Dragonlance Give Me Three Reasons to Play Dragonlance

[GSHamster]

Half the posts in this thread are just short lists of names or races with no explanation at all. Speaking as someone who's never read the novels, never played DL, and to whom DL has always seemed boring as hell, y'all are not yet doing a great job convincing me that this setting is worth investigating.

In contrast, I had previously had about the same level of disinterest in Greyhawk, but the other thread actually swayed me. Step it up, Dragonlance fans, lest I'm forced to conclude your setting is just objectively more boring!

The thing is that there's so many interconnecting elements that make Dragonlance great. The books (Chronicles and Legends) will do a far better job of selling the setting. If those books can't convince you, then nothing we say will do so.

 

[bogmad]

The thing is that there's so many interconnecting elements that make Dragonlance great. The books (Chronicles and Legends) will do a far better job of selling the setting. If those books can't convince you, then nothing we say will do so.

How would you convince people to read the books then?

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

How would you convince people to read the books then?

Imagine a near perfect blend of Lord of the Rings and D&D - fantasy, romance, adventure, magic, and, most of all...DRAGONS!

 

[Raunalyn]

Imagine a near perfect blend of Lord of the Rings and D&D - fantasy, romance, adventure, magic, and, most of all...DRAGONS!

The original Chronicles trilogy was good, but it was your typical pulp fantasy to me. No, it got really good for me with the Legends trilogy...I cannot say enough good things about Legends.

 

[SirAntoine]

1) There is a different take on the races and plenty of new ones to choose from. This makes the setting very flavorful and gives it charm.
2) There is also a different take on character classes and magic. They feel more fleshed-out and more integrated into the world. Play a noble knight or a wizard from a tower of high sorcery.
3) The story of the setting moves with novels, which have been very popular and often great for this setting. The PC's can be epic heroes very easily, and they don't have to get high level to do so.

 

[Quartz]

I have fond memories of Dragonlance. I'd suggest a campaign set either after the Second War of the Lance or between the founding of the Knights of Solamnia and the First War. The latter requires a fair amount of work.

Heavens! Is it really 30 years?

 

[doctorhook]

The races on Krynn are not quite the standards.
The Elves are elves, yes, but the subraces have more schtick than in baseline AD&D, and probably will if a DL for 5E is done.
The Irda: "High Ogres" - a lost civilization and basically refugees.
Minotaurs: Civilized and organized. And available as PC's.
The Kender: Kender are not halflings, per se... but are close enough for most purposes. And anything not nailed down might wind up in its pockets. But they always leave something else in its place. Racial pathological kleptomania.
The Gnomes are almost always tinkers - the Gnomish Devices are taken to new heights of risk and depravity.
Gully Dwarves - take a trope, and then play against it. Mentally retarded compared to other dwarves; also, not nearly so greedy.

The stories are excellent reads.
The Atlas of Krynn makes for a wonderfully playable world

There are really big stories told, and the Gods only act through their chosen ones. There is no shortage of big plots left to happen.

This is the gameworld where Dragons partner with Humanoids to fight on both sides of the war... and allow themselves to be ridden. High level PC's can eventually join those ranks.

Even the 5th age is interesting: Clerics and wizards lose most of their potency, and the schools of magic falter, meanwhile Malystryx decimates large swathes of Ansalon... the evil empire are dragons and draconians, subjugating the rest, while PC's tend to be either in the areas not yet taken, or an active underground within... Yes, I just got Star Wars into your D&D... but, really, it's not a bad comparison.

Thanks! You've answered at least a few of my basic questions about the setting.

The thing is that there's so many interconnecting elements that make Dragonlance great. The books (Chronicles and Legends) will do a far better job of selling the setting. If those books can't convince you, then nothing we say will do so.

I don't mean to diminish your suggestion, but honestly, I'm probably never gonna do that. I almost never read novels, so it's a big ask to expect me to read a series (however short) before I decide whether I'm willing to invest more of my time into learning about DL. I'm sure those novels are stellar, but my interest is a currency, and I'm not willing to spend that much just to find out if I should spend a lot more. Can you sell me Dragonlance in a couple paragraphs or less?

1) There is a different take on the races and plenty of new ones to choose from. This makes the setting very flavorful and gives it charm.
2) There is also a different take on character classes and magic. They feel more fleshed-out and more integrated into the world. Play a noble knight or a wizard from a tower of high sorcery.
3) The story of the setting moves with novels, which have been very popular and often great for this setting. The PC's can be epic heroes very easily, and they don't have to get high level to do so.

Thanks, this is helpful. Can you be more specific though? Basically, what kinds of characters and stories can I play in Dragonlance that I can't play in Forgotten Realms?

I think my objection to Dragonlance is that it seems (from a non-fan's point of view) almost like a parody of generic D&D settings, except not funny. It's got halfling thieves who steal everything! It's got gnomes, and they're super into building mechanical contraptions! There's dragons everywhere! Tiamat and Bahamut, except more important and with different names. Anti-heroic wizards who drive the metaplot. It sounds kinda like somebody's half-baked home game.

I realize my assessment isn't very charitable. Dragonlance is probably the origin of at least some of these tropes. Still, what can DL do for me that FR or Greyhawk can't?

 

[SirAntoine]

Thanks! You've answered at least a few of my basic questions about the setting.

I don't mean to diminish your suggestion, but honestly, I'm probably never gonna do that. I almost never read novels, so it's a big ask to expect me to read a series (however short) before I decide whether I'm willing to invest more of my time into learning about DL. I'm sure those novels are stellar, but my interest is a currency, and I'm not willing to spend that much just to find out if I should spend a lot more. Can you sell me Dragonlance in a couple paragraphs or less?

Thanks, this is helpful. Can you be more specific though? Basically, what kinds of characters and stories can I play in Dragonlance that I can't play in Forgotten Realms?

I think my objection to Dragonlance is that it seems (from a non-fan's point of view) almost like a parody of generic D&D settings, except not funny. It's got halfling thieves who steal everything! It's got gnomes, and they're super into building mechanical contraptions! There's dragons everywhere! Tiamat and Bahamut, except more important and with different names. Anti-heroic wizards who drive the metaplot. It sounds kinda like somebody's half-baked home game.

I realize my assessment isn't very charitable. Dragonlance is probably the origin of at least some of these tropes. Still, what can DL do for me that FR or Greyhawk can't?

In your specific case, what would you like the setting to have? What do you dislike about FR or Greyhawk?

 

[doctorhook]

In your specific case, what would you like the setting to have? What do you dislike about FR or Greyhawk?

lol I suspect you're not a salesman. (That's not meant as any kind of offense, just an observation.)

Imagine with me: I'm walking down the street, and for reasons unknown (and frankly irrelevant) to you, I've decided to pause in front of your Dragonlance store. I step inside, and casually browse the merchandise without dwelling on any items in particular. I'm not looking enthused about your products, but I'm still browsing. I say to you, "I've got some ____ already, and I like it just fine. What's so great about this Dragonlance stuff?" This is your chance to make a sale. Don't ask me what I'm looking for, because I've already told you that I'm not looking for anything. Instead, you tell me what I should buy and why. Why should I try Dragonlance if I've already got a bunch of settings that I like? What is it that makes Dragonlance stand out from those other settings I have? Don't hesitate, because I won't browse your store forever.

I'm not looking for a new setting, but I know DL is an important part of the history and community of D&D, so I've given this thread a half-hour of my life to try to convince me it's worth a look. Keep trying; I haven't left yet.

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

Dragonlance, to me, is the romantic fantasy world. A world where a group of unlikely heroes, who are not "adventurers" as we gamers tend to think of them, must save the world.

There is more comic relief in Dragonlance - kender, gully dwarves, and gnomes - than in other settings.

Good and evil are clearly defined - there isn't as much grey as there is Greyhawk, but, unlike the Forgotten Realms, the good guys are the underdogs. Evil has a clear advantage and the PCs are the hope the world needs to conquer that evil.