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Calling Wonder
36ca65
>>317978
>>317977
Exact copy of post
To be honest I am already disappointed in much of what I am hearing of this edition mechanically but where WotC could still save themselves in my eyes is by writing books with good fluff I would want. However before they could do this they would need to address the decrease in the quality of writing we have seem since the release of 4e, both in terms of how well thought out pieces of fluff are (addressing Verisimilitude) and by writing it above a grade 6 reading comprehension level. I know this is a mass marketed product but given WotC seems to be dead set on bringing back older gamers who stopped keeping with contemporary D&D I don't see why they shouldn't at least improve it to a high school level of reading comprehension.
Now the request for adding at least 4 years onto the level of reading comprehension is very straight forward but I also feel that WotC would have a much better product with fluff worth reading if they actually put more thought into the fluff they write, not just how they write it. I am sure there are people out there don't care about verisimilitude, think it gets in the way of fun or think every setting will look like Eberron if magic's effects on society are taken to it's logical conclusion. Well I can tell you right now that those are not valid points not to do it because:
a) If they don't care then it works either way and the added effort on the part of the writers justifies the price tag of the book
b) The only people who think its not fun are the kind of people looking for "LOL SO RANDUMB" and will do what they want regardless
c) As the writers they can decided what magic can and cannot do and as long as they maintain consistency can influence the effects it can and cannot have on society as a whole
I mean it when I say justifying the price tag of the book. If WotC really expects to bring back older customers who have already likely bought this game once or more in this economy then they desperately need to make the quality of the books less puerile. Explain how societies cope with issues of raiding and how often various types of raids are, explain how long and short lived races living in the same societies effects politics and economics, explain how the distribution of healing magic allows populations growth to not be eclipsed by death rates in such a violent world and specifically on that matter explain through what magical infrastructure societies often depicted in a state of total war or at least constant threat can maintain such generous civil liberties for their citizens.
That all can be done, I am not making a statement about how it is unrealistic because there are tools in the game world (magic) to make it possible but its inexcusable to not know how its done just because the writers don't want to put in the effort. The more we know about how the world functions the better we can create plots that fit into that world and roleplay characters in it. With the societal or literal infrastructure depicted in a can be a target for villains or heroes can bring it to lands that don't have it. Now of course some areas will be harder to justify than others but if at least the important parts are explained it makes it easier to maintain verisimilitude and justify the costs of a dozen books to adult gamers who want more out of the product than "I hit the goblin with my sword because of institutionalized specism".
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