Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Mr_Miscellany Nov 14, 2011 13:40:12	Hello authors! Some questions for you that have been percolating in my mind, with regard to the Neverwinter Campaign Guide. In no particular order: Were you given specific evil organizations to highlight in the NWCG? Or did you get to brainstorm as a team and decide who and what to use? If the later, did you consider using anything from Returned Abeir? The NWCG frequently encourages DMs to come up with their own ideas for why NPCs and organizations are doing what they’re doing. Where did the idea to write from a “keep it loose” perspective come from? Parallel design (that is, writing a sourcebook when novels are being written in the same area of the Realms that the sourcebook will cover) must not be easy. Did you have to do any back stepping during the design process opposite what Erin M. Evans and R.A. Salvatore were creating? Did the parallel process make your work any easier? When you were writing your individual sections of the book, were there any parts you created that you wished you could just keep writing and writing, page count be damned? If you were tasked with writing a Current Clack for the NWCG, would you have preferred to tie in only elements from the NWCG—to show DMs how they can start using what you’d written in the NWCG—or would you want to bring in outside influences from far off lands? If you were given the opportunity to write a NWCG-style book for region of your choice in the Realms, what would be the first three locales you’d pick? Thank you in advance for your time. Hope to see your names on future Realms products.
#2 eriksdb Nov 15, 2011 10:47:30	Well met, Mr. Misc! I'll answer some of these as best I can! Were you given specific evil organizations to highlight in the NWCG? Or did you get to brainstorm as a team and decide who and what to use? If the later, did you consider using anything from Returned Abeir? Yes indeed, we came up with a list of organizations and chose assignments as a group--Matt set out a framework of assignments, and we traded around from there. I ended up with New Neverwinter, the Ashmadai, the Abolethic Sovereignty, the Sons of Alagondar, the Dead Rats, and the Harpers. Returned Abeir was not on the menu, and anything but the smallest influences (a couple of characters, etc.) didn't really crop up. I think the design leaves plenty of room to incorporate things, though, in a series of gray "Here be Dragons" sorts of areas. The NWCG frequently encourages DMs to come up with their own ideas for why NPCs and organizations are doing what they’re doing. Where did the idea to write from a “keep it loose” perspective come from? The NWCS was envisioned from the beginning as a toolbox for DMs for building an expansive, immersive campaign. I also love running sandbox/"freeform" campaigns, and my inclination is always to design in that direction. Parallel design (that is, writing a sourcebook when novels are being written in the same area of the Realms that the sourcebook will cover) must not be easy. Did you have to do any back stepping during the design process opposite what Erin M. Evans and R.A. Salvatore were creating? As the insider, Matt took care of most of the communication and information gathering, getting us as much of those novels/outlines as possible so that we could keep things in line. From my own personal experience, I got to check out a copy of Erin's outline for Brimstone Angels, which helped greatly with devising the Prophet and Helm's Hold. I think it turned out pretty well. Did the parallel process make your work any easier? There were some cool ideas floating around that we got to steal. Also, for better or worse, RAS's book Gauntlgrym (which was developed first) gave us a whole host of evil organizations active in the city, which basically wrote some of our outline for us. The trick then was coming up with a political construction that would fit all the different factions. When you were writing your individual sections of the book, were there any parts you created that you wished you could just keep writing and writing, page count be damned? I have a tendency to write way more than is needed, just because I really like what I'm creating. So yeah, all of it, really. But then of course I had to trim things to fit word count. Even so, certain sections ended up more expansive than they were in the outline, just because we had a lot of good stuff. If you were tasked with writing a Current Clack for the NWCG, would you have preferred to tie in only elements from the NWCG—to show DMs how they can start using what you’d written in the NWCG—or would you want to bring in outside influences from far off lands? I interpret your use of the term "Current Clack" to mean adventure rumors/news/etc. In that case, yes and yes. I'd make it logical--if the PCs are in Neverwinter, they hear about stuff in the area, with a few rumors about major events from afar. The Thayan connection allows some rumors from the Unapproachable East, and same goes for the Netherese and Netheril. You'd probably get a lot of rumors from the Sword Coast, and from Waterdeep in particular. If you were given the opportunity to write a NWCG-style book for region of your choice in the Realms, what would be the first three locales you’d pick? This sounds like an EXCELLENT idea. I'd probably pick Westgate, the Dalelands, or Baldur's Gate, with Icewind Dale being a close runner-up. Cheers
#3 Mr_Miscellany Nov 15, 2011 14:20:20	Rock on Erik. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Count me in for a “Yes, please!” vote for a Westgate book. Though the Aboleths feature prominently in the NWCG, I’d still love to see what the Aboleths are up to in Westgate, as well as all the regional influences from Cormyr, Sembia, Thay and other nations/city states with access to the Sea of Fallen Stars. I’d also like to see other, relatively uncovered places like the Guthmere forest (is that still around in the post-Spellplagu Realms?) in such a book. But more than these, I want to know what Westgate is up to: 1)    What of Manshoon’s influence? Is he done for good playing the role of Orbakh? 2)    Are the exiled Bleths ready to mount a covert attack on Cormyr? Or do they envision a Westgate as the capitol of a new nation; one opposed to Cormyr with the Bleths as its leaders and rulers? 3)    What other interests or powers does Westgate have that we haven’t heard of yet?   If there ever was a Westgate book, I’d like it to be something that brings the city alive like the NWCG did for Neverwinter.
#4 eriksdb Nov 15, 2011 15:07:48	Good questions. No doubt you'll get some of the answers over the next year, in such forms as my next Shadowbane novel, EYE OF JUSTICE (September 2012), which takes place in Westgate. Cheers
#5 WotC_Sernett Nov 18, 2011 10:49:00	I'll tag along with Erik's excellent answers and add this: Much of the process of outlining the book was bringing together all the sources (the upcoming video game, the novels, the history of the setting, the old Neverwinter video games, and so on). The challenge was that so many pieces were works in progress. R.A. Salvatore's book was complete as a first draft, but the other novels were in outline form and being written and the new computer game was really at a starting stage. The novels were a pretty sure bet as to their contents, but the computer game would and did change plans throughout the process of putting the Neverwinter Campaign Setting together. So how do you make a book that can encompass so many things that might not come to be? The answer was to include everything. There was always the danger that the setting might feel like too much was going on, but one of the things I really wanted to accomplish was creating a setting that seemed alive to DMs and players—one where stories could leap out and grab people instead of just being a blank slate or a place with one or two big ideas. I want people to read the book and trip over inspiration for encounters and adventures at every step.  In that regard, the work done by the folks at Cryptic Studios was a huge help. They put a lot of love into the setting before I came on the scene, and I was able to build off the foundation they laid as I incorporated elements from the novels and Forgotten Realms lore.
#6 Mr_Miscellany Nov 21, 2011 13:14:35	I want people to read the book and trip over inspiration for encounters and adventures at every step. This is a point of view I hope finds its way into any and all future Realms products. Life for the Dungeon Master is about a zillion times easier when this kind of game design goes into a book. This is also why I think the character background concepts written into the NWCS were brilliant. In that regard, the work done by the folks at Cryptic Studios was a huge help. They put a lot of love into the setting before I came on the scene, and I was able to build off the foundation they laid as I incorporated elements from the novels and Forgotten Realms lore. Awesome. I've never played the computer games, so I didn't realize they had so much to do with Neverwinter. Thanks very much for taking the time to respond!
#7 pruano Nov 27, 2011 22:23:14	In that regard, the work done by the folks at Cryptic Studios was a huge help. They put a lot of love into the setting before I came on the scene, and I was able to build off the foundation they laid as I incorporated elements from the novels and Forgotten Realms lore. Awesome. I've never played the computer games, so I didn't realize they had so much to do with Neverwinter. Sernet meant the upcoming Neverwinter MMO, not the past Neverwinter Nights games, which i believe you were refering to.
#8 pruano Nov 27, 2011 22:24:20	Good questions. No doubt you'll get some of the answers over the next year, in such forms as my next Shadowbane novel, EYE OF JUSTICE (September 2012), which takes place in Westgate. Nice, good to know more info on that project, thks for sharing.
#9 Style75 Dec 01, 2011 6:47:13	I'd like to say that it's so nice to see the authors on the forum answering questions. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer questions and give your opinion. Insight into the design and decision making process helps grow the community and encourages a back and forth conversation that will help future product design. Thanks!
#10 crzyhawk Dec 02, 2011 14:11:05	I'd like to say that it's so nice to see the authors on the forum answering questions. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer questions and give your opinion. Insight into the design and decision making process helps grow the community and encourages a back and forth conversation that will help future product design. Thanks! This.  Also, I'd like to ask if there were Ashmadai active in the Neverwinter area prior to the Thayvians getting involved in trying to get the dread ring established?
#11 eriksdb Dec 02, 2011 14:16:34	Good question about the Ashmadai--I'm inclined to say yes, and it was almost entirely Mordai Vell bankrolling them. The red wizards brought more resources and power to the cult, ao it has expanded. I'll defer to Matt on this, tho, or to Bob, thr original creator of the Ashmadai. Cheers
#12 crzyhawk Dec 02, 2011 20:15:03	Thanks!  Is there anyting published on Mordai Vell's origins?  Our party is presently set post spell plague, but pre-Hotenow, (our DM picked that due to familiarity from the Neverwinter games) when a half of us vetoed flying ships, electric trains and terminators (warforged) with the DM's more familiar Eberron setting. To make a long story short, our party is getting ready to finish a "realmsified" version of Pyramid of Shadows, and we are all in rebellion against more modules.  We're looking at doing something demon/devil based, and the Ashmadai seem perfectly suited, except the timing and our level (entering paragon).  Perhaps our party simply doesn't stamp things out as well as we think we're going to...leaving Mordai Vell to rebuild the cult later.
#13 eriksdb Dec 04, 2011 20:17:35	I originally imagined Mordai Vell as a native of Neverwinter, who was the illegimate son of a noble family that was mostly destroyed in the Hotenow disaster. My suggestion: a heiress has a fling with a traveling adventurer (a tiefling) and the resulting baby is, of course, a tiefling. How much prejudice/scandal he faces growing up depends on how progressive his family is, but what is clear is that he ends up with the family holdings and resources. In all likelihood, he is in Neverwinter while the others either die/flee. Cheers
#14 crzyhawk Dec 05, 2011 9:30:16	Excellent, thanks!  That works perfectly.