Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 scelous May 24, 2013 8:43:51	Hey all.  I've never been to this Eberron forum before, so I apologize if this is a commonly asked and answered question; I did check the FAQ. What's up with the shocking lack of Eberron products for 4th edition?   I mean, for 3.5 edition, the core, accessories and adventures totaled 22 products.  (Reference: Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Eberron_mo...) 4th edition got....  3 products. That is a massive disparity, and one that bothers me, because I love Eberron.  I bought most of the books for 3.5.  I hate 4th ed, so I haven't bought any books for 4th, but I was hoping for some setting books I could buy.  Good campaign flavor stuff I could use in 3.5.  However, only the rulebooks came out. Does anyone know why there's so little support for Eberron now?
#2 skrapsan May 24, 2013 11:41:58	Well the starting philosophy of wizards where that a setting only needed 3 books. A DM, Player and an tonesetting adventure. The idea is that the dungeon and dragon magazines would be enough. As they might have been had we gotten a juicy article each month, but we didn't. This would also make it possible to release a golden oldie each year. Such as Dark Sun. But somewhere in the midle wizards changed tactics and we got essentials. So what we got was fewer books, shorter and fewer articles and in general less stuff for each setting... So Eberron did not get specificly get shorthanded. We just don't generate as much money as the now almost official setting Forgotten Realms does... And a shame that is, because Eberron is one of the best things to happen to DnD and fantasy in my mind.
#3 Syltorian May 24, 2013 12:19:07	Here's another voice adding to mourn the lack of Eberron support. Yes, it's true that Eberron was not singled out. And we can be lucky that, when they changed over to 4E, they listened to the fans and did not advance the timeline. Look at what happened to the Realms. On the plus side, most of the Eberron articles which appeared in the Dungeon and Dragon Magazines (as Expeditionary Dispatch and Eye on Eberron chiefly, with a few Backdrops) are very interesting and usable in 3.5. I too never switched to 4E: still I bought the Eberron Campaign Setting, and I'd recommend it, as it contains some additional information that's quite useful even if you completely ignore the edition (and the changes they felt necessary to impose on the cosmology, Keith Baker's damage control for Bator aside).  Unfortunately, they decided to stop the Eye on Eberron feature. With D&D Next, WotC seems to be unsure which way to go for Eberron. Check Keith Baker's website (keith-baker.com/), which provides Q&A, as much as he can do without being officially employed by WotC. It should also be emphasised that we need to make it clear to WotC that Eberron support will not be an economic mistake; that it would be worthwhile supporting more than one system.  As far as I am personally concerned, Eberron articles are the sole reason I'm subscribing to D&D Insider, considering I am not using the current edition. I don't know enough about D&D Next, and have too little time to get enough of a look at it to judge it fairly, so it is likely that Eberron will be the only thing that would keep me on board. But Eberron support is also sufficient reason to keep me interested and investing.
#4 scelous May 24, 2013 16:58:57	Thanks for the response, guys.  I appreciate it.  That info is really good to know.  Also, that link to Keith Baker's site is very helpful.
#5 skrapsan May 24, 2013 23:18:53	While I don't find it likely that they will print new heavy hardbound sourcebooks in next, I do hope they would follow this proposal:  Print the usual two hardcover books, players and DMs guide. That was a quite usefull segregation of info. Then they could release one softcover booklet in equal intervals. Theese should cover themes that were to bit for a dragon article but to smal for a hardbound book. That way we han get solid physical info, and still it would not be to costly to print. And we could get booke om other citys than sharn and stormreach. I would like One for each major capitol...
#6 Hellcow May 27, 2013 15:22:28	And we could get booke om other citys than sharn and stormreach. I would like One for each major capitol...   I would like to see more information about other nations. I don't think it's tremendously likely given the current level of support, but if they see there's interest, you never know!
#7 CK.356 May 30, 2013 16:08:58	And we could get booke om other citys than sharn and stormreach. I would like One for each major capitol...   I would like to see more information about other nations. I don't think it's tremendously likely given the current level of support, but if they see there's interest, you never know! I'm curious, oh infernal bovine, would it be a breach of copyright if you wrote how you feel some things should be? I follow the blog ofc and it seems you are under certain constraints but I fear my understanding of what exactly your limitations on what you can and cannot post as an individual are limited. So we can get some lore and advise but no new characters and certainly no city or territory writeup?
#8 aeryk08 May 31, 2013 16:37:48	Yes, I'd love to get have more Eberron material available that you didn't have to have a subscription for. I'd even be fine with pdf-only files. I agree, write ups on the other nations would be great. More history, more wide magic feel. I want to see how magic integrates into society and shapes it.
#9 CorrinAvatan Jun 09, 2013 17:46:34	The biggest irony in Eberron is that most of the "support" comes from the 3.5 books. Seriously, go out and pick up a copy of Magic of Eberron, or Sharn, City of Towers (from Keith Baker's site, if you can).  You will have all of the fluff you can handle, and converting the stuff is easy. As far as for WHY the support is lacking... well, Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast haven't really done much to attract writers to that setting.  I mean, look at how may FR books come out.  Not the rulebooks... I mean the fiction. I'm willing to bet that if we could get Salvatore away from writing Drizzt novels, there would be interest... but the suits probably aren't willing to spend a lot to get a great writer to draw interest into a campaign setting, so they hire writers that aren't of the same caliber (still good), who don't have the same draw. The other thing is, Eberron came out around the time that everyone knew that 4e was coming, so the books didn't sell as well.  However, the suits saw that as a sign that it wasn't as popular, and thought that it was cannibalizing their sales of FR stuff; however, in my opinion, it was just a case of "good product at the worst time."
#10 Elton74 Jun 09, 2013 19:46:02	I am sick and tired, tired and sick.   I would like to see more support for a lot of things from Wizards of the Coast.
#11 Amaril Jun 17, 2013 21:32:39	While not an official Eberron book, if you can find a copy of Keith Baker's Crime & Punishment by Atlas Games, it makes for an excellent addition to Eberron, especially for inquisitives and bounty hunters. There's a investigator class and a bounty hunter class, with some associated PrCs for each. Also lots of great magic doodads related to the roles of both. Being open gaming content, all of the material can be found in the Grand OGL Wiki.
#12 Syltorian Jun 18, 2013 9:52:47	The biggest irony in Eberron is that most of the "support" comes from the 3.5 books. True. Though considering that 4E has a staggering total of 2 source books for Eberron (and 1 adventure), that's not saying much. Even the 3.5 Dragon Magazine articles outnumber the 4E ones, so far as I am aware, though there's some very good ones in 4E. As far as for WHY the support is lacking... well, Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast haven't really done much to attract writers to that setting.  I mean, look at how may FR books come out.  Not the rulebooks... I mean the fiction. Seems to me they are actually resisting paying people to write for Eberron. Compare the number of pre-4E novels to the ones that came after. Even counting Queen of Stone, written during the transition period, with the latter. ; and about a year after 4E came out, things ground to a virtual halt. Yet there is so much more material - I want to know what happened to Lei and Pierce, at the very least! James Wyatt's trilogy as well as the Heirs of Dhakaan seem to have been destined for a change in the timeline, something which fortunately did not happen - not that the books are bad; they aren't, but the changes are too heavy to become canon. As an important sidenote, though, it needs to be said that with Eberron, at least, WotC listened to the fans and did not do what they did to the FR. That's a blessing, at least.  I'm willing to bet that if we could get Salvatore away from writing Drizzt novels, there would be interest... but the suits probably aren't willing to spend a lot to get a great writer to draw interest into a campaign setting, so they hire writers that aren't of the same caliber (still good), who don't have the same draw. It's a pity. There are some really good writers who did work for Eberron. Daine, Lei and Thorn could be at least as attractive as Drizzt, with the right PR behind them. So could Diran Bastiaan, Abraxis Wren, Seren Morisse of the Heirs of Ash, Geth, Singe and Dandra, etc, etc. And let's not forget that there are a lot of Drizzt fans out there, there are also a lot of people to curse him for scores of good-aligned Drow running around the Realms - I much prefer Xu'sasar as a drow. While not an official Eberron book, if you can find a copy of Keith Baker's Crime & Punishment by Atlas Games, it makes for an excellent addition to Eberron, especially for inquisitives and bounty hunters. There's a investigator class and a bounty hunter class, with some associated PrCs for each. Also lots of great magic doodads related to the roles of both. Being open gaming content, all of the material can be found in the Grand OGL Wiki. It's a great book, indeed. Much of Keith's other (pre-Eberron) books can be fit into the setting: there's some ideas here. I am sick and tired, tired and sick.   I would like to see more support for a lot of things from Wizards of the Coast.   QFT.
#13 skrapsan Jun 18, 2013 17:17:23	Wizards could lease their less known settings to other companies like they did wit dragon and dungeon to Paizo. We would get sourcebooks and Wizards would run a messer risk.
#14 Edymnion Sep 24, 2013 10:13:08	corrinavatan wrote:
#15 StrikerGreen Oct 01, 2013 7:53:46	I, too, am very happy to use all my 3E books in my previous 4E campaign and in my current NEXT campaign. ALL of the source material is still relevant and while the mechanics might not suit the ruleset I'm using, adapting is definitely part of the fun for me! I've gotten the most use out of the 'Sharn: City of Towers', 'The Player's Guide to Eberron' and 'The Forge of War' supplements!
#16 ChaoticGood Nov 16, 2013 22:26:12	corrinavatan wrote:
#17 StrikerGreen Nov 18, 2013 8:19:38	Well put. I believe Eberron will see a level of support consistent with the 4E product line; a few new source books and a pre-written adventure or two (though I do hope for more!).