Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DBlizzard 08-19-05, 05:33 AM	GamingReport.com has posted a summary of the "Secrets of Eberron" panel. Some tidbits: Two products are mentioned for the first third of next year: Players Guide to Eberron and Voyage of the Golden Dragon (a low level standalone adventure). Hints of a Xen'drik sourcebook. A Dragon's Fire anthology (R.A. Salvatore, Keith Baker, Margeret Weiss and Tracy Hickman are mentioned) Apparently some criticism is made of recent products in the later Q&A session. One comment was made about who has final say and Ed Stark said something like "there is a group and it's me."
Kid SixXx 08-19-05, 06:44 AM	1. Two products are mentioned for the first third of next year: Players Guide to Eberron and Voyage of the Golden Dragon (a low level standalone adventure). 2. Hints of a Xen'drik sourcebook. 3. A Dragon's Fire anthology (R.A. Salvatore, Keith Baker, Margeret Weiss and Tracy Hickman are mentioned) 1. Sounds good. PGtE will be a good oppty to put official eratta under one umbrella, and I'm always happy to see new adventure modules. 2. If the Xen'Drik book is as engrossing as the Sharn book, then it is guaranteed bought. Hopefully the book will not go too terribly into specifics, as I thought the whole point of Xen'Drik, from a mechanical perspective, was to serve as the DM's playground. 3. 2 requests: please allow Sal to pen all of the fight scenes, and do not allow him to name any of the dwarves. :D RAS has a wonderful talent for translating literary combat into a nearly visual experience, but I am not looking forward to seeing a character named "Dagnabit d'Kundarak." :weep:
jpwyrm 08-19-05, 07:19 AM	RAS has a wonderful talent for translating literary combat into a nearly visual experience, but I am not looking forward to seeing a character named "Dagnabit d'Kundarak." :weep: SPEAR!!! Quite true unfortunately. Personally, if all those writers truly join to work on a Eberron serie, I think it's gonna kick some ass. Here's my impression on the other news: Two products are mentioned for the first third of next year: Players Guide to Eberron and Voyage of the Golden Dragon (a low level standalone adventure). Excellent! Even more stuff to make Eberron truly alive in my games. Hints of a Xen'drik sourcebook. :drool:
Splendide 08-19-05, 07:48 AM	I just hope that the Player's Guide is written by writers that are actual Eberron players, not just whichever freelancers are free at the time.
Chaotix42 08-19-05, 08:46 AM	Hints of a Xen'drik sourcebook. YES. OH. YES. A Dragon's Fire anthology (R.A. Salvatore, Keith Baker, Margeret Weiss and Tracy Hickman are mentioned) Wow, that's amazing as well. I've been enjoying the Eberron novels as of late (Binding Stone ruled), and I can't wait to see what some of the "greats" can whip up in my favorite setting. Great news, and thanks for the post, DBlizzard! I just hope that the Player's Guide is written by writers that are actual Eberron players, not just whichever freelancers are free at the time. A quick check at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786939125/qid=1124455362/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8682420-8677719?v=glance&s=books) reveals that Keith Baker is indeed on the list of authors. And who better to write an Eberron book than the genius creator himself?
polt 08-19-05, 08:48 AM	IIRC the Player's Guide to Eberron is supposed to be the ECS lite.
Sharn Inquisitor 08-19-05, 08:57 AM	I personally want something that details Riedra and Adar.
ChronosCrow 08-19-05, 04:04 PM	I personally want something that details Riedra and Adar. I'm in the same basket of thought too. Though it looks like we'll have to wait even longer for that book to come out. I think they put it low in the priority list b/c Sarloan is "optional" though from what I hear most Eberron fans are psionics fans too and there's a large portion of Ebby's that want a Sarlona sourcebook. Perosnally I want that book before the Xen'drik one myself.
Obscure 08-19-05, 05:58 PM	Dragon's Fire is not an Eberron book, rather it's an anthology of novellas, each set in a different world, i.e., Salvatore will contibute a Forgotten Realms novella, Weis and Hickman will do a Dragonlance one, and Keith Baker will contribute the lone Eberron story. So the book will have maybe 20% Eberron content. I believe the theme that ties the compilation together is dragons -- all the stories will centre on or deal with dragons.
Obscure 08-19-05, 06:07 PM	Does WotC know that the title "Dragon's Fire" has already been used (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/141995167X/qid=1124488957/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4599264-8955361?v=glance&s=books)?
Rechan 08-19-05, 06:10 PM	I believe that books are allowed to have the same name. Same with movies. You can IMBD several movie titles and you get the same title for vastly diff movies.
Realmsrat 08-19-05, 06:33 PM	Isn't it, A Dragon's fire? That changes it enough I think for it to be alright.
The Fireballed Mage 08-19-05, 07:19 PM	Two products are mentioned for the first third of next year: Players Guide to Eberron and Voyage of the Golden Dragon (a low level standalone adventure). Expressing the view of many that either the writer know A LOT about Eberron, or else the editor be given LOTS of time to correct falicies. Hints of a Xen'drik sourcebook. Bah. I'd be more interested in the other Khorvaire nations before anything on Xen'drik. The Hidden Continent is my playground, I fill it with whatever I want. I am more interested in seeing how Doraam runs, or the politics of the the Goblin Kingdom. Give me the mysteries of the Eldeen Reaches, or a vault to plunder in the Mror Holds. I will decide what Xen'drik looks like. A Dragon's Fire anthology (R.A. Salvatore, Keith Baker, Margeret Weiss and Tracy Hickman are mentioned) An anthology sounds likely. Frankly whenever a new novel series is hinted at the BIG NAMES accompany it. Drums up more interest than: "A novel by Joe McNobody."
Taigis 08-19-05, 08:33 PM	I believe that books are allowed to have the same name. Same with movies. You can IMBD several movie titles and you get the same title for vastly diff movies. I'm fairly certain books are allowed to have the same name. There are several books all titled Dragon Fire (I know the WotC one is Dragon's Fire; I was looking for an example to use). Carol McClelland, Paul Reilly, Wallace Collins, and Linda Ladd all have books called Dragon Fire (and they all were published 1998-2001). And those are the ones that aren't even subtitled. Taigis
Medesha 08-19-05, 10:50 PM	You cannot copyright titles, and yes, the anthology deals with 4 different settings handled by different writers (Keith Baker is, of course, contributing the Eberron story). The best thing about the seminar, I thought, was that the panelists (Chris Perkins, Bill Slaviseck, Keith Baker, Matt Forbeck, and a few others) polled the audience - informally - several times about what they'd like to see and what WotC should focus on next. The ones everyone, staff included, seemed most enthusiastic about were: 1. Dragonmark book all about the different houses, histories, relationships, etc. 2. Sarlonna book. 3. "Last War" book about how to run a campaign set during the Last War and a bunch of history about how that happened. 4. Some sort of high level module or massive adventure. Keith Baker seemed enthusiastic about the high level module and said, "Eberron isn't a low-level setting, it's a setting where the players are the heroes. As they get more powerful, they'll need more powerful challenges." I paraphrase, but that was the gist. Ideas they claimed were unlikely to see the light of day: Monsters of Eberron, anything detailing what exactly happened on the Day of Mourning.
DBlizzard 08-20-05, 02:13 PM	Excellent! Even more stuff to make Eberron truly alive in my games. The nice thing about the Voyage of the Golden Dragon is they imply that it's give the possibility of a moving headquarters for the PCs for future adventures. Sounds like the Golden Dragon is likely an airship or ship that the PCs could end up with.
Psymnotica 08-20-05, 06:05 PM	Sounds like the Golden Dragon is likely an airship or ship that the PCs could end up with. Hmm, I actually thought it sounded more like the Argonth (the mobile fortress that was conveniently ignored in 5N) than an airship. Who knows? I guess we will just have to wait and see. :)
Bluebrush 08-20-05, 06:20 PM	Maybe a Mini Argonth? Brleand gets a flying fortress-city, the PCs get a levitating bungalow.
Psymnotica 08-20-05, 06:24 PM	So long as that bungalow isn't Baba Yaga's dancing hut!
DBlizzard 08-20-05, 08:55 PM	Some more information from the D&D seminar (details at http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=18299&mode=thread&order=0 ). Eberron: Players Guide to Eberron: players ultimate gazeteer to the world of Eberron - two page spreads with information on each spread about a particular topic. For instance if you are a character from the Shadow Marches, there's information in the guide for your character background and things you can do that others can't. It's 100% player friendly. Voyage Of the Golden Dragon: next Eberron adventure - centers around a collossal elemental airship that's now a symbol of peace and certain individuals efforts to remove that. It's our "Titanic". Unless the players really screw things up, they won't blow up the ship. We wanted to give you a mobile base of operations that the characters can launch from and come back to in their exploration of the world - full maps and deck plans. Dungeons & Dragons Online being produced by Turbine (Atari license) is going to be released early next year. Storm Reach: set in Eberron, we have opportunity to expand beyond that. We've been working hard to make sure this is a true D&D experience in an online game. They'll be setting up beta testers soon. We don't have druid or monk for launch (animations for transforming into different creatures and movements for monk fighting not done), but have most of the other classes in the launch version. We're really excited about this, very party driven, adventure and story based, about playing D&D characters.
Joni-san 08-20-05, 09:12 PM	So long as that bungalow isn't Baba Yaga's dancing hut! Hmmmm... Baba Yaga's tapdancing hut... :D The Voyage of the Golden Dragon sounds interesting.
Psymnotica 08-21-05, 02:34 AM	Hmmmm... Baba Yaga's tapdancing hut... Better than doing the limbo... or heaven forbid, Baba Yaga's Salsa dancing hut! <shudder> I think I just gave myself an aneurism visualizing that chicken legged shack gyrating its non-existant hips in a sensual manner. <shudder> I'm going to shut up now. :)
Hellcow 08-21-05, 08:57 PM	I will decide what Xen'drik looks like. The goal of Xen'drik from day one has been to make it a realm of mystery. A place where anything can be found. Just as we won't reveal the source of the Mourning, we're never (IMO) going to give you a map of Xen'drik that spells out the exact shape of things in such detail that you have no room for your own material. But with that said, Xen'drik plays a major role in the history of Eberron. It is the original homeland of the elves. It has been the site of major battles between dragon and demon, and the threshold of a quori invasion. It's one of the main sources of Siberys dragonshards, and of magics that can't be replicated in the modern age... including, perhaps, the keys Cannith used to create the first creation forges. These are things that do affect the entire world. Future material on Xen'drik will be designed to expand and provide options, not to limit them. To offer places that COULD be found in Xen'drik without forcing you to use them. One example of this is the Ring of Storms, presented in Dungeon Magazine. it presents the idea of a location and a culture with ties to Xen'drik's past. At the same time, it is one tiny spot on the map - and don't forget, Xen'drik is larger than Khorvaire. Don't like it? Then never have your party stumble across it and all is good. If you're filled with ideas for ruins and ancient cultures, good for you, and you may not need any help from us. But things like the Ring of Storms, and whatever material might be presented in the future, allow us to share ideas of interesting things that could be found there, to expand on our vision of the past, to present new forms of magic that could have an impact on Khorvaire, and to look at Stormreach and the influence and interest various powers have in the continent. Some people may not want this sort of thing, but I think others will find it useful and interesting - and if you don't want it, it won't kill your campaign to ignore it. And as one of the people who worked on it, I certainly wouldn't describe the Player's Guide to Eberron as "ECS Lite". It's more like an encyclopedia that includes both flavor and a scattering of rules items, providing you with insight into all aspects of the world: religions, races, nations, and more.
Tanvalis 08-21-05, 09:23 PM	Still waiting for them to announce the NEW NATIONS! A look at how all then NON-Five nations of Khorvaire run things and thier thoughts and opionions about the last war.
Rechan 08-22-05, 01:47 AM	I says it once and I says it again: Hellcow, I am so glad you read the forums.
Tek 08-22-05, 03:01 AM	So are WoTC, otherwise who else would have defended this book so valiantly! I'm looking forward to both books.
Ravenscroft 08-22-05, 07:29 AM	Call me a Khorvairan Otaku , but i will buy pretty much anything that comes out with Eberron in the title (Except possibly packets of Deluxe Character Sheets). Im getting Eberron DM screens as presents for 02 fellow DMs. I find so much that Inspires Stories in all the Eberron product i have seen to date.
anarco_rata 08-22-05, 10:01 AM	You guys think that the dragonshards info will be included in the player's guide? i would think so since Keith worked on it. Also: I heard there's a FR book coming dealing with the gaining of pollitical power in the world, be it religious or whatever, as i read that, i coulnd't stop thinking: hey, this would be great for eberron! so i'll check that book out to see if there's something eberron-worthy.
MBuckalew 08-23-05, 04:14 PM	One comment was made about who has final say and Ed Stark said something like "there is a group and it's me." I'm pretty sure that the guy who was running the seminar and is quoted as 'Ed Stark' was actually Bill Slavicsek. The things I do remember about the seminar (which took place on day 1 of 4 days of round-the-clock gaming - so memories are somewhat fuzzy) that struck me as interesting: - Player's Guide will be trying a new layout with all of the info on a specific topic covered in a two page spread - open the book and there it is, no need to thumb back and forth. - The Xen'drik book is not going to be about filling in the details of Xen'drik, it will be about creating launching points for characters to experience the Xen'drik that their DM has created. - WotC has seen the demand for more published adventures and is working in that direction. The Eberron supermodule idea came up and questions were asked about level, continuity with the other modules etc. The attendees were enthusiastic regarding adventures, but mixed about the details. - Very exciting is that R&D is working with the production/operations people on coming up with some sort of box set type thing for adventures. It looks like everyone wants it to happen, it's just a matter of logistics. - Hellcow's pronunciation of 'Cannith' threw me for a loop - it was something like "kuh-NEETH".
Medesha 08-23-05, 05:33 PM	Yes, it was Bill Slavicsek.