Wanting to fill in some gaps, I looked for a series that detailed the Age of Mortals and the Dragon Overlords, and thought Dawn of a New Age was that... it wasn't.
But the Bridge of Time series is doing fine so far, having read a couple, then now read Conclave to get a sense of the Orders before starting the new Campaign of Destiny.
But, Conclave was just horrible IMO. Not a bad book if set in FR maybe, but the bickering moons, the Uber Sorcerer, Coryn was predictable and game-breaking, and the Orders of High Sorcery seem arrayed specifically against primal sorcery, since it is such an afront to them.
I've also learned that while Spirit of the Wind came closest, it seems like no one can write Kender.
So my questions:
1) Will Dragonlance be guided by Uber Novels that dictate major game events every 3 months?
2) Are the novels completely under WotC control?
3) Will the game material take all novels to be canon? (for example, only 19 wizards of high sorcery exist, half of them stupid?
Bridges of Time Series
Dragons of a New Age Trilogy
Crossroads Series
Dhamon Saga
Age of Mortals Series
Minotaur Wars Trilogy
That is pretty much in order except the Age of Mortals series, it really jumps around a lot, a couple of them are after the War of Souls (Wizard's Conclave and Lake of Death), one is early 5th Age (The Lioness) and the other three (I think) closely coincide with the War of Souls (Conundrum, Dark Thane and Prisoner of Haven).
Hope that helps. (the other questions I don't really have an "official" answer for you, sorry)
EDIT: Edited for accuracy.
Instead, it's 30 years later.
But, I'll never read another Jean Rabe novel, so the Dhamon stuff is neither here nor there.
Bridge of Time has been decent, and I'll look at the Crossroads one's.
I'm pretty sure Conundrum is before the WoS though, since it is about his trip to Shallsea aboard the Sub, hence why I skipped it.
But, I'll probably not read all the earlier age of mortals stuff. I'm curious instead as to whether I should just start ignoring the novels entirely for my campaign, or whethere they'll be selective canon or what. I see Solamnia's up for a shaking soon, and Wizards Conclave kind of turned me off of following the canon too much.
Originally posted by Brimstone
...a few of them are after the War of Souls (Conundrum...
Conundrum is actually before the WoS. ;)
Originally posted by VoceNoctum
1) Will Dragonlance be guided by Uber Novels that dictate major game events every 3 months?
2) Are the novels completely under WotC control?
3) Will the game material take all novels to be canon? (for example, only 19 wizards of high sorcery exist, half of them stupid?
1. I don't know about "Uber" novels or a strict timeline for new events, but if any the Dark Disciple trilogy would be one of them.
2. Don't see any reason why they wouldn't be.
3. It seems to me that Sovereing is attempting to include as much of Krynn history as they can into the gaming books. Of course a novel can still be canon with non-canon parts.
As a side note though...I will say the Dhamon Saga was light years ahead of DoaNA in both writing and story. Although I thought DoaNA was entertaining...DS was incredibly well written and a well thought out story. In my opinion, anyway.
Originally posted by Brimstone
Oh, well...sorry I was no help.
As a side note though...I will say the Dhamon Saga was light years ahead of DoaNA in both writing and story. Although I thought DoaNA was entertaining...DS was incredibly well written and a well thought out story. In my opinion, anyway.
I also loved that trilogy, but I really couldn't stand Dhamon Grimwulf. He was every bit the unlikeable, unsympathetic character, all the way until almost the end. The series is best embodied in the incidental or secondary characters, such as Maldred, Rig and Fetch.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Cam Banks
The series is best embodied in the incidental or secondary characters, such as Maldred, Rig and Fetch.
Exactly why I've been wishing for a Maldred Saga.
Originally posted by talinthas
which is a true shame, really. the Dhamon series is ten thousand times better than the DoaNA books. People forget that Rabe was incredibly constrained by the game product with what she could write. The Dhamon books show what her writing is really like, and they're amazing.
Rabe may have been constrained by game material in plot, but the characters were all bland, mostly the same, each with a "catch" to try to flesh them out. Grimwulf was just pointless, the Kender were all badly portrayed, the plotpoints were pretty telegraphed, the fey was horrible, the entire trilogy was just tedious.
I'll chalk the "Malys gets the Overlords togethor to try to become a god" stupidity up to an Overplot dictated perhaps, but there were no redeeming qualities to the series. From the summaires I've read of the other novels, they again don't seem to have a Krynn feel to them. Like Conclave, maybe they'd be good FR novels, but for Dragonlance they lack IMO.
Originally posted by Brimstone
Oh, well...sorry I was no help.
As a side note though...I will say the Dhamon Saga was light years ahead of DoaNA in both writing and story. Although I thought DoaNA was entertaining...DS was incredibly well written and a well thought out story. In my opinion, anyway.
Nyah, you pointed out the Crossroads books, which might draw my interest. But really at this point I've spent quite a bit on novels to fill in gaps I didn't actually need filling in. (I have the DLCS and stuff, so a lot of the material is just fleshing out stuff I know already.)
Thanks.
Originally posted by Cam Banks
I also loved that trilogy, but I really couldn't stand Dhamon Grimwulf. He was every bit the unlikeable, unsympathetic character, all the way until almost the end.
I equate it to Star Wars and the story of Vader, really. I never liked Vader...I mean, I thought he was a cool bad guy, but I never felt any sympathy for him or anything. That is until Ep. I - III. I think if I read the Dhamon Saga without having read DoaNA, I would not like Dhamon the way that I do. It's the back ground, knowing where the character's been, the crap he has had to go through, you really almost pity him (unlike Anakin, who I have a feeling we won't much pity him by the end of RotS ;)). I know what Dhamon can be, so I guess I'm always pulling for him, but he frustrates me at almost every turn. Does that make sense?
Originally posted by Cam Banks
The series is best embodied in the incidental or secondary characters, such as Maldred, Rig and Fetch.
Ah...the betrayer. Yeah, those characters were great...but I certainly didn't like the betrayer at all. By book three, I hated him right along with Dhamon.
But Fetch...Fetch was great, one of the all time best secondary DL character. A pyromaniac pyromancer kobold. It's got a nice ring to it. :D
Originally posted by Brimstone
But Fetch...Fetch was great, one of the all time best secondary DL character. A pyromaniac pyromancer kobold. It's got a nice ring to it. :D
Fetch is the reason I've introduced a kobold into my own Dragonlance campaign - Master Yap, the kobold necromancer and Black Robe. At the moment, he's walking around Port Balifor with two animated dark knight bodies as toughs, advising Kiro the White Robe PC on how best to scribe new spells into his spellbook and so forth.
In their little corner of Ansalon, Kiro, Master Yap, and Zoe Left-Hand (the half-elven mage of Khurman Tor) are pretty much it as far as wizards of High Sorcery go.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Cam Banks
advising Kiro the White Robe PC on how best to scribe new spells into his spellbook and so forth.
In their little corner of Ansalon, Kiro, Master Yap, and Zoe Left-Hand (the half-elven mage of Khurman Tor) are pretty much it as far as wizards of High Sorcery go.
That's hillarious! And I'd hope, a little unexpected as well.
So, how do you play him? I mean, what's Yap's personality like? (there really are few references for kobolds as far as I'm aware)
Originally posted by Brimstone
That's hillarious! And I'd hope, a little unexpected as well.
So, how do you play him? I mean, what's Yap's personality like? (there really are few references for kobolds as far as I'm aware)
He's short, has a high-pitched voice, and thinks he's very sinister. He's creepy, since it's clear he has power and knows a lot, but he also has that air of being somebody Nuitari only appeared before and made a wizard because there really weren't very many other options.
He looks like a bundle of black cloth shuffling about, with a nose sticking out one end and a skinny rat's tail out the other. Kobolds are distant cousins of both lizardfolk and goblins, and so I more or less combined the two and added a dose of vermin.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by lugnut71
I like Jean's writing. Why? you ask. Well the answer is simple she tends to use things most people avoid in Dragonlance. Stuff like gnolls, kobolds, and hrudlefolk.
... and rust monsters, manticores, spirit nagas. Dragonlance is a D&D world after all, it's nice that she includes D&D monsters aside from the stereotypical goblins and dragons.