What books would you recommend me to pick up to get a good feel for the setting (novel or otherwise, I have the Campaign Setting already)?
This setting is quite different from any i have used for campaigns in the past and i am loving what i have seen so far in the CS. I got so sick of the Realms and this looked like a great setting to take my game group into for a nice change of pace but i am so lost as to where to start. The CS is great for the basics but the world seems so rick and has a great history i am confused as to how to introduce my gamers to the setting.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
The main decision to make is to decide what sort of campaign you want to happen (seems like pretty much anything can happen in Eberron
), and then buy books on the areas/groups your players are likely to run into during the campaign.There are a lot of good Eberron Novels, and there is a lot of non-Eberron material we cold point at for the 'feel' of Eberron's pulpnoir setting... But if you're looking to run a Tough as Nails, hard boiled, noir Inquisitive story in the bowls of Sharn, the City of Towers... its not going to do us a lot of good to point you to point you to The Heirs of Ash Trilogy (which is awesome, see my signature), or tell you to watch King Kong and cross it with Indiana Jones... which is the more Pulpy side of Eberron.
So what trips your trigger about this setting? What do you want to know more about? The dinosaur riding halflings? The militaristic Valenar Elves? The Necromatic Armies of Karrnath? The lost secrets of the Giant Empire in Xen'drik? The mysteries of the Draconic Prophecy? The distopian cosmopolitain metropolis of wonder and tragedy that is Sharn? The lost glory of the Goblinoid Empire of Dhakaan? The integrated psionics of the Kalashtar and the Inspired? The twisted aberrations of the Daelkyr?
In fact, the great thing about the whole campaign world is that it doesn't paint things as black and white morality-wise. This isn't to say their aren't bad guys, just that even the purest NPCs and races have their own agendas. The orcs are a great example of this, but there are numerous others.
Okies onto flavour and tastes. Lynch, El and Lived all outlined various ways you can go about deciding what games you may want to try run in regards to Eberron and they're 100% right. The best angle and way to get idea I've found is to select either a tone for your game or a section of the greater Eberron mythos that fascinates you. As Nived so accurately listed, you have a wealth of mythos options like the Necromancers of Karrnath, the Draconic Prophecy or the Dinosaurs of Talenta.
The other option is a tone for your game. Do you want a gritty noir film like some grainy black and white Marlin Brando flick? A murder and political intrigue in Sharn perhaps? Maybe Indiana Jones exploring the cyclopean ruins of Xen'Drik? Perhaps fighting the otherwordly and pervasive nightmares of Dal'Quor, a sleeper agent at every turn? How about a high-magic adventure across the length of the continent, with the Dragonmarked Houses literally hedging bets on who will succeed?
Find what works best for you and go from there, I'm sure your muse won't be far behind.
Actually, one of the things I like best about Eberron is that Orcs aren't big, dubm brutes. On the contrary, they actually play a fairly important role in the grand scheme of things. They may still be a bit harsh, but they're more than just rapacious brutes.
I would echo this as well. My little goblins are an excellent race that allows me to translate all of those samurai flicks that I love to watch into a game world without making a serious attempt to run an oriental-themed game. Who needs to play in Japan when I have Dhakaan?
Eberron put the "Advanced" back into Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, you're off the map now, enjoy the sights.
I'm wanting to show them that investigation can be just as much fun as combat when done right so i will lean a bit more on that side of the fence in my campaign. I'm also fascinated by what i have read about Sharn. Are there any novels that take place in that region that can give me more of a feel for the city?
As for orcs, in my current campaign i have eliminated them. I basically butchered the Avonleigh domain from Ravenloft for the setting and have my PCs going against Ebonbane and its demonic minions while in the background everything is being controlled by Morgoroth and a small coven of necromancers who have been manipulating every action the PCs make. I think orcs have been used too much as an enemy by DMs so i use humans in thrall to Ebonbane and mages and clerics who worship the demon as the "goons" in the campaign and it's working great so i will probably take that type of encounter over to the Eberron campaign once i get it set.
Any further advice would be appreciated as to what books i can pick up to get an idea about Sharn as a setting.
Thanks for all the advice guys and I hope some day i can repay the favor.
Actually, one of the things I like best about Eberron is that Orcs aren't big, dubm brutes. On the contrary, they actually play a fairly important role in the grand scheme of things. They may still be a bit harsh, but they're more than just rapacious brutes.
And the same is true for goblins/hobgoblins. Don Bassingthwaite's new trilogy (starting with The Doom of Kings) is a perfect example of this.
City of Towers, Book One of the Dreaming Dark Trilogy by setting creator Keith Baker.
The Killing Song, Book Three of the Dragon Below Trilogy, Don Bassingthwaite
The Left Hand of Death, Book One The Lanternlight Files, Parker DeWolf
The Night of Long Shadows, The Inquisitives, Paul Crilley
While the later books in the trilogy eventually take us away from Sharn, the first Eberron novel City of Towers does set the standard for the mile high city. Excellent read and includes one of my favorite Eberron quotes, "Doesn't anyone just fight with swords anymore!?" Follows Cyran refugee war vetrans whom, after the loss of their homeland, try to find something resembling a life in Sharn...
Killing Song, obviously end of a trilogy, a fantastic trilogy, but skipping ahead would ruin the flow, as much as I absolutely love this series and suggest you eventually read it, not the best for fast information. The heroes, on their course to save the day head to the city of towers where one comes slamming into a past they thought they'd left behind in Sharn's underworld.
The Left Hand of Death, again part of a trilogy, I think the entire trilogy will take place in Sharn, but only the first book is out so far. A solid read, combining a chase movie with a murder mystery (not unlike say the themes of a Borne movie). Can one of most notorious strong arm inquisitives in Sharn stay alive long enough to figure out why everyone suddenly wants him dead?
The Night of Long Shadows. The only stand alone novel on the list. Oh its part of the Inquisitives series, four stand alone novels all with the same theme of following Eberron's version of private eyes, I suggest checking them all out because they're all good (love the kobold in Jeff's, Ashlock's Darkwood Mask btw), but we were talking about Sharn. The Night of Long Shadow's nicely combines the Gentlemen Detective with the gritty underbelly of Sharn, has some very nice bits about Valenar Elf culture, and will teach you about Eberron's drug trade.
And the same is true for goblins/hobgoblins. Don Bassingthwaite's new trilogy (starting with The Doom of Kings) is a perfect example of this.
Actually, I'm going to disagree here. While the goblins used to be extremely powerful, except for the few who still follow the Dhakani teachings, it seems like they've reduced back to goblinoids found in other settings. Most are poor NPCs living in the sewers and alleys of big cities, and even the ones in Darguun seem to have become a large barbaric tribe more than a nation IMO.
But I digress... Some books that you will want to have before you start DMing in Eberron (particularly for a Sharn-based inquisitive campaign) include:
Sharn: City of Towers - This is actually a different book than the novel mentioned above. S:CoT is the guidebook to the city, including maps of the various layers of the city, its history back to the days of the goblin empire, and a run-down of major criminal organizations and law enforcement.
Five Nations - This book breaks down the government, geography, and history of each of the five major nations of Khorvaire, including - most importantly to your campaign - descriptions of how the continent's major spy organizations operate.
Dragonmarked - The Dragonmarked Houses are never seen to engage in conflict openly, but that doesn't mean they don't have disputes. If you want cloak-and-dagger battles in the shadows and corporate espionage, a good place to start is by learning about the motivations and conflicts of Eberron's economic powerhouses.
Faiths of Eberron - While not strictly necessary to the type of game you want to run, this is a solid book that gives a widespread understanding of the motivations of heroes and villains alike. It's easily one of my favorites in the setting line... but then again, I play a lot of clerics, so I may be biased. ;)
Oh, and what last piece of advice: never ask "what was the cause of the Day of Mourning?" Rather, ask, "what do I want to be the cause of the Day of Mourning?" That will save you some time posting on the boards.
Faiths of Eberron - While not strictly necessary to the type of game you want to run, this is a solid book that gives a widespread understanding of the motivations of heroes and villains alike. It's easily one of my favorites in the setting line... but then again, I play a lot of clerics, so I may be biased.
I agree. Faiths Of Eberron is a fantastic book for understanding the cultures of Khorvaire. It outlines daily rituals, prayers, curses, holidays, festivals, calendars, historical events, theology, philosophy, church hierarchy, and much much more. I don't think any other book has painted a more accurate picture of the typical Khorvarian mind.
I agree. Faiths Of Eberron is a fantastic book for understanding the cultures of Khorvaire. It outlines daily rituals, prayers, curses, holidays, festivals, calendars, historical events, theology, philosophy, church hierarchy, and much much more. I don't think any other book has painted a more accurate picture of the typical Khorvarian mind.
Except, not every Khorvarian mind is that of a religious person. Some have no faith in anything, some are not devoted. It's much like in the real world. A person might say they're Christian, but that doesn't mean they even know one story of the bible or even celebrate it's holidays.
People can have a complete lack of faith (the Agnostic Dhakaani), too much faith (Thrane), a self-motivated faith (Blood of Vol or Path of Light), a communal faith (Undying Court) or one that says there are gods there, but expect to ever truly meet one (the Six and Nine). Great stuff in my mind, nothing concrete, you just have to take it on faith (pun!).
you just have to take it on faith (pun!).
God, I hate puns...
But I do agree with you, Eberrons mystery and unclarity regarding absolute things like the gods and the mourning is one of the best things about the setting, especially because it allows a diversity of approaches.
It's not "I'm fighting you cause my god hates your god" it's "I'm fighting you because according to my faith, what you are doing is against the divine will of the real god". That didn't come out exactly as wanted it, but the point is- The fact that these things aren't absolute gives the game a very real feel to it. making religion more about the followers and less about the actual god.
God, I like this setting...
For the investigative side, the inquisitives series is phenomenal. I haven't gotten my hands on the third book as of yet, but The Darkwood Mask is fantastic. Also, they're non-linear so read them at your own accord.
I haven't gotten my hands on the third book as of yet, but The Darkwood Mask is fantastic
Awww, shucks. Thanks, Grug. :D
Oooh, and Ravenloft DM who's interested in Eberron! Good for you! (I was the same.) And this is why I like Karrnath so much. Something about a vampire king.... ;)
And the same is true for goblins/hobgoblins. Don Bassingthwaite's new trilogy (starting with The Doom of Kings) is a perfect example of this.
Bassingthwaite has a new trilogy coming out? SWEET!
I was about to suggest reading the Dragon Below trilogy (also by Bassingthwaite), which portrays orcs/goblinoids in such an interesting way that it inspired me to run an orc/goblin focused campaign in Eberron (against the second coming of the Daelkyr, of course).
- Ron ^*^
Killing Song, obviously end of a trilogy, a fantastic trilogy, but skipping ahead would ruin the flow, as much as I absolutely love this series and suggest you eventually read it, not the best for fast information. The heroes, on their course to save the day head to the city of towers where one comes slamming into a past they thought they'd left behind in Sharn's underworld.
(And what a character, too -- one of my favorite redshirts-turned-protagonists ever)
- Ron ^*^
God, I like this setting...
Me too! I never quite took to Forgotten Realms the same way. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed playing in that setting and am looking forward to LFR, but I've found Eberron to be this huge, complex sandbox where one can find almost any flavor of campaign there for the playing/exploring. I'm sure some Forgotten Realms people would argue that that setting offers the same thing but I just don't feel instinctively the way I do with Eberron.
Maybe it's becuase it's a newer setting and thus not as continuity-laden. Kinda like a new comic series tends to be fresher becuase there isn't this decades-long span of story behind it.
Hello all, I'm new to the Eberron setting (been running multiple games in Ravenloft, FR, and Greyhawk for years) and was wondering if anyone had any advice for a new Eberron DM.
yeah, play the Forgotten Realms
Mob 'em everyone!!!
*mobs as appropriate*