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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 20:31:37
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Ummmm... Mods.... 
Can we keep this on topic? I have NO CLUE what you guys are talking about. 
Anyhow, I don't have the book, and as of right now, I do not plan on purchasing the book. My plan is to look it over at Borders the first chance I get (and then decide if it is worth buying).
Its interesting to note that even Rich Baker, in a thread at WotC displayed a lack of... enthusiasm... over the new map. In fact, he sounded downright disappointed. Three years... and THATS what they were able to provide in the FRCG? If I buy it, maybe I'll wait until after they re-do the maps (which I am wholly expecting, considering the amount of pro-4e people complaining about them).
Anyhow, they have provided us with a bunch of excerpts - which was very nice of them, BTW - and I find the Warlock Knights of Vassa interesting, and at least one thing superior to its bland 3e counterpart.
I also see loads of potential for the new Red Wizards - I'm thinking about giving them a Teamsters/Mafia spin, controlling a lot of the 'Black (Red?) Market' around Toril.
Both of these groups were left in 'framework' mode, as is much of 4e FR, but I do find that it is easy enough to build off of them. Several of us are fleshing-out a lot of the 'empty spaces' left by the FRCG over at the WotC boards, and I think this new setting does offer a unique opportunity for the scribes here at the Keep to take 4e FR and make it their own.
Over the next year (and beyond), new players will be looking for the kind of lore WotC is no longer providing, and I think the CK Compendium has a chance to really shine from now on (not that it didn't before, but it was competing with 'real' canon sourcebooks in the past).
So, while many of us do indeed miss the Old Realms, we should be looking at the glass half-full, not half-empty. I think we can take what little they have given us and really make it work.
Just my honest opinion - I'm not a 4e-lover by any stretch of the imagination, but I believe when life hands you lemons...  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 20 Aug 2008 01:03:33 |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 23:46:35
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I was answering this question:
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Just out of curiosity, how many scribes here at Candlekeep purchased a copy of the FRCG?
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Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 01:06:58
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That first part wasn't directed at you - I was answering the same question.
There was a conversation going on about something - I have no idea what - that had to do with some other company at Gencon. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 01:23:16
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Hence the reason for my asking who among our scribes would be purchasing the FRCG. I was bringing this scroll back on topic.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 20 Aug 2008 01:26:48 |
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Wandering_mage
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 02:33:21
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| I bought mine today. It looks nice but I really hate the 4th edition script organization in an FR book. Ya know what I mean? It's like they are afraid to have single spacing with 10 or 12 font. They love paragragh breaks and nice huge titles to each paragragh. I want more text. From all that I have heard I am worried that it might not be in explained very well in the FRCG. I will report more after I read some tonight. I'm going in. "Let it begin!!!!!!!" -Hamster from the movie Bolt :) |
Illum
The Wandering Mage |
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Ranak
Learned Scribe
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 06:17:36
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I went to the store with every intention of buying it. The quality of the writing appeared to be so low that I could not bring myself to pay for it (no I did not lift it from the store, I left it on the shelf). The book is now written for 10 year old.
The little details that made the Realms so interesting are all gone. The book is designed to give as little information as possible on all subjects. I believe they were aiming to give DMs maximum leeway in running the Realms, but ended up making a darn boring book to read, and I mean boring!
I know that some of these details are to be forthcoming in articles on DND Insider, but I for one would rather have at least some flavor in the Campaign Guide itself.
I think I will continue to selectively read the novels, but I have no intention of purchasing the FR game books.
... and this is coming from someone who has been a defender of 4ed.
quote:
Originally posted by Wandering_mage
I bought mine today. It looks nice but I really hate the 4th edition script organization in an FR book. Ya know what I mean? It's like they are afraid to have single spacing with 10 or 12 font. They love paragragh breaks and nice huge titles to each paragragh. I want more text. From all that I have heard I am worried that it might not be in explained very well in the FRCG. I will report more after I read some tonight. I'm going in. "Let it begin!!!!!!!" -Hamster from the movie Bolt :)
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Edited by - Ranak on 20 Aug 2008 06:18:56 |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 06:22:24
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| Maybe the FR players guide will add some more information lacking in the CS? |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1452 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 10:14:29
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I'm most likely to buy it just to see what is the new tone/mood/genre that we're suppose to play in the Realms, before I decided whether I would want to play in the Realms (and buy the Player's Guide) I'm going to read it as completely new, with my pre-knowledge about the Realms and any realmslore erased (as much as I can) and try to see what the new Realms has to offer.
The Warlock Knight of Vaasa is already the designers creep into 'evolving' the new Realms, which worries me. |
Edited by - questing gm on 20 Aug 2008 10:19:34 |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 14:52:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan
Maybe the FR players guide will add some more information lacking in the CS?
Though it will certainly have some flavor text, the FR Player's Guide primarily contains game mechanics for player characters. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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monknwildcat
Learned Scribe
USA
285 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 15:56:39
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Does the new fey stuff appear in the FRCG? Or is it going to be DDI? I haven't left BFE to get to a bookstore and check it out yet.  |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 17:39:12
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| All I ask, and have asked before, is that scribes who have not purchased the book yet take the time to check the book out (like Ranak did) before purchasing it. The way WotC will measure the success of the 4e Realms is by the number of copies sold. Please make sure the book is something you want to buy before buying it and do not vote blindly with your wallet. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 17:41:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion on the 4e FR scroll
Alright, everyone, I'm not sure if this is the proper thread, but here's my review of 4E FRCG, based on reading through a friend's copy (he was promptly kicked out of his group for his sacrilege!  ).
Some comments based on what I remember:
- Loudwater... now, this chapter *really* sets new standards for low-quality in a published FR product. Frankly, I was stunned at how bad it was... the town map was the *worst* since, like, forever -- it was a square 50 x 50 squares (about) box filled with 20+ buildings. I mean, uh, where do those 9000 people live? Mighty high buildings, I would say! The NPCs... those two we saw in the excerpt were the *best* of the bunch -- 'Brother Griffon' and the rest were really that bad. I'm convinced that the map of Loudwater is to appear in 'Storm of Zehir', and that is probably why it is "primitive" and square-shaped, hey? It may work as a miniature map, but I haven't seen any DM worth his salt using such maps since the original CRPG 'Pool of Radiance' came out. If I had bought this book, I would have felt *insulted* by this map. All in all, I think the book would have been a *LOT* better as a whole without the first chapter.
- The divine symbols of some deities have "evolved", and certainly not for the better. Corellon's symbol is now a "starburst", but can you guess how Lolth's symbol looks like? A slightly different starburst, naturally! Gruumsh's symbol is an odd-looking "triangle" of bones, and Bane's mighty fish has transformed into a three-pronged talon-like appendice! IIRC this was not even explained anywhere, so it's probably a retcon? And, the symbols for the other deities are not even mentioned *at all*, so good luck without your 2E/3E accessories! Or perhaps only the Greater Deities have symbols, now? I also found it odd that deities have only a single "sphere" of control now, because in some cases it results in odd choices for the sphere (as already mentioned here and the WoTC boards) -- was the idea of deities holding multiple portfolios *really* that complex for DMs and players to grasp?
- The Zhentarim also have changed their symbol -- they now wear a brown-colored fanged skull on a burst of dark-brown rays (on yellow field) as their symbol. If it is meant to resemble Cyric's own symbol, the colors seem like an odd choice...
- Primordials. Ubtao "the Deceiver"? Elder Gods, led by Ouroboros the World-Serpent? And how come the Elemental Lords have had established churches and commanded worship on Toril, if they have always been "just" Primordials confined to Abeir? Or how did Kezef escape from Abeir to hound Mask in the events of the Cyrinishad debacle? A lot of this stuff just seems to be quick ideas they threw around in meetings, without researching the established Realmslore properly, in effect creation contradictions and inconsistencies you could fly a Halruaan Skyship through. Oh, I forgot about their "Secret Timeline"... maybe it holds answers to everything? Yeah...
- Eladrin. I don't think I saw a single mention of elven subraces, while the Eladrin were mentioned here and there -- I wonder if the elven subraces have been cut altogether from 4E FR?
- The glossary (written by Ed) was nice, and there were words and terms you could steal to enrich any FR campaign.
- Most of the 'Overview'-chapter I really flipped through, and my overall feeling was that there was a lot of "meh!"-stuff and bad ideas. Very little info on Baldur's Gate. Oh, the *did* include the City of Sharn from Eberron (after a fashion) in the form of Skyclave, capital of High Imaskar! And if everyone didn't think 'Rose Keep' was enough, there is the 'Castle of the Rose' near Skyclave...
- Returned Abeir. Along with Waterdeep, this was the best part in the book, although I may not agree with the whole concept of Abeir/Toril -divide and the nature of the changes. You can really tell that both Waterdeep and Abeir have been written by Ed, and there are a lot of stuff that could be imported into Golarion, for example.
Summa summarum: My overall impression was that I'm not going to buy this book, because a lot of the changes were explained so vaguely that they contradict published Realmslore, which would require a lot of extra work for me to make it all internally consistent again (George, Eric and Steven -- your efforts will be needed again! ;). New players and DMs may find it more appealing, but the level of details and especially the *quality* of most of the content I found sorely lacking.
My unofficial rating for this book:   
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Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 18:23:26
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I have been trying to keep an open mind... but people are coming across some internal inconsistencies within the book.
I expect a book THREE YEARS in development would be a little more... precise. From what I'm hearing, they changed their minds so many times during development that 'old stuff' slipped through the cracks in several places (the stuff concerning the usage of 'Elf' and 'Eladrin' springs to mind, but there were several other examples).
Someone new to the Realms who purchased the book had to ask many questions over at the WotC boards because he found certain entries confusing - it appears the book does expect you to have some prior knowledge of FR, even thought they were trying hard to avoid that.
The one question I remember is "Who or what lives in Silverymoon?" It appears the City entries no longer contain racial break-downs, and the city is listed as an 'Elven Realm'! 
I still plan to check it out though, and judge for myself, but I'm really not liking everything I'm hearing coming down the pipe. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 20 Aug 2008 19:39:23 |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 19:13:07
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| I set up a poll to measure the satisfaction of those who have read/purchased the 4e FRCG here. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 19:46:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
The one question I remember is "Who or what lives in Silverymoon?" It appears the City entries no longer contain racial break-downs, and the city is listed as an 'Elven Realm'!
I never liked those break-downs, but I am a bit curious as to how it became an elven Realms. A hundred years is not exactly a long time for elves, so I wonder how that one occurred. |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 20:24:14
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Well I bought the book yesterday and as I write this I have read everything up to Cormyr.
First thing I did was put the map next to the 3E map, and my eyes popped out of my head. MANY things are different, be it for good or ill. Some interesting, some dissapointing.
What my brother and I wonder is, why no mention of dinosaurs in Chult (there is mention of "never before seen in that area" monsters coming native from Abeir, but it says they are new so I doubt that refers to Dinosaurs).
Of course I like that Netheril is back |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 20:26:08
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| I must add that I am happy they didn't outright kill ALL the gods, having some as regular Deities and some as servants (effectively demigods) - (I smiled when I saw Fzoul's state) |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 20:46:46
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Dinosaurs are called Behemoths in 4e.
The recent Chult excerpt (available over at WotC) stated that 'Behemoths' are new creatures recently arrived from Abeir.
That is a lie - just because they changed the name doesn't mean that 4e dinosaurs are new to chult.
Thats a clear case of 4e trying to pretend something is new lore when it is not.
As for the Silverymoon thing - I think a region is considered belonging to a certain group if the leader is of that group, so even if Alustriel's offspring is the ONLY Elf (Eladrin?) in the city, the Realm (under the new rules) would be considered an Elven one.
At least, I think thats how it works... its all so confusing... |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 20 Aug 2008 20:47:29 |
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monknwildcat
Learned Scribe
USA
285 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 21:04:46
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Ashe, you may be right about the redeemed drow bumping Silverymoon's elf population. I wonder how many elves left for the Feywild; if enough left it would offset any surfacing redeemed drow.
Hawkins, thanks for the Asgetrion lore summary! |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 21:24:16
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quote:
Originally posted by monknwildcat
Hawkins, thanks for the Asgetrion lore summary!
Despite the fact that I am a loud voice against the 4e Realms, I still try to be a facilitator to all scribes to make up their own mind as to whether or not they will adopt the 4e Realms. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 21:33:38
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Same here.
I don't think all the negativity should stop anyone from coming to their own conclusions - plenty of people do like the new stuff. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Fingal
Seeker
56 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 22:10:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Wandering_mage
I bought mine today. It looks nice but I really hate the 4th edition script organization in an FR book. Ya know what I mean? It's like they are afraid to have single spacing with 10 or 12 font. They love paragragh breaks and nice huge titles to each paragragh. I want more text.
Strangely enough, my first thought when I got my copy today was 'it looks like a design document that's gone feral. Too many bullet points and so forth, like they meant to add in the details later. This isn't just a problem with the Campaign guide though, all the other 4th ed books I've seen are the same. I've spent a small fortune on Realms stuff recently and did not begrudge any of it because the products themselves (1e and onwards,)were a joy to read and own. This looks like a computer game manual.
But enough about aesthetics! I've only really given it a quick once over but the whole thing feels very undernourished. None of the country entries seem to be more than 2 pages - even for Cormyr, Thay and what have you. The exception seems to be for Menzo-blooming-berranzan that has 2 pages dedicated to the various houses alone.
Now, I'm not saying it feels skewed towards the fans of a certain drow, but it does feel like it's skewed towards the fans of a certain drow...
There are things that have peaked my interest. The Aboleth thing looks interesting although I've yet to read about it in the guide. There are also things in it that just feel very, very silly. To be honest, I'm kind of wondering why they didn't just create a new setting and have done with it. It would have saved them a lot of hassle and a lot of the angry vibes that will be hitting them like a psychic tidal wave in the coming months.
Part of the problem Is that I think you would need a 'History of the realms since the spell plague' supplement of at least equal size in order to make proper head or tail of it all and I can't see that happening. I guess all the detail has been left out so that we create our 'own' realms on top of it. That's cool with me, At least I won't have to spend nearly 20 quid a pop on each book that comes out if I'm just going to have to make it up anyway.
Actually, that doesn't strike me as a very clever business model. Hmm. There is putting your own spin on things and there is doing it all from scratch. I don't need books to do it all from scratch.
Worst of the lot is, I didn't see any reference to Larloch. Larloch is great and I would happily spend twenty quid on a book just about him and his decomposing gang. I demand more Larloch.
My first post. My mum will be so proud!  |
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monknwildcat
Learned Scribe
USA
285 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2008 : 22:27:12
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Welcome, Fingal! Congrats on your first post!
I never used Larloch in a campaign, but the necromantaphilic folks in my gaming table love him. He's definitely iconic. Perhaps he'll get some DDI-lovin! |
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IngoDjan
Learned Scribe
Brazil
146 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 12:19:03
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| The lacks of informations of this book scared me! |
Ingo Djan
DUNGEON MASTER AO OF THE DIAMONDS!"I see the future repeat the past. It all is a museum of great news. The Time do not stop." |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 15:41:19
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Welcome to the Boards, Fingal.
Don't ley the recent 'Curmudgeoness' scare you away. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Fingal
Seeker
56 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 18:02:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Welcome to the Boards, Fingal.
Don't ley the recent 'Curmudgeoness' scare you away.
Lol, I won't. Believe me, I'm far more of a curmudgeon than most. 
Actually, I had a good read through it last night and I take it back about Cormyr only being two pages long: it's actually 4! And there are not so many bullet points in reality although it looks like their should be.
As for Larloch. Warlock's crypt still appears on the map but aside from that and a reference to him and Tam there is nothing else.
There is a lot of stuff I like, in actual fact, but there is as much I don't like. I will refrain from Spraffing endlessly as I don't know if there are spoiler warnings in effect.
My biggest problem with it is that it seems like you are going to HAVE to buy the players guide before you can make any sense of it. There is virtually no information on races, magic or exactly what effect the spell plague had as far as day to day adventuring lives are concerned. Comparing it with either the 3rd e campaign setting or the 2e 'Forgotten Realms Adventures' just left me feeling a bit cold towards it.
Hey, who knows, maybe Elminster will wake up and discover it was all a bad dream... |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 18:28:58
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| But IIRC, Brian said that the Players Guide will basically contain crunch, not so much fluff. I think, they left so much from the FRCG to fill the gaps with Dragon articles so that you have an incentive to subscibe to DDI if you want to get any meaningful lore for the Realms. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 18:32:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan
But IIRC, Brian said that the Players Guide will basically contain crunch, not so much fluff. I think, they left so much from the FRCG to fill the gaps with Dragon articles so that you have an incentive to subscibe to DDI if you want to get any meaningful lore for the Realms.
That is pretty much what Rich said way back (a long time ago) too. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 19:49:57
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From the most recent excerpt, it appears there will be at least a tiny bit of fluff to go with each mechanic presented. I mean, think about it, how can you write-up a PrC (Paragon Path?) without a little fluff? The mechanics wouldn't make much sense without at least a paragraph or two.
Then again... I'm getting a picture of the 4e MM in my head... the only book I have ever seen that not only lacked monster descriptions, but in some cases lacked an accompanying illustration.
I still don't know what the hell several of the beasties are supposed to look like. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 21 Aug 2008 20:16:31 |
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'Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide' -- Discussion
