Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shiny_Dragon 10-14-05, 07:40 AM	Hi All, Im thinking of purchasing the Eberron campaign setting at some point fairly soonish (probably after next pay day!). But before I part with my hard earned cash I was wondering if those of you who have already played it could let me know whats good/bad etc about it. How does it compare to FR or Greyhawk for example? From what I have seen of it it looks sort of Final Fantasy-esque with the Warforged and the whole magi-tech thing going on (not that this is a bad thing as I quite like FF). Does anyone know of any independent and reliable reviews of the setting etc?
Ricohard_Draconis 10-14-05, 07:49 AM	well the most important differences are the following (at least in my opinion) -Wide rather than high magic- less high leveled casters but low level magic is engrained in the setting: prestidigitation wash houses, magical street lighting, etc. -YOU are the Heros- unlike other settings there are very few high level npc's and most of them are the heads of the various evil organisations. -Gods are believed in- the gods of eberron don't wander the prime plane and so belief is something much more personal and up to debate and corruption- not also that cleric allignments are relaxed. -Low leveled but high powered- though the setting seems best geared towards low leveled parties there are many forces powerful enough to face even epic level PC's
cmanos 10-14-05, 08:59 AM	Personally I think Eberron kicks rocks. You have all the elements of pulp and film noir along with high political intrigue, world-spanning schemes, high-adventure, without uber high NPC's, gods walking the earth or whatnot. There is a little bit of everything in Eberron. There is also plenty that is left vague for the DM to fill in. Gotta love a setting where certain things will NEVER be said how it happened or what it is.
Jagermeister 10-14-05, 09:03 AM	I think the best thing you can do rather than depend on someone else's opinion is just to go and form your own. Go flip through the campaign book, and if you have time definitely take a look at Sharn: City of Towers, Five Nations, and Magic of Eberron. If you aren't sold by perusing those sourcebooks, it might just not be your cup of tea. You could also check out the online articles for the setting(Dragonshards, Eberron Expanded, etc.).
Rake 10-14-05, 09:38 AM	Low leveled but high powered- though the setting seems best geared towards low leveled parties there are many forces powerful enough to face even epic level PC's It'd be more accurate to say, I think, that Eberron has, perhaps, more epic-level threats than an ordinary setting, but with motivations, restrictions, and checks-and-balances keeping them in place. It's also not exactly true that the high level NPCs are all baddies... after all there is a continent of dragons looking out for the literal well being of "their" physical world, the planet created by their divine ancestors of myth. It's more accurate to say that the powers that be in Eberron aren't the heroes. Intentions and motivations can be blurry in Eberron. As stated above, the PCs are the heroes. And it's actually not all that comparable to any Final Fantasy of late. Maybe to FFIII (or whichever number you'd like to assign to that one with Locke and Terra). More similar, actually, to China Mieville's stuff.
Thwyvylyn 10-14-05, 10:36 AM	Magic is also far more pervasive in Eberron. It can be used to do almost everything on a day to day basis if you can afford it. Also rezzes are uncommon and generally taboo by most of the major religions but there is always that occasional corrupt priest. It's rare for NPCs to have much if any in the way of PC classes. A temple leader will likely be either an Adept or an Expert with Knowledge: Religion rather than a Cleric.
DragonWatcher 10-14-05, 10:54 AM	I would have to say that Eberron is the most well-written setting that I have ever read for an RPG (and I'm not just limiting that to d20 material). Every component of the setting is well thought out, and has a "natural" place in the world. I've played in Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms, and never really had any feel for where certain creatures could be found, but after reading through the ECS, I knew where I could find nearly every creature in the Monster Manual (whether it was expressly written into the book or not). Many people really seem to think that Eberron has changed the way that Alignments work, but for the most part, I think that's untrue. Sure, the restrictions on alignment by race have been relaxed. So now you can find Lawful Good orcs, or Chaotic Evil gold dragons in the setting. However, class alignment requirements remain the same. For me, though, Eberron is the first setting that really does alignment justice. It's the first setting that made me understand that an Evil alignment doesn't have to mean thoughtless murder and plunder. An evil character can fight for what's right... they would just use different methods than a good character would. Sure magic is more prevalent, and indeed, replaces technology, but it's not all powerful. Eberron is not technologically advanced, warforged are not robots, there are no guns, heck even airships are just boats that fly... there's no reference to aerodynamics or physics for how these things work. It's all magic, baby! Magic in the setting is somewhat limited, however, by a general lack of high-level spellcasters. Sure, there are some out there, but for the most part, NPCs are generally under 12th level. That means that higher level magic is rare, and it's up to the players to help fill in that gap. Honestly, I would rate Eberron as the best setting that I have ever read, or run in. My current group is loving the setting too, and that's not really an easy task. However, it is something that you will have to decide for yourself, as preferences do vary. I would recommend flipping through, and I'm sure that you'll find it worth buying. :)
Raziel_Brokodar 10-14-05, 11:49 AM	To sum up... Eberron kicks everything else in the teeth... You are the heroes vs. lv 20 guys are the heroes Wayne Reynolds vs. Todd Lockwood In depth plot vs. What part of the realms would we like to visit today... New vs. Old etc.... :D
DoveArrow 10-14-05, 11:54 AM	Sean K. Reynolds did a chapter-by-chapter review of Eberron that might be useful to you: http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/opinions/review-eberron.html
Shiny_Dragon 10-17-05, 07:41 AM	Thanks all, from what I read in that review it looks very good. I think I will be buying the Eberron setting soon!
a_psh 10-17-05, 10:48 AM	Wayne Reynolds vs. Todd Lockwood Actually, this is where I think it falls down a bit... the spreads in the books are very pretty and dynamic, but tend to sometimes have slightly misshapen characters and, particularly, hideous bug-eyed changelings. I'd have to say that I still prefer Lockwood's MM illustrations over that, to be honest. Now, it's not that Eberron has bad art, mind: it's just that a lot of Eberron's art is so stylized or focused on movement that it doesn't really work unless you've already been exposed to the clearer and more static images of the same creatures (e.g. beholders) in the core books.
anarco_rata 10-17-05, 10:56 AM	Thanks all, from what I read in that review it looks very good. I think I will be buying the Eberron setting soon! welcome to eberron. Once you're in, there's no leaving. we're like the mafia.