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redking
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Nov 2023 : 19:18:44
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| You gave me the answer I was looking for. What I wanted to know was whether it was part of a larger world, or whether the short short story is self contained. Feel free to elaborate on the world you've created if you have the time. |
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BileDemon
Acolyte
14 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2023 : 00:15:55
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Interesting background story. Artus vs. Ras Nsi sounds interesting, too bad it didnīt happen. But thatīs often the case when companies are only following the money.
BTW: Just a co-incidence or is the name Artus inspired by King Arthur/Artus? (varies from language and location) |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2023 : 04:39:26
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quote:
Originally posted by BileDemon
Interesting background story. Artus vs. Ras Nsi sounds interesting, too bad it didnīt happen. But thatīs often the case when companies are only following the money.
BTW: Just a co-incidence or is the name Artus inspired by King Arthur/Artus? (varies from language and location)
The name Artus was absolutely a nod to the Matter, though the intent was not to suggest Artus as King Arthur. (That's more Azoun, but even there, Arthur's the sort of figure he wants to be but isn't quite able to pull off.) At least a few of my character names are nods like that, with Aremag/Gamera the most obvious. The name for Kezef the Chaos Hound was a riff on a Vonnegut character from Sirens of Titan, Kazak the Hound of Space.
I've done a lot of work on Arthurian material. At one time, my "practical" plan was to complete a PhD in medieval lit, teach at a university, and write fantasy, horror, and games on the side. In grad school I discovered I loved teaching but didn't like academia all that much, so it didn't work out. I ended up with the impractical writing and editing job as my career, so it's for the best. I've edited a couple of Arthurian fiction anthologies and two editions of the reference book The Arthurian Companion, along with running the Pendragon fiction line at various times. Got to work on a version of the Pendragon RPG quickstart rules, too. So I've managed to do a fair bit of work on the Matter in the day job.
Wizards turned away from fiction, in my opinion, because they misread the longterm value of their worlds and characters. Circa 2000, some in the company really did think the OGL would make the d20 system the "Windows of gaming" and their future would be in publishing core rules with other publishers doing the worldbuilding, which they did not see as having longterm worth. The company's repeated use of material from the 80s and 90s in the last decade, especially from the fiction lines, and the way the worlds and narrative content (not the game rules) have provided the foundations for their mass media expansions (computer games, film, actual play, etc) make it clear the oracles in the late 90s and early 2000s were selling the worldbuilding short.
The game and the D&D brand is important, of course, but the fiction in particular is a wellspring of great value to them for both creative and financial reasons. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2023 : 11:02:39
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It is my opinion that the current team at WotC simply doesn't want the trouble of creating lore, and that's why they keep publishing "classic" settings slightly tweaked to the new ruleset, or simply grabbing someone else's work and slapping a D&D label on it (Acquisitions Incorporated, the Magic the Gathering settings, etc).
I was deeply disappointed to find out the new Dragonlance release was going back to the War of the Lance... And from what I've heard, the new Planescape setting basically rewinds everything and goes back to the beginning for Planescape. |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2023 : 18:44:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
It is my opinion that the current team at WotC simply doesn't want the trouble of creating lore, and that's why they keep publishing "classic" settings slightly tweaked to the new ruleset, or simply grabbing someone else's work and slapping a D&D label on it (Acquisitions Incorporated, the Magic the Gathering settings, etc).
I was deeply disappointed to find out the new Dragonlance release was going back to the War of the Lance... And from what I've heard, the new Planescape setting basically rewinds everything and goes back to the beginning for Planescape.
WotC needs to refill the IP fount with new creations and new material (some tied to the new creations and additional development of existing material) if they hope it will provide them with worlds and stories to develop five or ten or more years down the road. I think they saw the point. There's value in doing partnerships like Acquisitions, Inc., which was a true partnership, not WotC taking all rights for something to appear in an official D&D book, and in developing MtG worlds and even in revisiting and recasting the older material. But all that should be part of a larger strategy that includes adding new voices and new creations to the world, and allowing existing creators the chance to add and develop their contributions. The fount dries up if you don't. |
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1265 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2023 : 22:17:55
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" That pitch focused on Artus returning to Mezro to battle Ras Nsi and his undead minions."
Oh wow. The prequel (maybe focusing on Artus battling the Cult of the Frost in Tantras or something) and the plot of the sequel above sound amazing. I am beyond sad we never got those books. I wish people in power had some sense. |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2023 : 00:27:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Seravin
" That pitch focused on Artus returning to Mezro to battle Ras Nsi and his undead minions."
Oh wow. The prequel (maybe focusing on Artus battling the Cult of the Frost in Tantras or something) and the plot of the sequel above sound amazing. I am beyond sad we never got those books. I wish people in power had some sense.
The prequel involved the Red Wizards, the Zhentarim, and the Cult of Frost. Artus had a long history of annoying the wrong groups. |
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Novel The Ring of Winter & Cormyr
