Kaithan Kanathar wrote:
> When it dies off, it really dies off in here doesn't it? Well, in the
hope
> that I can get you old dinos to talking again, there was a question that
> popped into my head recently while posting in another thread...
>
> What would you do if you gained control of the DL franchise? I am really
> interested in what the rest of you have to say, so I hope you find the
time
> to reply. Here, I'll go first...
This is an ample op****tunity for me to tear down and reconstruct in one
long post after having laid off DL for some time and recently returning
again...
For one, I would have put the 5th age down to an alternate timeline.
WoS hinted at this possibility with the timeline Tas had emerged from
(which I found much more appealing), so why not go all the way?
And why?
Well,
it wasn't neccesarily that the gods really disappeared (no really - for
a while).
It wasn't neccesarily that Solamnia became mostly desert and conquered
territory
it wasn't neccesarily that Qualinesti was sundered
it wasn't neccesarily that silvanesti was also overrun for the first
time in... ever (no wait, it happened for the first time in ever a few
decades before so why not repeat the feat - in fact, that line of
thinking seems prevalent with a number of dramatic changes).
it wasn't neccesarily that balifor and kendermore were obliberated and
afflicted kender descended upon us
it wasn't neccesarily that the dragon uberlords came from nowhere and
took charge now the gods were away
it wasn't neccesarily that the kagonesti culture would never be the
same following the deepfreezing of southern ergoth
it wasn't neccesarily that we got knights of takhisis and steel to
complete the "good/neutral/evil" cosmology of D&D even though it had
actually converted to Saga and thus could escape those dichotomies
or that mysticism was introduced from nowhere to maintain the D&D
dichotomy at a time it didn't have to anymore
it wasn't neccesarily that the wizards of high sorcery were for a time
non-existent and the magical history of Ansalon became redundant
So why? It is because of, what I have dubbed "The Continuity Rape":
That it all happened at once. Ansalon was not just changed, it was
completely overhauled, the identity of 5th age Ansalon had more
differences than similarities to the previous ages. One of the
outstanding features of the DL saga is its sense of historic continuity
- the ancient kingdoms that started up civilisation can still be found
today, the history of millenia past (solamnic knights, orders of high
sorcery, ergoth, the elven realms, treatises like the swordsheath
scroll) lives on today and not just as lost relics from a bygone era as
you would find in more conventional fantasy settings. Ansalon changes,
but it retains its ties to its past.
Taken in isolation, many of the changes could have made something
worthwhile though:
So the gods disappeared (again) - ok, that could have worked and indeed
would provide a dramatic new twist to find Ansalon coping with being
alone... if only they hadn't been used to it for most of their lives
save the past 30 years anyway. That was a twist to save for centuries
in the future where it would be meaningful (that they came back is just
retconning without erasing the initial mistake - which is what I would
do).
Solamnia conquered and changed into a desert - two changes simply too
radical for a land that has defined Ansalon for more than two millenia.
Qualinesti/Silvanesti in ruins - I thought it a radical change that the
for the first time ever had to abandon their homeless during the war of
the lance, but occupied and then sundered (or 'transformed, reapired
and then invaded)? The minotaur invasion makes an interesting
development though.
Kendermore and afflicted kender - the afflicted kender might have
worked. Totally transforming the landscape to obliberate their ancient
homeland is, along with the radical changes to all these millenia old
realms, a bit too much.
The uberlords I actually like as a concept. It makes sense that without
the gods to hold them in check, the relly powerful dragons would want a
piece of the cake. That they become godlike was overdoing it. 5th age
offered the potential to free up the storyline of DL from its crammed
HoTL focus, and replaced it with the 'in the shadow of the uberdragons'
theme. Handled with moderation, I think it would make a very
interesting concept, perhaps with someone like Skie threatening
Solamnia from the northern deserts, malys occupying some part of the
east without transforming everything into an inferno and sable (my
favourite) doing what she does on a slightly lesser scale. In other
words, use them as openb-ended hooks for political and historical
development, *in interaction with the rest of Ansalon*, not just
landing on ansalon and with their smelly breath erase whatever was
there and make their mark on it instead.
Knights of takhisis and steel were interesting developments, even if I
dislike the D&D alignment setup of things, though perhaos it was a bit
too soon after WotL to have takhisis build up another
continentshattering army. a more gradual introduction and they would
make a fine addition to any DL setting.
===
So in being in charge of DL storyline, I would erase the 5th age and
its radical changes to revitalise the world and focus instead a more
gradual introduction of new concepts to revitalise the world, with a
focus on open-ended developments.
Things like dragonlords in moderation would make an interesting new
hook with plenty of adventuring seeds without overhauling the world.
The minotaur campaigns would make for an extremely interesting new
development in the east.
I am not sure what the knights of takhisis would really add to a 4th
age, except to structuralise and cement takhisis' position on Ansalon.
I never really bought the 'let's be honourable' concept, but the idea
of a vastly more organised and disciplined extention of Takhisis
influence than the rather disorganised setup of evil post WotL appeals
to me. It would make an interesting development as well, to see them
establish their power base in the east and perhaps as an additional
hook, a war between the factions of evil as the KoT seek to establish
their superiority over the old dragonarmies and ogre nations.
Knights of Steel I am not sure how one would justify in the 4th age, so
a no-go.
The southern lands between the elven lands beginning to develop into
actual nations would make a very interesting development in a 4th age
setting. I see no reason why dragons couldn't also play a major role in
this development (not to mention the question of how elven and dwarven
neighbours react to this), Tarsis resurgent as capital of a new order
in the south?
The exciting potential of a new elven nation in sourthern ergoth
a northern ergoth left largely untouched by the war ready to enter a
new era again as we saw in the 5th age
The possible return of Thinker gnomes - how would this affect the
development of gnomish civilisation in the 4th age?
The whole point of the WoTL was that Ansalon would be shaken out of its
Age of Darkness; growing into a civilised world ago. TSR lost the ball
imo, when they didn't focus on this development sufficient enough. That
atmosphere of change and most of all potential that characterised the
5th age (even if the change was overdone) should have been focussed on
the post-war 4th age from the very beginning, emphasising how this is a
world in change and transition by providing hooks like this.
Instead, it grew stale and DL was left in a static climate in which it
was hard to see how Ansalon would or could develop over the coming
decades, how change would be effected in this new age that wasn't just
a 'we don't isolate ourselves anymore and have become open-minded
following the war' rehash of pre-war Ansalon that essential was little
more than a background setting for the HotL and their offspring, when
it should have been a vibrant developing new world so rich in potential
that there would hardly be a need to downplay the role of the HotL as
the setting would simply have so many other possibilities to explore.
so, those are my thoughts on how I would develop the Dragonlance
Setting if I were in charge.
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