Negativity around val’Sungha and other issues

I’ll chime in here since I’ve been in the same boat as these guys. The forums are far less caustic than they used to be, it seems like it really got better when we lost the baggage of the old forums. As sad as it is to lose that much collected data I do think that the fresh start was helpful for the tone of the entire forums. I actually left for a while before the change of forums and didn’t return until I checked for errata on an issue and saw the new site.

Also Arcanis is hard to get into. The main thing is that there is so much that is important to the setting and being able to play in it that is only known by those who have been able to play at the cons since the beginning. I’ve been hoping the new Codex Arcanis would help alleviate this, but as of yet it is still in production. I have read the original Codex from the D&D 3.0 days as well as the Codex Arcanis section of the ARPG and still don’t understand the world that well. There is just too much taken for granted that we are expected to know but can’t unless we played the old campaign.

Also Arcanis is hard to get into. The main thing is that there is so much that is important to the setting and being able to play in it that is only known by those who have been able to play at the cons since the beginning.

The world is definitely very rich. From that perspective it’s very hard to understand all of it, but I don’t know that that’s the point any more than any of us understand all the intricacies of culture and politics within the real world. I’ve played from the beginning and there is still a ton I don’t understand. There’s a lot that the characters arguably understand better than the players ever will. If you don’t believe me, ask any of the old long term Elorii players. They’ve waited a long time to understand why even they don’t know much about their own culture.

Henry writes from an in world perspective or has at least through much of the early supplements. It is a rich voice, but also one that’s inherently flawed by the limited understanding, misconceptions and biases of that in world narrator. It’s part of what has led to so many discussions and arguments about fundamentals of the world.

I’ve been hoping the new Codex Arcanis would help alleviate this, but as of yet it is still in production. I have read the original Codex from the D&D 3.0 days as well as the Codex Arcanis section of the ARPG and still don’t understand the world that well. There is just too much taken for granted that we are expected to know but can’t unless we played the old campaign.

The old Codex Arcanis has a ton of useful information and can be downloaded for free. There are two supplements covering the first 2 years hard points that can be purchased. They are the Year of Ill Harvest and the Year of the Fall. You can find snippets of information about the world in each of the D20 books. Henry also recently announced that they planned to make more available and that he’d make an announcement I think before end of summer. It’s a separate thread somewhere.

Another thing to realize is that there are times when it’s an advantage not to know more than your character. The reactions are more genuine than if you recognize X horrible monster. Not everything is as it appears.

Give it some time and you’ll pick up on things. Or ask people about specific topics and they can help fill in answers and details.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul