Advice please :) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Advice please :) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Cazgal
03-04-07, 04:36 PM Hi all

I have been reading around for a while for a new campaign world to use for a new game of AD&D and have come to the conclusion that Eberron sounds pretty damn good.

Bit of advice thou please - is it worth buying and reading quite a few of the novels before I start DMing the games - will they help me DM and add depth to the games etc for the players ?

The players are really after a city based adventure at first - to try and get away from the typical dungeon bash type adventures - is there any pre-written modules for this (in particular they enjoy Thieves Guild/politcal etc type of games - not too much of the inane hack and slash for no reason).

Any help or suggestions would be great :) ((not DM'ed for about 10 years so - keep the suggestions coming !!!)
Moebius
03-04-07, 04:50 PM for a novel, definitly start with City of Towers by Keith Baker (who created Eberron).
Shady314
03-04-07, 04:51 PM Hi all

I have been reading around for a while for a new campaign world to use for a new game of AD&D and have come to the conclusion that Eberron sounds pretty damn good.

Bit of advice thou please - is it worth buying and reading quite a few of the novels before I start DMing the games - will they help me DM and add depth to the games etc for the players ?

The players are really after a city based adventure at first - to try and get away from the typical dungeon bash type adventures - is there any pre-written modules for this (in particular they enjoy Thieves Guild/politcal etc type of games - not too much of the inane hack and slash for no reason).

Any help or suggestions would be great :) ((not DM'ed for about 10 years so - keep the suggestions coming !!!)

Nope you can easily skip the novels. Unlike in FR novels aren't canon. People may mention City of Towers since it's written by KB and is set in Sharn but it won't tell you anything about the city(that you wouldn't get from S:CoT) and they definitely don't help you DM. Obviously you should have the ECS though and if you want a city adventure look no further than the sourcebook Sharn: City of Towers. You will NOT be dissapointed with that! You'll probably come up with so much you won't want to use a pre-written module. But you should check these two out
Dungeon #133 – "Chimes at Midnight" by Nicholas Logue
Dungeon #115 – “Steel Shadows” by Keith Baker
trevg
03-04-07, 04:52 PM Hi all

I have been reading around for a while for a new campaign world to use for a new game of AD&D and have come to the conclusion that Eberron sounds pretty damn good.

Bit of advice thou please - is it worth buying and reading quite a few of the novels before I start DMing the games - will they help me DM and add depth to the games etc for the players ?

The players are really after a city based adventure at first - to try and get away from the typical dungeon bash type adventures - is there any pre-written modules for this (in particular they enjoy Thieves Guild/politcal etc type of games - not too much of the inane hack and slash for no reason).

Any help or suggestions would be great :) ((not DM'ed for about 10 years so - keep the suggestions coming !!!)

The novel "Sharn City of Towers" will give you a good feel for the flavour of the city, the other books in the trilogy however leave the city behind.

Several of the Dungeon Magazzine Eberron adventures are intrigue and investigation based - "Steel Shadows", "Fallen Angel" "Chimes at Midnight" - all have investigation based plots, and are set in Sharn. "Murder in Oakbridge" (Oakridge ?) is also an investigation but not set in Sharn (IIRC).

The mini adventure in the back of the Campaign setting is a dungeon (sewer) crawl as is the Dungeon Mag adventure "Queen with the Burning Eyes" although the latter still has a little bit of a twist in the plot.

If you are looking at at a city based campaign, you really can't go wrong with setting it in Sharn. The Sharn sourcebook has tons of ideas and most of the written adventures are set there.

Trevor
fiendish_platypus
03-04-07, 04:56 PM Hi all

...to use for a new game of AD&D and have...

Isn't that like second edition, if so they don't have any sourcebooks for that. And I think it would be pretty hard to do. I don't even think they have any published Eberron stuff for second edition.

Anyways, as for the books, there are some pretty good ones and I agree that The City of Towers is a good place to start.
Cazgal
03-04-07, 05:12 PM Bah you are quite right - take that typo "AD&D" to mean "D&D E3.5" ;)

Thanks for the advice so far - sounds like Sharn could be a good place to start.

((and as an aside if I removed the huge amount of amgic within the system would it affect the game too much ? We like a "not in your face" type of magic elememt .. but from what Ihave read Eberron is very, very magic orientated))

Thanks again :)
fiendish_platypus
03-04-07, 05:16 PM Eberron-Magic=some boring campaign setting... without magic, seriously, though, magic is one of the main parts of Eberron (at least in most campaigns... I think).
Bluebrush
03-04-07, 06:26 PM Eberron is built on the consideration of relatively easy access to magic.

While higher level spells (4th or above) are still rare and wondrous, people are relatively used to magic in day to day life, primarily as public works and services.

So basically, people aren't whipping meteor storms around in barroom brawls or using fireballs to light their pipes, but lesser magics kind of fade into the background for people who are used to it.
Dragom
03-04-07, 11:28 PM Sharm is built on a special zone where flight magic is more effective. Wizzing skycoachs and Floating city blocks and towers built in complete disregard for gravity are kind of the point. Kind of a Bladerunner kind of place.

But if you want tone it down you can. I would just recomend against it.
Cazgal
03-05-07, 06:58 AM Thx for the eplies and advice again - phew !

Was hoping that magic wasn't going to be to over the top in the setting - but must admit I love the idea of a "Bladerunner" style city in mediveal times .. and lots of low level magic to make things easier to do (rather than industy and mechanics).

Sounds great :)

Now just to go and buy the books now .......

Thx again all

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Cazgal 03-04-07, 04:36 PM	Hi all I have been reading around for a while for a new campaign world to use for a new game of AD&D and have come to the conclusion that Eberron sounds pretty damn good. Bit of advice thou please - is it worth buying and reading quite a few of the novels before I start DMing the games - will they help me DM and add depth to the games etc for the players ? The players are really after a city based adventure at first - to try and get away from the typical dungeon bash type adventures - is there any pre-written modules for this (in particular they enjoy Thieves Guild/politcal etc type of games - not too much of the inane hack and slash for no reason). Any help or suggestions would be great :) ((not DM'ed for about 10 years so - keep the suggestions coming !!!)
Moebius 03-04-07, 04:50 PM	for a novel, definitly start with City of Towers by Keith Baker (who created Eberron).
Shady314 03-04-07, 04:51 PM	Hi all I have been reading around for a while for a new campaign world to use for a new game of AD&D and have come to the conclusion that Eberron sounds pretty damn good. Bit of advice thou please - is it worth buying and reading quite a few of the novels before I start DMing the games - will they help me DM and add depth to the games etc for the players ? The players are really after a city based adventure at first - to try and get away from the typical dungeon bash type adventures - is there any pre-written modules for this (in particular they enjoy Thieves Guild/politcal etc type of games - not too much of the inane hack and slash for no reason). Any help or suggestions would be great :) ((not DM'ed for about 10 years so - keep the suggestions coming !!!) Nope you can easily skip the novels. Unlike in FR novels aren't canon. People may mention City of Towers since it's written by KB and is set in Sharn but it won't tell you anything about the city(that you wouldn't get from S:CoT) and they definitely don't help you DM. Obviously you should have the ECS though and if you want a city adventure look no further than the sourcebook Sharn: City of Towers. You will NOT be dissapointed with that! You'll probably come up with so much you won't want to use a pre-written module. But you should check these two out Dungeon #133 – "Chimes at Midnight" by Nicholas Logue Dungeon #115 – “Steel Shadows” by Keith Baker
trevg 03-04-07, 04:52 PM	Hi all I have been reading around for a while for a new campaign world to use for a new game of AD&D and have come to the conclusion that Eberron sounds pretty damn good. Bit of advice thou please - is it worth buying and reading quite a few of the novels before I start DMing the games - will they help me DM and add depth to the games etc for the players ? The players are really after a city based adventure at first - to try and get away from the typical dungeon bash type adventures - is there any pre-written modules for this (in particular they enjoy Thieves Guild/politcal etc type of games - not too much of the inane hack and slash for no reason). Any help or suggestions would be great :) ((not DM'ed for about 10 years so - keep the suggestions coming !!!) The novel "Sharn City of Towers" will give you a good feel for the flavour of the city, the other books in the trilogy however leave the city behind. Several of the Dungeon Magazzine Eberron adventures are intrigue and investigation based - "Steel Shadows", "Fallen Angel" "Chimes at Midnight" - all have investigation based plots, and are set in Sharn. "Murder in Oakbridge" (Oakridge ?) is also an investigation but not set in Sharn (IIRC). The mini adventure in the back of the Campaign setting is a dungeon (sewer) crawl as is the Dungeon Mag adventure "Queen with the Burning Eyes" although the latter still has a little bit of a twist in the plot. If you are looking at at a city based campaign, you really can't go wrong with setting it in Sharn. The Sharn sourcebook has tons of ideas and most of the written adventures are set there. Trevor
fiendish_platypus 03-04-07, 04:56 PM	Hi all ...to use for a new game of AD&D and have... Isn't that like second edition, if so they don't have any sourcebooks for that. And I think it would be pretty hard to do. I don't even think they have any published Eberron stuff for second edition. Anyways, as for the books, there are some pretty good ones and I agree that The City of Towers is a good place to start.
Cazgal 03-04-07, 05:12 PM	Bah you are quite right - take that typo "AD&D" to mean "D&D E3.5" ;) Thanks for the advice so far - sounds like Sharn could be a good place to start. ((and as an aside if I removed the huge amount of amgic within the system would it affect the game too much ? We like a "not in your face" type of magic elememt .. but from what Ihave read Eberron is very, very magic orientated)) Thanks again :)
fiendish_platypus 03-04-07, 05:16 PM	Eberron-Magic=some boring campaign setting... without magic, seriously, though, magic is one of the main parts of Eberron (at least in most campaigns... I think).
Bluebrush 03-04-07, 06:26 PM	Eberron is built on the consideration of relatively easy access to magic. While higher level spells (4th or above) are still rare and wondrous, people are relatively used to magic in day to day life, primarily as public works and services. So basically, people aren't whipping meteor storms around in barroom brawls or using fireballs to light their pipes, but lesser magics kind of fade into the background for people who are used to it.
Dragom 03-04-07, 11:28 PM	Sharm is built on a special zone where flight magic is more effective. Wizzing skycoachs and Floating city blocks and towers built in complete disregard for gravity are kind of the point. Kind of a Bladerunner kind of place. But if you want tone it down you can. I would just recomend against it.
Cazgal 03-05-07, 06:58 AM	Thx for the eplies and advice again - phew ! Was hoping that magic wasn't going to be to over the top in the setting - but must admit I love the idea of a "Bladerunner" style city in mediveal times .. and lots of low level magic to make things easier to do (rather than industy and mechanics). Sounds great :) Now just to go and buy the books now ....... Thx again all