This thread might produce some eye rolls but here we go anyway.

As much as I prefer the Iron Kingdoms setting I've been convinced to take Eberron for a spin. I've done the obligatory Google searches and quite frankly everything's a bit overwhelming with the amount of books to draw ideas from, both in terms of actual adventures (I don't like running pre-gens but I like reading them for inspiration of what to get up to in the world) and the lore. It doesn't help I've run very little D&D in my time compared to other RPGs so seeing this and that site referenced as a deposit of sources often flies over my head.

I guess what I'm asking for is what books people would recommend for someone who's hoping to run more of a noir-esq urban campaign (with scope to stretch their legs going into the wild but not as a focus), ideally with detective work as a starting framework. I'm not fussed about stats as much as I can the writing, so feel free to throw whatever's from whatever edition at my face. I'm led to understand Sharn is where this kind of campaign is usually run, being the big City of Adventure? So that's probably where I'd start things.

Also just whatever cool books and titbits you liked regardless of context. Thanks in advance.

I can't really help because all I have is the core setting book, but I'm curious as to why this thread would elicit eye rolls?

Quote from: SavageSchemer;1137884I can't really help because all I have is the core setting book, but I'm curious as to why this thread would elicit eye rolls?

I got the impression views on Eberron were somewhat mixed here.

Quote from: Snark Knight;1137890I got the impression views on Eberron were somewhat mixed here.

They are mixed, but that means some people like it and some people don't. And then there are those like me that both like and dislike it.

First, what game system are you using? I use D&D 5e with Eberron, and it works as well as any of the official settings for it. I would actually prefer to use it with a system like Savage Worlds for pulpy, skill-based, high-action gaming that allows steady advancement but still tends to stay in the sweet spot of power level (for me, the equivalent of 3rd-7th levels in 5e) much longer than D&D.

The 5e setting book is really enough to get by for most things. It incorporates a lot of the best materials from Sharn: City of Towers (a 3.5e product), and while it does add later additions (e.g., dragonborn and tiefling PCs), it makes a better effort of making them work than their original 4e appearances did.

As a big ol Eberron fan from way back in the day, there is nothing at all wrong with sticking to the core book and launching from there.  Yes, technically this applies to every setting, but compared to Forgotten Realms there isn't a lot of cannon frippery.

Mysteries are yours to grant answers to.  There is a reasonable place for everything in D&D to exist, but you don't need to place everything in it.

Keith Baker set it all up for Your Eberron May Vary and really encouraged the attitude back when he was active on the old WotC boards.

You need nothing more than the core book.  Don't even feet about anything else.

I'm a fan of Ebberon myself. It's very much the "Final Fantasy" for Dungeons and Dragons. Honestly, for 5th edition all you need is the core Ebberon Book, "Rising from the Last War" it really gives you all you need. Enough detail for you to sketch in the rest. You risk losing the forest for the trees if you start getting to involved with the various different supplements and the like. If you must have something else, I'd recommend "Sharn, City of Towers" but that and "Rising from the last War" are all you need, particularly for 5th edition.

I found Sharn, City of Towers to be a pretty dry read myself but that probably has what you want.

Knowing nothing of Eberron I got the 5e book thinking it would be a viable sourcebook. But its pretty much like the Sword Coast book and 75% of the rest of the 5e line now.

It spends alot of time saying very little...

Noir feel? None.
Magitech feel? Barely there.

Theres an older thread on it and some others address some of the issues, or non-issues.

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Looks like I'll just stick to Rising From The Last War and City of Towers for now.

Quote from: Omega;1137988Knowing nothing of Eberron I got the 5e book thinking it would be a viable sourcebook. But its pretty much like the Sword Coast book and 75% of the rest of the 5e line now.

It spends alot of time saying very little...

Noir feel? None.
Magitech feel? Barely there.

Theres an older thread on it and some others address some of the issues, or non-issues.

That's been my experience of reading it as well. I only sat up and paid attention when I kept reading about this so-called Noir and gritty feeling from the setting, but other than constantly being told it's Noir and Pulp I only really seem to be finding the latter. Of course any game being run is what you make of it but I expected the books and adventures to keep up with the themes they advertise. It was partly why I made this thread in the hope of being directed to some mystery tome that might set my expectations back into place.

Quote from: Snark Knight;1138067Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Looks like I'll just stick to Rising From The Last War and City of Towers for now.


That's been my experience of reading it as well. I only sat up and paid attention when I kept reading about this so-called Noir and gritty feeling from the setting, but other than constantly being told it's Noir and Pulp I only really seem to be finding the latter. Of course any game being run is what you make of it but I expected the books and adventures to keep up with the themes they advertise. It was partly why I made this thread in the hope of being directed to some mystery tome that might set my expectations back into place.

If you want noir elements, you've got the cynical and pessimistic worldview of many of the peoples of Eberron (including the religions) and there are intricate plots aplenty that often do not have a truly happy endings (you just have to hope for the brightest shade of gray you can manage). Is there some element of noir in particular that you expected but have found missing?

Quote from: Snark Knight;1138067Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Looks like I'll just stick to Rising From The Last War and City of Towers for now.


That's been my experience of reading it as well. I only sat up and paid attention when I kept reading about this so-called Noir and gritty feeling from the setting, but other than constantly being told it's Noir and Pulp I only really seem to be finding the latter.

5es book at least doesnt even do pulp. Its a bog standard fantasy setting. It doesnt even do the high fantasy or magitech parts. It fails at every level to meet the claims. Who wrote this Bruce Baugh and his cohort?

Quote from: Omega;11380885es book at least doesnt even do pulp. Its a bog standard fantasy setting. It doesnt even do the high fantasy or magitech parts. It fails at every level to meet the claims. Who wrote this Bruce Baugh and his cohort?

What would it have had to do to meet those claims in your eyes? Saying it fails without saying how doesn't really mean anything as your expectations might be unrealistically high...or just outrageously silly.

I'm honestly still on the fence about it as well and its a toss up if I'd do Eberron or Ravnica.  I think the big plus for me with doing Eberron in terms of pulp or noir is this:

They just got over a massive, continent spanning war which literally destroyed a central nation on the continent.

Noir is very much aided by dystopian elements and having just had this massive war and cold war like tensions helps.  I personally like a gumshoe and coppers who are combat veterans and I like having loads of displaced peoples with no roots in their current location to make for more misery and crime.  When you mix that with the Dragon-Marked houses you get a very inter-war or immediate post-WW2.

For pulp adventure I feel you absolutely positively need some sort of unequivocally evil group like the Nazis.  It feels like there are a few good options amongst the cults but they're small and don't really fit the bill.  However that one nation that uses undead seems like a great evil empire stand-in.  Indiana Jones now gets to run around punching Nazi Zombies!

I love Eberron and the list of 3.x era books have tons of useful info, ideas, and hooks. I believe you can get them in PDF form still on DTRPG.  It's a fun setting that a system outside the D&D flavor could handle better. Like a solid generic game of your choice. A few conversion guides drifting about the interwebs...

Spy agencies, Detective agencies, Newspaper agencies, and criminal empires are legit background patrons for PCs and campaign directions.

Rising from the ashes literally details out how to do these with your players. There is intrigue and crime stories happening every where.

If you can't get Noir from that, the problem is you, not the setting.