| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 29 Apr 2008 : 21:35:54
long live our Realms!
I will ignore the nonsense they've cooked up.
I will not stand for creative stupidity.
With that in mind, I will do what I've always done from the beginning, I will chronicle the Realms with reason, unlike those butchers at WotC.
Bruce Cordell, I love what you've done for (A)D&D, and I wish you all the best in whatever your next project may be, but you have lost me as a customer of Realms RPG products.
Rich Baker, Faust made a better bargain, and he backed out of it in the end. I hope you do the same, because what you have done for the Realms in the past means a lot to me.
Phil Athans, ...
I understand why you had to change the Realms, I just don't appreciate how you did it! All I could ever want from the Realms in terms of info I got in my games-library. I will purchase the books I need to finish trilogies, and then move into the Realms and make it my own.
I never thought I would say this, but thank you.
Thank you for not widen up the horizon of the Realms in 3e.
Thank you for not going creative, instead mostly repeating stuff that has come before.
Thank you for not creating truly memorable characters like Alias, Mirt, Arilyn...
Instead you chose to spawn lesser sons of greater sires, so to speak, to quote a little LotR.
Truth be told, you founders of the new Realms could have and should have created a new world, and not resort to phoney pretense of an attempt to save what you perceive as the true Realms experience. A necrophiliac has more respect for its victims!
 Sowwy, had to get this off my chest. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 15 Jul 2009 : 05:45:13
If you're in the toilet-making business, you got to be passionate about toilets. Period.
Sure, it's nice to know how others are enjoying your toilets, but at the end of the day... their stories won't be the prime motivation into making a bigger, better toilet.
 |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 15 Jul 2009 : 02:41:45
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
quote:
Originally posted by arry
Even if there are any still around, they might be overuled by executives higher in the food chain.
...and we come full circle as to why a RPG company managed by non-gamers is always bound to fail.
I wouldn't go that far... An RPG company can be managed by non-gamers and still do well, so long as they listen to gamers. You don't have to be a member of your target audience to be able to listen to them and cater to them -- that applies to any business.
You've got to listen to what your customers want, not tell them what they want. |
| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 15 Jul 2009 : 01:36:01
quote:
Originally posted by arry
Even if there are any still around, they might be overuled by executives higher in the food chain.
...and we come full circle as to why a RPG company managed by non-gamers is always bound to fail. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 14:30:20
quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
WotC learned in the late 90s that fansites are a good thing to have, not something to be licensed out of existance. The question is, are any of those people still around (in RPG R&D) to remember the late 90s?
That's what worries me most. I've yet to understand the reasoning behind some of the decisions WotC's made over the last couple of years -- some, like the pdf thing, seem to be in total contradiction to what makes good business sense. |
| arry |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 11:22:42
Even if there are any still around, they might be overuled by executives higher in the food chain. |
| Arivia |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 07:09:48
WotC learned in the late 90s that fansites are a good thing to have, not something to be licensed out of existance. The question is, are any of those people still around (in RPG R&D) to remember the late 90s? |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 06:45:47
quote:
Originally posted by Nilus Reynard
Perhaps I should have stated that those long term gamers & FR fans that I know personally find 4th edition to be a mess, and are angered by all the changes that have been made. Several of them will never buy a WotC product again.
I've seen more anti-4E people than pro-4E people, but the latter do exist. My own stance on this is well-established.
quote:
Originally posted by Nilus Reynard
And if WotC does force people to shut down fan sites, it will cost them customers.
It wouldn't be unprecedented. Not that WotC has done that; so far as I know, the only sites they've shut down were in clear violation of their IP (though I know some debate that for at least one of the sites; I do not debate that). However, I know of individual authors that have shut down fan sites, despite the sites not doing anything to cost them money. |
| Nilus Reynard |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 06:34:07
Perhaps I should have stated that those long term gamers & FR fans that I know personally find 4th edition to be a mess, and are angered by all the changes that have been made. Several of them will never buy a WotC product again.
And if WotC does force people to shut down fan sites, it will cost them customers. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 03:06:51
quote:
Originally posted by Nilus Reynard
Doing something like that would cost them alot more fans/customers than the whole 4th edition mess.
Granted, the changes made with 4e core D&D have had some negative impact on long-term D&D fans/customers. And, likely, forced some of them away from the game, in its entirety. But from what I've seen in my local corner of the world, just as many new and/or returning fans/customers are jumping into 4e D&D as those who have left it behind. And if that's happening here, I can expect that it's happening elsewhere around the world and throughout the vast D&D community as well.
|
| Christopher_Rowe |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 02:53:07
quote:
Originally posted by Nilus Reynard
Doing something like that would cost them alot more fans/customers than the whole 4th edition mess.
Um...
|
| Nilus Reynard |
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 02:37:21
Wooly Rupert:
quote:
Previously, WotC basically ignored fansites. Now that they've announced an intention to pay attention to them, fansites have to obey whatever rules WotC decides to impose. Considering that WotC could, if desired, totally shut us down (as in, the entire website), it's better to wait and see what is and isn't allowed, before doing anything.
Doing something like that would cost them alot more fans/customers than the whole 4th edition mess.
Perhaps they should print another book: How to Finacially Damage your Business during a Recession. |
| arry |
Posted - 13 Jul 2009 : 14:03:50
Unfortunatly, I think it's going to be a very long wait  |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2009 : 17:29:01
quote:
Originally posted by Razz
I find it strange, though. There're fansites for all sorts of things and I don't think I've ever heard of a fansite being demanded to shut down unless they were actually using, verbatim, material copyrighted by the owners.
I mean, is it against copyright to post something like "The Netheril Empire fell in the year -339 DR"? I thought specific game material was copyrighted, stuff like the stats to Elminster published in the FRCS or the feats in the Player's Guide, etc. I've seen personal FR stories posted on the web all over the place, wouldn't that be against copyright?
Just curious, I don't know how this stuff works. Sounds like it can be a tangled mess if WotC did decide to fight against Candlekeep. I do agree with the possibility they haven't set any rules for fansites because they may be trying to stop us from continuing the FR we want to stick with and not 4th Edition's.
Really, it's hard to say what's right and what's wrong for this site, now. And until the fansite policy is released by WotC, it's almost impossible for those of us working behind the scenes here at Candlekeep to accurately determine what will happen.
In the end, a "wait and see" approach is likely the best course of action.
|
| Razz |
Posted - 12 Jul 2009 : 17:12:09
Hmmm, I see. Kind of a double-edged sword. Nice to see they pay attention, but I don't think they're the "listening" type and more of a "do it our way or else" type.
I find it strange, though. There're fansites for all sorts of things and I don't think I've ever heard of a fansite being demanded to shut down unless they were actually using, verbatim, material copyrighted by the owners.
I mean, is it against copyright to post something like "The Netheril Empire fell in the year -339 DR"? I thought specific game material was copyrighted, stuff like the stats to Elminster published in the FRCS or the feats in the Player's Guide, etc. I've seen personal FR stories posted on the web all over the place, wouldn't that be against copyright?
Just curious, I don't know how this stuff works. Sounds like it can be a tangled mess if WotC did decide to fight against Candlekeep. I do agree with the possibility they haven't set any rules for fansites because they may be trying to stop us from continuing the FR we want to stick with and not 4th Edition's. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 11 Jul 2009 : 01:19:31
quote:
Originally posted by Razz
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
RBL, I like that you're doing a workaround, but be VERY careful about putting together a PDF. If you intend to distribute it, you will be opening yourself up for all kinds of legal issues since there is no Fansite Policy and the Realms is WotC's IP. Us posting ideas and such on the threads here don't break any laws, but if you try to publish a document (even for free), you could get into some trouble.
Is this why we haven't seen a Candlekeep Compendium X? How was Candlekeep able to produce them before? What's stopping them now? 
As Wooly said, it really wasn't a problem in the past. We demonstrated that the copyrights for WotC IP were all in place. But with their specific intent and focus on fansites now, it becomes somewhat more problematic to work with their IP here at Candlekeep. So a "wait and see" approach is probably the best option for the time being.
And considering the author/designer input we have here, I'm hoping WotC will realise that Candlekeep is an important part of the FR online community, and continue to support us as such.
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 11 Jul 2009 : 00:09:53
quote:
Originally posted by Razz
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
RBL, I like that you're doing a workaround, but be VERY careful about putting together a PDF. If you intend to distribute it, you will be opening yourself up for all kinds of legal issues since there is no Fansite Policy and the Realms is WotC's IP. Us posting ideas and such on the threads here don't break any laws, but if you try to publish a document (even for free), you could get into some trouble.
Is this why we haven't seen a Candlekeep Compendium X? How was Candlekeep able to produce them before? What's stopping them now?
Previously, WotC basically ignored fansites. Now that they've announced an intention to pay attention to them, fansites have to obey whatever rules WotC decides to impose. Considering that WotC could, if desired, totally shut us down (as in, the entire website), it's better to wait and see what is and isn't allowed, before doing anything. |
| Razz |
Posted - 10 Jul 2009 : 22:50:54
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
RBL, I like that you're doing a workaround, but be VERY careful about putting together a PDF. If you intend to distribute it, you will be opening yourself up for all kinds of legal issues since there is no Fansite Policy and the Realms is WotC's IP. Us posting ideas and such on the threads here don't break any laws, but if you try to publish a document (even for free), you could get into some trouble.
Is this why we haven't seen a Candlekeep Compendium X? How was Candlekeep able to produce them before? What's stopping them now? |
| Knight of the Gate |
Posted - 28 May 2009 : 18:33:05
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Sigh... please come on the Paizo boards guys... please pick up a subscription to the Pathfinder Adventure Paths... 
I was a subscriber for more than a year, but atm I can't afford it anymore
Ironically, this and my Xbox live account are the only things I *kept* in my budget. Netflix, Gamefly, everything else got tossed.
Here's a budget tip. I called up my cable company to 'cut back' on my internet speed to save some money on the monthly bill. The rep I talked to found out that if I signed up for the bundle they were offering, I could keep the internet speed and gain HBO/Cinemax. He saved me almost the same amount of money (I would have saved $38.97 by reducing the cable speed, the bundle saved me $38.96) and I still get blazing fast internets.
I'd LOVE to subscribe to Paizo, but the current budget doesn't allow for both that and my drive to lay hands on all the 2 and 3E books that I missed out on the first time around AND to feed my growing free-climbing addiction. (I've spent $200 on books in the last month alone... and couldn't think of a better way to spend my filthy lucre. As far as free-climbing goes, it is worse than crack- honestly... I went with some pals a few months ago as a lark, and now I go 3-4 times a week, and wish I could go more)
And I had an analagous experience with my internets: I called to downgrade my speed, and found out that I could actually UPgrade my speed, while saving $20 a month due to a promotion of which I was unaware. It pays to call those people every year or so, to see what they have to offer. |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 28 May 2009 : 17:07:55
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Sigh... please come on the Paizo boards guys... please pick up a subscription to the Pathfinder Adventure Paths...
I was a subscriber for more than a year, but atm I can't afford it anymore
Ironically, this and my Xbox live account are the only things I *kept* in my budget. Netflix, Gamefly, everything else got tossed.
Here's a budget tip. I called up my cable company to 'cut back' on my internet speed to save some money on the monthly bill. The rep I talked to found out that if I signed up for the bundle they were offering, I could keep the internet speed and gain HBO/Cinemax. He saved me almost the same amount of money (I would have saved $38.97 by reducing the cable speed, the bundle saved me $38.96) and I still get blazing fast internets. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 28 May 2009 : 16:58:33
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Sigh... please come on the Paizo boards guys... please pick up a subscription to the Pathfinder Adventure Paths...
I was a subscriber for more than a year, but atm I can't afford it anymore |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 28 May 2009 : 09:44:11
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
You mean Council of Blades? I dunno, I've not heard a whole lot about it, at all.
That's one of the novels I never finished. I seem to remember it being even worse than Once Around the Realms. |
| Knight of the Gate |
Posted - 28 May 2009 : 06:17:32
Couldn't agree more, Wooly- the fansite policy is being purposefully delayed because the folks at WotC know what edition most of the fan-generated content would be for (especially in the Realms).
Have you ever seen the South Park with the Underpants Gnomes? Because WotC sounds just like those guys: 'Step One: Ruin the most popular setting we have and drive dedicated customers away in droves! Step Two:... Step Three: Profit!' |
| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 28 May 2009 : 05:39:21
Sigh... please come on the Paizo boards guys... please pick up a subscription to the Pathfinder Adventure Paths... |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 27 May 2009 : 22:59:45
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
RBL, I like that you're doing a workaround, but be VERY careful about putting together a PDF. If you intend to distribute it, you will be opening yourself up for all kinds of legal issues since there is no Fansite Policy and the Realms is WotC's IP. Us posting ideas and such on the threads here don't break any laws, but if you try to publish a document (even for free), you could get into some trouble.
And they've supposedly been working on that fansite policy for more than a year. I was originally convinced the delay was simply lawyer-based (as in, the lawyers were going over it with a microscope, a fine-toothed comb, and a Geiger counter), but I am now convinced it's deliberate.
LOL, yea a site that produces material of higher quality than DDI, one that would actually cater to the fans' needs... for free... it might hold up that ugly, nasty, bad, honest... no, strike that... brutally honest mirror that those people appear to avoid...
I mean, hell, BRJ did it with GHotR before it was printed by wisbro |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 27 May 2009 : 22:39:00
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
RBL, I like that you're doing a workaround, but be VERY careful about putting together a PDF. If you intend to distribute it, you will be opening yourself up for all kinds of legal issues since there is no Fansite Policy and the Realms is WotC's IP. Us posting ideas and such on the threads here don't break any laws, but if you try to publish a document (even for free), you could get into some trouble.
And they've supposedly been working on that fansite policy for more than a year. I was originally convinced the delay was simply lawyer-based (as in, the lawyers were going over it with a microscope, a fine-toothed comb, and a Geiger counter), but I am now convinced it's deliberate. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 27 May 2009 : 22:19:59
quote:
Originally posted by RedneckBadgerLord
Would anyone like to help create a workaround of the mess 4e has made? I'm in the process of writing a pdf that does just that, and I'd like some extra input. PM me if you'd like to help, much obliged.
I should have Ver 1.0 finished by this weekend, barring disaster.
Why work around it at all? In my experience even if you play weekly it might take a LOOOONG time to play through a year Realms-time, and even if you reach the Year of Blue Fire, it's your world, so most of the things (if you dislike 'em) probably haven't happened in your Realms anyroad...so...why bother? The game I run is still in the middle of 1366 and will stay there for a while... especially since it is on hiatus til October and then the group still has to finish an altered GDQ version in which they've only killed their way through Hill and Frost giants so far... |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 27 May 2009 : 20:54:55
RBL, I like that you're doing a workaround, but be VERY careful about putting together a PDF. If you intend to distribute it, you will be opening yourself up for all kinds of legal issues since there is no Fansite Policy and the Realms is WotC's IP. Us posting ideas and such on the threads here don't break any laws, but if you try to publish a document (even for free), you could get into some trouble. |
| RedneckBadgerLord |
Posted - 27 May 2009 : 20:15:54
Would anyone like to help create a workaround of the mess 4e has made? I'm in the process of writing a pdf that does just that, and I'd like some extra input. PM me if you'd like to help, much obliged.
I should have Ver 1.0 finished by this weekend, barring disaster. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 14 Feb 2009 : 20:46:06
quote:
Originally posted by ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
quote:
Originally posted by sneakypetev
I agree with Mace.As a long time fan of both D&D and the FR novels and campaign setting, I feel as though the designers of both the RPG and the FR setting have ignored " the old crowd". I beleive this to be a mistake on their part. It's the long time fans who spend the money for their products. Over the years I have purchased almost every book written in the Forgotten Realms and all the scource books for the FR campaign world and I would have done the same w/ 4E if the had not slaughtered it. Going for the quick buck by targetting the younger generation,( who have the attention span of a ferret on crack), is going to lead to a 5E. My hope is that it comes soon and they get it right this time.
PS: I pre-emptively apologize to younger people for my ferret ref. I am just an old guy ranting
I prefer to think of myself as having the attention span of a goldfish (2-5 seconds). I'm still an avid FR fan, though!
Hey, 2-5 seconds or goldfish, rather, is better than a ferret on crack
Nonetheless, I think wotzee has made a grave mistake, and they're gonna feel it... as I have divorced myself from wotzee game-wise (I have all the stuff I'll ever need for (A)D&D and FR) I really don't give a frak what happens to them in the future...RPG-wise, and novel-wise after I've completed a couple of trilogies still missing their final chapters |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Feb 2009 : 19:40:49
You mean Council of Blades? I dunno, I've not heard a whole lot about it, at all. |
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