| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 04:28:10
|
-Thank you Wooly for fixin those big honkin links! 
BRIMSTONE  |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
 |
|
|
Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 07:42:55
|
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
A centimeter on a 1":30 mile map is 140 square miles: perhaps not much in the USA, but it's a lot of land in England, where I live, and in the Realms.
I'm sure 140 square miles is a big lot of land in the US, it's just that 12 miles (more precisely 11.83216) goes by so fast when you're driving through it.
I wonder if some of the problem with some of the American writers and designers is not knowing how long it takes to walk 12 miles. Having family in America and having lived there I know that it is a very car-centric culture.
I occasionally walk home from where I work, which is just over two miles. It takes about 35 minutes to get home (which is not that different to taking the Strassebahn/tram but warmer). You pass by a lot of land and it takes me from one side of the city to the other.
I'm sure the writers and designers have books to hand and on-line resources but the physical experience adds so much more.
There is an awful lot you can put in a small amount of land. After all Monte Cook managed to write a 600+ page book about 12 square miles, so it can be done and expertly so. Which just goes to show that it isn't a question of nationality just that some people can make a very good effort. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
|
|
|
ajfurst
Acolyte
Australia
21 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 10:52:07
|
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drdd/20080828a
[quote]This month’s Design & Development column is brought to you by Senior Managing Editor Phil Athans and Designer Bruce Cordell.
Starting Points in the New Edition
In fact, it was felt something drastic had to happen in order to breathe new life into a shared world whose well-trampled edges were quickly approaching.
PA: By the summer of 2005, there wasn’t a whole lot left of Faerûn to discover. We’d spent the last fifteen years or so detailing just about every nook and cranny of the map, in hundreds of books, game products, short stories, comic books, Dragon articles, and Dungeon adventures. There was hardly a square centimeter on the poster map that wasn’t detailed somewhere, and frankly it was getting harder and harder to find room to tell a story.
2. It’s a thousand stories, all happening at once.
PA: From the novel line point of view, the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting has always succeeded because there is no core story.
BRC: In a world where Elminster is merely the tip of an epic level legion of NPC good guys, the opportunity for less powerful PCs and less epic stories was small.
PA: This was a message that should have been getting out all along, but somewhere along the way—was it the Time of Troubles?—a notion emerged among the readers and players that the FORGOTTEN REALMS was a world built for a small group of superheroes and a place to read about their adventures.
4. It’s a fully realized world, full of history and legend.
5. It’s a vibrant, ever-changing world that is constantly moving forward.
PA: For years we’ve been closely watching sales trends of the novels and seeing that, without exception, books that move the world forward, however incrementally, tend to outsell books that go back into the past or that have less or no effect on the greater setting.
9. We’re not retconning. We’re assuming that everything that was, was.
PA: I guess you could call this the “not throwing out the baby or the bathwater” rule. We may have a hundred years’ worth of distance from it, but it happened, and all that history will continue to inform authors, game designers, players, and DMs as they continue to explore the FORGOTTEN REALMS world.
So basically we've got:
1. The fact the world is so rich in history is bad, yet we couldn't be stuffed doing a new world.
2. The authors and game designers felt if a story was told in a region then no story could ever be told in a region again - as if all evil guys/challenges disappeared for all time from a spot.
3. The world is so massive with so many stories yet players/novel readers naively felt Elminster and co. would jump in and squash their annoying 2nd level foe instead of worrying about the Zhents, Shadovars or the like - despite the so called Realms wrecker appearing in how many novels not by Ed?
4. The history is a burden, yet they also say it will continue to inform readers etc.
What a pile of poor justifications, inconsistencies and reasons after the fact, dressed up as attempt to justify targetting the WOW crowd via the Realms.
That the Realms would be changed by 4th edition was a given. That it could easily have been done by new RSE books focusing on the unexplored continents to introduce 4th edition player classes, monsters and abilities, whilst having the timeline advance by a more reasonable 10 or so years, so there'd have been plenty of time for new bad guys to be everywhere to address the 'so-called' freshness, yet authors/DM's/players still able to keep their existing characters would have seen an obvious choice.
The bleedingly obvious question is has no one at WoTC/Hasbro ever heard of the 'rule' that you need to spend $5 to get every new customer, for every $1 you spend retaining existing ones. The mind boggles they seriously thought they wouldn't lose so many old ones that the extra money they are having to spend on attracting new ones will pay for itself. |
Edited by - ajfurst on 30 Aug 2008 10:53:20 |
|
|
|
Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 12:48:54
|
quote:
Originally posted by ajfurst
The mind boggles they seriously thought they wouldn't lose so many old ones that the extra money they are having to spend on attracting new ones will pay for itself.
Folks on these boards keep making arguments based in part on the assumption that the 4E Forgotten Realms and the 4E rules set in general have sold badly or will eventually be seen as a business failure. Why is that? Other than anecdotal experience and, perhaps, private hopes for failure based on personal taste, is there some evidence that the books aren't selling well?
This isn't a setup--sure, I have my own notion of how the books are selling, one informed by a different data set (and sure, what I consider "informed" might be different than what you do)--I'm honestly curious what legit indications people have for thinking the new stuff is doing poorly in the marketplace. And if your reasons are that it doesn't seem to be doing well at your local shop, or that nobody on the internet message boards you frequent says they've bought it, or even that you just can't imagine how anybody could ever possibly like it--well, why do you think those are legit indications of how the books are doing worldwide? Or even, I dunno, Indiana-wide, for that matter?
|
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36971 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 13:11:12
|
quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
quote:
Originally posted by ajfurst
The mind boggles they seriously thought they wouldn't lose so many old ones that the extra money they are having to spend on attracting new ones will pay for itself.
Folks on these boards keep making arguments based in part on the assumption that the 4E Forgotten Realms and the 4E rules set in general have sold badly or will eventually be seen as a business failure. Why is that? Other than anecdotal experience and, perhaps, private hopes for failure based on personal taste, is there some evidence that the books aren't selling well?
This isn't a setup--sure, I have my own notion of how the books are selling, one informed by a different data set (and sure, what I consider "informed" might be different than what you do)--I'm honestly curious what legit indications people have for thinking the new stuff is doing poorly in the marketplace. And if your reasons are that it doesn't seem to be doing well at your local shop, or that nobody on the internet message boards you frequent says they've bought it, or even that you just can't imagine how anybody could ever possibly like it--well, why do you think those are legit indications of how the books are doing worldwide? Or even, I dunno, Indiana-wide, for that matter?
Actually, I don't see any statement here that sales were bad. Rather, it was commentary on what WotC has all but openly said: Old fans are no longer wanted, only new fans are. And admittedly, it is an odd business strategy: disregarding and angering customers that have been around for years, in favor of new customers who may or may not stick around the way the old customers did. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
|
|
|
arry
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
317 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 15:32:41
|
In my opinion WotC has succeeded in one thing, they have split the FR fanbase. I would hesitate to even guess about the proportions on either side, but as far as I can see the divide is only getting deeper and wider.  |
|
|
|
Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3254 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 15:34:00
|
I have to agree with Wooly. The sales are doing well, with a lot of new people buying into the game. But most of the older gamers seem to wary of buying it or outright boycotting it.
Not too mention the demographic they are going for (the kids playing WoW) are not really known for brand loyalty, IMO. Sure, they may be picking up the books now, but does that mean that they are going to continue being great customers a year from now? Five years from now? A lot of the demographic is very keen on instant gratification. From being able to download mods and games on XBox 360 to buying WoW gold on eBay so they can get the cool items without working for it. Now WotC has a monthly subscription to get stuff, but the only thing you can get right now are articles. And they still don't have a date on the other online tools. If they don't get that stuff up by Christmas, at the latest, I fear they will never get the subscription service to be viable. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
|
|
|
Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3254 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 15:35:59
|
quote:
Originally posted by arry
In my opinion WotC has succeeded in one thing, they have split the FR fanbase. I would hesitate to even guess about the proportions on either side, but as far as I can see the divide is only getting deeper and wider.
To be honest, arry, the split was there before 4th Edition. The Spellplague/4th Edition jump just seems to put the game designers in one camp more than the other. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
|
|
|
Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 16:52:04
|
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
I have to agree with Wooly. The sales are doing well, with a lot of new people buying into the game. But most of the older gamers seem to wary of buying it or outright boycotting it.
Not too mention the demographic they are going for (the kids playing WoW) are not really known for brand loyalty, IMO. Sure, they may be picking up the books now, but does that mean that they are going to continue being great customers a year from now? Five years from now? A lot of the demographic is very keen on instant gratification. From being able to download mods and games on XBox 360 to buying WoW gold on eBay so they can get the cool items without working for it. Now WotC has a monthly subscription to get stuff, but the only thing you can get right now are articles. And they still don't have a date on the other online tools. If they don't get that stuff up by Christmas, at the latest, I fear they will never get the subscription service to be viable.
I think WotC is in for a surprise if their target market is the ritalin-popping, short-attention span youth who can't be bothered to read anything longer than 2 pages... sure, maybe they're picking the 4E PHB now because "their DM told them to," but as for reading it in full, or as for buying OTHER books with lotsa pages in it that they won't/can't read is another matter... like some WotC staffer said when Dragon and Dungeon was cancelled: "Kids go on the net to get these things nowadays!! ha ha ha ha ha! oink! oink! oink! oink! oink! snort! snort! snort! snort! snort!" (ok, I made up the piggy laugh part...  ) |
|
|
|
Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 17:14:07
|
So, the idea here is that the system (and presumably the Realms) is being mainly marketed at players of MMORPGs, and that further--and this seems crucial to what y'all are saying--that some critically great number of the more than ten million MMORPG players worlwide are, to use PDK's phrase, "ritalin-popping, short-attention span youth who can't be bothered to read anything longer than 2 pages?"
Is that right?
And one more bit:
quote:
Wooly Rupert said
Actually, I don't see any statement here that sales were bad...
I guess you must mean "here in the specific post Christopher was responding to," and not "here at the Candlekeep" forums. But either way, I think my contention that arguments have been advanced that "the 4E Forgotten Realms and the 4E rules set in general...will eventually be seen as a business failure" holds up, don't you? If nowhere else than in some of the comments that followed my last post? |
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36971 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 17:33:49
|
Well, I do have to admit I think 4E will be a sales failure... The numbers may be good now, but I don't think the eventual goals they have set will be reached.
But it's not because I dislike the system. My reasoning is that they're thinking making the game play more like an MMO is the key to success, since WoW has numbers that publishers can only wish for. They don't seem to realize that the biggest strength of MMOs is the ability to game any time, for any length of time, at no one's convenience other than the one player. MMOs are dominating PnP games because MMOs don't require everyone to try to gather in one place, at one time, for a span of several hours.
So yeah, short-term sales may be spectacular, because it's new and shiny. I think the long-term sales are going to tank, or at least not do nearly as well as hoped, because they're trying to do the wrong thing. I think the promised virtual gaming table would do considerably more to save the game than a new edition, because the virtual gaming table would have the biggest benefit of an MMO. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
|
|
|
Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 17:45:17
|
Thanks, Wooly!
Oh, and edited to add this question for everyone, pursuant to Wooly Rupert's last post, should 3.0/3.5 be held a failure from a sales and business point of view? What criteria are fair for deciding, either way? |
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
Edited by - Christopher_Rowe on 30 Aug 2008 18:02:35 |
|
|
|
Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:00:34
|
There's no y'all here, Christopher. Why mix up different people's views?
I won't be at all surprised if the three game products (a bijou settingette) do well on their own terms. |
|
|
|
Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:03:25
|
-I know Eric Mona at Paizo said that Wizards was thinking about firing the Fanbase in 1999 before the release of 3E. Yet WotC did not do it at that time.
-I have noticed alot of newer Realms authors lately. Sure Steven, Ed, and RA don't need to study up so to speak to write a book. Yet maybe Bruce Cordell did and found it a little daunting. Not trying to bash the Authors just saying. So they changed the Realms to make the setting a little easier for the newer less realmslore established authors.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
|
|
|
Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1732 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:12:59
|
quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
By the exact high standards set by the Realms, you cannot publish a fully realized world in two books.
How many would it take, then?
Heh. Define "fully realized" and then we'll talk about how many books it'd take.
Steven
who knows that world building can either be a labor of love with no end in sight or a cursed undertaking where you're constantly having to dig deeper to find (or fix) things....
PS: I'd be the first to argue that the Realms (across ALL editions) is one of the most fully realized worlds for D&D but it's nowhere near complete. After all, we don't have flora and fauna guides, nor do we have formal biographies on major players, or hackneyed historical fiction (written by Volo's granddaughter) floridly weaving romance and intrigue into the goings-on among the heroes of yesteryear....(and wouldn't those be fun to write?  )
PPS: I'm not going to define "fully realized" as I get a tad Type-A-obsessive when it comes to world building (as anyone who's seen my drafts of historical timelines will assess). The only thing that drew the line for me as to where to stop on world building was a deadline (i.e. I couldn't do more for Lands of Intrigue because it was due on X date). |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
|
|
|
|
Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:25:32
|
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
There's no y'all here, Christopher. Why mix up different people's views?
"Bijou settingette" is a pretty awesome phrase.
And sorry for the lack of clarity in my y'all's. I usually (but alas, not always!) use it to mean "each of you individually," not "all of you collectively." In fact, for the latter I'd probably say (aloud, anyway) "all y'all" instead of just y'all.
So I should probably just not use it here! Or add a line about being from Kentucky to my .sig like Fillow has about being French!
All of which is to say, I don't mean to collectivize views. I'm interested in what y'all think, not all y'all. |
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
|
|
|
Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3254 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:25:36
|
quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
...or hackneyed historical fiction (written by Volo's granddaughter)...
Do you KNOW what you just did with those few words?
Viva la revolution! |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
|
|
|
Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:34:39
|
-Thank you Steven!
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
|
|
|
Brunswick
Acolyte
Ireland
21 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 18:40:37
|
| God, I thought I was against the changes before!? That article has just annoyed me so much. So much for my 20+ years of campaigning from 1357 - 1380 (non-canon) (20 years of real time). See ya WotC, I wont be touching any 4th Ed realms stuff. :( |
|
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 19:27:58
|
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
...or hackneyed historical fiction (written by Volo's granddaughter)...
Do you KNOW what you just did with those few words?
Viva la revolution!
Enter Volotta... |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
|
|
|
monknwildcat
Learned Scribe
USA
285 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 19:54:37
|
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
...or hackneyed historical fiction (written by Volo's granddaughter)...
Do you KNOW what you just did with those few words?
Viva la revolution!
Enter Volotta...
Wow! I like Volotta, MT!
I'm slightly partial to Volotaire, though. A mixed metaphor, so to speak.  |
|
|
|
Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 21:42:10
|
I've said this before, but judging from Brimstone's post, I guess it bears repeating.
No publisher ever made a big move to make life easier for writers.
Love them or loathe them, the recent changes are about one thing only: money. WotC believes the changes will result in bigger profits. They may be right, they may be wrong, but that's the sole point of it all.
In other words, nobody who participated in the decision making really cared if the new direction would mean that authors had to do less research. At most, this would be seen as a tiny and essentially irrelevant fringe benefit. |
|
|
|
Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2008 : 21:47:46
|
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
I've said this before, but judging from Brimstone's post, I guess it bears repeating.
No publisher ever made a big move to make life easier for writers.
Love them or loathe them, the recent changes are about one thing only: money. WotC believes the changes will result in bigger profits. They may be right, they may be wrong, but that's the sole point of it all.
In other words, nobody who participated in the decision making really cared if the new direction would mean that authors had to do less research. At most, this would be seen as a tiny and essentially irrelevant fringe benefit.
-Thank you for the clarification Richard.
-I guess money does make the world go around.
-I have noticed that Wizards is making everything their IP now not an IP that was first published in the 70's or 80's. Realms and D&D.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
|
|
|
Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 01:56:25
|
quote:
Originally posted by Skeptic
quote:
Originally posted by Pandora
Playing the only hero is? And no hero ever started small? Even Hercules had to prove himself with difficult tasks to be accepted into the Olymp and then he wasnt "the boss". The new Forgotten Realms almost removes the need to roleplay because there are hardly any NPCs left with whom to do that ... apart from some farmers and hunters who dont really matter and will prolly say "yes" to everything the PCs ask, eh? Everything else is monster infested wilderness.
If by roleplay you mean PCs being bullied by Dumbledore/Voldomort kind of NPCs, I'm glad of it.
Saying that FR was emptied of NPCs is simply false, I won't respond to it.
I'm not saying that starting small is "evil", it certainly can be fun, but that's not the only kind of play experience that RPG can offer.
Of course not. Really, all sorts of gaming experiences and characters may be enjoyable, if you're into what GNS theory labels "exploration". In a sense, it does not matter what kind of campaign or rules or characters you're playing -- not even the *fate* of your character matters, because whether he dies during the first session or not, it's only about exploring certain themes and issues, and naturally also about enjoying the experience and the story. As long as everybody enjoys it and the fate of the PCs is *interesting*, everything else is more or less irrelevant.
As for D&D, I think that a lot of the excitement comes from starting out as a "weakling", and slowly progressing through the levels as you overcome the hardships on your path to glory. I just don't take as much enjoyment in creating a 4th level PC than a 1st level PC -- it takes time to "adjust" myself to feel like I've "earned" those levels. And that is why I don't like how 4E treats 1st level characters as "ready-made" heroes. |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
|
|
|
Skeptic
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1273 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 06:19:15
|
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Of course not. Really, all sorts of gaming experiences and characters may be enjoyable, if you're into what GNS theory labels "exploration". In a sense, it does not matter what kind of campaign or rules or characters you're playing -- not even the *fate* of your character matters, because whether he dies during the first session or not, it's only about exploring certain themes and issues, and naturally also about enjoying the experience and the story. As long as everybody enjoys it and the fate of the PCs is *interesting*, everything else is more or less irrelevant.
BTW, having exploration as your main priority during play is the definition of the "simulationism" creative agenda.
Lots of indie RPG that facilitates narrativist play also let the players start with more "established" characters.
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
As for D&D, I think that a lot of the excitement comes from starting out as a "weakling", and slowly progressing through the levels as you overcome the hardships on your path to glory. I just don't take as much enjoyment in creating a 4th level PC than a 1st level PC -- it takes time to "adjust" myself to feel like I've "earned" those levels. And that is why I don't like how 4E treats 1st level characters as "ready-made" heroes.
I like how PCs start in 4E, because smaller wasn't really working in 3.XE (following the XP/CR framework). |
Edited by - Skeptic on 31 Aug 2008 06:22:49 |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36971 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 15:15:13
|
| Okay, now we're getting back to the familiar territory of arguing the very nature of the game. That is off-topic. Let's stick to the original topic, please. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
|
|
|
StarBog
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 16:35:57
|
| To get back on topic, I attended the LFR Launch Party at GenconUK with Rich Baker, and he pretty much went over the original points in a verbally much abbreviated form. The whole crew there (including RB) managed to talk about the Realms for an hour or so without mentioning Ed of the Greenwood once - something that a lot of people picked up on. |
|
|
|
crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 18:02:52
|
quote:
Originally posted by StarBog
To get back on topic, I attended the LFR Launch Party at GenconUK with Rich Baker,.
Do you remember anything else that was said?
Thanks
Damian |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
|
|
|
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 20:02:13
|
You know what guys? I've given some thought to this particular article, and I've decided that I no longer wish to purchase any novels written by Phil Athans or Bruce Cordell (I'm not interested in BC's upcoming "Xxiphu" novels, anyway). Any author who thinks there was no longer any room to tell great stories in the Realms is either unbelievably ignorant or is being dishonest.
Again, I'm not deliberately trying to be disrespectful, but it is my money to spend, and the tone of this article really upset me. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 31 Aug 2008 20:08:08 |
|
|
|
StarBog
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2008 : 20:06:01
|
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by StarBog
To get back on topic, I attended the LFR Launch Party at GenconUK with Rich Baker,.
Do you remember anything else that was said?
Not much was said beyond what is in the original Design & Development column posted by Brimestone. I do recall that they said that LFR Plotlines will be canon like novels and will feed into the storyline in a similar fashion and that WOTC thought FR was too detailed and basically large chunks needed to be ripped out to allow new plot to be written. I spent most of my time grinding my teeth not saying anything even during the impromtu Q&As since if I had started, they would have had probably to physically throw me out of the convention....
I missed the Secrets of the Forgotten Realms lecture that RB gave the day before though, preferring instead to have a much needed lie-in rather than get incredibly depressed at the inevitable justification of the wanton vandalism of a much beloved setting (1375 FR). |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Design and Development The 4E Forgotten Realms.
