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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 01:30:09
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| To be honest, Vedsica, it's not likely that I'd post that kind of material on Candlekeep in preference to Dragon. If it runs in Dragon, I get paid. And while I write partly out of a genuine love of fantasy, I'm also trying to make a living. |
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Krafus
Learned Scribe
246 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 18:29:20
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| Richard - What do you estimate are your chances of the stats getting published in Dragon? (Personally, I thought it was a given considering that it's already happened with the last three FR-shaking series.) |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 20:33:27
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| Since I've already conferred with the editor at Dragon, and he expressed interest, I'd say the chances are excellent. Look for the first article early in 2005, about the time The Rite comes out, and the second one when The Ruin comes out in 2006. |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 23:08:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
Since I've already conferred with the editor at Dragon, and he expressed interest, I'd say the chances are excellent. Look for the first article early in 2005, about the time The Rite comes out, and the second one when The Ruin comes out in 2006.
Thanks for the update. Good to hear that they still have room for FR material. |
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VEDSICA
Senior Scribe
USA
466 Posts |
Posted - 27 Apr 2004 : 01:54:25
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Making a living is a good thing Richard for sure.But lets just say that you have chosen your four characters to write up.Would you ever consider doing the characters that don't make into Dragon on Candlekeep,or WoTC's website????For the love of fantasy of course |
LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS |
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VEDSICA
Senior Scribe
USA
466 Posts |
Posted - 27 Apr 2004 : 02:00:26
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ll of that aside.Richard I just finished The Rage last night.You did an awesome job man.I really enjoyed it.I was into the characters.As if you couldn't tell.The story was great,and the location was a great choice.I have one spoiler question though..........
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
?
Are you saying that the elves cursed dragonkind with The Rage???????? |
LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 27 Apr 2004 : 15:09:42
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Vedsica, I don't want to state that I would never, ever under any circumstances do the gaming writeups of any of my characters for Candlekeep (and thus, for free), but honestly, you probably shouldn't be too optimistic about ever seeing them here. You understand, these writeups do not already exist, in my personal notes or wherever. I don't work from gaming stats when I do my fiction. I'd have to create the game-stat profiles specifically and solely to post them here, and it takes me hours. Hours I could spend writing something I might get paid for.
But you will get to see a few of the characters in Dragon, and you know, really, any experienced D&D player or DM could probably read the trilogy and generate stats for the characters just about as well as I can. Maybe better.
I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed The Rage. The answer to your question is, Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. |
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VEDSICA
Senior Scribe
USA
466 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2004 : 00:30:13
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Damn elves!!!! |
LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS |
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Chyron
Learned Scribe
Hong Kong
279 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2004 : 16:37:27
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I immensely enjoyed The Rage and I look forward to the rest of the series. I was disappointed with the Threat from the Sea series. I never really got the impression that the “threat” was ever all that great except for some coastal cities. The feeling here however is entirely different and it seems to be taking on an epic feel in the realms which I really like.
But a few comments ...
1. I know the romance brewing between Dorn and Kara is the stuff of fantasy, but if feels like a bit of old Dragonlance to me. Not that it’s a bad thing at all, just my own feeling.
2. Dorn is a highly interesting character. Just wondering if he might or could be (or could have been) made whole via regeneration magic or is there something preventing that as yet unsaid? (Certainly this would have been a cheaper alternative to the golem magic that his wizard owner saw fit to create as he grew) Although arguably his current disposition seems that he would not want to undergo this process as it would then hinder his ability as a monster slayer.
Again Mr. Byers these are just my own personal ramblings, so if you perchance do read this don’t take any of this as real criticism. I really love the series so far and would love to see some game accessories developed along this storyline (similar to the City of the Spider Queen module). 
BUT my biggest criticism is ….
2006 for part 3???? Oh the agony of wait….. All our modern tech and we can’t get you authors to pump out books out any faster….. I know, I know….the creative process (and the marketing process)…. Well I guess I can dig out the Avatar series and read them again…..Oh the agony…. 
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Just My Thoughts
Chyron :)
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2004 : 21:48:40
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Delighted to hear you enjoyed the book, Chyron.
As for Dorn's condition, the reason he was given his metal parts originally was that his wizard master didn't want him to be normal. He wanted him to be a superhuman gladiator.
So why doesn't he seek normalcy through regeneration now? Well, there could be various reasons. First, maybe he doesn't know such a magic exists. FR fans like you have an encyclopedic knowledge of the possibilities of magic and the Reams in general that a character like Dorn does not possess. Second, you have to understand my perspective (even if you disagree with me) that the FR as described in the game system are a much simplified version of the "reality." They have to be, to give us a playable game system, but there's no reason why I should carry that simplification over into my fiction. Which is to say, when you play the game, healing magic works essentially without fail. In the FR of my fiction, that may not always prove to be the case. So, bearing that in mind, put yourself in Dorn's position. He'd need to have the iron limbs removed to give regeneration a chance. Suppose, then, it doesn't work and he winds up crippled. Maybe it's not a chance he's willing to take.
As for the scheduling of the books, don't blame me! Book 2's written already. If necessary, I could certainly have Book 3 done by the end of the year. It's WotC's decision not to wrap up the series until '06. Actually, though, I'm not knocking them for that. They have a lot of different authors to publish, and they're eseentially doing us in rotation, which seems pretty reasonable. Though there are folks who'd like to see Year of the Rogue Dragons conclude more quickly, there are surely plenty of other readers who'd get irked if they thought the latter parts of the ongoing epics by Thomas Reid, Paul Kemp, Rich Baker, Lisa Smedman, and others were being delayed to crank my stuff out faster. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 01:10:09
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Id have to say I agree that the Rage series should be put out as soon as possiable if all 3 books could be published in a year then I wish they would do it.
One of the big problems with the WOSQ series is that its taken 2-3 years for the series to reach a conclusion (the story itself only cover 6-8 realms months), which has created problems for DMs intergrating it into a campaign involving drow and many have simply ignored WOSQ because its to much of a hassle
Now if I was running Wizards of the Coast novel department....
The entire Year of Rogue Dragon series would be published in 2004 and the entire Last Mythal trilogy (Year of Risen Elfkin) would be published in 2005. Now assuming that where going to see a Trilogy of novels for each FR Year each series could be writtn by a different author. So lets assume WOTC do 12 books a year (one for each month) 3 of those books belong to the Year book and the remaining nine can be distrubed among the other authors. |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Chyron
Learned Scribe
Hong Kong
279 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 07:24:15
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Thanks very much for your insights Mr. Byers. I can certainly appreciate the perspective from which you are writing from. I can fully understand the challenges that writing for a place like the realms (with all its restorative magic and resurrection miracles and such) can place on an author when they are trying to develop a story that not only creates significant drama for its protagonists but satisfies the readers as well. Your perspective handles these two factors nicely and it shows. I hope I did not come across as trying to pick holes in the book, as that was not my intent. Rather I simply was interested in your take on the possibilities and you have fully answered my curiosity. Dorn is a great character as he is and far more interesting than a standard knight or monster hunter. For me, he is what kept my eyes glued to the book. Thanks again.
As for the release schedule…well I did have an inkling that WOTC was behind it. I had assumed they kept such a large timeframe between releases to allow for tie-ins of other product releases should the series really take off sales-wise. But now that you have clarified it, it makes even more sense. I don’t mean to complain really, I am just one of those readers who tears through a good story in less that a week, but then when I see that I have a year or more to wait to read the rest just feel like I want to burst. (At one point I actually stopped buying realms novels for a few years just to wait until entire series were available so I could read them all at once.) Well, anyway enough of my whining. Here's to waiting for 2005 and 2006.  |
Just My Thoughts
Chyron :)
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 07:46:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
As for the scheduling of the books, don't blame me! Book 2's written already. If necessary, I could certainly have Book 3 done by the end of the year. It's WotC's decision not to wrap up the series until '06. Actually, though, I'm not knocking them for that. They have a lot of different authors to publish, and they're eseentially doing us in rotation, which seems pretty reasonable. Though there are folks who'd like to see Year of the Rogue Dragons conclude more quickly, there are surely plenty of other readers who'd get irked if they thought the latter parts of the ongoing epics by Thomas Reid, Paul Kemp, Rich Baker, Lisa Smedman, and others were being delayed to crank my stuff out faster.
And by not focusing on just one series at a time, they don't have to worry about losing those readers who may not follow a particular series. So doing several at once makes a good deal of sense, business-wise. |
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2004 : 10:36:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
And by not focusing on just one series at a time, they don't have to worry about losing those readers who may not follow a particular series. So doing several at once makes a good deal of sense, business-wise.
Not to mention the fact that they simply can't please everyone:
If they dumped the entire year of the Rogue Dragons stuff on us all at once, people would complain that they weren't releasing anything new over the course of the two years that they have allocated to represent a single year of realms time.
By dribbling it out they can't please the rest of us who are anxious to get more, but they can keep us on the edge of our seats if the books are as good as The Rage.
I guess William S. Burroughs was right, "The first thing you learn is you always gotta wait."
Sarta |
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The Rage (Spoilers Possible)
