What do you want to see?
Me, at some point:
Ravenloft box set
Dark Sun box set
Dragon magazine
For rules modules/options:
- Robust downtime content.
- Critical hit/wounds.
- Organizations and affiliations.
- Campaign traits (a la FantasyCraft)
- Domain management.
- Support for expeditions and travel in the wilderness and dungeon environments.
For adventure and setting content:
- Dark Sun.
- An Underdark that returns Drow to the monstrously evil culture they should be. Proper maps would be nice too.
- A small scale campaign setting along the lines of Nentir Vale.
- A big sandbox dungeon.
- Most of all, while I'm glad WotC is modelling 5E on a 2E era complexity level, I hope they don't reach back to the 2E era milqtoast, lower-common-denominator schlock fantasy.
Dark Sun
Planescape
And even though I know its dorky and silly, Spelljammer.
Also, yes for two of the things Haffrung mentioned: Domain Management, Downtime Content (I would say the wilderness travel rules but they've talked about it enough that I would assume that stuff is core).
Optional rules linked to settings, not just thrown out via L&L or some digital content provider.
+1 to Spelljammer. We need a bit of crazy, but somehow stop it descending into "I go from Toril to Krynn and ruin the economy with Steel, and blow up the moon with space hamsters."
Though that might be quite cool.
Whilst I have Planescape, I am not too worried about it. It is nice to have, but playing it? An alternative big world to the Realms. Maybe something that is a bit of a sandbox to be pooped in by DMs and cat-people.
Don't know how much will be in the core, but I want extensive rules around world building, domain management, and campaign creation. Get DM's back to creating worlds and adventures again.
As much as I love all those TSR settings, I would much rather see a solid conversion document for those that are well fleshed.
What I would love is expansion on those that were relatively tiny and have room for growth: Tale of the Red Comet, Lankhmar, Jakandor, Hollow World, Maztica, Kara-Tur, etc. Maybe even futuristic stuff like Alternity material.
And I would like to see expansion on naval and underwater material, like Cerilia Naval Campaigns, Sea of Fallen Stars, underwater adventures, etc.
And especially a brand new setting. A new world might be a uniting force among editions, and would avoid metaplot panic. But most importantly a new setting would breathe life on taking advantage of any new mechanics — and show new players how adding new setting based rules can create whole new worlds/genres.
A damn easy system for generating hex maps and hex content. Enough of this published adventures and you figure out what happens in-between. Or play in our setting or you're basically fucked.
Teach DMs to create properly. The ones who can do it now are getting old.
I like the concept of using the same rules to build new rules/monsters/mechanics. So more of that would be great.
& start supporting Mystara again.
A science-fiction version of the rules, much like Buck Rogers XXVC and Gamma World.
Given I don't DM Dnd I would like to see...
1. Dragonlance setting
2. Mystara setting
3. Game of Thrones setting (with lower than baseline magic)
4. Some straight up high technology cities in a sea of post apocalyptic wilderness setting
5. APG book (with backgrounds/subclasses/archetypes)
6. Unearthed Arcana book
7. Advanced Magic/Divine options book
8. Advanced Combat/Rogue options book
Quote from: Celestial;753918A science-fiction version of the rules, much like Buck Rogers XXVC and Gamma World.
This is the thing I am praying for!
I don't anticipate I will get anything beyond core. Maybe some adventures if any look interesting, or a setting if they release one of my favorites, but the supplement treadmill was what eventually burnt me out on 3.5 and 4e.
Quote from: elfandghost;753888What do you want to see?
Me, at some point:
Ravenloft box set
Dark Sun box set
Dragon magazine
I would love to see updated editions of those sets.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;753971I would love to see updated editions of those sets.
You know, I love those settings, but I'm torn about reprints. It'd be great for people who weren't around to be exposed to the stuff to have the chance to get into those settings. I, on the other hand, have pretty much all the AD&D 2nd material I want for the settings I like. The only thing I could see that could induce me to repurchase, so to speak, is if the new iterations were demonstrably better in some fashion...more material in a concise package, better maps, more usable adventure content maybe...it's hard to say, but there would definitely need to be that sense that, "Oh, yeah...this is definitely better!"
I'd love to see some of the more exotic settings reprinted like Dark Sun and Spelljammer. Honestly I'd be happy with anything that's not Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance.
Actually what'd be really cool is if they redid the 2nd edition historical settings. Those were some of my favorite books.
Quote from: Bobloblah;753982You know, I love those settings, but I'm torn about reprints. It'd be great for people who weren't around to be exposed to the stuff to have the chance to get into those settings. I, on the other hand, have pretty much all the AD&D 2nd material I want for the settings I like. The only thing I could see that could induce me to repurchase, so to speak, is if the new iterations were demonstrably better in some fashion...more material in a concise package, better maps, more usable adventure content maybe...it's hard to say, but there would definitely need to be that sense that, "Oh, yeah...this is definitely better!"
I am picturing more of an updated edition with new material, rather than a reprint. Smething that has the strongest material from the original but avoids some of the bad stuff. It would be like anytime they release a new core book for a setting under a new edition. Really what I would like is a solid core Ravenloft with full line of new adventures and supplments (some things like the Van richten guides are probbaly worth just reprinting with updated mechanics for the new edition).
Though I will say if they just updated the old material with the 5E mechanics, and I liked fifth edition, i would totally buy it. I still enjoy running ravenloft so it would be a great opportunity to generate interest in a new campaign and come at it from a fresh angle.
Realistically, I do not think there is enough demand.
I knew what you meant (sorry if that wasn't clear), so you can read my previous post in that light. What you're describing could potentially fall under my vague "better" rubric. I also think not reprinting them wouldn't be just an interest issue, but an issue due to the entrenched notion that splitting the customer base was the only outcome of multiple settings.
Quote from: Bobloblah;754039I also think not reprinting them wouldn't be just an interest issue, but an issue due to the entrenched notion that splitting the customer base was the only outcome of multiple settings.
I think as long as the settings draw from the core games, and core release books can be applied to the settings, there won't be a big issue with splitting the fan base (i have never been fully convinced it split the fanbase in the first place, but that is another discussino I suppose).
Another issue if they did do it, would be what to include. Ravenloft continued to be published under Sword and Sorcery and there has also been substantial development over at Fraternity of Shadows, where people have put out a ton of fan made setting material. They would have to decide how much, if any, of that would go into a new edition, plus they would also have to synthesize the stuff spanning the TSR ravenloft era (from the oriignal module, to the black boxed set to the material made during the Domains of Dread period). That all raised a lot of IP problems too I imagine. Plus there is the whole issue of what is going on in Sithicus and whether Lord Soth would be part of the setting or not. Most ravenloft fans i meet all have very different opinions on which material worked best.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;754050I think as long as the settings draw from the core games, and core release books can be applied to the settings, there won't be a big issue with splitting the fan base (i have never been fully convinced it split the fanbase in the first place, but that is another discussino I suppose).
Another issue if they did do it, would be what to include. Ravenloft continued to be published under Sword and Sorcery and there has also been substantial development over at Fraternity of Shadows, where people have put out a ton of fan made setting material. They would have to decide how much, if any, of that would go into a new edition, plus they would also have to synthesize the stuff spanning the TSR ravenloft era (from the oriignal module, to the black boxed set to the material made during the Domains of Dread period). That all raised a lot of IP problems too I imagine. Plus there is the whole issue of what is going on in Sithicus and whether Lord Soth would be part of the setting or not. Most ravenloft fans i meet all have very different opinions on which material worked best.
Yup, I pretty much agree with everything you're saying, particularly the part about splitting the fanbase. I'd be happy to see something the size of the core books (300-odd pages or so) released for each setting that updates, clarifies, and above all consolidates everything needed to run with a given setting
at the table. Then give me some modules that aren't garbage to work with that highlight what's cool/different about the setting and why one wants to run a campaign there.
I'd also like to see Dragonlance IF it is retconned before all that chaos gem crap. I'd especially like to see a Taladas box set.
Quote from: elfandghost;754140. I'd especially like to see a Taladas box set.
I loved the Taladas box set. Great art in that one as well.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;754146I loved the Taladas box set. Great art in that one as well.
They had a Taladas box set?
Quote from: Marleycat;754157They had a Taladas box set?
Yes, it had a much different vibe from the other dragonlance material at the time: http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Advanced-Dungeons-Dragons-Dragonlance/dp/0880387734
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;754164Yes, it had a much different vibe from the other dragonlance material at the time: http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Advanced-Dungeons-Dragons-Dragonlance/dp/0880387734
Some of those reviews are harsh; it was one of my favourite 2E era publications!
Quote from: elfandghost;754168Some of those reviews are harsh; it was one of my favourite 2E era publications!
I generally ignore amazon reviews (especially for game related stuff). Different strokes i suppose. Pretty much everyone I introduced to the set loved it (and I really remembering it standing out as excellent to me at the time).
A glorious 220 page hardcover, fully illustrated, with Chris Perkins' reworkings of the entire "Against the Giants" series. He nominally wrote it for 4th edition, but it seems to me it was written with the Next adventure paradigm in mind (or at least, fairly close to it). So, if they update the stat blocks, they'd have a fairly strong campaign ready to go onto the shelves. (Saying that, I don't know if it would bomb, since it's already available as a collation of PDFs to DDI customers.)
And they could give away the 4e 'conversion' for free, as a PDF (like they did with Baldur's Gate) and it wouldn't cost them any labour either.
I'd really love to have strong campaign material for my 4e games again, and I miss buying these hefty hardcover adventures. I'll likely shell out money for Wolfgang Baur's efforts for Next, but come on.... 30 dollars for 96 pages each - and covering so many levels of play in fairly short space - is not nearly as great as their re-released adventure tomes for AD&D. And I do feel as ripped off as with Paizo, if they ask 60 dollars for 190 pages of adventure material, when they previously sold 160 page hardcovers at $30, or even larger ones under D&D 3.5 (authored by Baur, coincidentally). (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ag/20070418a)
In any case, I hope Next gets a really strong, nice series of adventures over the years - not just a re-hash of the old, but something that D&D players of all editions can enjoy. And I hope that if there's worthwhile content coming out, that dedicated 4e fans will convert it.
Quote from: Windjammer;754174A glorious 220 page hardcover, fully illustrated, with Chris Perkins' reworkings of the entire "Against the Giants" series. He nominally wrote it for 4th edition, but it seems to me it was written with the Next adventure paradigm in mind (or at least, fairly close to it).
I only recently started looking into and buying 4E adventures, and it's bizarre how ill-suited most of them are to 4E as a game. It's a shame to see Thunderspire Labyrinth and Madness at Gardmore Abbey pretty much squandered as 4E adventures, when they would make excellent 5E (or AD&D) adventures. I've only browsed the Against the Giants series on DDI, but I can see how they'd work very well for 5E as well. It would be nice if WotC did some conversion work on the better 4E adventures, as well as the B/X and AD&D classics.
Quote from: Windjammer;754174I'll likely shell out money for Wolfgang Baur's efforts for Next, but come on.... 30 dollars for 96 pages each - and covering so many levels of play in fairly short space - is not nearly as great as their re-released adventure tomes for AD&D. And I do feel as ripped off as with Paizo, if they ask 60 dollars for 190 pages of adventure material, when they previously sold 160 page hardcovers at $30, or even larger ones under D&D 3.5 (authored by Baur, coincidentally). (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ag/20070418a)
I have to disagree there. To me, $30 for all the adventure material I need to run 10+ RPG sessions is very good value in my books. Not to mention the hours of reading beforehand.
Quote from: Windjammer;754174In any case, I hope Next gets a really strong, nice series of adventures over the years - not just a re-hash of the old, but something that D&D players of all editions - from 1e to 5e - can enjoy.
Yeah, one of my concerns with 5E is that it will play the nostalgia card too often. Yes, we'll probably get a few Return To [iconic dungeon] adventures and other homages to the classics. But it will be nice if they have the ambition to publish new adventures that
become iconic.
Quote from: Haffrung;754186Yeah, one of my concerns with 5E is that it will play the nostalgia card too often. Yes, we'll probably get a few Return To [iconic dungeon] adventures and other homages to the classics. But it will be nice if they have the ambition to publish new adventures that become iconic.
We can only hope. The fact that they're willing to sub-contract out gives me some hope, as do your and a few other peoples' comments on some 4e adventures. I'd come to think there was no one left at the company who could write a good, non-railroad module.
Quote from: Bobloblah;754191We can only hope. The fact that they're willing to sub-contract out gives me some hope, as do your and a few other peoples' comments on some 4e adventures. I'd come to think there was no one left at the company who could write a good, non-railroad module.
That's a tough call.
Dragonspear Castle - also by Perkins - starts off as a complete railroad, and that was explicitly written for Next. I haven't read much beyond the opening 'scenes' however, so that could soften as the module goes along.
I agree with Haffrung on
Gardmore Abbey, it's absolutely fantastic. But that wasn't mostly written by WotC staff as far as I understand. See also this set of comments, specifically the part that begins with what I take a stab at their 4e stuff,
"DESIGN CHALLENGE: VARIETY. An adventure needs to hold the interest of its audience.For an adventure to remain interesting, there needs to be variety. There needs to be variety because doing the same thing repeatedly gets boring fast. "
Here:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drdd/20110921
Quote from: Windjammer;754210That's a tough call. Dragonspear Castle - also by Perkins - starts off as a complete railroad, and that was explicitly written for Next. I haven't read much beyond the opening 'scenes' however, so that could soften as the module goes along.
If there's a single thing that worries me about WotC's adventure material for 5E, it's Dragonspear Castle. Especially the opening. Something like the first four scenes the PCs have no input or choice in what happens. And then it's a really unimaginative chained MacGuffin quest.
Quote from: Windjammer;754210I agree with Haffrung on Gardmore Abbey, it's absolutely fantastic. But that wasn't mostly written by WotC staff as far as I understand.
I don't really care if WotC's adventures are written by WotC staff. Most of Paizo's APs are written by freelancers. What matters is the editorial direction they get from WotC.
Quote from: Windjammer;754210Here:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drdd/20110921
Yeah, I read that article before I bought Gardmore Abbey. One thing I disagree with is the author's assertion that it's easy to prep for. It's not. It's a big, big adventure site, with lots of background and NPCs with agendas, and a tremendous freedom for PCs to explore it how they like. Which is great. But after several hours of prepping I still wasn't comfortable with the running it open-ended, so I balked on the eve of game night and went with a different adventure. Which I'm glad about now, because I think it would just take too long with 4E. I'm betting it shines with 5e.
Is it available in .pdf yet? Seems to me conversion is just easier with a .pdf (and I hate non-dead-tree)...
Even though I know theyd botch it... AGAIN!
Spelljammer
Gamma World
And Karameikos/Mystara would be nice.
And honestly...
A new setting world to take advantage of the new mechanics rather than "Crisis/Cataclysm/Troubles" the existing ones.
Quote from: Omega;754307And honestly...
A new setting world to take advantage of the new mechanics rather than "Crisis/Cataclysm/Troubles" the existing ones.
I'm all for a new setting, period. The same setting being redone per edition release gets old.
I'd like a really swords and sorcery setting. Little magic, lots of death, lost cities in the jungle....
Quote from: Jason Coplen;754324I'm all for a new setting, period. The same setting being redone per edition release gets old.
I'd like a really swords and sorcery setting. Little magic, lots of death, lost cities in the jungle....
+1
I was going to say a new Hyperborea campaign.
Something new for sure.
Maybe a Pirate and Sorcery campaign setting.
This is probably blasphemous: maybe an Elder Scrolls crossover. (They did it with Diablo)
These are all probably very wishful thinking though unless 3rd party publishing is robust.
Quote from: Celestial;753918A science-fiction version of the rules, much like Buck Rogers XXVC and Gamma World.
This would be the only reason I'd buy 5E ~ YES PLEASE
Most of the time, when I start thinking about previous settings or spinoffs, I come to the conclusion that I should really just make up my own version of the basic theme, because there's almost always a half-dozen things about the published versions that I don't like and at least that many things that I feel are missing.
I don't know how many "world-building" tools we'll see in the DMG, but I'm hoping for a few more than average.
I am a fan of bestiaries because, especially when you're dealing with experienced players, it's nice to have something new and unknown to throw at them. That's more fun than using the same old orcs and goblins and bugbears and trolls, etc.
I hope we don't see the complete extinction of shorter adventure modules. Not everything needs to feed directly into an "adventure path."
All that said, I'll probably kick off with Tyranny of Dragons in the new Forgotten Realms, whatever they turn out to be, just to get used to the new system.
with the original creators of dark sun and mystara putting out there own versions via kickstarter(dragon kings is due on drivethru any day) it's not like we will be stuck with the wotc versions even if they suck a bag of dicks.
Something that wouldn't suck is a fantasy setting that has no metaplot. A bunch of countries, NPCs, races, things. Let the players decide how to use all that stuff.
No fancy-schmancy Points of Light, or heroes, or weird races, or terrible historical times and things hanging on a knife edge. Just a world that reacts to things that happen in it, a bit like ours.
Quote from: MonsterSlayer;754325This is probably blasphemous: maybe an Elder Scrolls crossover. (They did it with Diablo)
Hell, Elder Scrolls would probably be a better fit than Diablo. Tamriel started out as someone's home campaign, after all.
Quote from: BarefootGaijin;754355Something that wouldn't suck is a fantasy setting that has no metaplot. A bunch of countries, NPCs, races, things. Let the players decide how to use all that stuff.
No fancy-schmancy Points of Light, or heroes, or weird races, or terrible historical times and things hanging on a knife edge. Just a world that reacts to things that happen in it, a bit like ours.
Is the points of light concept really fancy-shmancy metaplot? All it is, is a short way of saying "large stretches of dangerous wilderness exist between civilized places." Seems pretty bog-standard sandbox play to me.
Quote from: MonsterSlayer;754325Something new for sure.
Maybe a Pirate and Sorcery campaign setting.
Pirate and Sorcery? I never heard that term. Could you give me some examples? It sounds neat, but I'd need to do some reading to get caught up on it. :)
Quote from: Jason Coplen;754430Pirate and Sorcery? I never heard that term. Could you give me some examples? It sounds neat, but I'd need to do some reading to get caught up on it. :)
I'm not sure there is an example in the D&D universe. I was trying to come up with an idea for a new campaign setting I haven't seen that might be interesting. I just threw a name out there.
There is a Savage Worlds expansion called Pirate of the Spanish Main that is pretty much a pirate RPG with a little supernatural thrown in. Based on constructible card game by Wizkids, we played the collectible/ model card game quite a bit. The expansions to the model game eventually brought in more monsters and magical artifacts. We didn't play the RPG as much because our group didn't gel with the SW system as well.
As far as the source material for such a campaign, where to start? Many of the pulp writers also included pirates with their horror, fantasy, etc. Several Conan stories featured him as a pirate pitted against magic on strange isles and raiding coastal cities.
Even Game of Thrones (at least tv, haven't read books) features pirates in the service of one of the guys trying to be king.
Then there are the Disney pirate movies that feature the supernatural and hint at voodoo.
It could make for an interesting new campaign world. They'd probably go for something more like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Expand naval combat rules, put in rules for firearms, some new magic systems for "voodoo" style and native shamans. Add in a swashbuckler class, and maybe a witch hunter.
I also like the Conan version of pirates/ sorcery but I probably have the material for that era.
Just an option for something new. I agree with some of the other posters that are less excited by re prints of the old campaign worlds. If WoTC stick to the "one D&D to bind them all" philosophy why would the player base need that many of the same campaigns they already own?
One of the Pathfinder Adventure Paths, 'Skull & Shackles', was heavily pirate themed.
There was also a d20 setting, 'Skull_&_Bones' by Adamant which was pretty much d20 Pirates of the Caribbean.
Quote from: BarefootGaijin;754355Something that wouldn't suck is a fantasy setting that has no metaplot. A bunch of countries, NPCs, races, things. Let the players decide how to use all that stuff.
No fancy-schmancy Points of Light, or heroes, or weird races, or terrible historical times and things hanging on a knife edge. Just a world that reacts to things that happen in it, a bit like ours.
Moldvay B/X Karameikos originally was that. Big blank area that you knew the name of the ruler, the name of a mountain range, the names and a paragraph of background of three areas and that was about it.
Dragonlance Reboot.
Not an extension, not a new era, not a new land.
Just. A. Reboot.
Quote from: Piestrio;755231Dragonlance Reboot.
Not an extension, not a new era, not a new land.
Just. A. Reboot.
Make it so Number 1.
Quote from: Piestrio;755231Dragonlance Reboot.
Not an extension, not a new era, not a new land.
Just. A. Reboot.
Well if it had gotten the green-light then the proposed Dragonlance project would have been more like a "what-if?" according to notes. Basically changing the start of the tale so that the group was delayed in arriving for the meeting and then rolling from there.
Personally Im sick of reboots and crises. Just make a new setting and stop fucking with the old ones trying to shoehorn them into a new system.
Create a new world to fit a new system.
Just give me Dragonlance. Reboot it, reinvison it, do whatever but just get 'er done.
Quote from: Piestrio;755231Dragonlance Reboot.
Not an extension, not a new era, not a new land.
Just. A. Reboot.
Define 'reboot'.
If you just want the vintage WotL with updated stats and details, then I'd say you've got a better than even chance--it's been done for every edition but 4th. (2nd Edition
twice, albeit in two different ways.)
If you want one that actually
changes the setting in some way .... ice pocket's chance in elemental fire. :) The novels are just too much of a cash cow. Weis has been making noises about wanting to work with WotC and to publish the novels with all the stuff that was cut for length thirty years ago, but a) I don't know how eager WotC is to work with her and b) that would be a doubling-down on the old material, not a fresh take on it. And as Omega suggests, the idea of relaunching it without them was tried and shot down by that author; I don't know how many other authors would want the job, especially since Weis is likely to raise the Abyss if it's done without her input.
"pirates" is something that has not yet been done in a very major way; although there was some elements of this in the Mystara setting, and in Spelljammer too for that matter.
Quote from: RPGPundit;755886"pirates" is something that has not yet been done in a very major way; although there was some elements of this in the Mystara setting, and in Spelljammer too for that matter.
D20 7th Sea for 3x is the nearest I've seen.
Quote from: RPGPundit;755886"pirates" is something that has not yet been done in a very major way; although there was some elements of this in the Mystara setting, and in Spelljammer too for that matter.
There was also the High Seas rulebook for 2nd ed? Or did it never see print?
Quote from: RPGPundit;755886"pirates" is something that has not yet been done in a very major way; although there was some elements of this in the Mystara setting, and in Spelljammer too for that matter.
I will roll my eyes so hard at pirates I'll need help popping them back into my head.
Quote from: Piestrio;755903I will roll my eyes so hard at pirates I'll need help popping them back into my head.
Yep. Tricorn-wearing pirates are one of the over-the-top anachronisms that have turned Paizo's Golarion into a bizarre kitchen-sink setting (along with Victorian gothic horror complete with waist-coats, top-hats, and haunted sanitariums).
Medieval pirates and slave traders? Sure. But pieces of eight and swashbuckling argh-matey sea dogs searching for buried treasure in a fantasy analogue of the Spanish Main? Fuck. That. Shit.
They're in Birthright, big time. Just no black powder. Have gigantic castle ships and fleet mages are a logical thing. Besides just look at Havens of the Great Bay accessory for the Brecht lands. Basically the Hanseatic League in the North and Baltic sea, guilders and pirates and proto-republics and proto-mercantilism.... and magic.
Currently running my campaign there myself.
Khinasi and Anuirean are between high feudal and renaissance, Rjuvik is mid-high feudal, and Vos is low-mid feudal. Says roughly the same right in the material about tech levels and trade. Some groups are more forward thinking and open to trade, others are isolated, xenophobic, and aggressive. But then Cerilia is a setting that is considerably more cohesive from what I've seen and is not your standard high fantasy.
Quote from: Haffrung;755913Yep. Tricorn-wearing pirates are one of the over-the-top anachronisms that have turned Paizo's Golarion into a bizarre kitchen-sink setting (along with Victorian gothic horror complete with waist-coats, top-hats, and haunted sanitariums).
Medieval pirates and slave traders? Sure. But pieces of eight and swashbuckling argh-matey sea dogs searching for buried treasure in a fantasy analogue of the Spanish Main? Fuck. That. Shit.
That was your anachronistic line in the sand? What about the Inner Sea southern lands? There's land of forgotten killer robots, next to ancient Egypt, next to dinosaur stone age sub-saharan Africa, next to god knows what fucking else.... dark elves if I remember correctly. Mercifully French Revolution empire is across the straight along with super evil assassin poison Victorian high gothic and whatever the fuck elvish ecoterrorist defenders...
First setting book I put back in under 10 minutes, as I could not justify usage, passable readable fiction, or even stealable bits. Like tropes in a blender, it was.
I have to say, i like having pirates in my fantasy settings. Not too concerned about anachronism if it makes the setting fun and gives me a cool place to go. Now pirates with tri-corner hats and blackpowder in a movie or book set during the reign of Augustus, that might bother me (unless it is a movie about time travelling pirates). But in a fantasy setting I think it is fair game.
If brazen anachronism bothers you, have you considered that sword and sorcery-style fantasy just isn't for you?
Jebus people, d20 Iron Kingdoms and Freeport both did a good job of pirate settings for D&D. Hell, Freeport lives on with Pathfinder.
Quote from: Haffrung;755913Yep. Tricorn-wearing pirates are one of the over-the-top anachronisms that have turned Paizo's Golarion into a bizarre kitchen-sink setting (along with Victorian gothic horror complete with waist-coats, top-hats, and haunted sanitariums).
Medieval pirates and slave traders? Sure. But pieces of eight and swashbuckling argh-matey sea dogs searching for buried treasure in a fantasy analogue of the Spanish Main? Fuck. That. Shit.
read Red Seas Under Red Skies. Its not as good as Locke Lamora but there is a chunk of playable shit in there.
Quote from: LibraryLass;756058If brazen anachronism bothers you, have you considered that sword and sorcery-style fantasy just isn't for you?
I'll admit that I have particular tastes in this regard. But I've found many fantasy settings I can use that are grounded in some kind of coherent material and thematic style. In fact, I prefer sword and sorcery to modern fantasy because it tends towards classical and dark ages Europe and the Near East as the basis for the setting, rather than the high renaissance mixed with suburban Fresno feel of much modern fantasy. I also enjoy the gritty renaissance meets chaos magic feel of the Warhammer setting. I just really dislike the kitchen-sink-modern-North-Americans-in-fancy-clothes approach of Golarion and much modern fantasy fiction.
Quote from: Haffrung;756086I just really dislike the kitchen-sink-modern-North-Americans-in-fancy-clothes approach of Golarion and much modern fantasy fiction.
I'm in this camp as well. I call it the egalitarian cosmopolitan fantasy. Race, gender, species, class, culture, era, background, etc. all interchangeable palette swaps of dress up clothes, having next to zero effect on setting relations. Throw in everyone speaking the global Esperanto of Common and voilà, Cosplay Ren-Fair MMO united by char-op rules niggling and hour long combat preening. Would rather play RISK... and I
hate RISK.
It's not the anachronism that bothers me.
It's that it's SO. FUCKING. TIRED.
Pirates, dinosaurs, ninja, zombies. FUCKING ZOMBIES.
They've all worn out their welcome long ago and now just hang around pop-culture like a rancid fart.
Quote from: Piestrio;756161It's not the anachronism that bothers me.
It's that it's SO. FUCKING. TIRED.
Pirates, dinosaurs, ninja, zombies. FUCKING ZOMBIES.
They've all worn out their welcome long ago and now just hang around pop-culture like a rancid fart.
I'm not trying to troll you but I don't know what type of reboot of Dragonlance WoTC would do where it did Not feel like even more of a Lord of the Rings re-skin?
Isn't that just as saturated in our culture right now?
I loved Dragonlance, I like LotR, but it's not like they are going to go to "Legend of Huma" as the source book for a "war is hell" reboot of Dragonlance.
So what mass appeal setting can they do that would be different and isn't road kill stanky?
Quote from: MonsterSlayer;756174I'm not trying to troll you but I don't know what type of reboot of Dragonlance WoTC would do where it did Not feel like even more of a Lord of the Rings re-skin?
Isn't that just as saturated in our culture right now?
I loved Dragonlance, I like LotR, but it's not like they are going to go to "Legend of Huma" as the source book for a "war is hell" reboot of Dragonlance.
So what mass appeal setting can they do that would be different and isn't road kill stanky?
Sorry. *"they are not going to"
Quote from: MonsterSlayer;756174I'm not trying to troll you but I don't know what type of reboot of Dragonlance WoTC would do where it did Not feel like even more of a Lord of the Rings re-skin?
Isn't that just as saturated in our culture right now?
I loved Dragonlance, I like LotR, but it's not like they are going to go to "Legend of Huma" as the source book for a "war is hell" reboot of Dragonlance.
So what mass appeal setting can they do that would be different and isn't road kill stanky?
It's in no way like Lord of the Rings, anyway I love it for the split in magic creating political situations much the same about the Solomnic Orders it's all about the politics of being an insider versus an outsider for me. Quite similar to Dark Sun in that way actually.
I give a flip about the novels. Play up the political situations really go Game of Thrones but high magic and knights style is what I'd do. Basically use 3e's spin but pulled back a bit (no ridiculous Dragon takeover and war) and without the angst and run with it. Dark is good but hopelessness is not.
Everyone knows politics and romance, magic and knights go hand in hand so highlight it while darkening the tone a bit.
Quote from: Marleycat;756179It's in no way like Lord of the Rings, anyway I love it for the split in magic creating political situations much the same about the Solomnic Orders it's all about the politics of being an insider versus an outsider for me. Quite similar to Dark Sun in that way actually.
I give a flip about the novels. Play up the political situations really go Game of Thrones but high magic and knights style is what I'd do. Basically use 3e's spin without the angst and run with it. Dark is good but hopelessness is not. But politics and romance, magic and knights go hand in hand so highlight it while darkening the tone a bit.
OK I'm not going to descend into the depths of nerd-dom trying to convince you of the parallels between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and The Fellowship of the Ring but I would like to bring the discussion back to the OP.
How do they make a book (in this case a campaign setting) beyond the core 5E books that they can sell with mass market appeal?
I think your ideas are cool and maybe they should just buy a tie in license to Game Of Thrones.
But they are not going to do a reboot and just ignore the novels. The novels sold more than the modules ever did.
Quote from: Marleycat;756179It's in no way like Lord of the Rings
Um, it's a pseudo-medieval world with elves and dwarves and others rubbing shoulders with human beings in which a posse of disparate characters band together on a quest against a great evil which uses scary monsters as its primary minions.
From a fannish perspective all sorts of minor differences could be pointed out. But looked at from an objective distance - in other words, the perspective of anyone who isn't a serious fantasy fan - the broad premise is extremely Tolkieny.
It's like wine - you might be able to tell the difference between Dragonlance and Shanarra and Middle-Earth and Eddings and Ray Feist, but to most people it all looks like the same deal, just like if you haven't spent a lot of time tasting wine you aren't going to tell the difference between a 2007 and 2009 pinot grigio.
Quote from: Warthur;756232Um, it's a pseudo-medieval world with elves and dwarves and others rubbing shoulders with human beings in which a posse of disparate characters band together on a quest against a great evil which uses scary monsters as its primary minions.
From a fannish perspective all sorts of minor differences could be pointed out. But looked at from an objective distance - in other words, the perspective of anyone who isn't a serious fantasy fan - the broad premise is extremely Tolkieny.
It's like wine - you might be able to tell the difference between Dragonlance and Shanarra and Middle-Earth and Eddings and Ray Feist, but to most people it all looks like the same deal, just like if you haven't spent a lot of time tasting wine you aren't going to tell the difference between a 2007 and 2009 pinot grigio.
Using that kind of definition is like saying if it has two wheels and a motor then it's a motorcycle and all motorcycles are same. By your logic if it's got elves it's Tolkien is pretty senseless. I mean everything is Dragonlance under this view.... obviously that's not true.
Quote from: MonsterSlayer;756182OK I'm not going to descend into the depths of nerd-dom trying to convince you of the parallels between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and The Fellowship of the Ring but I would like to bring the discussion back to the OP.
How do they make a book (in this case a campaign setting) beyond the core 5E books that they can sell with mass market appeal?
I think your ideas are cool and maybe they should just buy a tie in license to Game Of Thrones.
But they are not going to do a reboot and just ignore the novels. The novels sold more than the modules ever did.
Probably not but it's just what I'd do. Currently I would try and get rights to Game of Thrones and see if you could Dnd style it with..Low/Medium/High magic options. But really beyond a consolidation/reinvisionment/update of Mystara I'd like to see a new setting.
Quote from: Marleycat;756258Using that kind of definition is like saying if it has two wheels and a motor then it's a motorcycle and all motorcycles are same.
If you don't know motorcycles very well, so far as you can tell they are the same. And if you do know motorcycles, you can fairly easily enunciate the differences, but they aren't likely to be differences outsiders especially care about, and the differences don't stop a Harley or a Yamaha being motorcycles at all.
Quote from: Warthur;756267If you don't know motorcycles very well, so far as you can tell they are the same. And if you do know motorcycles, you can fairly easily enunciate the differences, but they aren't likely to be differences outsiders especially care about, and the differences don't stop a Harley or a Yamaha being motorcycles at all.
I know that's my point. The definition that you're using is too broad to be useful.
Quote from: Marleycat;756276I know that's my point. The definition that you're using is too broad to be useful.
I was once told Seven Samurai was alot like Lord of the Rings... :confused:
Quote from: Omega;756414I was once told Seven Samurai was alot like Lord of the Rings... :confused:
In broad strokes? Sure. You're a party of 7 archetypes.. Go!