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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 18 Apr 2004 :  14:46:59  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
This was everything I expected it to be and much like Faiths & Pantheons will have the stiffest spine of all my FR resources. Noticed two things of note. Firstly, in the magic items section, Ilbratha is not a longsword, it is a shortsword and Taragarth is a bastard sword, not a short sword.

Secondly, the sidebar on Silverymoon and its mythal was a very interesting and perhaps not so subtle insight into how the current FR design team view their creative decisions viz a viz previously published products and fanbase commentary. As I said, interesting ...

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus

Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 18 Apr 2004 :  16:45:53  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yes, that magic items page about the Myth Drannan swords had me confused for quite a long time... Thanks for clearing that up.

True, PGtF is mostly re-cap, and I knew that when buying it, but I was somewhat disappointed. Also, I think they had the class abilities for the "Evereskan Tomb Guard" PrC wrong. Anyone else think so?

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Arivia
Great Reader

Canada
2965 Posts

Posted - 18 Apr 2004 :  16:55:02  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Firstly, in the magic items section, Ilbratha is not a longsword, it is a shortsword and Taragarth is a bastard sword, not a short sword.

*inks this into copy of PGtF*

quote:

Secondly, the sidebar on Silverymoon and its mythal was a very interesting and perhaps not so subtle insight into how the current FR design team view their creative decisions viz a viz previously published products and fanbase commentary. As I said, interesting ...



Would you care to explain?

quote:

Also, I think they had the class abilities for the "Evereskan Tomb Guard" PrC wrong. Anyone else think so?



How do you mean?
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 18 Apr 2004 :  17:06:43  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I just didn't like the abilities they recieved as they progressed in the class (When I get home, I'll clarify upon this).

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Swordsage
Learned Scribe

149 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  02:36:04  Show Profile  Visit Swordsage's Homepage Send Swordsage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The Silverymoon thing is about how all the previous 1E and 2E products never, ever mention a mythal in that city. Silver Marches comes out and all of a sudden it has a mythal. An elvish one at that. There was plenty of discussion on the Wizards boards regarding this mistake, so Wizards and the Realms team were well aware that they had goofed. The fact that they didn't fix the error in Players Guide and reinforced it by repeating the fact that Silverymoon has a mythal makes it clear that they think the idea is 'kewl' and previous Realms products can go jump. I wonder how Richard Baker will feel in ten years time when the new Realms design team think that his Shadow Weave idea is complete crud or that they have come up with something better and nuke it in an RSE. I'm sure he won't be pleased. I just wish that writers for the Realms would realise that it is a shared world and that you have to live with the guy that has come and gone before you and that consistency should be the rule. If you diverge from what has been previously published, then give an explanation. Not the tired old explanation of: It was always there.

The Swordsage
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  02:50:07  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Swordsage

The Silverymoon thing is about how all the previous 1E and 2E products never, ever mention a mythal in that city. Silver Marches comes out and all of a sudden it has a mythal. An elvish one at that. There was plenty of discussion on the Wizards boards regarding this mistake, so Wizards and the Realms team were well aware that they had goofed. The fact that they didn't fix the error in Players Guide and reinforced it by repeating the fact that Silverymoon has a mythal makes it clear that they think the idea is 'kewl' and previous Realms products can go jump. I wonder how Richard Baker will feel in ten years time when the new Realms design team think that his Shadow Weave idea is complete crud or that they have come up with something better and nuke it in an RSE. I'm sure he won't be pleased. I just wish that writers for the Realms would realise that it is a shared world and that you have to live with the guy that has come and gone before you and that consistency should be the rule. If you diverge from what has been previously published, then give an explanation. Not the tired old explanation of: It was always there.

The Swordsage



HERE! HERE! I've said my peace about these changes for over two years, and I'm sure Rich is probably tired of me by now. :)

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

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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  03:28:00  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Finally! People who share my viewpoint! Honestly, the mythal in Silverymoon should have been explained with something like "The elves of the Moonwood wanted a safe domain, so they collaborated with Alustriel to make a mythal," not, "Oh, it was always there. The common citizen just never knew!"

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  03:36:38  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord

Finally! People who share my viewpoint! Honestly, the mythal in Silverymoon should have been explained with something like "The elves of the Moonwood wanted a safe domain, so they collaborated with Alustriel to make a mythal," not, "Oh, it was always there. The common citizen just never knew!"



Yeah, the current crop of products has been falling back on that cop-out way too much. They did the same thing to explain why we now have sorcerers...

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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  03:58:32  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord

Finally! People who share my viewpoint! Honestly, the mythal in Silverymoon should have been explained with something like "The elves of the Moonwood wanted a safe domain, so they collaborated with Alustriel to make a mythal," not, "Oh, it was always there. The common citizen just never knew!"



Yeah, the current crop of products has been falling back on that cop-out way too much. They did the same thing to explain why we now have sorcerers...



Or the new planes, or that Xara Tantlor was changed to evil. At least Rich answered that one and his answer was, "Because Silverymoon needed a evil person, so I just up and changed her." Thanks Rich, hey that also sounds like what you did to the world since there was "to much open space." Or the deities, "because there was to many deities to keep track of." Well the last I can't blame the deity part on Rich but on SKR instead. Splitting the wood/wild elves into two seperate subraces as well. :(

Sigh I know TSR was bad with the errors in it's sourcebooks but WOTC doesn't put out half as many FR sourcebooks as TSR did, and maybe I'm asking for to much but they should check these things over! Especially the Player's Guide which just has some silly errors like the Witches of Rashemen wearing thier masks outside of the country now instead of inside it.

Also there is really NO reason why the portfolio error between Bane and Cyric should have shown up in a 3rd FR sourcebook. Doesn't WOTC read it's own errata? It was in the FRCS, then it was in F&P, and its STILL in the Player's Guide.

It's gotten to a point that I've started to dread a new FR sourcebook and my FR error list and house rules are longer then any thing I had in 2e!

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

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Edited by - Kuje on 19 Apr 2004 04:05:03
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  04:09:58  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yes, it does seem like TSR was much better, doesn't it? I can't help but wonder what the next big excuse will be... "Gee, Drizzt is evil now because we needed more evil characters to balance out the Realms..."

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  04:23:26  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord

Yes, it does seem like TSR was much better, doesn't it? I can't help but wonder what the next big excuse will be... "Gee, Drizzt is evil now because we needed more evil characters to balance out the Realms..."



You know, that might almost be worth doing... I'd love to see the shock of all the Drizzt worshippers after that one!

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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  04:54:06  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord

Yes, it does seem like TSR was much better, doesn't it? I can't help but wonder what the next big excuse will be... "Gee, Drizzt is evil now because we needed more evil characters to balance out the Realms..."



Sorry for my rant, but I am bitter about these changes.

Hey you forgot to add on the end of that Drizzt comment that he always has been evil, but you just didn't know it. :)

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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Lady Kazandra
Senior Scribe

Australia
921 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  05:01:11  Show Profile  Visit Lady Kazandra's Homepage Send Lady Kazandra a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

This was everything I expected it to be and much like Faiths & Pantheons will have the stiffest spine of all my FR resources. Noticed two things of note. Firstly, in the magic items section, Ilbratha is not a longsword, it is a shortsword and Taragarth is a bastard sword, not a short sword.

Thank you George.

I was beginning to wonder whether we'd see any type of errata for this product, but I thought it would be covered on the WotC site . . .

"Once upon a time the plural of 'wizard' was 'war'." -- The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  05:22:42  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kuje31
[brHey you forgot to add on the end of that Drizzt comment that he always has been evil, but you just didn't know it. :)


Right! How could I have forgotten that!?!

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader

USA
5517 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  05:25:53  Show Profile  Visit SiriusBlack's Homepage Send SiriusBlack a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kuje31
Hey you forgot to add on the end of that Drizzt comment that he always has been evil, but you just didn't know it. :)



Or perhaps Drizzt becomes evil after discovering a new subrace of elves.
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  05:33:59  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Which reminds me the when Sage comes back, we are going to have a long and detailed talk about our new PC race...

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  06:02:17  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
Or perhaps Drizzt becomes evil after discovering a new subrace of elves.



HAHAHA, true enough! to both you and Shadowlord. :)

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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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  06:05:10  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Boy, did I open a can of worms.

Umm, the mythal in Silverymoon issue is not an easy one to swallow and I was half tempted to explain it (as per my ideas on the region) in my North Timeline. It's not irretrievable from an FR perspective, just ... annoying.

Okay, no-one seems to be happy with the "it was always there" line. Let's see what these boards can come up with re an explanation for Silverymoon's mythal. I'll post mine in a day or two.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  06:39:35  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

Okay, no-one seems to be happy with the "it was always there" line. Let's see what these boards can come up with re an explanation for Silverymoon's mythal. I'll post mine in a day or two.
-- George Krashos


One possibility, I suppose, it that the mythal was laid centuries ago, perhaps even before Silverymoon's founding (an elven outpost could've stood there). For some reason, in the years since, the mythal became dormant -- it was still there, but its powers were not in evidence. Perhaps it was put in "standy mode" by someone, or perhaps the energy level had dwindled...

But in recent years, the magnitude of magic being cast in the city has revitalized the mythal, bringing it back to its full prominence.

Or perhaps Alustriel and her mages discovered it, and found a way to recharge it...

Those are rough ideas, and I'm sure others will expand on them while someone else will disprove them. Let the fun begin!

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Bookwyrm
Great Reader

USA
4740 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  06:59:05  Show Profile  Visit Bookwyrm's Homepage Send Bookwyrm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Strange; I'd thought that the "mythal" field around Silverymoon was just a cheap imitation, put there by people other than elves.

Still, you could do a lot of things. Based on the layout of the city, its position at that riverbend and relative to mountain and forest passes, one can't help but think that there almost had to be at least a small elven (or maybe Netheril) outpost or town there. They might have had some sort of mythal-like bubble.

This, then, faded to near-nothingness, as it was far weaker than that belonging to cities such as Myth Drannor in the first place. Alustrial, in her studies and in callaboration with some elves (such as those Moonwood elves Shadowlord mentioned), then manages to slowly strengthen it. The "they didn't know about it" aspect can actually still be used, simply through using Wooly Rupert's idea.

That is, with the increasing amount of magic being used in the city, the smart folks at the Acadamy realized that something was interacting with their spells. This leads to research into the history of magic in the region, to find out if this is a recent thing. That, then leads to the discovery of the barely-still-there mythal-ette. And who wouldn't want to play around with a mythal-like field, especially one in your own back yard? So then you go into the "strenthening" of the field I mentioned above, helped along by political and military need ("Hey, wouldn't a mythal help defend the city?" . . . .)

::sigh::

You know, we really shouldn't have to do this. I really can't understand why people can't check a few notes . . . .

Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.

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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  07:10:06  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

Boy, did I open a can of worms.

Umm, the mythal in Silverymoon issue is not an easy one to swallow and I was half tempted to explain it (as per my ideas on the region) in my North Timeline. It's not irretrievable from an FR perspective, just ... annoying.

Okay, no-one seems to be happy with the "it was always there" line. Let's see what these boards can come up with re an explanation for Silverymoon's mythal. I'll post mine in a day or two.

-- George Krashos


Spoiler!
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Maybe it's the Mythal that the elves used to make dragons Rage.... Since that has been active for what? 24,000 years+.... Eeep I just gave away a major spoiler for Mr. Byer's new novel. :)

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

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Edited by - Kuje on 19 Apr 2004 07:11:32
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  07:34:45  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
No problem. I already read it. Bookwyrm, I like your idea. Now, why couldn't WotC do that? It didn't take very long, right?

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader

USA
4740 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  07:41:11  Show Profile  Visit Bookwyrm's Homepage Send Bookwyrm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well, I just built off of you and Wooly Rupert. I don't know much in depth about Silverymoon history (just what's in Volo's Guide to the North and The Silver Marches), so I can't go much further than what I already said.

Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.

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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  07:50:25  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yes, but even so, WotC should (well at least I hope so!) know more about their own products, so it probably wouldn't take that long to create a brief explanation...

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  08:02:09  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord

Yes, but even so, WotC should (well at least I hope so!) know more about their own products, so it probably wouldn't take that long to create a brief explanation...



But the thing is, from what Rich Baker said, they don't seem to care about going back and checking their own products. Retconning is not a concern to them. We, the fans that have been buying stuff for years are the ones who care, but it's like they don't care about us...

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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore

USA
1298 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  08:08:54  Show Profile  Visit Shadowlord's Homepage Send Shadowlord a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well, of course they don't. It's all about mass marketing these days, and how many copies of a product they can sell, not the quality.


Hmm, I just noticed I keep ranting on. Well, let someone else take center stage for now...

The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri.
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  08:26:36  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
But the thing is, from what Rich Baker said, they don't seem to care about going back and checking their own products. Retconning is not a concern to them. We, the fans that have been buying stuff for years are the ones who care, but it's like they don't care about us...



Yup, you hit the nail on the head. They only care about those who use FR material for the crunch, not those of us who are dedicated and love Ed's world for the fluff and history and lands, etc. They make FR books for new DM's/Players as well as for those who use the FR material in thier own homebrew worlds, while the rest of us who are long time fans and collectors just can deal with the changes and errors WOTC keeps making for no reason.

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 19 Apr 2004 08:28:36
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martynq
Seeker

United Kingdom
90 Posts

Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  10:46:41  Show Profile  Visit martynq's Homepage Send martynq a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It seems very easy to me to get into a negative view of the current FR designers. On the other hand, there were always inconsistencies in the past also, just that we remember with extremely rose-tinted spectacles the excellent 2nd edition work of Steven Schend, Eric Boyd, et al.

I think the 3rd edition has done an extremely good job of producing consistent mechanisms for handling what happens in a game, but I for one have had enough of very generic Prestige Classes that fit any world and the vast supply of feats is now overwhelming.

As for the current batch of FR designers, it would be nice if they did try to be more consistent with what has gone before. In the end, I guess it gives us more room to customise what they produce so that players can't say "of course, Silverymoon has a mythal - it says so in [insert product]", when this is not the case in our campaign.

Martyn
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Faraer
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Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  15:56:27  Show Profile  Visit Faraer's Homepage Send Faraer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I don't have the PGtF and don't know the behind-the-scenes Silverymoon-mythal story on WotC's end or Ed's. But I think that revealing previously unknown aspects of people and places is not only OK but part of the basic design method of the Realms. I don't know if Ed conceived of the phaerimm and sharn long before Ruins of Myth Drannor or not, but I don't begrudge them either way. I dislike 3E stats for high-level PCs partly because they exclude all possibility of secret, surprising powers. It comes to, is this change in the setting's spirit, making it richer and more cohesive? If so, 'it's always been like that' is fine, if it introduces no logic gaps. Who'd have wanted a RSE Thunder Blessing trilogy?
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Wooly Rupert
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Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  16:47:58  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer

I don't have the PGtF and don't know the behind-the-scenes Silverymoon-mythal story on WotC's end or Ed's. But I think that revealing previously unknown aspects of people and places is not only OK but part of the basic design method of the Realms.


Previously unknown aspects is one thing. Retcons are something else. There have been lists in multiple sources detailing which cities had mythals, and Silverymoon was never on that list. This is not a previously unknown thing, it's an out and out change.

And once more, we have this out and out change, with absolutely no explanation of why the change occurred.

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Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 19 Apr 2004 16:48:50
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Faraer
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Posted - 19 Apr 2004 :  18:09:47  Show Profile  Visit Faraer's Homepage Send Faraer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
That's why the unreliable narrator is so integral to the presentation of the Realms -- designers need to be able to give useful rule-of-thumb generalizations that 'the known Xs are A, B, and C' and then (occasionally) introduce D later, after further thought, without being criticized for it (assuming the addition isn't destructive, disrespectful, stupid, etc.). Everything written for the Realms has always been provisional; which isn't to say that this built-in freedom for designers to improvise can't and hasn't been abused.

If any explanation is needed of the Silvermoon mythal -- assuming that Silver Marches is correct about it -- it's why older sources didn't mention it, the most obvious one being that its rulers wanted to keep information from their enemies; sometimes those fixes are fun and interesting, other times they're pedantic wastes of time.
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