I wonder if this article will touch on Vecna's stint in Ravenloft as a tie in to the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. ;)
I just wanted to join Keno in contributing something of no real substance to this thread.
Go Vols!
I positively have nothing to add! Not a thing.
I just want a write-up of the Head of Vecna. Is that so wrong? :innocent:
Having a tie-in to Ravenloft would be neat, but they usually stick that stuff in the January (Campaign Classics) issues. :(
But maybe we'll get something! :)
(And I agree...awesome cover. WAR is the bomb!)
Like the other Core Beliefs articles, we focus more on the goals of the deity and stuff directly relevant to his priests, rather than spending a lot of time giving a detailed history of the deity and what unfortunate things happened to him (unless they directly relate to the deity's outlook, personality, or goals).
Not that I'm prejudiced against Ravenloft (I'm not), I'd just rather spend those 100-200 words talking about cool stuff for the faith than stuff that happened in the past that isn't relevant to what he's trying to do now. Vecna was imprisoned, yes (the article mentions this), he had an ongoing feud with Kas there (duh, doesn't need to be mentioned because it's already established that they have their feud), and now he's free from that imprisonment (duh, doesn't need to be described in detail because he's clearly free now, more powerful, and granting spells again). His imprisonment in Ravenloft isn't really relevant to his current goals (he continues to plot against Kas but that predates the imprisonment, and it's not like he can try to avenge himself on the Dark Powers, and mentioning the DP would require explaining the DP and Ravenloft to those who might not be familiar with them, which is more wasted space in an article that's supposed to be about Vecna's faith, not the DP and RL).
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Like the other Core Beliefs articles, we focus more on the goals of the deity and stuff directly relevant to his priests, rather than spending a lot of time giving a detailed history of the deity and what unfortunate things happened to him
So, to mis-use a phrase, this begs the question: is there going to be a Vecna/Ravenloft article in January?
There should be. What I loved about 2E was the campaign crossovers, made everything separate yet also part of "one big family". I hate how authors/editors try to avoid mentioning or completely edit out other worlds/campaigns/Material Planes/crystal spheres just for no apparent reason other than the feeling that they have to elaborate (which, they really don't have to...just plant the seed and let it grow on its own).
If anything it SHOULD be mentioned, so that there will be a plant for more interest in what is mentioned. I say mention Ravenloft, then maybe WotC will start churning more Ravenloft books once they see a growing interest.
Though, then again, I think authors do that so they can avoid all the extra workloads WotC will receive when the interest is renewed.
There should be. What I loved about 2E was the campaign crossovers, made everything separate yet also part of "one big family". I hate how authors/editors try to avoid mentioning or completely edit out other worlds/campaigns/Material Planes/crystal spheres just for no apparent reason other than the feeling that they have to elaborate (which, they really don't have to...just plant the seed and let it grow on its own).
If anything it SHOULD be mentioned, so that there will be a plant for more interest in what is mentioned. I say mention Ravenloft, then maybe WotC will start churning more Ravenloft books once they see a growing interest.
Naw... the cross-overs were overrated. Material from each setting came into conflict with each other on how things worked. It just made things too complex.
Besides, players who enjoy the theme and flavour of planescape probably won't be as enamoured with Dark Sun, Al Quadim, or Ravenloft, just as a Dragonlance player isn't likely to jump whole heartedly into Spelljammer.
The way they're doing it now makes sense. If you want to connect settings or concepts, it's up to you. It's easier to add something than take it out and repair the hole.
Razz: "Though, then again, I think authors do that so they can avoid all the extra workloads WotC will receive when the interest is renewed."
Insulting the authors and company just weakens your arguements. They don't include the connections because they focus on tool kit books, not setting specific ones and it doesn't make sense to dillute the ones they do make.
Please explain why Eberron needs connections to Dark Sun, since the setting is no longer supported, and how they are supposed to gauge how much support a defunct setting is getting from a throw away line in a single book? Shouldn't they spend the word count on useful information instead of trying to dillute their own market again?
Though, then again, I think authors do that so they can avoid all the extra workloads WotC will receive when the interest is renewed.
I guess you missed the memo wherein it was revealed that careful study of the market and its consumers made clear the sad fact that many active settings at once splinters the fanbase. In a market where every book must sell well, Wizards CANNOT afford to publish books that are not assured to sell well. This is why toolkits like Heroes of Battle, Heroes of Horror, and the environment series (Frostburn, Sandstorm, and Stormwrack), among others, have taken the place of fully-supported settings. I can't say this approach always wins, but it's a wiser approach than making dozens of books that may or may not sell.
Yes, I know: Your favorite settings are dead. So are mine. They're dead, and, barring a third party publisher exhuming the licence, they are never comming back to life. This is a fact we have to live with.
Putting my saber aside for a moment, Paizo is very generous in updating data from 2e settings into 3e. We've seen the return of many a great setting, including a good deal of Dark Sun.
I may not like it, but it's better this way: Better the game be there for me to support than it not be there at all.
I'm tired, I'm going to bed, but I've made my point.
And accusing WotC of laziness will not make yours.