It's been a few weeks, so I feel that I should post SOMETHING. Honestly, however, it's been fairly quiet since Penguicon, and I'm home now until Miscon at the end of the month.

I'm working on a number of projects at the moment, ( Read more... )

I've just returned from a trip to Portland, where I had a chance to spend some time with my friend Lee Moyer. It was a fun and productive trip, but now I'm rushing to finish a number of work products while preparing for my next trip to Penguicon, which is this upcoming weekend. So if I'm not posting much or responding to emails, that would be why.

While I'm behind the curve on this one, I'd like to urge everyone who worked with me on VR1 Crossroads to track down the song "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton. Mind you, everyone should check it out - but I think it may hold a special meaning for the Crossroads team.

In our continuing discussions of the Church of the Silver Flame, the subject of the Lycanthropic Purge has come up. One poster says:

On reflection, I think one of the main things that make many people think of the Flame as intolerant and corrupt is the Purge. As described in the ECS, it was pretty much unwarranted genocide.

I just wanted to speak to this point, because it's valid. In the ECS, what were we trying to do with the Lycanthropic Purge? Did it come across as we intended?

( Read more... )

There's been a lively discussion in response to my last post regarding the Church of the Silver Flame and the other religions of Eberron. I've been responding to individual comments, but the last comment that's come up is one which I felt deserved to be the subject of a new post.

Edhel writes: "Keith, you _really_ need to check your info on Mother Teresa. She's the 'good PR but rotten to the core/deluded fool' type that IMO the Silver Flame / Catholic church / any authoritarian institution so easily protects. To me, the SF has always resembled Catholic church. One authority and lots of gullible people to take advantage of..."

This isn't the first time I've seen people make this sort of comparison. In comparison to the loosely organized pantheistic Sovereign Host, the Church of the Silver Flame is an institution with clear hierarchy, strong established doctrine, and a history both of military action and well-intentioned actions that have occasionally had terrible consequences... and for that matter, a history of supporting charitable works across Khorvaire.

But at the end of the day, in my opinion, the Church of the Silver Flame has more in common with the Jedi Order of Star Wars than any religion of our world. It is not the Catholic Church nor any other religion of Earth, and people should consider the following things before jumping to this conclusion.

1. The unquestioned presence of supernatural evil. Check your ECS: the core principle of the Church of the Silver Flame, above everything else, is to protect the innocent from supernatural evil. You could argue that any religion in our world may be seen as serving the same purpose; but it means something very different in Eberron. We're talking about a world where the dead DO walk. Where anyone you speak to could be an ancient rakshasa plotting your destruction. A world where the Dreaming Dark manipulates your sleeping mind, and where the daelkyr linger below the ground waiting to rise again. If you are a human living in western Aundair or the eastern Eldeen Reaches, odds are good you have people in your family tree who were killed by werewolves - and again, when the Silver Flame first began the Purge, the typical templar was far outgunned by the typical lycanthrope. The comment above describes the church as a power that takes advantage of "gullible people". But in Eberron, there's no mystery about its mission: when demons break free from Khyber, you'll be glad to have paladins come to your defense. Eberron is not Earth, and people are constantly faced with threats that we only think of as myth and story.

2. The Church was born in such an act of salvation. The modern church of the Silver Flame was born when one of the Overlords of the Age of Demons partially broke free of his bonds and called a host of demons to Thrane. As it was, many innocents were killed - but only a fraction of those who would have fallen if the rajah had fully escaped and stretched his hand over Thrane. Essentially, imagine Cthulhu rising, smashing New York City, and then being defeated by a champion empowered by a force of light - who gave up her life in the process. Would you really be shocked to see many New Yorkers - $^#& that, many Americans - choosing to embrace this force that was responsible for their salvation? That's the core of the Church of the Silver Flame: an act of selfless sacrifice in the face of a terrifying threat. Similar evil must be defeated with similar sacrifice - while human evils such as greed and selfish aggression must be overcome through compassion.

3. Jaela herself is a leader chosen by the Flame. She's not the product of politics, otherwise we'd be looking at Keeper Krozen right about now. I don't think we've had any 11-year-old Popes, though I admit my knowedge of European theology is rusty. We have our corruption among those who are using the church as a way to gain power. But at its heart, the spiritual leader of the church is unquestionably chosen by the force that empowers the church. Whether you believe in the true divinity of the Flame is up to you - but whatever that power is, it chose Jaela. Thus, we can hope that her moderate views represent the true path the faithful should follow.

4. True champions of the Silver Flame risk their lives to defend people of all faiths. Again, the early days of the Lycanthropic Purge weren't a "purge" or a witch trial; they were a bloodbath. Try it yourself - match a 1st-level human warrior up against a werewolf. And the people of Aundair were NOT followers of the Silver Flame (although many admittedly were inspired to adopt the faith due to the selfless actions of the templars, leading to the support you seen in the region today). Far from despising these heathens who followed the Sovereign host, the soldiers of the Silver Flame laid down their lives to protect them. Because the core principle of the Silver Flame is to protect the innocent from supernatural evil. Not "innocent followers of the Silver Flame" - ANY innocents. In Eberron, there IS darkness and light. There are angels and devils. And the Church of the Silver Flame is dedicated to fighting the darkness.

With all of that said, again, the point of Eberron is that even in such a bastion of light you will find darkness - that human nature will always be seen. Just as with the Jedi you have those who do turn to the Dark Side. Nonetheless, I think the Jedi are a good metaphor to use - because like the Jedi, the champions of the Silver Flame are charged to fight forces of evil that we know only from our nightmares.

There's nothing wrong with considering elements of our history and life as touchstones for a game - it's these things that make a game feel real. But just don't forget the things that make it different from our world. The Church of the Silver Flame may have greedy priests who take advantage of their flock (the Sovereign Host certainly does, as seen in some of the novels) or who have joined the priesthood for political reasons as opposed to spiritual ones. But it also has a clear, vital mission. This IS a world threatened by demons and monsters. At any point a rajah could rise, a new incursion come come from Shavarath or Xoriat, a quori could decide to claim your dreams, or a legion of undead could attack your village. And when these things happen, you can hope that Champions of the Flame will be there to save you, as they have been since the couatl first kindled the Flame in the Age of Demons. Yes, the presence of a central authority does create the potential for abuse of that authority (although again, remember: the Keeper is chosen by the Flame). You may find a faithless minister, a greedy cardinal, an intolerant templar, or even a cleric serving the darkness within the Flame. But the followers of the Silver Flame also include people who have chosen to serve the light and take a stand against the darkness - people who recognize the presence of TRUE evil in the world (and again, look to the hierarchy of evil in Faiths of Eberron for a clear definition of how the church sees this) and who are prepared to defend others from it, even if it costs their lives.

So again, I have no problem with people choosing to emphasize the darkness within the Church, or doing their own thing with it. But in looking to the principles behind our original ideas when we created the church in the ECS, it was intended to be a force for good whose followers don't always live up to the incredibly high standards of their faith - not a fundamentally corrupt, flawed institution that does more harm than good.

Every now and then I get drawn into discussions about the Church of the Silver Flame. I just made a post about it on an Eberron discussion thread, and it occured to me that I really ought to put it here, so I could refer back to it later. So here we go.

In my experience, the majority of players, DMs, and even Eberron writers focus on the negative side of the Silver Flame. Every Silver Flame priest is either a corrupt fraud or a zealous maniac. The people of Thrane are intolerant fanatics. I've seen multiple shifter PCs based around the idea of wanting to kill modern worshippers of the Silver Flame based on the events of the lycanthropic purge.

It's easy to see reasons for this. When you're telling a story and you want a villain, you want Cardinal Richelieu, not Mother Teresa. But people should be aware that the villains and zealots stand out precisely because they ARE the exceptions - that the CotSF is not the violent, intolerant faith many believe it to be. Now, obviously all DMs are welcome to do whatever they wish with the world. If you want a vile and misguided church of zealots, that's your business. But the original goal of the church was to create a complex situation, not a one-sided charicature; it's supposed to be an institution that is, on the balance, a force for light - but one that, due to the actions of zealots and misguided followers, has also been a source of darkness. I just want to do a quick skim over some of the early source material (since along the way, many authors get caught up in the zealotry) and highlight the original direction.

Let's start with the ECS. On page 67, we get the core mission of the Church: "The Church of the Silver Flame is dedicated to protecting the common people from supernatural evil." This initial description says nothing about corruption or zealotry, because these things are not supposed to be unique to the Church of the Silver Flame. EVERY religion in Eberron has corrupt priests and zealots; the biggest offender on this count is the Blood of Vol, the majority of whose high priests are completely misleading their faithful followers. The issue is that the Church of the Silver Flame is not immune to these troubles; despite being dedicated to a noble cause, it is vulnerable to the failings of those who serve it - and those people may fall prey to greed or zealotry. But that's not somehow the core of the faith; it is the failing of those who stray from its teachings.

This is echoed on page 131, under Life in Khorvaire: "Rumors tell of graft and corruption even within the Church of the Silver Flame, the traditional bastion of law and order." This is considered to be a SURPRISE - not something taken for granted. By and large, the church IS seen as an honest and altruistic institution.

Next let's go to page 207, speaking of the Keeper of the Silver Flame and the nation of Thrane. "Jaela believes that, with the exception of wiping out true evil, war is a futile effort. The Silver Flame doesn't call for war; indeed, she believes that the Flame is saddened by the conflict that has pitted brother against brother." The problem is that many of the other members of the theocracy believe otherwise - but Jaela is the vessel of the Flame. Her thoughts represent the true path of the Flame; the problem again is the human failing of those who seek war. It's not the intention of the religion; in fact, it's against the principles of the faith. The problem is that people don't always live up to those ideals.

With that said, pages 207-208 continue to emphasize that the majority of the faithful hold to the true path. "Most (missionaries) preach a tolerant version of the faith (that accepts other religions)." "The Church of the Silver Flame is of two minds when it comes to doctrine and practices: the dominant, more or less tolerant side, embodied by the Keeper of the Flame... and the small but vocal minority who... take every pronouncement to its literal and extremely intolerant conclusions. On one hand, the church has developed into one of the strongest pillars of lawful good virtues in the world. On the other, its fanatical side has inspired... some of the worst atrocities ever committed in the name of a lawful good deity."

That intolerant, fanatical side is there. Just as you can find intolerant, fanatical followers of the Sovereign Host, the Blood of Vol (hello, Emerald Claw!), and any other religion; it's human nature. The Church of the Silver Flame is a faith that strives to do good, and which more often than not DOES do good - but which has also produced evil, when misguided or self-centered followers have strayed from its path.

This is echoed in the Silver Flame dragonshard article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20041115a). "The vast majority of the members of the church are not warriors... they seek to battle evil by nuturing good. A Thrane farmer who is faithful to the Flame does not fight demons. But he seeks to live his life by the ideals of the flame: to help those in need, to encourage virtuous behavior, and to be a force of light in the world. Gradations of evil exist, and while no mercy can be granted to the demon, hope remains that the greedy merchant or the arrogant king may follow a different path if shown how. The minister -- and the paladin -- leads by example and demonstrates to others the errors of their ways."

But what about the purge of lycanthropes, and the innocents who suffered in this struggle? Again, this is supposed to be an example of the moral challenges faced in Eberron - a good action that unfortunately had evil consequences. As described in the Purge dragonshard (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20050404a), this was a time when the power of lycanthropy was growing and spreading, when even good lycanthropes were becoming bloodthirsty murderers, and when thousands of innocents were being slaughtered. Unchecked, it could have destroyed Galifar. When the Purge first began it was 28 Days Later, not the Salem witch trials. The templars of the Flame were normal humans risking their lives to fight supernatural beasts in the hopes of protecting innocent farmers. The typical soldier was no match for the werewolf; he was putting his life on the defend others. But war is a horror, and in the course of war the best intentions can go astray. And so it happened here. As the tide turned, madness gripped the victors, and especially among the Aundairian converts to the Flame there was a thirst for blood and vengeance. The shifters suffered. Good lycanthropes suffered. It was a terrible tragedy. But it would have been far worse if they'd done nothing at all; the Purge began as an effort to defend innocents being slaughtered, not as a brutal attack on harmless, carefree werewolves.

Again, I understand why people like to focus on the dark side of the church; it makes for better stories than the altruistic, kind, Mother Teresa priests. But the fact of the matter is that as written, the Church is supposed ot have MORE Jaela Daerans than Cardinal Krozens. Especially in Thrane, Jaela represents the majority of the church: tolerant, altruistic, dedicated to protecting the innocent from supernatural evil, but combating human evil through noble example and charitable deeds.

The church is flawed. That's the goal of Eberron; there are no perfect forces of good in the world. People should never be able to be certain that the actions of a follower of the Silver Flame will serve the greater good. But the church was never meant to be as bad as many people seem to make it. Overall, it is a force for good, based on noble principles. Unfortunately, just as in our world, there are people who cannot live up to those principles, or who are blinded by their own greed, ambition, or misunderstanding of that underlying philosophy.

At least, that was my intention. From the start, we wanted to show that in Eberron there is no perfect pillar of virtue - but there's still virtue there, not simply blind intolerance and zealotry.

Life goes on apace here in Boulder. As always, I have too many exciting projects to work on - and I also want to fiddle with 4E stuff in my so-called spare time. In the hopes that I'll have the chance to play 4E at some point, I keep making new characters - "Goblin rogue! No, gnome warlock! No, dragonborn paladin! No, human warlock, different pact!" It's a lot of fun, but I need ot be focusing on that whole "paying work" thing.

In other gaming news, my friend Nic Logue has just started his own company:
http://www.sinisteradventures.com
I've worked with Nic on a number of projects, including City of Stormreach and Dragons of Eberron, and he's done some great work in and out of Eberron for Paizo Publishing. I wish him the best of luck!

During my recent trip, I had the opportunity to finally play (as opposed to DM) a game of Fourth Edition D&D. Wednesday night I found myself sitting in a chair that, some other week, might have been occupied by Jonathan Tweet. My DM? Rob Heinsoo, one of the designers of 4E (along with Three Dragon Ante, Inn Fighting, and much more). Rob is a brilliant designer, a witty conversationalist, a kind and generous man, and overall an exceptional human being. Now I'd see what sort of a DM he was.

I ended up playing a dragonborn paladin. I had a great time with it. I had a chance to use absolutely every ability my character possessed - skills, racial abilities, encounter powers, class features... while it doesn't do a lot of damage, it's fun to be able to burst onto the scene and breathe lightning over your enemies. For those concerned about the paladin's marking power, it's gone through a few changes, and what I'll note is that while it played a valuable role in multiple situations, I never actually inflicted damage with it during the game; it simply drew people to attack me instead of my wounded buddies. But since there were quite a few situations where my buddies were wounded, there was nothing wrong with that. Nonetheless, I wasn't dropping enemies right and left with my paladin's challenge.

So it was a fine night, full of mighty deeds and impassioned prayers to Bahamut (we weren't playing in Eberron)... ending with the death of every party member at the hands of a pack of kobolds. I can at least take some pride of place in being the first character to launch an attack in the very first encounter and the last to fall in the final scene, but nonetheless, we were butchered. By kobolds. In my mind, I could hear Mike Mearls cheering (http://mearls.livejournal.com/145866.html).

Mind you, we put up a good fight. We were at something of a disadvantage in that we were playing a four-person party and had no wizard; a little more area-effect damage would have made a huge difference. Likewise, in the final scene we essentially ended up fighting two planned encounters at once - meaning, again, that we really could have used some area effect to clear the room. Still, with two dwarves, a cleric, and a paladin, we proved to be a very durable group, and as a DM it was interesting for me to see just how long we were able to last against the odds; I managed to pull two fallen characters back to their feet, and the dwarf fighter managed to get back up on his own at a critical point. If I'd been playing for real, expecting to be back the following week, I might have suggested a tactical withdrawal - but as it was, it did have a fun 300 feel. By the end, when I was the only one still standing and was outnumbered four to one, it was pretty clear it wouldn't end well - but there was still a chance, and it was fun making that charge towards the kobold shaman and hoping he'd miss just this once.

So all in all, I had a great time and I'm looking forward to playing again; the main problem is that there's so many characters I want to play. But at least I did get the answer to the question "What sort of DM is Rob Heinsoo?" Answer: A cruel, bloodthirsty man who would butcher his own friends with kobolds. I mean, the defeat was bad enough, but did they really have to desecrate the bodies? I just didn't need to know that my character's skull was made into a chamberpot for the kobold shaman. (OK, I'm making that up, but in MY mind it's what happened...)

Thanks, Rob!

I've got more to say on the subject of 4th Edition and Eberron, but I'm going to pause here. I'm going to be traveling for the next week. More important, I am concerned about my ability to say anything meaningful without violating my NDA. It's quite possible I've said too much already. Hopefully over the course of the next week I'll be able to find out exactly what I'm legally allowed to say, so I don't have to dance around and leave you all hanging.

Beyond that, I'm getting started with my fifth novel. Now, I can't officially confirm or deny anything until WotC has made an announcement, but according to http://worldsofdnd.com/forum/ and Amazon, my fourth novel is called "The Queen of Stone" and is coming out on November 4th (You know, like the old rhyme... "Remember, remember, the Fourth of November - the date to start your holiday shopping with Keith's new novel."). I'm also doing some Eberron work for DDI, and having a great time working on my own 4E campaign.

Anyhow, more to come when I return from my trip!

I've got more to say on the subject of 4E and Eberron, but I wanted to take a brief time-out to talk about the recent Paizo news and also to give props to certain things I've been using as, well, props.

First, Paizo. If any of you aren't familiar with the name, Paizo Publishing (online at Paizo.com) was the custodian of Dungeon and Dragon magazines until 2007; they're also known for their line of Gamemastery products. When WotC reclaimed Dungeon and Dragon, Paizo created Pathfinder, a D&D campaign setting to support an ongoing series of adventure paths.

This week, Paizo announced the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, which will serve as the anchor for future Paizo adventure paths and products. The system is based on the systems of the 3.5 SRD and emphasizes backward compatibility with 3.5 products as an important feature, "so players will continue to enjoy their lifelong fantasy gaming hobby without invalidating their entire game library."

I have mixed feelings about this. Overall, I think it's a great thing. As I've said all along, I know there are people who will prefer 3E to 4E. As someone who has shelves full of 3E books, I can certainly appreciate the sheer financial desire to continue to get some use from them (Although looking to Eberron, you should at least be able to use 3E fluff in a 4E game). I've always been impressed with the quality of Paizo's work, and I've written for them on occasion. The Dungeon adventure paths provide sweeping storylines and weeks of solid entertainment, and the Pathfinder setting itself has a great level of depth, imagination, and classic fantasy flavor (nearly winning ENWorld's recent series of polls on the best 3.5 product). So I think it's great that a strong publisher will be providing ongoing support for the people who have come to love 3.5, and who don't want to pack that shelf of books away.

At the same time, I'm sad about it, precisely BECAUSE I have so much respect for the people at Paizo and the quality of their work. The fact of the matter is that I'm going to be playing 4E. I don't care that those shelves of books are suddenly going to be useless; I'm simply having more fun as a 4E DM than I have in years. Your mileage will vary, but me? I'm over that fence. And there's enough difference between the two systems that it's not going to be a trivial thing to convert one to the other. It'll be possible, sure - but just look at the stats posted from the DDXP and you'll see some of the differences. First-level PCs with 25 hit points? Kobolds with 30 hit points? Reflex is now a target number instead of a saving throw? And so on, and so on. You can certainly keep a STORY intact, but you'll need to restat monsters, items, and all that. So I'm sad because Paizo has done a great job with its adventure paths, and 4E could certainly use that level of adventure support. For all I know, Paizo may put out some sort of 4E conversions for its adventures; that would certainly be the best of both worlds. However, it wouldn't surprise me if their choice is simply to be the pillar of support for people who prefer the old to the new. I certainly understand the decision, and I'm glad that this support will be there for those who want it. But as a 4E convert, I'm sad to be drifting further apart. I've seen others post fears that this will tear the gaming community apart, or herald an lawless age of ten thousand systems, but I'm not really worried about that; I think there's space in the world for both 4E and continued support for 3E. Lots of people have invested a great deal of time and money in 3E, and some of them may not like 4E; it seems like a logical niche to pursue.

In any case, speaking of Paizo... In no small part because of the fun I'm having with 4E, I've been playing much more D&D of late than I have for some time. I've also been playing with some new people, and various tools have turned up at the table that I haven't used in the past (along with some that I have). So I thought I'd give a quick "What's on our table?" boost to a few products. None of these things are NECESSARY - but I like 'em all, so I thought I'd share.

With that in mind, let's start with Paizo. First up is the Gamemastery Combat Pad (http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/o/openMindGames/v5748btpy7uvm&source=top). This is a simple tool, but I've found it to be suprisingly useful. Essentially, it's a magnetic pad that comes with a number of smaller magnetic tags; you can write on tags or the board using temporary markers. Make a tag for each of your PCs and the bad guys, and tracking initiative order becomes a breeze - just layout the magnets in order. Someone delays? Shift the magnet. And in the meantime, if anything happens to anyone - Bob got poisoned? Joe is slowed? - just jot it down on the board. It also makes it easy to track just how long a combat's lasted- and again, you can make notes on the turn track as to when reinforcements arrive, spells wear off, or whatever. It's not a miracle - you can track all of this on a white board, computer, or just plain old paper. But I've found it to be a useful, compact tool that makes it very easy to keep track of the lineup.

Something I've only started using just recently are Paizo's Gamemastery Item Cards (http://paizo.com/gameMastery/itemPacks). These are just what they sound like - cards with images of items, which you distribute to players as they acquire the items. When I first saw these at a GenCon, I didn't care for the idea; I've got this +1 goblin bane sword card, but no plans to give people a goblin bane sword, so what's the point? However, what I since found is that the cards don't actually cover specifics. You don't get a goblin bane longsword - you get five or six unique longswords, with space on the back to put the specific details of the item. Aside from the factor of actually giving the PCs a physical object to play with, this also helps give different magic items of the same type more flavor; yes, the fighter and the paladin both have magic longswords, but the fighter's is a jagged goblin blade with a skull on the pommel, and the paladin's is the straight silver blade gleaming with inner light. I can see that this will be especially useful for 4E items with encounter powers, where the player can have the card out and flip it when used. And looking through cards, I've found more a number of things where the image is so intriguing that I've been compelled to figure out a way to fit it into the game. Again, necessary? Not remotely. But more fun than I expected.

Next up: Counters. When fights come around, you need something to track the movements of PCs and their opponents. Back in the day, I ways a huge minis collector. However, after hauling around hundreds of pounds of lead for one too many moves, I finally bid farewell to my metal minis. I do have a fair number of plastic minis (how can I not collect Eberron figures?), but I've also taken to use cardstock counters... specifically, Claudio Pozas' Counter Collections, published by Fiery Dragon (http://shop.fierydragon.com/category.sc?categoryId=5). I use the PDF version, print them to cardstock, and personally, back them with adhesive magnets for a little weight. There's a number of reasons that I like the counters vs. minis. The first is, simply, ease of storage. When I'm going to a convention, I can bring all the creatures I need for a full set of adventures in an envelope; even that huge creature is still paper thin. Tied to this is the fact that it's never an issue to find the creature I need. Between the Gold collection and the Summoned creatures collection, every creature in the SRD is covered (and for just $18), so there's no "Damn it! I don't have an assassin vine!" And if I can't find a particular creature, I just print it out again.

With that said, there's certainly something visceral to having the full, three-dimensional figure of a monster - especially an especially intimidating monster (I'm a big fan of the tsucora quori mini WotC put out). When I'm traveling, it's great to be able to put that huge monster in an envelope. But when I'm at home, it is nice to see the expression on the player's faces when you drop something huge on the table. At the home table, however, one of the strength of the counters is NPCs. All too often, there just isn't a good mini for a particular NPC. Either the face isn't well detailed, gear isn't right, or it just doesn't exist. I'm looking for a bunch of harmless commoners to be in the bar where the fight takes place. I want them to be unique and add a sense of color, but they shouldn't be armed... and there's only a few "peasant" and "sage" minis to go around. Pozas' counters (especially the Ptolus set, for all that it's images of specific Ptolus NPCs) are great for this - providing NPCs with a neeper sense of personality than you may be able to get from a limited set of minis. And again, from a cost perspective, you're getting hundreds of counters for $9. So if you're not attached to three dimensions, or if you're running a game on a budget, take a look at the counter collections.

Last but not least, I'd like to mention Alea Tools (http://www.aleatools.com/). Alea's signature product is the magnetic marker - a colored plastic disk containing a magnet, intended to be placed beneath the base of a mini. It's a simple tool that can be used in a variety of ways. Stack multiple disks to indicate the height of a flying creature. Use disks of different colors to indicate different effects. In 3E, who's your Dodge target? Who's charmed? Nauseated? Dazed? In 4E, it's a great way for a fighter or paladin to indicate marks, and likewise useful for tracking ongoing effects. I've also used the disks on their own to indicate swarms, smoke, or other environmental effects that can share a space with a PC. And aside from their value as game tools, they're a suprisingly addictive fidgeting tool at the table.

Lest it go without saying, while I'm using all of these things in my current 4E game, they were all designed for 3E and are equally useful for each. You don't NEED magnetic markers to play 4E, any more than you need them in 3E. But they are a fun tool, and if your combats do get complicated, they can certainly help to keep track of things.

Anyhow, next time: more on Eberron and 4E!

So, looking back to the previous post, the topic is simple: Eberron was designed to be a 3E setting, so isn't it just a better idea to run it in 3E? Why would you change?

YOU may decide not to change. Again, I'm not some sort of WotC shill here. You may not like 4E. As it turns out, I do - not just as a system, but specifically as a system for Eberron. And that's the point of these posts: to explain why I think it actually works as well (or even better) for Eberron than 3E. The downsides are obvious; you can't use all the crunch from your old books, psionics won't be in place from day one, and who knows how quickly DDI will provide support for other unique features of the setting. So given that, why have I already jumped ship to the new system?

Last post I talked about the first basic principle: 4E embraces the idea that PCs are special. Action points are part of the core rules. PCs feel like tough and capable individuals from level one. NPCs follow their own rules; you don't have to have the bartender be a tenth level character just because you want him to have a good Insight score. All of this fits with my original idea of Eberron. It's easier to make a first-level character feel like Indiana Jones than it was before.

Point number two is one I have to approach with caution, because it's something that hasn't been fully revealed. And that's magic. The core, original idea of Eberron was that arcane magic was essentially a form of science - and that as a science, it ought to be incorporated into society over time and used to provide the basic services we've developed with technology: transportation, medicine, communication, entertainment, warfare, and so on. And we did the best we could, using dragonshard focus items and magewrights. The problem is that Vancian magic really doesn't lend itself to this principle. The concept is that the streets of the cities of Khorvaire are lit by continual flame. But when a magewright specializing in this spell can still only cast it once or twice a day, how many weeks will it take him to light Main Street? What does he do for the rest of the day after casting the spells? We just went ahead with it, saying that the most critical functions were provided by reusable magic items (like the Sivis speaking stones). But it wasn't really what I wanted - a world in which magewright could be a true occupation, not something where you could blow your professional specialty in five minutes.

Here's where I really can't reveal anything, because if someone official hasn't already explained how it works, I sure shouldn't be spilling the beans. However, I will say that the way non-combat magic (rituals) work creates a far stronger foundation for a magical economy than Vancian magic did. It's a system where it's clear how that lamplighter can put in a full day of work, as opposed to burning out his power with a single spell. So again, Eberron was founded on 3E, and the idea that magic was a force that followed logical patterns, that could be reliably controled by formula and ritual, and which could be taught - but Vancian magic always put some limits on the logic of a truly magical society. The rules for rituals make the idea of a professional, full-time magewright a simple and logical idea - and in fact, the system is such that it doesn't even require the existence of a separate magewright class.

More still to come!

Hey all. I've been holding off on posting in the hopes that more information about 4E would come out; some of the topics I'd like to address are still under the table, and so I can't talk about them yet. Still, I'll just deal with it as best I can.

In the past, I've talked about whether you'll be able to convert your Eberron campaign to 4E prior to the release of a 4E ECS in 2009. For those you who missed it, my answer is yes. Between coverage of Eberron races in the MM and DDI support, you won't have EVERYTHING you'll get in the 4E ECS (otherwise, why would you need it?), but I'm confident that you'll have enough to run a basic Eberron game, even if there may be a few gaps you have to work around.

With that said... why would you? Eberron was a campaign setting designed for 3E, right? So doesn't it stand to reason that 3E should be the best system for running Eberron? Is there any compelling reason to rush to switch your game to 4E... or to ever run a 4E Eberron campaign?

Your mileage may vary. I'm not going to say 4E is going to be all games to all people. But the fact of the matter is that I not only prefer it as a system, I feel that it's a BETTER system for the Eberron setting than 3E - that it plays to things that I consider fundamental themes of the Eberron Campaign Setting. Like what? Well, let's take a look.

Player characters are heroes. In Eberron, we pushed for this. We gave PCs action points. We suggested that most NPCs use NPC classes. But there was still an underlying philosophy that NPCs followed the same rules as PCs. Not so in 4E.

To begin with, action points are now part of the core rules. They aren't the same APs you're familiar with; the core effect is that you can spend an action point once per encounter to take an extra standard action, which is great for performing that vital heroic deed at the critical moment (or letting the rogue feint and strike in one rogue to get in the final blow). In the long run, action point effects are tied into every class, giving each character unique ways to use his action points. Beyond this, action points are no longer "You only get them when you go up a level". The system actually encourages you NOT to hoard them - and again, this means that PCs are heroes capable of performing amazing deeds when the stakes are high. When you just NEED to do that triple move to get across the collapsing bridge, use that action point!

Beyond this, characters are strong and capable straight from first level. In 3E D&D, a first level character stands a decent chance of being rendered unconscious by one successful attack. A first level wizard stands a decent chance of being rendered unconscious if someone sneezes on him. And that wizard can cast one, maybe two magic missiles per day before he needs to go rest. It's hard to start like this and feel like you're Indiana Jones, or a hardened war veteran. Especially when after you kill a few goblins, your hit points and BAB double. If that's all it took, why didn't your war experience get you to that point?

By comparison, 4E characters begin tougher and progress a little more slowly. By the time you're fifth level, you may have doubled your hit points as opposed to quintupling them. But at first level you can take a few hits, and as that wizard you can always throw a magic missile (even if you need to catch your breath for a few minutes between casting your really impressive spells). You've got more options and abilities... it's easier to imagine that you are Indiana Jones, or Daine, early on - as opposed to feeling like an apprentice waiting to kill a goblin or to to get that "Ding".

And while player characters are tougher, NPCs are just as tough as the DM wants them to be. If I want to make an NPC who's a 7th-level rogue, I will. But if I want to make a healer who simply has a +12 Heal check and 10 hit points... I'll do exactly that. I don't need to say "OK, to have a +12 heal check he'll need to be a 6th level expert... hmm, and that means he'll also have 6d6 hit points and 5 other skills at +9 as well..." (though OK, he could get Skill Focus to reduce his level... but then he needs Skill Focus, and while we're at it, what are his other feats?) Even though NPC classes were generally inferior to PC classes, they still followed the same rules. One skill rank per level. One hit die per level. High skill ranks means high hit dice, multiple feats, and potentially a decent BAB. Here, if I want the bartender to have a great Insight skill and that's all, that's what he's got.

The "PCs are special" comes out in other ways. I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I don't imagine it's a vital thing, and it's one of my favorite points: Raise Dead. In 4E, it's specifically called out that you can't raise most people from the dead. By and large, when the fates cut your thread, it's over - you are sent to whatever your final fate may be. You can only be raised if you still have an unfulfilled destiny - and as it turns out, that's something most PCs (and presumably, many major villains) happen to have. This is a HUGE thing for me in terms of dealing with the logical impact of raise dead on a civilization. I've always been bothered by the basic issue of "If raise dead exists, how do wealthy people ever die of anything except old age?" 4E gives the answer: raise dead is a divine gift that can only call back those touched by destiny; while when King Jarot is assassinated, that IS destiny. Bringing him back simply isn't an option. (Bear in mind: I'm paraphrasing, and nothing here is a direct quote from the rules!)

So to summarize, PCs feel heroic from the very begining; you'll get tougher and cooler as you advance, but right from the start you've got a range of interesting options and the ability to go a few rounds without worrying about being knocked out by a single punch. Action points are incorporated into the core system and allow for more dramatic action than they do by the 3E ECS. And PCs and NPCs don't have to play by the same rules, which further allows PCs to stand out.

Now, this is just ONE reason I like Eberron in 4E. I've got a list, and my original plan was to squeeze it all into one post. However, given how long this has run, I'm going to break it into multiple posts - look for part two later this week!

And just to head off this sort of comment before it comes up: I'm sure there are going to people out there who hear my positive tone and say "Keith's just being a shill for WotC." Perhaps you think I'm afraid to speak my mind in case they won't hire me if I do. If you believe this, I don't know that anything I say will change your mind. But I'll just say this again: 4E isn't perfect. I'm sure there will be people who prefer 3E, or 2E, or GURPS. I'm not trying to say "4E is the holy grail of gaming! Never before has there been such a wondrous system, and never will we see it's like again!" But the fact of the matter is that I am enjoying the heck out of it. If I sound enthusiastic, it's because I AM enthusiastic. I just ran a game last night and I am already impatient to get the next session going. I'm not a WotC employee, I don't have a financial stake in 4E, and I have absolutely no reason to lie to help WotC sell 4E books. And if people want to keep running Eberron in 3.5, that doesn't hurt me in any way. I just want to share my personal experience of running Eberron in 4E. And so far, that experience is that I'm having a blast.

Anyhow, more to come soon!

By now, most of you have probably heard that Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, has passed away. Details of his life and the circumstances of his death can be found here:
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/national/2008/03/04/Obit.Gygax/

I never knew Gary Gygax. The only time I met him was at my first GenCon. I was twelve years old, and he autographed my program book; I actually found it in a box recently as I was doing work on the house. But while I didn't know him as a person, he was certainly an inspiration. It was his work that inspired me to create my own worlds and made be believe that I could make games for a living, and I'm grateful for that.

Rest in peace, Mr. Gygax.

So. Fourth Edition comes out in June. A dedicated 4E Eberron sourcebook won't be out until sometime in 2009. So what do you do?

Well, one obvious answer is to keep using 3.5. You may want to do that anyway; I'm NOT promising that everyone will prefer fourth edition to third. However, *I* do, and besides, if you're going to stick with third you don't need help from me. So, if you want to switch to running an Eberron campaign in June, how hard is it going to be?

It's not as bad as you might think. As was revealed at the DDXP, most of the races that play a significant role in Khorvaire - changeling, shifter, warforged, gnome - get a solid "How to use these as PCs" treatment in the Monster Manual. My Eberron groups currently include a gnome, a shifter, and two changelings. These races don't get quite as many racial options (feats, etc) from the get-go as those covered in the PHB, and that's the sort of thing you can expect to see in a 4E ECS. But they are certainly completely viable as PCs straight out of the MM. Beyond that, DDI is going to be providing some level of support; I know there's an article on the Warforged coming out in May, and I expect that to provide the same sort of options the PHB races get.

So in terms of basic mechanics and races, you're good to go. But things you'll definitely be missing off the bat are dragonmarks, the artificer, psionics, and the kalashtar. It's POSSIBLE that one or more of these will get coverage in DDI, but I'm not in a position to set odds on that.

With this in mind, you have a few options. I went ahead and whipped up my own version of the kalashtar and least dragonmarks to fill the gap; as a result, I do have a Lyrandar heir in one of my groups. However, in lieu of making house rules or getting DDI support, your best bet is to set these things aside. "But what about my kalashtar artificer?" you say. Well, the first thing I'd advise is that you start a new campaign. If you want to switch over, don't try to do it mid-story. Get to a good stopping point in your 3E campaign and then create an entirely new party of 4E characters. Among other things, low-level play is very different in 4E than in 3E, and you should really give it a try.

I know this may not be what you want to hear. "I've been building a story for two years - now you want me to drop it?" What I'm suggesting is that you put it on hold until you have access to the 4E ECS and have a better chance of a proper conversion. For that matter, you could continue to run that story in 3E while ALSO running a new story in 4E. But consider 4E as an opportunity to try something completely different. Here's your chance to play the all-goblinoid party - the strike force of the Kech Volaar seeking to recover artifacts from the Empire of Dhakaan, to battle the cults of the Dragon Below and engage in military and political conflict with the Kech Sharaat and Lhesh Haruuc. Start a group of adventurers in the Lhazaar Principalities - the gnome warlock from Lorghalen, the changeling rogue from the Gray Tide, the Cloudreaver dwarf fighter, Bloodsail elf wizard, and cleric from the Heavenly Fleet, who have banded together to defeat an evil prince and lay claim to his fiefdom. Try playing Ghaash'kala orcs holding the Labyrinth against the barbarians and fiends of the Demon Wastes. A team of Dark Lanterns of the Citadel, fighting on the front lines of the cold war. All of these could be easily done... and none of them require an artificer, kalashtar, or psionics (though that Dark Lantern team could certainly use some of them!).

Now, artificers, dragonmarks, and psionics aren't going anywhere. All of these things are integral parts of the setting. But you can still have the flavor of the setting even if no PC has access to these things. Don't pretend that artificers aren't there. You can go ahead and use the dragonmarked houses as patrons and story hooks. It just happens that no PLAYER can be a warforged artificer (yet). Again, there's so many possibilities that you can now explore (like the paladin of the Blood of Vol in one of my games) that I believe you can work around these things. As a DM, it's a matter of saying "OK, if psionics aren't in yet, I'll use the Aurum instead of the Dreaming Dark" - it doesn't mean that the Dreaming Dark is GONE, just that you shouldn't make it the basis of your story... yet.

Personally, I'm using Stormreach as the basis for my campaign. I like Stormreach because it's a relatively small town on the edge of the world, close to uncharted lands and even more dangerous than Sharn. It's a place where adventurers can quickly make a mark, because you don't have the established forces of Morgrave, the Citadel, or the like. Beyond this, the City of Stormreach sourcebook says it's going to have 4E support when the rules come out. Now, before someone says "We can't trust anything you say!" I'll point out that I don't actually get royalties from the sale of sourcebooks, so this isn't some ploy to try to get you to rush out and buy CoS (for all that I'm happy with the book). However, if DDI does come through with the promised 4E support, it could be one of the easier places to use.

So in conclusion, if you want to continue the story exactly as you're running it, or if you're set on playing your kalashtar psion or Cannith artificer, you may have to stick with 3E for now. But if you're willing to start a new story and try something new - avoiding the early potholes of psionics, dragonmarks, and artificers - you should be able to start a 4E Eberron campaign right away.

Next I'll talk about why I've done just that - why *I* like running Eberron in 4E. Again, I'm not promising that everyone will like 4E; it's not the magic ultimate system. But I think that it is a good system for Eberron, and next time around I'll tell you why.

With DDXP in full swing, there's lots of news about Fourth Edition Dungeons & Dragons on the net this week. I just read the first part of a fairly extensive review of the system, posted by a playtester at http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35776 . He's already said much of what I'd say, so I'll refrain from discussing the system itself it too much detail. But I do want to highlight a few points.

First, Massawyrm - the aintitcool reviewer - makes a critical point. Simple doesn't mean stupid. 4E D&D has simplified many things, and these systems will as a result be more accessible to a wider audience. But this doesn't mean that they have somehow sacrificed quality in the process. They've simply improved the systems. There's nothing admirable about being clunky or esoteric. When I was running a game for a friend and his kids yesterday, I thought "Damn! I wish I could run 4E!" And part of this WAS because I knew that the kids would have a far easier time with it. But it wouldn't have simply been a sacrifice made to cater to the children; I'm enjoying 4E more that third.

A second thing I've heard is that 4E is somehow a copy of World of Warcraft. To set my credentials on the table, I've not only been playing D&D for almost 30 years, I've spent 7 years designing massively multiplayer computer games (MMOs). So, is there a basis for these accusations? Certainly. There are basic principles in 4E that are reflected in MMOs. The most obvious of these is the concept of character roles. Defining the fighter as the "guardian" and the rogue as the "striker" is a obvious parallel to the role of these classes in WoW. The rogue deals more damage than the fighter, but can't absorb as much. The fighter is the tank, and specializes in drawing attacks away from his allies. And the 4E fighter has abilities that allow him to do just that - encourage enemies to face him instead of his teammates.

But does that make 4E D&D a clone of WoW? Does it make the experience of playing 4E just like playing WoW? Does it sacrifice the inherent experience of D&D? In my opinion, the answer is no on all counts. Combat in WoW is a real-time experience set against foes driven by AI routines. If you REALLY wanted to make a WoW clone, you'd give the DM instructions along the following lines: "Keep track of the amount of damage each player inflicts on the monster. Any concombat spell such as healing or summoning will be given an equivalent damage value. The monster will always attack the player who has inflicted the most damage on it. The attacks of a fighter are considered to inflict double damage only for this purpose, and his taunt ability adds an immediate thirty points to his threat value."... or something like that. Decision making would be taken out of the DM's hands, and you'd ignore the tactics of the situation.

Scaling it back slightly, you could simply give the fighter an ability that said "Taunt: Target must make a Will saving throw. If he fails, he must attack the fighter." More D&D, perhaps, but equally hamfisted.

Fourth Edition doesn't do either of these. Instead, it gives the guardian classes tools that hinder or harm the target if he chooses to ignore the fighter. It creates a tactical situation - something more complex than you will typically see in the real-time combat of WoW. As DM, I get to decide: is the monster going to turn against the fighter in response to his efforts? Or will he still attack the wizard, in spite of the consequences he'll suffer as a result?

So 4E D&D does draw INSPIRATION from the MMOs, in saying "Let's provide the fighter with a way to actively defend his allies - a way to protect the low hit-point/AC wizard BEYOND simply whacking the guy with a sharp piece of metal." As someone who has always enjoyed playing fighters, I think this is great. I still have my high AC, my high hit points, my high strength, my excellent weapon selection, and the ability to deal decent damage. I haven't been stripped of the basic things that have always defined fighters in D&D. But I have been given new abilities that expand what I am capable of... that allow me to defend my allies even while smashing my foes.

Games evolve, and that's what's happening here. In my years working on MMOs, I always looked to my experiences with pen-and-paper RPGs and live roleplaying for ways to add depth of story to the MMO experience. You couldn't simply transfer the pen-and-paper game to the computer and expect it to work perfectly; they're completely different mediums. But there are lessons to be learned, ideas we can try. And that's what's been done here, in reverse. 4E isn't simply World of Warcraft ripped from the computer and played at the table, because WoW wasn't designed for that. But it does draw inspiration from MMOs, looking at the ideas that have evolved over the course of a decade of MMO development and seeing if there's anything there that could enhance the traditional pen-and-paper experience. And for what it's worth, so far I love the result. The action of the game is fast and fun. It's something I wish I could share with more of my friends, and I look forward to having the chance to play instead of just DMing!

Next time around I'll talk about some of the issues facing Eberron in 4E... but I think that's enough for now!

For some time now, TerraDave on the gaming site ENWorld.org has been running a poll to determine the "best D&D product of third edition". Well, this week Eberron made it to the final three, competing with Unearthed Arcana and Paizo's Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords. The polling runs through monday, and at the moment it's neck and neck between Eberron and Pathfinder. In theory, only votes from users registered on the website will actually count in the end - and while Eberron's down 29 votes by overall scores, it's right on the edge when it comes to registered voters.

I'm excited just to see Eberron make it this far. Pathfinder and UA are both excellent products, and what's interesting to me is that each one is so different: we have an adventure path, a campaign setting, and essentially a toolbox of game options. Needless to say, I'd love to see Eberron win. However, what I don't want to see is anyone going to the site and voting just because you're a pal of mine, or voting multiple times, or anything like that. If you actually like Eberron and think it deserves to win, I'd love to get your vote. If you can take a most to post something about your reasons, all the better; you'll need to register on the site (which is free) to have your vote count, and if you have something to say people will know you AREN'T just someone signing up three times. And for that matter, if you think PATHFINDER should win, well, log on and vote for them! While I'll be thrilled if Eberron wins, at the end of the day I'm interested in seeing more people take part in the discussion.

In any case, the website is:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=219449
... and remember, you have to register for your vote to count!

Hey folks!

Having talked to some of my employers, I've got permission to speak in general terms about some of my mysterious projects of the moment.

To begin with, I've been playing 4th Edition D&D in preparation for work on the 4th Edition incarnation of Eberron. And so far, I'm having heaps of fun with it... not only will I be shifting my Eberron campaign to 4E when the time comes, I'm shifting it now. While I think that there's a lot of subjects to cover in a 4th Edition ECS, I also think that people who want to jump in right away will be able to do so with a few tweaks - and I think that D&D Insider will be taking steps to help with that, though I don't know for sure.

On that front, I'm also starting work on a few articles for D&D Insider. I can't provide many details at the moment, but I think it's going to be a good opportunity to explore some of the dark corners of the setting, and you should get to see a few 4E bits designed purely for Eberron!

Beyond that, I'm also wrapping up work on a third Gloom expansion. I can't say much about that, either, but in addition to providing a few new things to play with I've tried to solve some of the common problems I've seen come up in Gloom (it doesn't matter how miserable your family is if you never draw an untimely death!). I'm not sure what the planned release date is for this, but look for more news as we get closer to that date.

And finally, I just received a few Eberron questions in response to an LJ post from last July. So, here's the answers:

I know that the house of making is divided. That Cannith South still does research with the warforged but if found out it would start a war with the 5 nations. Again because of the treaty of Thronehold forbades the house of making to make or research the warforge. Does the treaty hold in Xen'Drik and if not why Cannith South is not using this advatage?

To begin with, "Cannith South" isn't continuing research with the warforged - certain influential people within the house are doing this, using their personal resources. With that said, this question is specifically answered on page 19 of the Dragonmarked sourcebook.

I know that the Dragons fought a war with Demons and Cannith West is under the influence of the Lords of Dust! Should this cause a conflict with the Dragons?

Perhaps it already has. The current conflict between the Lords of Dust and Argonnessen is an extremely cold war - largely oriented around lynchpin events that can shift the Prophecy. The dragons don't care about humanity. So, it's possible the dragons haven't realized what the Lords are up to. It's possible that they're aware of these activities but see nothing in them that impacts Argonnessen. Or it's possible that they are aware and oppose these activities and intend to oppose them - but that to ensure the Prophecy takes the proper path, they need to make use of specific tools... such as the player characters.

Also I know that Cannith East is into research with the undead and given the Undying Courts view on this would they not also be in conflict with each other?

YOU may know Cannith East is interested in the undead, because you have a magic book of secrets - it's not something they project to the world at large. Beyond that, Karrnath has been using undead for longer than CE has, and Aerenal hasn't declared war on them. The Undying Court despises negative undead, but it is also the ruling body of a nation. The Deathguard attacking a Cannith East stronghold would be like a team of Russian commandos blowing up a Microsoft office because they don't like Windows - something that would have severe diplomatic consequences. They may still DO it, just as they might try to destroy Fort Zombie... but they'd have to find a way that couldn't be traced back to Aerenal. Yet one more possible path to involve PCs, if any of your PCs are loyal to the UC!

The City of Stormreach sourcebook was released today, and I know some people out there are curious about the connection between the sourcebook and the online game set in Stormreach. Was the book designed with the MMO in mind? Now that I've actually had a chance to play D&D Online, I'm in a much better position to answer this question.

City of Stormreach is first and foremost a sourcebook for traditional D&D, not a guide for playing the online game. There are things in DDO that directly contradict printed sourcebooks or novels - and in every case that I'm aware of, when there was a contradiction, we sided with the print version. So, for example, the Storm Lords in CoS are the five people mentioned in Secrets of Xen'drik, not the ones you see in DDO. With that said, if you have played DDO, you will see a lot of familiar faces and places in CoS. We made sure that we gave priority to the people and places mentioned in previous print sources - the giant Galronak and the Tents of Rusheme, the Ship's Cat, and Hassalac Chaar, the Prince of Dragons. However, you'll also see Tattered Alice, Berrigan Enge, The Wayward Lobster, and lots of other things from DDO.

There are a few other major clashes with the online game. For one thing, in DDO, the city overall is a fairly fantastic place; the Market is quite a sight. The Church of the Silver Flame has a massive cathedral with scores of guards and priests. By comparison, City of Stormreach emphasizes that Stormreach is a frontier town. It's built amid the ruins of previous civilizations, and it's a ramshackle and relatively lawless place. The Church of the Silver Flame actually has a minimal presence, because most of the people of Stormreach have little interest in its altruistic principles; and the priests who do live in Stormreach have actually broken ties to Thrane and condemned the move to theocracy as a distraction from the mission of the church. The key here is that Stormreach is a very different place from Sharn. It's smaller, far from the heart of things, and a place where militias and gangs have more power than the forces of the law. It's a place where the Last War is still being fought by many groups. And it's a place where a small group of capable adventurers can really make a difference. The Boromar Clan is deeply entrenched in the underworld of Sharn, and it will be a serious challenge for players to truly dig them out. But they could easily get rid of the Bilge Rats, the Crimson Shrouds, or one of the other gangs of Stormreach, because these groups operate on a smaller scale.

With all of this said, I've still had a lot of fun in DDO. It's not exactly Stormreach as I see it... a little bit of Casablanca, a little bit of Algiers from the movie of the same name... but it is to battle monsters with my warforged fighter and see Eberron come to life. And while there are many differences between the Stormreach of DDO and the Stormreach in print, there's good reasons. As I've said, I WANT Stormreach to be that edge-of-the-world, rough-and-tumble frontier town... a place where there is no law to turn to, where many of the great powers of Khorvaire have a minimal whole. But playing at your table, you always have the option of going back to Sharn, where you can deal with the archeirophant of the Silver Flame and walk around glorious towers. In DDO, you've only got that one city. The experienced Eberron hand might know the score, but if they accurately modeled Stormreach as we've painted it in CoS, the newcomer who logged onto DDO would say "What's this dump?" DDO isn't just about Stormreach - it's about introducing players who have no experience with the game to Eberron. So the Silver Flame has a very different role in DDO than CoS - because in CoS we're presenting something very different from what you're used to, while in DDO the player may never have even heard of the Silver Flame. A powerful church does a better job of introducing the player to the concepts in DDO... while at the table, a weak church means that good-aligned players don't have this resource to lean on if they want to clean up the town. DDO is trying to paint a grand vista that will draw newcomers into the world - while CoS presents a dangerous frontier where players don't have many of the things they're used to in Khorvaire.

As one of the authors, what I really like about City of Stormreach is just how different the city is compared to Sharn. Like Sharn: City of Towers, I think this sourcebook gives you enough information to run dozens of adventures in the city - but it gives you a chance to tells stories that just wouldn't fit in Sharn.

Next up: A little information on some of my secret projects!

I'm just not cut out for the whole blogging scene. Given how much time I spend posting on the WotC boards, it ought to be easy - and yet here I am, surprising everyone if I post more than once a month.

Part of the problem is that most of the things I'm working on, as interesting as they are, are either sealed away under NDA or so far off that there's not much to say. For example, I'm getting started on my fifth Eberron novel... but given that I'm still unable to so much as mention the name of the fourth novel (due out Q4 '08, if all goes according to plan), I can't let you in on all the big plans I have for #5. But for what it's worth, I'M excited about it.

I'm working on a few projects at the moment, and it may be that at this point it's safe to talk about some of them - I will check in with my mysterious overlords. I'd also like to talk about City of Stormreach, especially as I've finally had the opportunity to play Dungeons & Dragons Online - I'll post my comparison of the two visions of Stormreach in my next entry. However, for the moment, I mainly wanted to touch on travel. A few weeks back someone asked if I was going to Genghis Con - before that, Alanna wanted to know if I was going to be at the D&D Experience. I'm embarassed to have missed Genghis because it's a 30 minute drive away, but I've been doing some tinkering with one of my projects and when I get caught up in something, it's hard to let go.

As for D&D XP, at the moment I'm not going to be there. I wasn't invited as a guest, which doesn't surprise me - the big focus this year will be 4th Edition, and with 4E Eberron not coming out for at least a year, I really don't bring much to the table. I talked to the RPGA about showing up and running some games, but they aren't doing any DM's Mark slots this year, so if I showed up I'd have to run someone else's game - and as much as I admire the work of the Xen'drik Expeditions crew, if I'm going to make the trip, I'd want to run something of my own. Given that I do know people in the area, I've considered just showing up, running some pick-up games, and visiting people... but between last-minute airfares and having to figure out crash space, I'm leaning towards another weekend working at home. So at the moment, Penguicon is the next convention I'm sure to be attending.

Next up: Stormreach!

Over the last few days, I've had a number of people contact me and say "Hey! Why don't you acknowledge Edward Gorey's influence on Gloom?" One went so far as to say that the artist had clearly used tracing paper to duplicate some of Gorey's art.

There's two issues here: the art of the game, and the overall style and humor of the game. While I may be a novelist and a designer of RPGs, computer games, and card games, there are many fields I haven't mastered, and one of those is artist. I didn't do the artwork for Gloom; that would be the work of Scott Reeves, Lee Moyer, and Todd Remick. For that matter, I didn't even commission the art for Gloom; that was done by Atlas Games. So I can't tell you exactly what instructions the artists received, or what inspirations they drew upon. But more on that in a bit.

As to the game itself, was Edward Gorey an influence on the game? Indisputably. I've loved Gorey's work since I was a child, when I first saw the animated titles for the TV show "Mystery". I especially love "The Raging Tide", and I'll admit that when I first put Grogar (the Frankenstein's Monster for Girls teddy bear) in, I was thinking of Hoogleyboo. However, Edward Gorey was not the sole influence for the game... and what annoys me most about these "It's a Gorey ripoff" comments is that they ignore the excellent work of many other artists and authors.

Now, one of the original complainees was upset that I didn't even acknowledge this influence on my website. Obviously I can't retroactively add acknowledgements to the game. But I can certainly give an honorable mention to the people who influenced me here, and it seems like a worthwhile thing to do. I think that they're all geniuses, and encourage you to seek out their work.

EDWARD GOREY: A master of morbid humor. One of his best-known works is "The Gashleycrumb Tinies", an alphabet primer that chronicles the unfortunate demises of children from A to Z. This is an obvious precursor to Gloom's untimely deaths. With that said, we never hear anything of the children of TGT other than their deaths, while Gloom requires players to build up tragic stories before death can occur; likewise, Gloom actually includes POSITIVE things, allowing people to be comforted by cocoa or married magnificently. Admittedly, you don't WANT these things to happen, but my point is that it's not just a direct "Faster, adorable orphan, kill kill kill" translation of TGT. Nonetheless, Gorey's dark sense of humor is an obvious influence on the game, and the use of alliteration in the titles of the modifiers is certainly an echo of his style.
Suggested Reading: Amphigorey; Amphigorey Too; Amphigorey Again.

CHARLES ADDAMS: Gloom is a game about eccentric families going through bizarre cycles of fortune and misfortune; I'd think the parallels would be obvious to anyone familiar with The Addams Family in any of its forms. Of course, Addams' work extends far beyond that one set of characters, and his sense of morbid humor was just as much of an influence on me as Gorey.
Suggested Reading: The World of Charles Addams.

STELLA GIBBONS: A lesser influence, and far less known, but important to me nonetheless. Stella Gibbons wrote a novel called "Cold Comfort Farm", which was published in 1932 and later translated to film and TV (most recently in a 1995 version starring Kate Beckinsale, Ian McKellan, Rufus Sewell, and others). While only the Old Dam is an especially close tie, the Blackwater (green) family was inspired by CCF - the doomed country clan with their grim matriarch.
Suggested Reading: Cold Comfort Farm - both book and film are worth checking out!

LEMONY SNICKET: AKA Daniel Handler, author of "A Series of Unfortunate Events". Among other things, it was Lemony Snicket who convinced me that there was a modern market for morbid humor. I knew that *I* loved Edward Gorey and Charles Addams, but what about the kids? ASoUE showed that the youth of today could appreciate a doomed family tossed from one tragedy to another, which is what Gloom is all about.
Suggested Reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events (begining with "The Bad Begining").

MARK BEYER: Another modern writer/artist, Mark chronicles the miserable lives of Amy and Jordan. Balthazar the Unfaithful Hound may have been inspired by Beyer's City of Terror "Mugged by a Dog" trading card, which has always been a favorite of mine.
Suggested Reading: Agony

GAHAN WILSON, MATT GROENING, and GLEN BAXTER: Three more artists whose sense of humor has certainly inspired me over the years. Gloom's "Devoured by Weasels" death was a variation of Groening's dissertation on love: "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."

If I sat down and looked through the game, I could draw out other sources; just looking at the Wellington-Smythe family, you've got The Omen, The Crucible, The Others, and Damn Yankees. But I consider all of the people named above to be important influences on the game, and if you like the game, I advise you to check out any of them that you're not familiar with.

So given that this is the case, why haven't I done this before? Because, honestly, it never occured to me. First, it seemed to me that the inspirations will be obvious to anyone familiar with the work. Second, I've never actually seen a card game do this before. Magic: the Gathering doesn't say "Thanks to J.R.R. Tolkein and Jack Vance", not to mention the artists who inspired various styles within the game. Most art draws on inspirations. Games are no different, either in flavor or mechanics; there are few entirely original ideas. If I had based the ENTIRE GAME off of Edward Gorey's work - actually quoting the Gashleycrumb Tinies or using characters from his stories - not only would i have mentioned it, I would have needed to license it. As it was, Gorey was *an* influence, but not the only one - and again, I've never personally seen a card or board game provide a list of artistic influences.

As for the art, again, I can't say what the artists had in mind. Obviously Gorey is a strong influence on the art, at that makes sense, because it fits with the flavor of the game. Some of the characters have an especially strong Gorey feel, such as James DeWinter from Unhappy Homes. On the other hand, I feel that other characters have a very different look. As I said, I was thinking about Hoogleyboo when I came up with Grogar, and to me the final Grogar doesn't look like something I'd expect from Gorey. The lines of Goody Zarr don't seem to fit his style at all, and the entire Circus family has a very different feel. Todd Remick's work in Unwelcome Guests has a completely different flavor; if anything, I think it's more like Gahan Wilson than Edward Gorey. So I can't speak for the artists, but sure, I think it's only logical to assume that Gorey was an inspiration for them... but not the only one, as shown by the variety of styles throughout the work.

In any case, all of these artists and authors have been an inspiration to me, along with many others - if you're not familiar with any of them, check them out now... before you suffer an untimely death of your own!

So, I said I'd write a round-up of 2007, and I figure that if I don't do it now, it's going to be 2009 before I know it. So, without further ado…

As the year opened, I'd set aside my freelance career to work at a computer games studio called Netdevil. At the time, I was Design Director on for LEGO Universe. I can't complain about the opportunity. Working on LEGO was a fantastic experience. I've always loved LEGO, and aside from letting me shape what I hope will be a fantastic game, it also let me get paid to play with minifigs. There are literally tons of LEGO elements at the Netdevil offices, including pretty much every minifig piece and accessory currently in production. At some point I'll post some of my personal creations, but for now that will have to wait. As Design Director, I had an opportunity to work with a lot of great people, and I even ended up going out to Denmark to see the home office. And let me tell you: There's a $#%@load of Seven-Elevens in Denmark.

While I'm glad I had a chance to work on LEGO Universe, eventually it became clear that it wasn't for me. The Design Director position was ultimately a management role… and I missed the hands-on creative work. In addition, when I'd taken the job I'd convinced myself that I could handle a full-time job and continue my freelance career. As deadlines approached on my fourth Eberron novel, it became clear that this wasn't going to be so easy as I'd thought. Ultimately, what I want to do is write. It's not as financially rewarding – but Ellen has been a saint when it comes to putting up with my unpredictable income, and she supported my return to the freelance world.

As a freelancer, there's actually not much I can talk about this year. I worked on Dragons of Eberron and City of Stormreach (the latter coming out in February, I believe), and I think they both turned out quite well. I just completed work on my fourth Eberron novel; I can't say much about this yet, but it is a departure from the Dreaming Dark characters, and explores a different aspect of Eberron.

So while I'm just getting settled again, I do have quite a few irons in the fire… unfortunately, most of them are under NDA. I'm doing the groundwork for two novels. I'm working for Netdevil as a freelancer, developing the story for their science-fiction MMORPG Jumpgate Evolution; this is a project that gets more interesting with each passing day. And I hope to be working on additional Eberron material as 4th Edition D&D settles into its final form.

I did a lot of traveling. I went to Ireland for the fabulous Leprecon 28, to Denmark as part of Netdevil, and to London just for the heck of it. Ellen and I went back to Cape May NJ, where we honeymooned many years ago. And, of course, there was GenCon. I doubt I'll match the international travel this year, but I'm looking forward to Penguicon in April. Mark your calenders!

It's also been an exciting year for Ellen, but I feel I should let her describe her many travails herself. So I urge everyone to write to her at Ellen@bossythecow.com and urge her to get back to writing The Honeycakes Diaries! In any case, I'm lucky to have her – I couldn't ask for a more supportive and patient companion, and I hope that I am half as good for her as she is for me.

So, at the end of the day, not a lot to report. However, there's a lot of interesting projects in the works. And if you want to see one of the things I'm doing, drop by www.netdevil.com and check out Jumpgate Evolution (and while you're there, see what they're saying about LEGO!).

Here's to an exciting 2008!