Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JulesCARV 01-14-07, 03:53 PM	Just wondering: how serious a setting do you make Eberron? Do you involve a bit of comedy, absurdity, or just plain silliness in your games, or do you try to keep everything sort of dignified and engage with the premises of the setting seriously? Personally, I suppose I like it somewhere in the middle. I guess somewhere between Bas-Lag (China Miéville's setting for, most famously, Perdido Street Station) and Discworld (Terry Pratchett's setting for... well, you know). A bit of humor, and not too much darkness, but not really a lot of comedy either. So yeah... I suppose I put the tone of Eberron about halfway between Perdido Street Station and Discworld, for however helpful that comparison is.
Eled_the_Worm_Tamer 01-14-07, 04:07 PM	I take the vew that RL can hold some absurdity, thus so can Ebberon. (I had a Tavern in Sharn called the Verbing Noun recently) A little humour releves tension and lightens the mood, too much, just inst how we play in my group.
mhacdebhandia 01-14-07, 06:44 PM	Humour is always good at the gaming table, but I find it's more fun to make out-of-character jokes and comments than to try and weave outright comedy into the game itself. That said, characters will find themselves in funny situations, and then you have a duty to milk it for all it's worth. Like the time my cavalryman had to feign intoxication in order to distract some patrolling soldiers from an occupying force . . .
Alex_ 01-14-07, 06:46 PM	I'm a big fan of adventure and swashbuckling action. So although I take any setting somewhat seriously, I can never avoid the oppurtunity to make an "in character" joke or remark. I think every character should have some kind of quirk or interest/hobby/experience that you wouldn't associate with that character. I even like a bit of camp every now and again. It may have been very short, but one of my favorite Eberron campaigns involved an exalted Monk, a sheltered Paladin, Warforged, and a Talenta Plains Halflings. When we met in the tavern, everyone ordered water. One of our missions from our benefactors involved us investigating the murder of some prostitutes, we had to ask for clarification on what a "prostitute" was. So stuff like Pirates of the Carribean, Van Helsing, and the more recent version of the Mummy are sort of how I take Eberron. Character driven humor I guess you could say. One thing I hate more than anything are long disussions involving exposition with mysteriously cloaked figures or higher powers/authorities. For some reason I can't take them seriously.
Charles Phipps 01-14-07, 06:49 PM	Oddly, Eberron is the setting I take most seriously with the setting treated as the closest to reality in terms for how people live and die. Eberron is the place where people are people, the chief motivation to evil is greed or nationalism, the majority of plots are going to be individual advancement as opposed to giant armies of darkness, and the place is gloomy rather than bright and fantasy like because 100 years of war has left the entire continent in crazzap.
goblin_pride 01-15-07, 12:16 AM	Depends of my mood at the time, sometimes a session breaks down into a long string of running gags, but other times it's deathly serious.
taski 01-15-07, 01:20 AM	Unspeakable, with a twist of lime.
Salla 01-15-07, 01:15 PM	The setting is pretty serious, the stakes are high, but it's the nature of me and my players to smart off pretty frequently, so a little humor creeps in by default. It's like Spider-Man. You're fighting for your life, the world's on the line, you're battered, beaten, bloodied ... AND giving witty banter.
Nived 01-15-07, 03:12 PM	Generally my group takes it pretty seriously... One big exception was Rukus... a Warforged NPC based on Uncle Rukus from the Boondocks who was racist against other Warforged... What we just finished watching the Boondocks DVD before game... Kept joking about him chucking bricks at The Lord of Blades.
Mr.$mith 01-15-07, 04:11 PM	I guess we don't take the game TOO seriously, but then again one of our players is an older guy who constantly makes puns out of everything you say, and My character is a Cleric with the Pride and Luck domains who is totaly in love with him self. Lets just say our first mision was to guard a boat, and my guy got there while the crates were still being loaded so I had him offer to help, needless to say no one can get any work done when you drop a crate of Olive Oil on your self and your shirt desigengrates.
Seghan 01-16-07, 10:26 AM	I take it seriously for the most part, and I try to impart the film noir feeling or even as far as old gothic horror at times. But as has been mentioned, RL can have a great sense of humor, sometimes at the oddest times, and so does Eberron. I think that the unexpected and out of place comic relief can be the best, if done right.
DargonSwift 01-16-07, 10:50 AM	I like my Eberron to be more than a little dark and brooding. I like that there are no Chosen of Mystra or other powerful NPCs to come to the rescue. I play up the power, intrigue, and betrayal aspect of Eberron, and especially love the graying of alignments. I'm intrigued with Droaam and Darguun, and like the idea of putting adventurers into these nations. In my campaigns you learn not to trust anyone, including your own party members. How could you live in a world of shapeshifting demons, dragons, and changelings - not to mention magic, psionics, and possession - and not be a little bit paranoid.
cancerousmango 01-16-07, 11:20 PM	True. (http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8770/90026bb0.jpg)
Thindelock 01-17-07, 03:04 PM	I try to keep my Eberron game relatively serious without being grim. I give time for free-form RP among the party (campfire talk, basically) to let the players blow off some steam and nerves, especially after particularly heavy plot/encounter moments. I also have some NPCs (villains and allies alike) quip and make verbal jabs to keep things a bit more lively. My players prefer to think of Eberron as PULP/noir, and I tend to give players what they want while still staying true to the setting: more action, less intrigue, but both still present and well-blended. Most NPCs who appear to be loyal to the party will be, but NPC-to-NPC relations are less clear and that can have just as big an effect on the PCs without them feeling personally betrayed... villains betraying one another, an NPC ally being misdirected by his informant, etc etc. But high adventure need not be campy... at least most of the time.
Count Nerindil Van Seraph 01-17-07, 06:01 PM	Generally my group takes it pretty seriously... One big exception was Rukus... a Warforged NPC based on Uncle Rukus from the Boondocks who was racist against other Warforged... What we just finished watching the Boondocks DVD before game... Kept joking about him chucking bricks at The Lord of Blades. That is so awesome! Is one of his eyes bigger than the other? True. (http://boards1.wizards.com/leaving.php?destination=http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8770/90026bb0.jpg) This is, perhaps, the coolest thing ever. I lol'd. Oh, how I lol'd.
cancerousmango 01-17-07, 10:08 PM	Hell I should make a bunch of eberron forum pics, put them on imageshack, and have people use them.
Flack Jack 01-18-07, 12:34 AM	I try to keep it seroius and skimming on the dark for intigue sake. However I can't take dinosuars seriously. I especially can't take a tin man hangin around with a little dino rancher seriously. That's just me though.
Count Nerindil Van Seraph 01-18-07, 07:58 AM	Hell I should make a bunch of eberron forum pics, put them on imageshack, and have people use them. Yes. Yes you should!
Alex_ 01-18-07, 09:36 AM	I try to keep it seroius and skimming on the dark for intigue sake. However I can't take dinosuars seriously . What about magical winged flying dinosaurs that shoot lightning and fire out of their mouths, are as smart as people, and can change shape and interbreed with them?
cancerousmango 01-18-07, 10:27 AM	What about magical winged flying dinosaurs that shoot lightning and fire out of their mouths, are as smart as people, and can change shape and interbreed with them? Dragons are hardcore. Even faerie dragons, who like apple pie. (http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/707/dragonfaglh1.jpg)
Flack Jack 01-18-07, 11:09 PM	What about magical winged flying dinosaurs that shoot lightning and fire out of their mouths, are as smart as people, and can change shape and interbreed with them? Maybe. But they have to do all of those things, and especially the last thing. In all seriousness I'm fine for them being in Xen' drik, Argonessen, and Sarlona (stay tuned). The fact such a wide ecosystem of thunder lizards lives quarentined in Halfling land with little effect on the middle age society on the whole is what I can't take seriously. It is not my intention to start a flame war and if there are dragon shard articles dragon magazine, or otherwise concerning dinosaurs I am oblivious to them. Nice pixie dragon by the way
Alex_ 01-19-07, 03:28 PM	The fact such a wide ecosystem of thunder lizards lives quarentined in Halfling land with little effect on the middle age society on the whole is what I can't take seriously. They aren't quarentined so much as more common on the Talenta Plains. They were more prevelant throughout Khorvaire, but apparently the Talenta Plains is the last place they can be found in decent numbers. Which isn't THAT odd. There are plenty of animals that have historically isolated themselves to a particular geographic area, especially when you take hunting and expansion of civilizations into account. This is especially true of larger animals like horses, bovines, and elephants. Dinosaurs are to the Halflings as the Bison is to Native Americans or whales are to Inuit. They're an endagered species (on Khorvaire at least) only found in a small area, and the only people who have regular access to them or are allowed to hunt them are the native tribal people who have traditionally done so for hundreds/thousands of years. Most dinosaurs on the Talenta plains aren't that big either. The big ones are also quite rare compared to smaller ones. Most dinosaurs in reality weren't that big, with the average sized dinosaur was about the size of a pony. So they shouldn't have a much greater affect on the people than stuff like Dire bears, Bulletes, Grey Renders, Ogres, and all the other large and dangerous creatures that ravage the average DnD community.
rudie 01-19-07, 03:42 PM	Actually, my group takes eberron very seriously. We just started not to long ago, but have been playing dnd for a while. We sit at the table in a generic world and make jokes, steal pants off of nobels etc. but when we bust out the eberron book we become serious roleplayers but we still like to make our old jokes and have fun with it (ie. my druid's 'owl of legacy'). Something about eberron just makes you want to emerse yourself in it.
Flack Jack 01-19-07, 05:55 PM	I think its because Eberron really makes a DM ask himself why. Why would a half red dragon orc thingy just come out of the mountains one day and ransack a village? Well it doesn't just happen. Some ones behind it shacking hands with some one else. One must really consider their freinds and their enemies in the big web of economic dynasties and conspiracies.
Flack Jack 01-19-07, 06:05 PM	Most dinosaurs on the Talenta plains aren't that big either. The big ones are also quite rare compared to smaller ones. Most dinosaurs in reality weren't that big, with the average sized dinosaur was about the size of a pony. So they shouldn't have a much greater affect on the people than stuff like Dire bears, Bulletes, Grey Renders, Ogres, and all the other large and dangerous creatures that ravage the average DnD community. A very valid arguement. My major concern was for all those T-Rex's. The Talents Plains can't hold em all! Please don't argue that it can.
Ravenscroft 01-19-07, 06:24 PM	Well , if we can't take an unbalanced ecology seriously , what about where all the Gold comes from? How many working Gold Mines do we know of in Eberron? What amount of Gold is produced by them each year? If we worked out all the coinage in circulation (and tied up in Hordes and suchlike) , my guess would be , even allowing for thousands of years of mining , that the amount of coins alone (not counting gems) is greater than the physical amount of metal that could be mined. Anyway , Dinosaurs are just too much damn fun to leave out. :D
Alex_ 01-19-07, 06:56 PM	A very valid arguement. My major concern was for all those T-Rex's. The Talents Plains can't hold em all! Please don't argue that it can. All what T-rexes? From what we've seen, there's been nothing to suggest there are any T-rexes in the Talenta Plains. The only dinosaurs and commonly associated animals we know for certain live there are clawfoots, carvers, fastieths, glidewings, and soarwings. Although the glidewings/soarwings have large wingspans, in terms of body size, none of the dinosaur or "dinosaur-like" animals on the Talenta plains are much bigger than an adult human. From what we've seen, the Tribex would be the largest animal currently found on the Talenta Plains, and it's not even a dinosaur. The ECS suggests that larger dinosaurs are more common in Xendrik and Argonessen. The Explorer's guide describes elephant sized dinosaurs as being the high end of the spectrum on the Talenta Plains. So there doesn't seem to be anything that suggests there are any T-Rexes on the Talenta Plains, let alone too many for the ecosystem to handle. Not many dinosaurs really got that big anyway. T-rex was among the largest of known carnivorous dinosaurs and only existed for a couple of million years out of the hundreds of millions of years dinosaurs are believed to have existed. It was the exception in terms of size. Not the rule.
Nived 01-19-07, 07:51 PM	You know originally I was going to make a post pointing out that a t-rex ruins your ecosystems believablility when there are so many other apex predators out there on Khorvaire. So I took out my monstermanual and looked for stuff that could meet or beat the baseline HD or CR of the T-Rex on Khorvaire. I must admit there weren't as many as I thought. The T-Rex has 18 HD and is CR 8. This beats bulette, chimera, manticore, displacer beast, dire bear, dire lion, and wyvern I was surprised to see that the triceritops has a higher CR than a T-Rex... but that's beisde the point. Things that can meet or beat either the CR or the HD of a T-Rex and be considered an Apex predator, and be found on Khorvaire is pretty slim. Also I imposed the restrictions that it could not be an extraplanar, outsider, aberration, or undead since those are unnatural. I eliminated Behir, because what little fluff there is on them suggests an antagonistic territorial relationship with Dragons, which in Eberron suggests Argonnessen. I eliminated the pack lord Displacer Beast, because its advanced, and while there is material placing the beasts in Khorvaire (The Binding Stone), there is also material placing them in Xen'drik (dreaming dark secrets of Xen'drik. So we'll place this extraordinary displacer beast in Xen'drik. I eliminated the Grey Render, because while I believe it could be found in the Eldeen Reaches I also believe it cannot fill the apex predator role due to its protective nature. I eliminated the Frost Worm... because it would be in frostfell, not Khorvaire. I eliminated the Remorhaz for similar reasons as the frost worm. I elimnated hydra... because all the variations give me a headache and I'd rather not take them into account. What does that leave us? A few things actually. Dire Tiger: HD 16, CR 8 Less HD, but equal CR, likely apex predator of the Eldeen Reaches western Khorvaire which would put it outside the T-Rexes range but fill the same niche. Purple Worm: HD 16 CR 12. Less HD higher CR. This could be an apex predator wherever it wants to be. Nothing in the literature to say its in Khorvaire, but by the same token nothing says it doesn't. Roc: HD 18 CR 9 equal HD and higher CR. This is one of the few things that clearly matches and exceeds the T-Rex but could still be in Khorvaire. Probably in the northern mountainous regions of Khorvaire. Clearly a different kind of predator but an apex predator none the less. Yrthak: HD 12 CR 9 less HD higher CR. The oft forgotten Yrthak. I believe (though I could be wrong) that I read about something that put these sightless, sonic, flying, magical beasts in the mountains around Q'Barra but I can't be sure. Another example of a high end apex predator and probably the only thing that can fight a Roc for the niche of flying apex predator. MAYBE Gorgon: HD 8 CR 8. Honestly gorgons never made sense to me. Are they even a predator? They're really dangerous... I don't know... they turn things to stone and have metal skin... but they're a magical beast and House Cannith's seal makes me think they exist on Khorvaire... but I dunno. So a T-Rex is a big badass, but not the only one on the block. As far as Apex Predators go we have Dire Tigers in the western wilds, t-rexes in the eastern, with rocs and yrthaks taking up the mountainous regions. Most of these things have apatites big enough that they wont even bother with humans... probably hunting nothing less than cow sized. Other things from my honorable mention list (Bulettes, chimera, displacer beasts, etc) fill in the food chain on down. Now what was my point with all this? I've in my life encountered bears, which could easily eat and kill me... they are the top of the food chain (biggest land predators in our world)... but they're the ones that were on the brink of extinction... not us... and we seem to be living in some sort of harmony now. There aren't a lot of them... but we manage. So my point is this fantasy ecosystem, with in its own context can make a sort of sense. Maybe not perfect sense, but its not game ruining to have a small population of t-rexes in the Talenta Plains.
DragoonDarkfire 01-19-07, 08:01 PM	Let's not forget that Dragon's killed almost all preditory dinosaurs on Argronessen. We also know there's a dragon in Qbarra where most T-rexes and other large predatroy dinosaurs livein Khorvaire (most don't go into talenta plains) so I would assume that there aren't many.
Nived 01-19-07, 08:21 PM	You know I guess you can take my previous little essay post as how seriously I can take Eberron. I like my worlds to make sense. Also I like things to fit in the context of the world... however like in real life some things are just too odd for words. I like to travel in real life, I've been taking road trips as long as I can remember with my family and later solo trips across this great country... the things that stick in my mind are often the off beat sometimes funny things, the odd characters I've met on the road. To me the phrase "Truth is stranger than fiction" has held true, so occationally I insert an off beat NPC. Like a recurring House Orien character based on an old truck driver I used to know, he always told the wildest stories. He's no big hinge of the plot but whenever the PCs have to deal with House O he's the one they get, be it a caravan driver, a lightning rail, or teleport. Its fun, its refreshing, and it gets the PCs involved. *edit I almost forgot why I came to post again. Five Nations, Karrnath section. Karrnathi Bulette 9 HD CR 8... so there is 'proof' CR 8 predators are running 'round Khorvaire, and even near the Talenta Plains.
goblin_pride 01-19-07, 08:45 PM	*edit I almost forgot why I came to post again. Five Nations, Karrnath section. Karrnathi Bulette 9 HD CR 8... so there is 'proof' CR 8 predators are running 'round Khorvaire, and even near the Talenta Plains. Yep, just north of Talenta. And for the less astute out there, animals tend not to pay attention to political borders, but those natural borders can present problems.
Flack Jack 01-19-07, 09:48 PM	All what T-rexes? It was mostly sarcasm. I hear the forum's sarcasm-ometer is broken. I forgot that the dragons had dealt with many a rex in their day. But I didn't suspect that their would be a bunch of T Rex or Branchiasaurus in Talenta.