Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Charles Phipps 10-29-07, 02:46 PM	So, what did you think of this book. I thought it the best of all Eberron products thus far.
Toloran 10-29-07, 04:41 PM	It was good but I really wish it was a "Nations of Eberron" rather then just 5 of them =\
RedRider 10-29-07, 05:01 PM	I thought it was okay, but: 1: Not enough on Cyre. I mean, great we've got this blasted wound in the heart of Galifar, but what was Cyre actually like? 2: Sub-sections were too different. It's neat we get some small character options for Brelish Characters, but where were they for the rest of the nations? Also I'd have liked to see "Five things every Thrane knows" instead of tenents of The Silver Flame. 3: Where I contratict myself. I felt some of the nations were a bit... samey somehow. While it's true Galifar's unifying influence will still be strong, I'd hoped the character of each nation's citizens would be more distinct.
Burch 10-29-07, 06:54 PM	The Aundair chapter does a lot of violence to the Campaign Setting. In this chapter we have -A Jorasco cleric who raises dead on command. Worse, the intro paragraph more-or-less states the commonness of such a transaction. Textually, this is a pretty big oversight considering Eberron de-emphasis on the revolving-door afterlife and also a high level PC class NPC that isn't very important to the underlying fabric of the setting. -The power level on Arcanix is way too high. Some of the random effects are cool, but they spposedly have double digit level wizards just roaming the hall, another violation of Eberron's de-emphasis on high-level NPCs. -There are numerous inconsistencies between the NPCs making up the triumvirate in the book and how they are described in ECS. Everything from class levels to alignment is out of whack here at some point, much to my confusion. -Despite the whole taboo on inter-house relations, this chapter introduces a Cannith Baroness who is having a relationship with a Orien heir. Ordinarily this would be forgivable, but since the entry does not mention the taboo at all nor the risk of an aberrant mark, I conclude it to be written without mind to established setting material on the subject. Also note that this has been the cause of several retcons mentioned in Dragonmarked, first stating that the affair was illicit and then softening the issue by establishing that houses now permit inter-house relations so long as the children are given up. Doesn't make a whole lot f sense when you think about it. -This isn't in the Aundair chapter, but this book also maps out Arcanix as being Thrane territory prior to the Last War. While not an error, it does seem to take the wind out of Aundair's sails as the "arcane" country. I mean, come on, they've only had the academy for 100 years. What's more, this bit of history is curiously glossed over by Forge of War, which fails to mention much, if any, of Arcanix's fall and how the mages felt about being acquired (I'm actually not sure about this so if anybody can find differently, please let me know). That's all I can remember without having the book in front me. There may be more.
Edymnion 10-30-07, 08:49 AM	Yeah, it was an incredible useful book, but the layout had serious issues. I would have much preferred it if all the nations had the same layouts and the same sub-sections. Neat stuff like regional adjustments only show up for Sharn dwellers, we don't get common names for all nations, it would just have been nice if it didn't read like each nation was written by someone with no contact what-so-ever with the other writers. The issue with the resurrection stuff is pretty bad, but lets remember the Alter of Resurrection is actually in the ECS itself, so its not totally out of the blue. Fluff wise, one of the best out there, but the various issues drags it down, IMO.
Burch 10-30-07, 07:58 PM	I'm not going to harp on additional inconsistancies, because my copy is on loan and I don't want to put my foot in my mouth, but I also felt that the Mournland wasn't presented as being very scary. Overall, the chapter felt like the country was a deserted wasteland, not a super-dangerous meat grinder saturated with corrupted magic. That was disappointing.
Charles Phipps 10-30-07, 08:01 PM	I thought that it was mostly wasteland. If it was a huge monsterfest, they'd be pouring into the other nations.
Burch 10-30-07, 08:58 PM	I thought that it was mostly wasteland. If it was a huge monsterfest, they'd be pouring into the other nations. In part, they do. ECS mentions that the Talenta Plains and Breland have regular problems with the borders they share with the Mournland, and Karrlakton(?) also gets the occasional horror come its way from the sound. However, I emphasize that my critique on that is really a style thing. The other stuff I mentioned before were real errors that damage the book's ability to lie up to it's premise.
Edymnion 10-30-07, 10:59 PM	Yeah, the boardering nations keep patrols along the mournlands precisely because critters do wander out, but they generally stay inside.
Zacnaffien82 01-23-08, 10:07 AM	Do you know if there's an errata for Five Nations?
Nived 01-24-08, 02:36 AM	I liked five nations a lot, a campaign I ran a Karrnathi campaign based out of Rekkenmark once and it is probably the Eberron book I've seen the most use out of (besides the ECS). Solid book with a lot of good information.
Ashlock 01-24-08, 02:48 PM	It was good but I really wish it was a "Nations of Eberron" rather then just 5 of them =\I disagree! That would have shortened the already too-short Five Nations chapters. It'd be better to see a separate sourcebook for the remaining lands of Khorvaire. Maybe we'll get something like that in 4th Edition.