| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Plaguescarred
Learned Scribe
Canada
190 Posts |
 Posted - 26 May 2014 : 21:07:23
|
Mike Mearls confirmed on twitter that the Sundering wraps up with the Herald;
@mschdesign Is the #Dnd #realms #Sundering over? Tyranny of Dragons doesn't mention the Sundering anymore. #gencon
@mikemearls Sunderiang wraps up with the final novel in the series, Ed Greenwood's The Herald
|
Yan
Playtester |
Edited by - Plaguescarred on 26 May 2014 21:07:47
|
|
|
silverwolfer
Senior Scribe
789 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2014 : 01:27:52
|
| I was. ... uninspired. This was not a realms shaking event I was expecting |
 |
|
|
Tarlyn
Learned Scribe
USA
315 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2014 : 02:43:26
|
| Going with a dragon theme for D&D's 40th birthday was a good choice. It is kind of meh that it is happening in the Realms, but it is the only campaign setting that WotC is focusing on at the moment. |
Tarlyn Embersun |
|
|
|
hobbitfan
Learned Scribe
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2014 : 19:30:18
|
Unless you played in one of the organized play modules or read the 6 novels, the Sundering doesn't seem to have a presence at all.
It seems like they could have engaged the fans more....
|
|
|
|
Delwa
Master of Realmslore
USA
1271 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2014 : 21:58:10
|
I'm holding out final judgment until they release a Campaign Setting. But beyond that, I don't see how they could have done more. Forgotten Realms is made up of, 1. Novels 2. RPG Products.
We were promised less gods and their schemes and more of a mortal's eye view setting.
We were given a series of adventures and novels set in the Realms that give us a mortals eye view of the Sundering.
Right now the Realms is a nice, blank slate, that you can easily tweak to attain the feel of whatever era you wish.
All we lack is a Campaign Setting and the "what happened in the gods' viewpoint" details that should come with a setting book.
From an in-game standpoint, mortals aren't going to necessarily see every change made. They'll notice the ones that impact their daily life, and they'll gossip about the ones that are far away, but so huge they bear mentioning.
I've enjoyed the Sundering, for what it's been. A clean restart. |
- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!
"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus |
|
|
|
hobbitfan
Learned Scribe
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 04:08:56
|
That's a wise suggestion Delwa!
Hopefully we won't have to wait too terribly long for new FR campaign stuff. |
|
|
|
silverwolfer
Senior Scribe
789 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 04:39:20
|
Just with a name like the sundering, I Was expecting a kaboom and something more ...meaty in higher level lore. It just seems bob the builder showed up, put things back to 3e status, with some 1e/2e gods included.
I think the name was to grand.I was expecting a crowbar, and instead got a hammer and sculters chisle. |
|
|
|
Gyor
Master of Realmslore
1625 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 11:45:41
|
| There is a giant rift in the sky as worlds are being pulled apart. I'm hoping the Herald, which I plan on getting today or sunday, will focus more on the grand scope of things and the actual sundering itself and a new map the reflects 5e not 4e. |
|
|
|
Delwa
Master of Realmslore
USA
1271 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 13:09:39
|
quote:
Originally posted by silverwolfer
Just with a name like the sundering, I Was expecting a kaboom and something more ...meaty in higher level lore. It just seems bob the builder showed up, put things back to 3e status, with some 1e/2e gods included.
I think the name was to grand.I was expecting a crowbar, and instead got a hammer and sculters chisle.
I get the underwhealmed feeling. Given the Hyrdogen Bomb level of RSE the Spellplague was, this feels more like a hand grenade. On one hand, I wonder if this is a subtle snide hint by designers to show us how easy it was to take the 4E Realms and tweak it for our home campaigns (and if that's the case, touché.) On the other hand, I still feel like we've been seeing a buildup to 1) the big bada boom in the Herald, 2) all the details will be left to the DM so he can tailor his setting al dente, or 3) A big bada boom revealed in the Campaign setting.
We shall see what we shall see.  |
- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!
"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus |
|
|
|
Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3805 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 13:37:48
|
quote:
Originally posted by Delwa
[...] On one hand, I wonder if this is a subtle snide hint by designers to show us how easy it was to take the 4E Realms and tweak it for our home campaigns (and if that's the case, touché.) [...]
I hope that is not the case. If so, they completely missed the point (also, people are already taking the lore they like, tweaking it and dropping what they don't like. They have been doing it for years, I guess).
Furthermore I wouldn't call Ao taking a dump on the Realms and tons of changes randomly happening everywhere a tweak. If someone wasn't happy with so many things about the new setting, then they would be better off running whatever era they want, taking whatever new lore they enjoy. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 30 May 2014 13:40:47 |
|
|
|
Delwa
Master of Realmslore
USA
1271 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 17:09:54
|
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
quote:
Originally posted by Delwa
[...] On one hand, I wonder if this is a subtle snide hint by designers to show us how easy it was to take the 4E Realms and tweak it for our home campaigns (and if that's the case, touché.) [...]
I hope that is not the case. If so, they completely missed the point (also, people are already taking the lore they like, tweaking it and dropping what they don't like. They have been doing it for years, I guess).
Furthermore I wouldn't call Ao taking a dump on the Realms and tons of changes randomly happening everywhere a tweak. If someone wasn't happy with so many things about the new setting, then they would be better off running whatever era they want, taking whatever new lore they enjoy.
Agreed. It still doesn't help the paranoid side of me from wondering. Years of sitting under evil Dungeon Masters has made me overly suspicious. |
- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!
"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus |
|
|
|
Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3805 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2014 : 18:57:53
|
quote:
Originally posted by Delwa
Agreed. It still doesn't help the paranoid side of me from wondering. Years of sitting under evil Dungeon Masters has made me overly suspicious.
Ouch indeed. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
|
|
|
CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2014 : 22:42:38
|
| So far, I too have been disappointed in the Sundering. They made it sound like it was going to be this huge epic event, but it feels downplayed to me. I haven't read the Herald yet (going to buy it tomorrow). I am jealous of those who got an early copy. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
|
|
|
Rils
Learned Scribe
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 00:34:17
|
| I think it's funny that everyone was complaining about yet another RSE, yet now that it's over, it apparently wasn't RSE-ey enough... :) |
Dugmaren Brightmantle is my homey. |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 02:42:04
|
I would find it funnier if it wasn't so predictable.
This very thing was predicted by the "home" Realms players, and when we told Ed he smiled and said the very same comment was made among some of the Sundering authors, before any of the Sundering novels had appeared.
Sigh. Ah, well . . .
love,
THO |
|
|
|
Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3805 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 03:24:53
|
I think you're missing the point. The Sundering was hyped as the mother of all RSE, the one RSE to end them all. It was supposed to be the definitive change to the Realms, altering the setting forever and so on (insert buzz-statement here). It is logical to expect the novels to shed light on what it is about, instead of hinting that something huge is happening in the background while explaining nothing about it and only showing random changes happening everywhere.
Also, even if the RSE has not been explicitly shown, it still happened, the complaints are not about it being not enough RSE-y, but about not being explained.
I get that the books were written from a mortal perspective, but branding the series as THE SUNDERING and then giving it 0 metaplot (AFAIK) clearly is some marketing device to increase the hype for novels and consequently sales.
Personally, I think that it would have been better to publish the stories as stand-alone or trilogies, applying the changes in a more sensible and specific manner. In fact the idea behind the Sundering is stupid level of cheese IMO. I can't take the Realms seriously when you have stuff like Ao letting all the cataclysms and destruction that plagued Toril for centuries happen just so that he could teach the gods a lesson about good behaviour, and then coming around and fixing it all with its overgodly magic. Like, is this real? To me it sounds like telling people ''hey we're resetting some widely disliked stuff, but we want to pretend we are not''.
NOTE: This is not a comment about the stories themselves or the changes to the Realms, it is about the concept of Sundering. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 05 Jun 2014 03:29:25 |
|
|
|
CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 03:31:01
|
| I agree with Irennan, particularly about the Sundering being a marketing hype, especially since they hyped it up so much |
Sweet water and light laughter |
|
|
|
Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 05:07:36
|
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
Like, is this real? To me it sounds like telling people ''hey we're resetting some widely disliked stuff, but we want to pretend we are not''.
I agree with everything you wrote, Irannan, but what I quoted above - that was always my understood point of the Sundering. They didn't want to do a reboot or anything. They wanted to move forward in the canon. They wanted to fix things. So this was the only tool they had... a massive RSE to end all RSE's to fix the stuff all the other RSE's broke.
I get the feeling that when I pick up the 5E FRCS, that I'm going to be looking at a Realms in the future that looks and feels like the Realms did pre-Time of Troubles, which is around the time things started to jump the shark.
Maybe it's a good and fantastic product. I don't know. We'll see. My decision was never going to be based off of the Sundering Novels or events, but of actually holding the 5E FRCS in my hands. All of my judgments about the Realms will be made then. |
|
|
|
Regcod
Acolyte
Italy
28 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 08:05:37
|
I've the feeling that The Sundering is a tool of 'distraction' :P
These are only my thoughts, but it's like the illusionist that grab your attention on something flashy for not letting you to see the background trick that amaze all at the end. I mean, the six novel are out, no light has been clearly shed until now, but this only look like the preparation for what is changed of big in the background while we were distracted by other important event.
And IF that's the case, would be more amusing to see what will exits in the nexts months. :)
I rewrite again that this is only my point of view ;) |
"Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet." |
Edited by - Regcod on 05 Jun 2014 08:06:01 |
|
|
|
hobbitfan
Learned Scribe
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 09:12:56
|
I hope you're wrong Regcod. If the Sundering has just been a distraction, what was the point?
If there was soemthing big going on that they wanted us invested in, you'd think they would be talking about that and not Tyranny of Dragons.
Since they aren't...that makes me think that what really happened was that they overhyped the Sundering.
Honestly, I think they're going to be so busy with 5E rolling out that we won't hear anything of import about the Realms until they reveal their plans for how to publish the campaign setting. |
|
|
|
Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3805 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 10:26:07
|
quote:
Originally posted by Aldrick
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
Like, is this real? To me it sounds like telling people ''hey we're resetting some widely disliked stuff, but we want to pretend we are not''.
I agree with everything you wrote, Irannan, but what I quoted above - that was always my understood point of the Sundering. They didn't want to do a reboot or anything. They wanted to move forward in the canon. They wanted to fix things. So this was the only tool they had... a massive RSE to end all RSE's to fix the stuff all the other RSE's broke.
I know. That's my point. They said no resets, but the concept behind the Sundering is so cheesy that whatever it is going to do (like separating Abeir and Toril again) might as well be one.
Again, I'm not talking about the novels, but about the RSE we didn't get to see and whose effects on the Realms we still don't know beyond vague hints. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 05 Jun 2014 10:28:02 |
|
|
|
Regcod
Acolyte
Italy
28 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 10:45:06
|
quote:
Originally posted by hobbitfan
I hope you're wrong Regcod. If the Sundering has just been a distraction, what was the point?
If there was soemthing big going on that they wanted us invested in, you'd think they would be talking about that and not Tyranny of Dragons.
Since they aren't...that makes me think that what really happened was that they overhyped the Sundering.
Honestly, I think they're going to be so busy with 5E rolling out that we won't hear anything of import about the Realms until they reveal their plans for how to publish the campaign setting.
Maybe you're right who know? ;)
Anyway I agree that we must wait until they publish the next campaign settings, therefore is useless to be upset now :) |
"Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet." |
|
|
|
Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
|
|
Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
|
|
Mapolq
Senior Scribe
Brazil
466 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 19:38:45
|
quote:
Originally posted by Aldrick
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
Like, is this real? To me it sounds like telling people ''hey we're resetting some widely disliked stuff, but we want to pretend we are not''.
I agree with everything you wrote, Irannan, but what I quoted above - that was always my understood point of the Sundering. They didn't want to do a reboot or anything. They wanted to move forward in the canon. They wanted to fix things. So this was the only tool they had... a massive RSE to end all RSE's to fix the stuff all the other RSE's broke.
I get the feeling that when I pick up the 5E FRCS, that I'm going to be looking at a Realms in the future that looks and feels like the Realms did pre-Time of Troubles, which is around the time things started to jump the shark.
Maybe it's a good and fantastic product. I don't know. We'll see. My decision was never going to be based off of the Sundering Novels or events, but of actually holding the 5E FRCS in my hands. All of my judgments about the Realms will be made then.
This. As long as people keep repeating "Sundering", I'll keep answering "FRCS". Let us agree - whether you liked it or not, the product that really changed the way the Realms were presented and what it was wasn't any novel with an RSE or the killing of one major character here and there. It was the 4e FRCG. Campaign guides serve that purpose, they are the cornerstones. We can mine the Sundering for hints of what the 5e Realms will be, but we won't know until a new campaign guide is done.
Which brings us to another point. What is the Sundering, from a real-world point-of-view? You can call it a gimmick or "filler", though those are loaded words. What it seems to me, and I mean that as "stuff that was outright told to us fans and seem to right in our faces" is that people got together and figured "we'll make a 5e FRCS, and it will be good" (basically). However, that takes 1-2 years. So that brings them a little problem. What do we do while the thing isn't done? We're not going to stop selling everything and just keep saying the new edition will rock, people will get sick of it, and we make no money. So someone comes in and says "well, we can make a series of novels and some tied-in adventures set in the transition, that'll build some excitement for the new product and we don't need to show people everything right away, we can actually even test the market a bit..." So we get the Sundering.
Speculation, of course, but based and supported on things that were said on interview after interview, and pretty much everything I heard from the Sundering products until now. |
Never sleep under the jackfruit tree.
Tales of Moonsea - A Neverwinter Nights 2 Persistent World. Check out our website at http://www.talesofmoonsea.com and our video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am304WqOAAo&feature=youtu.be, as well as our thread here at Candlekeep: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12955
My campaign thread: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16447 |
Edited by - Mapolq on 05 Jun 2014 19:42:17 |
|
|
|
CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 21:31:36
|
| You have a point, but because the novels came first, and Wizards did build up all this hype about them, there should have been more "Sunderng elements" in them, IMO. Oh, things were hinted at or alluded to, but, to me at least, Wizards did not follow through with that hype. Perhaps that will change when the campaign actually comes out, but if they wanted to reassure us they were doing something great, they should have provided more of that in the novels. Just my opinion. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
|
|
|
Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 21:55:12
|
quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout
You have a point, but because the novels came first, and Wizards did build up all this hype about them, there should have been more "Sunderng elements" in them, IMO. Oh, things were hinted at or alluded to, but, to me at least, Wizards did not follow through with that hype. Perhaps that will change when the campaign actually comes out, but if they wanted to reassure us they were doing something great, they should have provided more of that in the novels. Just my opinion.
I don't have much problem with that, because I get the feeling that when we see the 5E FRCG there will be significant changes to the Realms making it similar to how it was in the original.
We might have a "WTF?" moment - wondering how it could have happened. The answer to all of it will be: "The Sundering did it."
So, I'm pretty much expecting something like a reboot without the reboot. That's my expectation at the moment.
I have the feeling that when I pick up the 5E FRCG that it's going to feel like I picked up the Old Grey Box, but with more polish and shine.
Again, that's my current expectation. |
|
|
|
Eltheron
Senior Scribe
740 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 22:16:24
|
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
I think you're missing the point. The Sundering was hyped as the mother of all RSE, the one RSE to end them all. It was supposed to be the definitive change to the Realms, altering the setting forever and so on (insert buzz-statement here). It is logical to expect the novels to shed light on what it is about, instead of hinting that something huge is happening in the background while explaining nothing about it and only showing random changes happening everywhere.
Also, even if the RSE has not been explicitly shown, it still happened, the complaints are not about it being not enough RSE-y, but about not being explained.
I get that the books were written from a mortal perspective, but branding the series as THE SUNDERING and then giving it 0 metaplot (AFAIK) clearly is some marketing device to increase the hype for novels and consequently sales.
Personally, I think that it would have been better to publish the stories as stand-alone or trilogies, applying the changes in a more sensible and specific manner. In fact the idea behind the Sundering is stupid level of cheese IMO. I can't take the Realms seriously when you have stuff like Ao letting all the cataclysms and destruction that plagued Toril for centuries happen just so that he could teach the gods a lesson about good behaviour, and then coming around and fixing it all with its overgodly magic. Like, is this real? To me it sounds like telling people ''hey we're resetting some widely disliked stuff, but we want to pretend we are not''.
NOTE: This is not a comment about the stories themselves or the changes to the Realms, it is about the concept of Sundering.
I agree with all of this, especially the parts I highlighted.
On one level, I understand that the Sundering novels were all advertised as standalone stories, individual snapshots of local adventurers with the Sundering as a backdrop.
To paraphrase someone at WotC, it would be like having World War II, but not concentrating on the war itself.
And that's all well and good, but there's a GIGANTIC difference when it comes to stories told with a WWII backdrop: everyone knows all about that war, why it happened, who the major players were, and what all happened all over the entire globe.
With the Sundering, we have NONE of that context going into these novels. And frankly, the purpose, reasons, and goings-on of the Sundering itself is the primary thing we want to know.
Sure, people can say, "well, this is what they told us they'd do" and also "it's probably going to be explained in more detail in the 5E FRCG" but it's a completely backwards way of telling the overall metastory. Does Anne Frank's story mean more if you have zero understanding of WWII, or is it simply confusing in isolation?
And to tell the truth, I'm not sure we're ever going to get more detail, much less any in-depth detail, about the reasons behind the Sundering - or the Spellplague for that matter.
WotC is asking people to eat up a giant helping of cheese, not just for the Sundering but also the Spellplague, then sweep it all under the rug without explanations. Some people might be fine with essentially ignoring this giant buffet of cheese overlaying the Realms but I think it strongly - and negatively - impacts the richness and depth of lore that the Realms used to be known for.
If I wanted lore cheese that affected planar cosmology, the nature of magic, and history backwards and forwards, I wouldn't be running a serious, politics-heavy, history-rich world. Now, I'm bound to run into spray cheese everywhere.
In my opinion, a full, real, honest-to-goodness reset to 1E or even 3E would have been better than this soft cheese reset that ends up damaging a lot of the good things that were introduced in 2E and 3E.
|
"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful."
--Faraer |
Edited by - Eltheron on 05 Jun 2014 22:19:16 |
|
|
|
BenN
Senior Scribe
Japan
382 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 22:32:40
|
I guess its a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.
If we're comparing The Sundering to WW2, we're now around VE or VJ Day in 1945. At that time, in a given snapshot, did the survivors know everything that we do now about the grand sweep of geo-political events, what happened where? I don't think so. It took time, and historians are still arguing about a lot of things 60 days 70 years later. I expect more detail will be added in subsequent novels (not to mention the FRCG).
Also, I think one must take into account the fog of war (something Ed mentioned in reply to one of my questions about The Herald). Seeing events from the individual viewpoint, there is vivid short-range detail, but inevitably some big things remain unseen or obscured.
These are not history books, and the absence of some detail gives DMs freedom to use their own imagination in filling-in the blanks.
I for one am glad that WoTC, Ed and the other authors have responded to loyal players'/readers' concerns about the direction the Realms was going. There may be cheese, but who doesn't like cheese? Are you lactose-intolerant or something?
edit: I can't count apparently. Early morning coffee not kicking-in yet..... |
Edited by - BenN on 05 Jun 2014 22:40:22 |
|
|
|
Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 22:43:07
|
quote:
Originally posted by Eltheron
With the Sundering, we have NONE of that context going into these novels. And frankly, the purpose, reasons, and goings-on of the Sundering itself is the primary thing we want to know.
I understand this sentiment, as a FR lore buff I'd love to know more about it as well, but...
quote:
Originally posted by Eltheron
Sure, people can say, "well, this is what they told us they'd do" and also "it's probably going to be explained in more detail in the 5E FRCG" but it's a completely backwards way of telling the overall metastory.
...
And to tell the truth, I'm not sure we're ever going to get more detail, much less any in-depth detail, about the reasons behind the Sundering - or the Spellplague for that matter.
That's basically it - I don't think we're going to get to know much more about the Sundering. It's a background plot device to just explain all the changes. By not addressing it directly, they can change whatever they want in the setting, however they want to change it and then say, "The Sundering did it!"
It's basically the only way to fix the setting short of doing a complete reboot. In fact, I would actually look at the Sundering as a "soft reboot".
Basically, imagine picking up the Grey Box for the first time. All that you know about the Realms is pretty much there on the page. The Realms is just going to move forward as if it were fresh and new all over again - wiping away the crap that accumulated over the years from one RSE after another.
Now, I think it might be legitimate to argue that a straight up reboot might have been better. However, that isn't the direction that people wanted to go, and I think I largely agree with that decision. Mostly due to the novels. If it were not for the novels and their characters, I'd be pretty much pro-reboot.
We would have landed in the same pile of crap had there been a reboot anyway. People would have claimed it was throwing away previously established lore.
So, in the end, I think this was the best solution... a "soft reboot". |
|
|
|
Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3805 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2014 : 23:21:56
|
quote:
Originally posted by BenN
Also, I think one must take into account the fog of war (something Ed mentioned in reply to one of my questions about The Herald). Seeing events from the individual viewpoint, there is vivid short-range detail, but inevitably some big things remain unseen or obscured.
These are not history books, and the absence of some detail gives DMs freedom to use their own imagination in filling-in the blanks.
I for one am glad that WoTC, Ed and the other authors have responded to loyal players'/readers' concerns about the direction the Realms was going.
You mean some details like the complete lack of any sort of metaplot and clear info about what this Sundering is? Also, do you think people buy books about a given topic because they want to fill-in the blanks (which -when it comes to this specific RSE- take more space than the content itself)? You don't need to pay in order to make up your own lore.
As I said, mine was not a comment about the featured changes or the novels themselves. It was an answer to some remarks about people being impossible to satisfy. The Sundering, which was hyped so much (and still happened, so it doesn't make sense to say that people are complaining about the lack of RSE), turned out to be some vague, unexplained Deus ex Machina to reset stuff. That's where the unsatisfaction comes from.
Those stories would have been better as stand-alone or trilogies, the authors would have had more room to explain details, develop characters and events and do their thing, even possibly resulting in a more enjoyable experience, IMO. If you take the books and remove their label about 'THE SUNDERING', very little would change, according to what I've understood.
quote:
There may be cheese, but who doesn't like cheese? Are you lactose-intolerant or something?
Oh c'mon. Did you really have to go there? Nonsense is never good, logic can and should be applied to fantasy in order to produce good stories (the only good cheese is the one that enriches the setting. Magic, the gods, mystical creatures/events, cosmology and so on. Cheese is really stinky when applied to characters' choices and behaviour). The only reason why this stuff about 'Ao broke it and then fixed it' can be tolerated is that the Realms are already drowning in cheese and at this point anything would do to pull them out of it. In fact, as already mentioned, the Sundering is just the tool to restore valuable elements of the setting that were unjustly thrown away. Nonetheless this kind of plot can't be taken seriously and only diminishes the setting, especially for new readers (personally, if upon picking the FR up I had read that this kind of stuff happens in it -and on a somewhat consistent basis-, I would have never bothered with the setting). |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 05 Jun 2014 23:25:29 |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
The Sundering Wraps Up With The Herald
