Ddo Novel

[sainy_matthew]

Okay, yes i said i was taking a break from DDO after the CC & the really bad sportsmanship in the weeks after the CC event, however i saw something that i thought you should all see. Its been mentioned in the general section apparently, but who seriously goes into that section. Looks like DDO is getting a novel: The Shard Axe. http://www.amazon.com/Shard-Axe-Dungeons-Dragons-Unlimited/dp/0786958596/ref=pd_ybh_1?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DXE99PE2J9M39XXNBW4

[Sabira]

Its been mentioned in the general section apparently, but who seriously goes into that section. Looks like DDO is getting a novel: The Shard Axe. http://www.amazon.com/Shard-Axe-Dungeons-Dragons-Unlimited/dp/0786958596/ref=pd_ybh_1?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DXE99PE2J9M39XXNBW4

I'm more than happy to have multiple threads devoted to the book, but I'm not sure if the mods feel quite the same way, heh. ;)

But, yes, the novel is due out in September, and I've been answering questions about it as I can over in the general section:

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=299043

I'd be happy to answer what questions I can here, as well, if you'd prefer not to ask over there.

Regards,
Marcy

[sainy_matthew]

Silly question, but is this book a 3E book (modified to be similiar to the MMO), or is it going to be 4E.

[NeutronStar]

Silly question, but is this book a 3E book (modified to be similiar to the MMO), or is it going to be 4E.

It's a novel. You read novels because of the characters and the story line.

3rd Edition vs 4th Edition doesn't really matter for fiction. :rolleyes:

[butlerfamilywa]

I'll buy a copy, just to put with my original purchase box from back in 2006... :D

If only I knew the forums existed back then :(

[Sabira]

Silly question, but is this book a 3E book (modified to be similiar to the MMO), or is it going to be 4E.

It's not a silly question, it's just not an entirely applicable one. When you write a D&D book, of course you want to be as faithful to the rules as you can be, because the rules are part of the setting. That being said, a story sometimes has needs that a gaming session doesn't, and in those cases, I think an author's duty is to the story first, and the rules second. I think most WotC writers feel that way. But for the most part, we do try to stick to the rules as much as possible, and where we need to take some creative license, we try to do so in a way that is still consistent with the setting. Remember, most of us play in these settings ourselves, so the rules matter as much to us as they do to all of you. ;)

All that being said, the book probably has slightly more of a 4E sensibility than a 3E one, though it's not as if I was rolling dice as I wrote the fight scenes, and there are some items and creatures in the novel that you won't find in any 4E rulebooks. But hopefully, you'll be so caught up in the story as you read that none of that will even matter. ;)

Regards,
Marcy

[sainy_matthew]

It's a novel. You read novels because of the characters and the story line.

3rd Edition vs 4th Edition doesn't really matter for fiction. :rolleyes:

Um, I'm mainly talking about the spellcasting system involved, as that makes a difference. Heck the pre 4E spell casting system known as the Vancian Spell casting system was actually based on a book written prior to D&D by a guy called Jack Vance (hence vancian). So yes it makes a difference.

Learn your D&D history folks.

[Sabira]

I'm mainly talking about the spellcasting system involved, as that makes a difference.

I'd actually specifically mentioned spellcasting as one thing I felt was probably more in keeping with 3E in my above response, but then edited it out, since I wasn't sure if you were looking for that level of detail (and since I'm bound by an NDA, less detail is usually better, heh).

Really, since the POV character of this novel, Sabira d'Deneith, is a fighter, I don't go into the mechanics of spell-casting too much, as there isn't much need. Where it is shown, I'd say it's mostly Vancian in nature, because that's what serves the story best.

Does that answer your question better?

Regards,
Marcy

[krissonofpark]

Can I just say that the idea of it mattering what system/edition of D&D a novel is based does not make any sense at all.
If I was to write either a D&D or DDO story or novel, I would at no point think or put in writing what dice the character threw at this point (the Orc charges our Hero, in response to this attack he threw his d20 and got 16 and after adding his modifier he hit, despite been badly injured the Orc drew his dice and rolled, etc) and the same would count for a keyboard or mouse action.
So no, there is no relevance to what edition of the Game the novel will be based on.

[sainy_matthew]

Can I just say that the idea of it mattering what system/edition of D&D a novel is based does not make any sense at all.

Sure it does. Because a system is more then just the maths its built on: Is a Eclipse Phase story the same as a Shadowrun novel? They're both in a similair enough genre (both would have once upon a time be called cyberpunk), but that doesn't mean the base concepts are the same. Do 2E & 3E novels work on the same base assumption as a 4E novel? Of course not, they are conceptually different & its that conceptual nature i was asking about, though i suppose i could have been more specific in my phrasing.

-M

[Sabira]

Can I just say that the idea of it mattering what system/edition of D&D a novel is based does not make any sense at all.

It doesn't have any real bearing in terms of the overall story, but it does affect the details/descriptions used in that story. If I have a spellcaster and I describe him or her casting a spell using 3E mechanics, it would be a little different from how I would describe that character casting a spell using 4E mechanics. It's isn't about rolling dice to determine damage (which I DON'T do, as I mentioned in an earlier response), it's about remaining true to the setting.

Here's another example. Dwarves in 3E had darkvision; in 4E, they have low-light vision. In novels written prior to 4E, the dwarves could see in the dark. Now they can't (or, at least, not as well).

How does that matter? Maybe to you, and to most readers overall, it doesn't. But there are a lot of people who do care about those kinds of details and they can be very vocal if they think you don't know the game or aren't showing proper respect for the setting.

Every novel has rules it has to follow, whether it's a D&D novel, or an original fantasy, or SF, or mainstream literary novel. Those rules are the skeleton an author clothes with the flesh of the story. But, ultimately, it's the story the reader cares about, and it's the author's job to write the best story possible. Usually, that involves making sure the reader is never consciously aware of the skeleton below the flesh.

That's harder to accomplish with a D&D novel, because there are so many people who know what the skeleton's supposed to look like. For those readers, we have to make sure the skeleton has the right number of bones, in the right places, and if we do add a sixth finger, we need to make sure we give a plausible reason for doing so that is consistent with the setting. Hopefully, if we've done our jobs well, most readers will never notice the extra finger, or care why it's there, until the reason for it is revealed as part of the story. But some - those who care about the mechanics of the game - will, and we have to make sure the story works for them, too.

Regards,
Marcy

[JLaSala]

Funny, as I was reading through this thread, I was thinking I was going to raise my hand and say, "Hey, what about dwaves and darkvision"? I see Marcy beat me to it. :)

I'll agree that moment to moment, what edition a novel is "set" in really doesn't matter. More importantly, the author should do her best to make sure you're not even wondering about that. But...some of the specific differences between editions do crop up from time to time.

If you've got a warforged character who gets hit with a poisoned dart, what happens? In Eberron 3.5, nothing happens, because warforged were immune to poison (just like disease). In Eberron 4E, poison can hurt them. So, it can matter in the context of a novel.

When my Eberron novel (The Darkwood Mask) came out, it was the tail end of 3rd Edition, so by the time it was released people were already getting used to 4E rules. Yet that book was decidedly 3.5 in flavor. Then I soon started on a second novel, and I was already struggling between 3rd and 4th Edition on some of the monsters. It happens.

But really, I'd say very few of the novels are fully enmeshed in a single setting. Tie-in authors are always doing a juggling act with these things—some better than others—with one sort of pressure coming from the editors (who are employees that created the setting) and another coming from the fans (who often know the details better). Marcy knows this well and has always balanced them gracefully. I look forward to a damned fine story from her, period.

[sainy_matthew]

Wow, a second Eberron Author. i loved The Darkwood Mask, i will admit it wasn't my favourite out of the inquisitives set, but it sure was high on the list (Bound by Iron only just beats it out for the first place, but only because it had a chronicler as a main character). I loved your vision of Karrnath, it was spot on, to how i thought it should have been portrayed.

[JLaSala]

Thanks, Sainy Matthew. I'll have to go on record as saying that The Darkwood Mask was my favorite of the Inquisitive series, with Legacy of Wolves a close second. ;)

Story aside, Karrnath remains my favorite realm in Eberron.

But let's not get off topic. The Shard Axe is the centerpiece here. :)

[Sabira]

Story aside, Karrnath remains my favorite realm in Eberron.

But let's not get off topic. The Shard Axe is the centerpiece here. :)

Welcome, Jeff! Good to see you here! :)

I love all of Eberron, but I have to admit to a bit of Karrnath favoritism, as well. Little known fact: my original pitch for Eberron (the book that became Legacy of Wolves) was set in Karrnath, but my editor wanted to see something set in Thrane, so that's what I gave him.

The good news for my fellow Karrnath fans is that you'll get to see some more of the country in The Shard Axe, since that's where Sabira was born, and a lot of her back story is rooted there.

Khoot! Khoot! Karrnath! Heh. ;)

Regards,
Marcy

[yawumpus]

Um, I'm mainly talking about the spellcasting system involved, as that makes a difference. Heck the pre 4E spell casting system known as the Vancian Spell casting system was actually based on a book written prior to D&D by a guy called Jack Vance (hence vancian). So yes it makes a difference.

Learn your D&D history folks.

While I hate to say I've never read any Vance (I've read most of the other books Gygax recommended in the AD&D DMG), DDO isn't Vancian, nor is it much like 4E.

[backhanded swipe at 4e deleted. Sabira doesn't need this thread damaged.]

[Sabira]

While I hate to say I've never read any Vance (I've read most of the other books Gygax recommended in the AD&D DMG), DDO isn't Vancian, nor is it much like 4E.

No, it's sort of its own creature, one which I don't think lends itself particularly well to novel descriptions. That's why I mentioned that the spellcasting as described in The Shard Axe has more of a 3E feel - to me, that's the most evocative approach, and it serves the storytelling best.


[backhanded swipe at 4e deleted. Sabira doesn't need this thread damaged.]

Much appreciated, heh. ;)

Regards,
Marcy

[Sabira]

For anyone who hasn't made it over to the General section, I posted a link to a short teaser for The Shard Axe from my blog:

http://mrockwell.livejournal.com/118895.html

Since I imagine those of you who play the PnP game are a little more familiar with Eberron beyond the borders of Xen'drik, I probably don't need to explain who the Tordannons are or where Frostmantle is, but just in case, I'll post a link to the short explanation I gave over in that other section (heh):

http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=3689287&postcount=96

In a word: dwarves! ;)

Regards,
Marcy