| Author |
 Topic  |
|
deserk
Learned Scribe
Norway
237 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Aug 2020 : 17:09:18
|
Forgotten Realms has unfortunately a few uninspiring areas that should be greatly reworked and rehabilitated. The worst offenders tending to be the historical analogue areas, especially where they've not just copy pasted cultures over, but RW historical events and characters, i.e. Genghis Khan (Yamun Khahan) and Hernan Cortes (Cordel).
But the Blade Kingdoms could altogether be ignored as if it never existed. I would at least greatly welcome it's space to be filled by something interesting and Realmsian. It would be nice if we still got Dragon/Dungeon Magazine articles that enhanced and brushed up certain either long-neglected or poorly done regions of the Realms, like we got with Hordelands (Dragon 359), Moonshae Isles (Dungeon 147), Chessenta (Dungeon 178) and Vaasa (Dungeon 177). Given that we most assuredly won't get books covering any place outside Western Heartlands (in at least this decade), I feel it's the least WotC could do. |
 |
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11691 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2020 : 19:28:29
|
quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
[quote]Originally posted by Zeromaru X
Also, the Blade Kingdoms contain actually interesting things, such as condottieri-cum-aristocracy, military theory that doesn't ignore the available technology (the Realms have everything that late 15th and the early 16th century on Earth had, so it's weird why some authors keep featuring supposedly competent soldiers equipped and operating like it's the 13th century) and generals that don't ignore magic or flying cavalry.
Yeah, this is one of my major pet peeves is so many people describe battles without considering factors of this world that would not exist in the realms. Castle walls and such are all well and good, but when my having a group of ten or flying mounts means I can drop stones on your castle... or the idea that I have spells that can literally make a hole in a castle wall like its mud... or I can freeze a moat solid .... or fill in a trench in mere seconds with some low level magic ...
That was one of the things I did appreciate in the Game of Thrones stories. They didn't have a lot of high magic, but just the concept that they had a massive fortress that was turned to melted walls by a flying dragon only make sense. High Magic and magical beings is an extreme game changer and the fact that you can have forces with the ability to fly, burrow, turn to gas, phase through things, turn invisible, change their appearance to match your own allies, and countless other things just gets forgotten when it comes to major battles by some. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
|
Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2442 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2020 : 03:39:53
|
quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
Novels are the only places likely to contain remotely enough detail to actually describe anything. Sourcebooks only mention a few facts and if you only rely on that, you're effectively making up 99% of everything that there is literally no consistency between any two versions of the Realms.
Also, the Blade Kingdoms contain actually interesting things, such as condottieri-cum-aristocracy, military theory that doesn't ignore the available technology (the Realms have everything that late 15th and the early 16th century on Earth had, so it's weird why some authors keep featuring supposedly competent soldiers equipped and operating like it's the 13th century) and generals that don't ignore magic or flying cavalry.
You may have a point there. But I usually chose novels that follow the Realms internal consistency, and I recall this novel creates more problems that it solves.
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Yeah, this is one of my major pet peeves is so many people describe battles without considering factors of this world that would not exist in the realms. Castle walls and such are all well and good, but when my having a group of ten or flying mounts means I can drop stones on your castle... or the idea that I have spells that can literally make a hole in a castle wall like its mud... or I can freeze a moat solid .... or fill in a trench in mere seconds with some low level magic ...
That was one of the things I did appreciate in the Game of Thrones stories. They didn't have a lot of high magic, but just the concept that they had a massive fortress that was turned to melted walls by a flying dragon only make sense. High Magic and magical beings is an extreme game changer and the fact that you can have forces with the ability to fly, burrow, turn to gas, phase through things, turn invisible, change their appearance to match your own allies, and countless other things just gets forgotten when it comes to major battles by some.
Well, in a place where you have magical means to attack, this also means you have magical means to defend as well. I guess, that's the whole point of the war wizards of Cormyr or the wards of Waterdeep. |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
|
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11691 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2020 : 21:09:50
|
quote:
Originally posted by Zeromaru X
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Yeah, this is one of my major pet peeves is so many people describe battles without considering factors of this world that would not exist in the realms. Castle walls and such are all well and good, but when my having a group of ten or flying mounts means I can drop stones on your castle... or the idea that I have spells that can literally make a hole in a castle wall like its mud... or I can freeze a moat solid .... or fill in a trench in mere seconds with some low level magic ...
That was one of the things I did appreciate in the Game of Thrones stories. They didn't have a lot of high magic, but just the concept that they had a massive fortress that was turned to melted walls by a flying dragon only make sense. High Magic and magical beings is an extreme game changer and the fact that you can have forces with the ability to fly, burrow, turn to gas, phase through things, turn invisible, change their appearance to match your own allies, and countless other things just gets forgotten when it comes to major battles by some.
Well, in a place where you have magical means to attack, this also means you have magical means to defend as well. I guess, that's the whole point of the war wizards of Cormyr or the wards of Waterdeep.
But that's my point... they don't. You also don't see people making tactical decisions that make special use of magic a lot of times, and most cities don't have wards (not that Waterdeep's wards protect against much).
Just to give some quick and easy examples.... a common magic item (so common that almost every adventurer ends up having one) is a bag of holding. If this is combined with anyone on a flying mount (doesn't have to be a highly trained or high level person), they can literally fly above a target and "dump" bag after bag of small stones, arrow heads, nails, etc....
Another use would be to fill it with simple lamp oil (you can fill up about 10 of the 64 cubic feet before hitting the weight limit, but still, that's about 100 gallons of lamp oil per bag.
That's just me considering one extremely abundant magic item in use by someone with another fairly common resource (a flying mount, or a person flying, etc..). Take this to a somewhat coordinated task of having several individuals doing it at once, and you can see how the tower walls on the exterior of a castle could quickly become overwhelmed. Throw in another common resource (invisibility) on those individuals and you can see another layer of tactics.
It doesn't all have to be flying either. Simple spells or magic items can make your soldiers look like their soldiers, and thus spying and infiltration of the enemy camps would be commonplace.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining to complain, I just feel like opening up the discussions helps people see the issues. I see several threads lately where people are proposing concepts that would work in our world without thinking of the security issues they'll run into simply because of magic and monsters that exist (to note, I'm only responding to your quote because you responded, not because I'm seeing you putting forth some odd ideas). Monsters and evil NPC's are intelligent too, and they'll do things to make use of the resources they have available. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
|
Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2442 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2020 : 22:13:17
|
Well, at that point Mystra usually blocks magic, or Elminster snaps finger, or Khelben handwaves... those characters are hated by the D&D general player base for something.
I mean, the only reason technological advancements in the Realms got stuck in an eternal middle ages level is because some god doesn't want technology to advance (Gond). And we know Mystra is a meddlesome busybody. She may be just stopping magic to be used heavily on war cuz reasons. |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
Edited by - Zeromaru X on 28 Aug 2020 22:18:06 |
|
|
|
cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2285 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2020 : 00:23:41
|
Explorer Markustay,
Do you have an updated map for that link? It is showing broken.
Best regards,
|
Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
|
|
|
cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2285 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2020 : 00:26:06
|
Master Icelander,
Do you have a different URL for that? It is showing broken right now.
Best regards,
|
Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Blade Kingdoms redefined
