.Any chance of that ever happening????? |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 23 Apr 2004 : 14:15:55
Sarta: Will's a rogue and a warsling sniper for sure. He might be a guild thief and have a level or two of ranger, also, but I'm not certain. I'd have to see exactly what it takes to describe him accurately in gaming terms, and I haven't done that yet. |
| Sarta |
Posted - 23 Apr 2004 : 05:52:01
Just finished reading the Rage. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
My vote, just to go against the flow slightly:
1. Dorn
2. Taegan
3. Karasendrieth
4. Will
I'm curious what classes you would assign to Will. Rogue is obvious, just wondering whether or not you also would be including warsling sniper or guild thief as well.
So far, Raryn's my favorite, but other than his race, he seems to be a fairly straight-forward ranger. My prediction for the series though would be that he dies.
Here's to hoping I'm wrong.
Sarta |
| Krafus |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 14:08:06
quote:
Partly because of the urging of folks here at Candlekeep, I'll be writing up some of the characters from The Year of Rogue Dragons for publication in Dragon magazine. But here's the catch: at most, Dragon can only use four writeups. So, please, gang, help me out. Which characters are you most interested in seeing?
Yay!
1) Dorn (I know he's got a write-up on the WotC site, but I want his stats...)
2) Kara
3) Taegan
4) Brimstone |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 12:01:36
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Yeah, I must say I wish Eric had snipped this tidbit of realmslore in Powers & Pantheons. A large grouping of chromatic dragons in the ruins of Castle perilous is fine - the fact that they've been there for well over a decade is not. Maybe they all snuck off and no-one mentioned it ...
-- George Krashos
Yeah I think there going to have to address that when they do a Cold lands source book. Chromatic Dragons arent know for Patience |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 11:23:59
Yeah, I must say I wish Eric had snipped this tidbit of realmslore in Powers & Pantheons. A large grouping of chromatic dragons in the ruins of Castle perilous is fine - the fact that they've been there for well over a decade is not. Maybe they all snuck off and no-one mentioned it ...
-- George Krashos
|
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 08:46:24
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Partly because of the urging of folks here at Candlekeep, I'll be writing up some of the characters from The Year of Rogue Dragons for publication in Dragon magazine. But here's the catch: at most, Dragon can only use four writeups. So, please, gang, help me out. Which characters are you most interested in seeing?
Shucks, id love to give my suggestions on this but havent finished the novel yet and im trying to avoid this topic at the moment for fear of spoilers 
Ill look forward to the Dragon issue anyway.  Be sure to give us all here a mention though |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 08:27:41
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
4. Chatulio
Ack, the copper?  Brimstone is much better than Chatulio. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 06:12:32
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Partly because of the urging of folks here at Candlekeep, I'll be writing up some of the characters from The Year of Rogue Dragons for publication in Dragon magazine. But here's the catch: at most, Dragon can only use four writeups. So, please, gang, help me out. Which characters are you most interested in seeing?
1. Taegan
2. Dorn
3. Kara
4. Chatulio
Very nice of you to ask for input and for responding to people wanting to see the stats. Take note other authors, this is a great way to get on the good side of the unruly mob of consumers. |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 04:59:41
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Thanks Dargoth. That actually works out pretty well for me - as RSEs go.
-- George Krashos
Im still waiting to find out what hes going to do with that Flight of Dragons lairing on the ruins of the Witchkings castle, so far they havent got a mention |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 04:51:15
Yes, I too would have to agree with Dargoth. Brimstone has me very curious... |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 04:42:39
Thanks Dargoth. That actually works out pretty well for me - as RSEs go.
-- George Krashos
|
| Dargoth |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 02:16:34
Id be tempted to say Dorn but hes already got a write up on the novels section of the WOTC site (admitedly minus stats)so in the interest of minimalising the amount of repeat material Ill have to pass on him
Hmm 4...
1) Samaster
2) Taegan
3) Kara
4) Brimestone 
|
| Maskanodel |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 02:14:20
Definitely Dorn and Taegan. I'd die to see those. And while I'd love to see Pavel and Will, they are pretty much typical examples of their respectvie race/class, so it's not absolutely necessary to see them right away. Kara I think would be good to see, and probably a villian from the series, so I'd have to say Sammaster.
So...
Dorn
Taegan
Kara
Sammaster (or Brimstone maybe) |
| Kuje |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 01:59:22
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Partly because of the urging of folks here at Candlekeep, I'll be writing up some of the characters from The Year of Rogue Dragons for publication in Dragon magazine. But here's the catch: at most, Dragon can only use four writeups. So, please, gang, help me out. Which characters are you most interested in seeing?
My vote goes to the half-golem and the avarial. :) The other two I don't care either way.... Well maybe the song dragon as well. :) |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 21 Apr 2004 : 01:16:21
Ok you asked for it
WARNING SPOILORS!
The story starts with the heros in Ylraphon, the heros are a bunch of Dragon slayers who are paid by Ylraphon council to kill a Dragon thats been harassing the town. Well they go into the flooded forest and kill the Dragon but while their there all the remaining Dragons in the Forest start calling out to each which the party recognises as the begining of a Dragon Rage. The party runs back to Ylraphon to warn the town, the dragons attack and destroy most of the town, the party kill a couple Dragons then make there escape, they are hired by a mysterious bard named Kara to take her to Lyrabar. On the way south they see more towns and cities burning from Dragon attacks
Upon arriving Lyrabar they find thats theres an active Cult of the Dragon cell which they manage to wipe out. They also discover that Samaster is still around as a Lich and that hes found a way to make the Dragons Rage when ever he wants to, worse still theyve discovered that the Rage now effects the Good Dragons as well. They also discover that theres a Cult of Dragon lair in the Grey Forest and Impiltur sends an army to destroy it , with fixed results.
I dont think the rest of the books will be set in Impiltur as by the end of the Rage the actions shifted to the Moonsea |
