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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Mar 2009 : 19:59:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Archmagus Brandon
What do you mean, Ashe?
What fansite policy dictates they can't publish something? Is it because it's non-cannon or something?
Can you explain in a little more detail?
The articles are non canon, of course, since they are created by us fans. At the moment Wizards of the Coast is creating a fan site policy about what might, or might not, be written about and so some of us have decided to keep our articles on hold until we find out what we can, or can't, write about due to the changes with forth edition and the changes to FR because of 4e. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2009 : 20:24:38
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To the very bottom of the Nine Hells with 4e. Right in to Asmodeus' lap.
That shouldn't mean that we can't keep going on all the rest of the time lines. Bah, I say...Bah!
Unless of course the changes move ahead in the time lines where it interjects with 4e.
Whatever. I look forward to whatever is published. Do you think we could probobly share it amongst ourselves? I mean, whatever it is that they don't publish will it be shared in some way/shape/form? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2009 : 20:29:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Archmagus Brandon
To the very bottom of the Nine Hells with 4e. Right in to Asmodeus' lap.
That shouldn't mean that we can't keep going on all the rest of the time lines. Bah, I say...Bah!
Unless of course the changes move ahead in the time lines where it interjects with 4e.
Whatever. I look forward to whatever is published. Do you think we could probobly share it amongst ourselves? I mean, whatever it is that they don't publish will it be shared in some way/shape/form?
We all might want to ignore 4e but FR is still owned by Wizards and they are gracious enough, at this time, to allow anyone to write material for the Realms. Even during 3e what we all published was technically illegal because the Realms was never included in the public domain. So, truly, we should all be happy that Wizards even allowed this site to create the past issues of the Compendiums and as I've said before, personally I won't step on Wizards toes and I'll wait to see what they allow or don't allow because publishing material on the net is still professionally publishing material even if it is fan material and if we are sued, we will lose because, again, Wizards owns the Realms because it is their property. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2009 : 22:34:26
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| Almost everything I run in Forgotten Realms could just as easily be set in a generic campaign world, but I enjoy the Realms as window dressing. Its very rare that established characters of the Realms are used as NPCs unless absolutely necessary... which usually ends up being key figures of Cormyr since that's where the majority of our adventures start or end up. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2009 : 19:00:23
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I mean no offence to WoTC. After all, they have provided me with endless hours of entertainment and woudln't know what I would do with out them, I just think that we as fans, who buy every thing we can get our hands on that Wizards publishes, we should be entitled to our own fancy-free.
I don't see the problem as long as we don't plaigerise or claim we invented or own the Realms. lol
Is there any more news on that topic, btw? |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2009 : 06:00:25
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| Ah, but you see, we do own and invent the Realms. Ed simply opened the door to Faerūn, showed us inside and said 'Go play!'. I believe he loves hearing as much about what we do in the Realms as we love the lore he provides. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2009 : 12:38:04
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You got that right...
It's to bad that WoTC probobly doesn't agree...lol |
Edited by - Aerik DeVallo on 22 Mar 2009 13:23:37 |
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2009 : 19:37:57
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| WotC probably feels like they own the Realms now... you know, having bought it along with the D&D brand from TSR. I know, I know... they're crazy, but people feel a sense of entitlement when they give money away. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2009 : 20:58:07
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| The difficulty is that the very nature of Roleplaying Games means you're inviting your customers in as owners and designers. Until they find a way to have a Wizards employee at every gaming table (hmm... Virtual Gaming table? Interesting...), they cannot tell us what we can and cannot do with the product they sell us. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2009 : 22:42:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Archmagus Brandon
I mean no offence to WoTC. After all, they have provided me with endless hours of entertainment and woudln't know what I would do with out them, I just think that we as fans, who buy every thing we can get our hands on that Wizards publishes, we should be entitled to our own fancy-free.
Everyone already is entitled to their own personal "vision" of what the Realms is, we just don't own the setting. |
"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) |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2009 : 13:40:04
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The more and more I'm glad of that, Ashe.
If I had to follow the new timeline, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't play any more.
I think I'm going to be relying heavily on Lost Empires of Faerun in the future. Run through the entire previous time line.
What time periods do you guys usually run your games in/play in? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2009 : 16:27:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Archmagus Brandon
What time periods do you guys usually run your games in/play in?
Hard for me to answer because I've been running FR games in my version of FR for.... oh my, 10 years or so now..... But in general most of my campaigns take place in the 1360's to 1370's but I've had some campaigns that involved time travel, so some PC's have influenced the past even if their characters started in the 1360/70's.
Edit: But I generally keep updated time lines for my campaigns, or at least a notebook filled with dates, so I can keep track of what happened and when during each campaign. Right now, for example, I'm working on another timeline for a email game that I've been DMin for a single player for over 5 or 6 years of our years. His character has done a lot since the game started in 1373 and now it's getting to the point that its getting hard to remember all the NPC's and actions that have happened, so I'm compiling them into a detailed time line. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 25 Mar 2009 16:45:11 |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2009 : 17:08:52
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Awesome, Kuje.
I personally have trouble with the Calendar of Harptos. Any one have any pointers? Is it similar to our own calendar? If it is, can you explain? Or, really, just explain in general lol.
Thanks! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2009 : 17:33:29
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Basically, January equals Hammer. Since the FR months are always 30 days, everything doesn't always line up, but it stays pretty close. I made a simple spreadsheet, myself, setting the first of Hammer and the first of January as the starting point, and went from there.
One difference, though, is that there are five holidays that occur between months, and Shieldmeet, the equivalent of Leap Day, occurs mid-year, instead of closer to the beginning.
There are a couple of diagrams that exist online, showing the months... And the Forgotten Realms Calendar Tool is one of the niftiest freebies WotC ever gave us. It's got the calendar, lunar phases, and the Roll of Years. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2009 : 17:36:42
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The Calendar is very similar with twelve months. After that, it takes a right turn at Albuquerque.
Weeks have ten days instead of seven, and there are three weeks to each month. Every month, therefore has 30 days. There are 5 'special' days that fall outside the months (Greengrass, Midsummer, Highharvestide, Feast of the Moon and Midwinter). They are considered holidays by most. Additionally, they have a 'leap year' every four years, and introduce Shieldmeet as a holiday that occurs right after midsummer. Since it's every four years, many people use it as a point of reference in contract renewals and such.
There's a pretty good jpg of the calendar here that should be able to help you. If not, I know you can also download a calendar tool from Wizards (here) that details all the days, plus the lunar cycle of Selūne. It's a pretty good tool that allows you to add notes and such to it, making it pretty useful for timelines.
Edit: Dang Wooly and his quickness! |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
Edited by - Ashe Ravenheart on 25 Mar 2009 17:41:38 |
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2009 : 22:53:58
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| I use DM Secretary to keep track of the months and tack on the in-between-month days as day 31 of the months they come after. When I see a day 31, I know its a special day and not one more day of the month. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2009 : 02:05:33
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I was thinking about this a little more while working on my time line and if there was any other way I could give some advice and I thought of a way.
Keep track of the weather is my advice. :) When I write my email games, for example, I always have a header on them that looks like this:
Day/Month/Year: # day of # tenday of month in the year # - The Year of
Time:
Location:
Weather:
So one header for one of my games might look like this:
Day/Month/Year: 6th day of 1st tenday of Flamerule in the year 1373 - The Year of Rogue Dragons
Time: Morning to Evening
Location: Waterdeep
Weather: Temperate |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2009 : 03:02:37
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Well, it's good to know with a little practice, I can be awesome at it! 
So, all the seasons really do fall in the months like our's, just different names? Cool, I can deal.
Have my thanks, all of you, for providing me with all this info. It's to bad that I NEVER play...*uhgz*
I <3 using weather rules lol. Nothing like a good downpour while your fighting orcs on the road! Hahaha!
Kuje, let me know when you start doing another e-mail game. I'd love to participate, if that's ok with you!
Wooly, Ashe, Kuje, you're the men. lol
Nerfed, what's DM Secretary? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2009 : 03:56:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Archmagus Brandon
Kuje, let me know when you start doing another e-mail game. I'd love to participate, if that's ok with you!
Will do if I ever start another one. :) Only have my long running one going right now because some of my other email games fell apart because replies became sporadic. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Gang Falconhand
Seeker
United Kingdom
85 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2009 : 09:59:18
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My problem as DM is always trying to weave multi-layered plots into a believable tapestry. With all the different power groups and lone manipulators of events in the realms I always feel the need to get as many of them involved as possible. I love it when something a player wrote in their background as a throwaway remark can be used to tie them into a greater conspiracy, but I've found myself doing it over and over again until there are so many ties and threads that the "believable tapestry" I thought I was weaving looks like an explosion in a wool shop.
I'm taking steps to bring the threads back together sooner rather than later just so it feels more coherent for the players. This is meant to be entertaining for everyone not just the Dungeon Master.
My NEXT campaign will be more simple. I promise myself this. |
"If you have a quality let it define you." |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2009 : 14:31:32
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If anyone is interested here is a bit of code change for the index.html of the Calendar tool so that it give a 'rough estimation' of a current date in the Realms instead of the default Hammer 1, 1372:
Just change this:
var xMonth = 1
var xDay = 1
var xYear = 1372
to this:
var now = new Date()
var xMonth = now.getMonth() +1
var xDay = 1
var xYear = now.getFullYear() - 633
It will match up months roughly. If it's March 31st, it will still show Ches on the tool. It's not giving a 1:1 date transformation. And I based the year (as you can see) as 633 years previous to our year (making the current year 1376). |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Aerik DeVallo
Seeker
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2009 : 18:41:00
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I have a lot of those problems, too, Falconhand. The way I usually do things is not to even HAVE a plot line until higher levels. That way the characters are getting some expirience, some items, and getting a feel for their character's in general. With the party getting to know one another, I'm less likely to hear, "Can I make another character?" or, "I hate this, let's do something else." lol
Brutal? Yes. True? Yes. I'm not knocking them. I've had a lot more luck since I made character history, description, personality archetypes and personality traits a manditory thing for all character's I DM for.
Ashe, I appriciate the info, but I know nothing about HTML. Hahaha.
Maybe I can let my little bro take a look at it, because he does it all the time. Did you provide a link or did I just miss it? |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3253 Posts |
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Advice for general Realms-running.
