4e in the works

[LadeJarl]

Well, perhaps her counterpart form Mulhorand (assuming they still exist in 3E, I never checked) will slide across and pick up the mantle. Of course, She's good aligned too, as I recall.

 

 

Azuth might step in to calm things down too, unless he bought it somehow.

Mulhorand will undergo major changes, and Azuth, as well as Velsharoon was last seen heading for the Astral plane.

[Caedwyr]

The best way to think of the 4e Realms is as an entirely new setting with a few familiar names and concepts, much like a lot of other fantasy worlds. Count on most old places, things and people being gone unless it was really popular in novels that sold a lot.

[LadeJarl]

Which fits perfectly since 4ed is not D&D either.

[Sorrow]

Too bad they didn't kill off Drizzt.

 

Also, too bad that friends of Drizzt didn't get killed off long time ago. When they seem to be dead, they always miraculously return :/ .

[Lord Ernie]

Which fits perfectly since 4ed is not D&D either.

Eh. Not to start the good ol' Edition wars, but I call shenanigans on this. First of all, nobody has seen the full rules. Second, the argument 'this isn't D&D' has been used for every edition change down the line, and as such really is a non-argument.

 

Too bad they didn't kill off Drizzt.

Here I concur. Sadly enough, though, the legion of Drizzt fans (I've never seen them, but they're out there) would throw a riot if they'd simply kill him off with a story shift like this one.

 

Also, too bad that friends of Drizzt didn't get killed off long time ago. When they seem to be dead, they always miraculously return :/ .

Considering the timeline has also been moved a century or so, the only one alive that I know of is the dwarf.

 

Call me a heretic, but I for one like what I've seen what they've done to the FR. The place had too many gods, too many mega-powerful heroes, and a far too detailed setting in places to make it inviting for new players. Realms history freaks may disagree with me, but I never liked having to study a whole set of books simply to make a character fitting into the setting, never mind setting up a campaign.

[berelinde]

... but I never liked having to study a whole set of books simply to make a character fitting into the setting, never mind setting up a campaign.

Here, you're likely to be disappointed, unfortunately. Wizards of the Coast is in the business of selling books, so you can believe that with 4e, just like with 3e, etc., you'll have to buy a bookshelf full.

[Lord Ernie]

Reducing the 'required history' was part of their design goals for the 4e Realms, and the last news on settings is that each setting will come in 3 central books (can't find the link here right now), so... I'm not so sure .

[Lysan Lurraxol]

But I like the huge amount of pointless sourcebooks for places I couldn't care less about! (I actually do. The big books with all the pictures and lore make me feel all shiny inside. Yes, I am a geek )

[berelinde]

Yeah, I'm like that, too. Having a large library makes me happy. Probably a throwback to childhood, when a book was a sure-fire remedy for boredom on a rainy afternoon.

 

But I have to admit that I prefer the simplicity of a trio of core rulebooks and a lot of optional books that just add flavor.

[Caedwyr]

Hasn't it always been that way? DMG, PHB, FRCS is all you've needed for quite some time. The extra stuff is just more depth for those interested.

[Sorrow]

Too bad they didn't kill off Drizzt.

Here I concur. Sadly enough, though, the legion of Drizzt fans (I've never seen them, but they're out there) would throw a riot if they'd simply kill him off with a story shift like this one.

Heh .

Thousands of angsty Emo teenagers would commit suicide if he'd die .

 

I used to like Drizzt novels, but Wulfgar returning to life was too much for me.

I've read some more, but finally I got fed up with the X thinks that Y is dead, but in fact Y is alive trick that R.A. Salvatore loves to abuse in Drizzt saga.

Also, I disliked how character development of Drizzt had to include pouring tons and tons of angst into him.

 

Also, too bad that friends of Drizzt didn't get killed off long time ago. When they seem to be dead, they always miraculously return :/ .

Considering the timeline has also been moved a century or so, the only one alive that I know of is the dwarf.

That's what everyone thinks .

I think that in fact, a wizard friend of the party is feeding them with potions of longevity, which means that despite the rumours that they are dead, they are alive .

 

Call me a heretic,

Heretic !

 

, but I for one like what I've seen what they've done to the FR. The place had too many gods, too many mega-powerful heroes, and a far too detailed setting in places to make it inviting for new players. Realms history freaks may disagree with me, but I never liked having to study a whole set of books simply to make a character fitting into the setting, never mind setting up a campaign.

I never had problems with that. Mainly because, I know FR mostly from novels and computer games, not PnP RPG.

[BigRob]

I liked 2nd Edition's Faerun, especially for its rich history. The powerful characters I didn't care about, and we were never that big for getting history exactly right, but the wealth of lesser NPCs already written up, the pub names, the shops, the little cultural clues, these made it so smooth to run a game in it, it gave you a nice fleshed out skeleton that you could drape an intricate skin on, where the most you can reasonably manage for raw AD&D was to get some meat on the bones.

[Caedwyr]

I'll agree to that BigRob. I've always preferred minimal rules and lots of fluff over crunch heavy with light fluff. It seems however that crunch sells and it is much easier justifying replacing all of your books by changing the crunch than changing the fluff (See Games Workshop for an example and their rapid edition change).

 

On a side note, I saw a term used today that I liked for the 4e realms. The Shattered Realms. It certainly has a nice ring for the setting and gives a nice post apocalyptic feel to it.

[BigRob]

Games Workshop do love theri addition changes, don't they?

 

 

Shattered Realms sounds interesting, especially as an alternate canpaign setting. I always wondered whether Dark Sun was the eventual fate of Faerun...

[Caedwyr]

Yeah, I hear Games Workshop is moving onto their 5th edition and a number of factions are still using their 3rd edition or maybe even earlier Codex.