Speaking as a complete outsider, I would really like to see more Eberron previews/playtests in Dragon over the next few months to help them get a really solid book and not something that well result in a furor like the 4e FR book has produced (heh, heh).
These are ALL just personal Opinions of why... NOT FACTS... i didn't hear this from anyone at wizards...
FR has a BIG background... it stretches across many editions and playing types. and has a history of being changed with each Edition... not always a popular fact about FR but one that is there.
By Updating FR first you can try to get those silly people who didn't convert after 2ed and try to get some of the more die hard 3ed people. Eberron doesn't have that pull, people haven't been playing Eberron for that long and that is a fact that FR has going for it.
BOOKS FR has a lot larger novels series and as such needed to have its update as soon as possible so that writers could make newer novels and more books sold. Also the fact that books are Canon to FR it needed more work to keep with writers and Game makers to keep it all together and working well...
FR is also not my favorite setting.... PERSONAL OPINION... and as such i want FR to go first for people to complain about its format or how they put this over that or lacked this info and did too much of this... SO by the time Eberron comes out they can get it done better.
PHB2, Eberron has a lot of races that are key to the world that they chose not to put into the PHB1... why could they do this for FR? because FR has been there longer and has history of Races coming and going from the books and still staying in the game. Eberron couldn't go live with out Gnomes or Half Orks (i know thats not how D&D spells Ork but its the way i do it)
psionics are an important part of Eberron and not so for FR, they need more time to make up their mind on Psionic Powers Mechanizes and Flavor. While we know Psionic Powers won't be in PHB2 it will still be closer to a final version then it is for FR creation.
these are the reason why i think, FR came out Before Eberron but just a closer, i repeat, these are ALL just personal Opinions of why... NOT FACTS... i didn't hear this from anyone at wizards
Why do they get material first? Eberron is blatantly the better setting and is more popular. Why couldn't it be the official setting for 4E?
While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't know that Eberron is more popular. Regardless, as I see it, there's two primary factors. First, Forgotten Realms is far older. With over twenty years of life in the setting, it's had a lot of time to build up support and nostalgia. Beyond that, however, I think Starkiller makes a good point: FR is more traditional, classic fantasy. It's closer to the core D&D world; Eberron is more exotic.
While I don't know that it was a factor in the decision, I think Bossemeyer makes a very important point. Because Eberron is delayed until after the release of the PHB II, we'll have gnomes and druids and barbarians established in the rules before the setting is released. We'll be able to simply use Zilargo and the Ashbound as they've been described, without having to patch over the gap. I know it's frustrating, but in the long run, I think the 4E version of the setting will be stronger for it. I'll also note that 4E Eberron isn't going through the massive changes that 4E FR has.
Mainly, though, I wouldn't say that just because it's come out first, FR is the "Official Setting" of 4E. At the moment, WotC has pledged exactly the same amount of support for each setting. 2008 is the Year of FR - but 2009 is the Year of Eberron, and I don't think they plan to release any FR books in that time. so we may not have come out first, but our day will come.
Eberron is blatantly the better setting and is more popular.?
I think Eberron is better than FR, but I know FR is like a billiard times more popular than Eberron.
Also, if you think being Spellplagued, having all your gods vanish, having a chunk of the world Mourned and your calendar abruptly jumped 100 years to the future is being treated well...
By that definition, Dragonlance fans are being treated like kings.
Also, if you think being Spellplagued, having all your gods vanish, having a chunk of the world Mourned and your calendar abruptly jumped 100 years to the future is being treated well... well, I hope Eberron fans will keep on being treated badly^^
No kidding. I wish Forgotten Realms fans were being treated "as badly" as Eberron fans.
Because by definition, the "official" setting subscribes in full to every single adventure-fantasy trope under the D&D umbrella, without any specific theme.
Eberron is not that.
Thing was there was no 'I am Spartacus' moment. General consensus was we'd rather see it done right then done quickly.
I think that the 4ed ECS and EPG will be a tough enough sell to the veteran Eberron collector. I have all the hardcover books, and I can tell you I will have to see the Eberron books first before making a decision.
I have most of the the 3.5 books and feel completely opposite. I can't wait and am immensely envious that people are playing with official (well mostly) 4e Eberron somewhere....maybe even while I am typing this.
The only iffy thing about Eberron to me is whether or not I should go and purchase the rest of the 3.5 books I don't have.
I think that the 4ed ECS and EPG will be a tough enough sell to the veteran Eberron collector. I have all the hardcover books, and I can tell you I will have to see the Eberron books first before making a decision.
Why's that? Are you concerned about the quality, or do you simply expect that there will be a lack of new and useful material?
If either is the case, I think you'll be surprised. More so than the Player's Guide to Eberron, the EPG should truly be the one book a player needs to understand the setting. And while we will be retracing our steps on some subjects, we're not simply reprinting the material; we're using the opportunity and additional space to go into greater detail on subjects that have been overlooked, to clarify things that have been misunderstood, and to improve mechanics that have never quite worked the way we wanted.
Certainly, I encourage you to look before you leap. But I'm looking forward to 2009.
Certainly, I encourage you to look before you leap. But I'm looking forward to 2009.
I am voting Keith Baker in '09.
We all luv ya Hellcow ;) .
Why do they get material first?
There was a similar thread a while ago, you know. Eberron has less fluff to update, and it can be played fairly well with just the 4E PHB and a few creature updates. FR has some things that are harder to pull off with the handbook, and that is even before the Retcon bomb and the other things hit it.
It's not a bad thing for Eberron, either; as people said you can use FR as the guinea pig and get the bugs worked out before Eberron CS comes out. Something similar happened in 3.5, which imo helped the ECS.
Eberron is blatantly the better setting and is more popular.
Your opinion, not the president of WotC's ;)
If either is the case, I think you'll be surprised. More so than the Player's Guide to Eberron, the EPG should truly be the one book a player needs to understand the setting. And while we will be retracing our steps on some subjects, we're not simply reprinting the material; we're using the opportunity and additional space to go into greater detail on subjects that have been overlooked, to clarify things that have been misunderstood, and to improve mechanics that have never quite worked the way we wanted.
Thank goodness. I for one WANTED the timeline to be moved "forward" to at least give me new material. I don't need to see that secret bit about the Blood of Vol in print again, yet I'm sure it would be there.
While not desiring a 100 year leap, I think it would have been neat to see the turn of the century. Changes to a setting are good.
Thank goodness. I for one WANTED the timeline to be moved "forward" to at least give me new material. I don't need to see that secret bit about the Blood of Vol in print again, yet I'm sure it would be there.
While not desiring a 100 year leap, I think it would have been neat to see the turn of the century. Changes to a setting are good.
I'd honestly prefer to move the timeline back to during the war, as I have in my game personally.
Whatever they place in the setting will be good, even if they quasi-retcon it I guess. I will be able to work around it for my current game.
Thank goodness. I for one WANTED the timeline to be moved "forward" to at least give me new material. I don't need to see that secret bit about the Blood of Vol in print again, yet I'm sure it would be there.
While not desiring a 100 year leap, I think it would have been neat to see the turn of the century. Changes to a setting are good.
I'm excited at the idea of clarification- hopefully in regards to how Warforged, Shifter, and Changelings are treated from region to region, playing up Aerenal's arcane aspects compared to the divine, the actual levels of corruption and intolerance in the Church of the Silver Flame, and the role of the Blood of Vol in Karrnathi society.
Besides, not to diss the other designers at WotC, but we've got the Wyatt, the Hellcow and the Mouseferatu working on Eberron, and that's some Grade-A++ talent right there.
Eberron will come, and it will rock.
However, it was basically to get the FR players out of my way. Honestly, we all know that if Eberron was released first, all the FR fanboys would swarm it to look for things they hate, and Eberron's new beginning would be drowned in the hatred and bile spewing from those unwashed simpletons.
Now, we can just say, "Go back to your own world."
I am also looking forward to 2009, and I will also vote Keith Baker in 2009.
Why's that? Are you concerned about the quality, or do you simply expect that there will be a lack of new and useful material?
It's just that the 3ed Eberron Campaign book is my favourite Campaign Setting book, to which I judge the others. Since the 3.5 ECS qualifies as a 10/10 to me, I can't conceive of a better written and conceived Campaign Setting book. Yet.
Feel free to change my mind. ;)