Let's leave this thread as Karsus, our Forum Lead, has suggested, and create a new one when "preview" materials and questions are over (after the FRCS release in August). At that time, it would make sense to re-launch the thread. There are currently unanswered questions that Rich may or may not answer, depending on his availability and desire to do so, and closing this thread now would be premature.
Mr. Baker, before I begin i want you to know, that I have as much respect for you as I do anyone. This may sound person, but please do not take it that, I don't know you anymore then you know me. I sure your a pretty cool guy with a passion for D&D, and hat we share. But it is clear that, while a great game designer you may be, your not a PR person. Which is perfectly fine, I'd rather have a game designer working on my favorite hobby then a PR person.
WotC_RichBaker wrote:
Can we agree to improve the climate on this board?[/board] This will take time. A lot of people are passionate, and upset with many of the changes that were made to D&D. the realms in particular. This anger isn't going to evaporate over night. In some cases people need someone to vent, your responsible for some of those changes, and that makes you a good target. Sometimes this venting helps, other times it doesn't. Either way, eventually people will get tired of venting, and move on. Maybe they'll come around and continue with 4e, or maybe they'll play something. Either you did your best, and you know that, and I know that. So you have nothing to be ashamed about, but just remember not everybody has the same tastes as you, and will not everybody is going to like what you did.
Either way, the climate on these boards is going to be hostile for the foreseeable future. It isn't your fault, or the people who angry fault either. It just is. Try not to take it personally.
WotC_RichBaker wrote:
I feel I've been very patient with some pretty hostile posts over the last few months, but I think we've reached the point of diminishing returns. There really isn't much point in me coming here simply to provide a nice, visible target for people to one-up each other with the purity of their anger. I'm here because I want to be accessible to people who sincerely want to ask what we're up to and why. I'm not here to be pelted by rotten tomatoes -- and in fact it's clearly NOT in the company's interest to provide a platform to the folks who want to throw 'em.
This really isn't helping anything, or anyone. All this is going to do is anger more people. One of the downsides of being a company face is that you also become a legitimate target when people are ****** off. You really have two options when it comes to this, take it and smile, or don't interact with the customer base. No people shouldn't be hurling insults at you, or blaming you everything that is wrong with FR or anything else. But they are going to anyways. And whining about it on the company forums, make you, and WotC look extremely unprofessional.
I have worked in CS before. For a major cell phone during a merger with another company. It's not the same thing, but the people were just as angry. Yaa I got swore at, I got death threats, I've been called things i would never have imagined were insults. One person even accused me, personally, of ruining her families entire xmas. But I wasn't allowed to tell them what i thought of them, or how it wasn't my job to take their crap. (It technically wasn't, I was there to fix their phone, and answer questions.) All i could do was say that I'm sorry they felt that way. And that pretty much all you can do with a raging customer, emphasize with them, and try honestly. You don't like when the waves knock you over. But if they want something you can't give them, or just want someone to vent at, then really the only you can do is apologize that they feel that way, but what they want isn't going to be changed.
If it gets hard on you, then go have cigarette, or whatever, and talk to other people at work who have to face the something. Trade stories about how dumb the customers are, or how stupid their requests are. laugh it off, and laugh at them. But never, ever let the customer see or hear about it. Just me it will help.
On the other hand, if you can't handle the heat then it is time to leave the kitchen. there's no shame in that. It takes a lot to be a lightning rod of hate. But if your going to stand up and provide a face for your company, then do so, and take the good with the bad. And yes other faces for WotC take it too. Don't believe me? head on down to Mark Rosewater's office, ask him if you can some of his fan mail. In fact I recommend that every single person who is contemplating being a face for WotC D&D, this include Scott too, should shadow Mark for a month while he talks to the M:TG fans.
WotC_RichBaker wrote:
So: If you've got an honest question to ask, I'll try to answer it. But I've had it with the sniping, the insults, and the hostility. If it keeps up, I'll have the mods kill the thread and I'll leave. Better that than what's been going on here lately.
Shutting down this thread will only provide a victory for those whom are hurling insults at you. Worse it will provide a flash point for those who love 4e, but hate the negativity, and rallying cry to those who want to disrupt the company anyway they can. In short it will make things worse. The best thing to do would be to wait out the storm, becuase you sure as hell aren't going to make it dissipate. But if you can't handle the wind, then it is time to go back inside.
Again this isn't aimed at you personally, more at everyone who is trying to be a face for WotC right now.
Rich has every right to ask people to tone it down and let this thread be used for what it was intended. With that in mind, we should stop the non-question chatter.
Question; Are any FR super adventures in the works or might become so?
It's a bit disheartening to see many of the 150+ pages of this thread contain no questions for Rich at all, only opinions and criticisms. To be sure, it would be unreasonable to expect the redesign of ANY campaign setting to be met with universal applause and acclaim. But unless Rich is being paid to visit these boards, he's voluntarily taking time out of his busy day to come here and answer questions from other people who care deeply about the Realms as a setting and value the opportunity for communication that Rich's presence provides. Let's not ruin that opportunity by diverting this thread away from its stated purpose.
Along those lines, I have a few questions regarding the 4e Realms redesign.
1) Many of the changes we've heard about so far seem to accomplish two objectives at once, discarding unused/suboptimal aspects of the setting (like Maztica) while simultaneously updating the Realms to 4th edition standards (like introducing the dragonborn). Was this a conscious decision on the part of the design team? If so, are there 4e-transition issues that you think the design team handled particularly well, turning what could have been a liability into an asset for the setting?
2) What implications does the new 4e alignment system have for the Realms? At least at first glance, good-versus-good and evil-versus-evil rivalries seem relatively common in the 3e Realms, which doesn't mesh very well with the 4th edition credo that good guys are supposed to team up with good guys to fight bad guys. Are we going to see a diminution of good-versus-good disagreements (for example the Harpers) and evil-versus-evil disagreements (for example the Blood War)? If so, is there a danger that this might over-simplify the setting?
3) It's interesting that the portion of the Realms most familiar to non-FR gamers, the Sword Coast, is largely untouched by the Spellplague. Was this a deliberate design decision to help new gamers enter the setting? Or was it merely coincidence?
4) Will the races and classes introduced in the upcoming FR Player's Guide be reprinted in the PH2?
I say enough of who should or shouldn't be insulted and why, Rich comes here and answers our questions as best he can and he really doesn't have to. Yes the changes to the Realms are a bit extreme and to some seem chaotic or nonsensical, but they're going to happen, they should be sending the FRCS to the printers for typesetting soon, if not already. We can discuss, debate or argue with one another, but we should respect each other's opinions. One way to do this is if you disagree with someone, don't spend pages and pages of post trying to convince them you're right or they're wrong or whatever. Especially if it's the same point over and over again, just agree to disagree and move on, create a thread for the discussion if you must, don't keep cluttering up this one. Just respect each other.
Bel
Originally Posted by WotC_RichBaker In related news, I'm afraid I'm going to have to confiscate your 3.5 rulebooks, and force you to convert to the new edition. Where do you live?
Yep, I did, and yep, that's pretty much what I said. I would expect that the souls inhabiting Dweomerheart returned to the Fugue Plane, where Kelemvor then re-assigned them... or just made room for them. The Fugue Plane isn't all that bad of a place anymore.
Quote: Originally Posted by AKBrowncoat Yes! What does happen to all the souls of Gods that have been killed or demoted? (as my understanding is a lot of gods are no longer gods now but powerful outsiders???) So what happens to all thier petitioners and all that...
And if you could let me know if my fav god Mask is still around? That would be cool > : )
Thanks to Bel and Rich for reiterating the answer...very interesting, nice to know the cosmos has a Plan B for what happens to those souls.
Question; Are any FR super adventures in the works or might become so?
I'm not Rich, but I believe it's been made clear (even in this thread) that there is only one FR adventure planned/in the works so far. That doesn't mean there couldn't be more in the future.
1) Many of the changes we've heard about so far seem to accomplish two objectives at once, discarding unused/suboptimal aspects of the setting (like Maztica) while simultaneously updating the Realms to 4th edition standards (like introducing the dragonborn). Was this a conscious decision on the part of the design team?
...
3) It's interesting that the portion of the Realms most familiar to non-FR gamers, the Sword Coast, is largely untouched by the Spellplague. Was this a deliberate design decision to help new gamers enter the setting? Or was it merely coincidence?
Again, I'm not Rich, but I think I can answer these questions, as they've been addressed already, within this thread and without.
The answer to both questions is yes, both changes you mention (among many others) were done with intent, not by coincidence.
Yes the changes to the Realms are a bit extreme and to some seem chaotic or nonsensical, but they're going to happen, they should be sending the FRCS to the printers for typesetting soon, if not already.
I mentioned something to this effect in the Ascendency of the Last thread. The FRCG is probably already at the printer. Ascendency of the Last (and any other novel that people might take issue with) has already been published and is canon. We can discuss what we like or what we don't like until we're blue in the face, but that won't change the fact that much of this stuff is already set in stone, so to speak.
One way to do this is if you disagree with someone, don't spend pages and pages of post trying to convince them you're right or they're wrong or whatever. Especially if it's the same point over and over again, just agree to disagree and move on, create a thread for the discussion if you must, don't keep cluttering up this one. Just respect each other.
Indeed, that's pretty much my personal policy. I usually give my opinion and then move on.
I have seen your map, very good work, but I can´t use it since I put Fallcrest north east of Wheelon and the KotS in the mountain range close to sembia. This means that I can´t use the map of the vale but I prefer Cormyr.
Just checked the Map found HERE - that goes with Cormyr:The Tearing of the Waeve - did you pick that locale because you are also running that (or recently have)?
Anyhow, I was just wondering where you would place Hammerfast using that location - I rejected that region myself because a Dwarven Town is not easy to place there-abouts.
