At one point, a Baldur's Gate 3: The Black Hound was in the works, but got trashed when Black Isle Studios went under. Considering the title, i think it would've had something to do with Kezef the Chaos Hound. Maybe the game would've had alternate story lines based upon your choice at the Throne of Bhaal. If you'd chosen to become a God, Cyric could've sent Kezef after your believers in order to weaken you (a god's power is based upon how many followers he has), and you would've had to deal with Kezef, and then Cyric. If you'd chosen to remain mortal, Cyric could've sent Kezef after you, in order to try to destroy your essence and soul, so Bhaal could never be reborn to contest Cyric.
@Korbu - BG3: The Black Hound wasn't supposed to be a direct sequel to the BG saga, and it wasn't to feature CHARNAME as protagonist. It was supposed to be a new story, set in the Daggerford area (iirc, it was something with daggers or knives). The Black Hound was going to represent the protagonist's conscience or past or be a manifestation of his deeds haunting him or something.
I'm playing a game. It's MY game, and I'm playing it on MY computer. Canon is whatever I want it to be. Q.E.D.
This is the real reason why WoTC does not want to officially canonize a D&D game where the protagonist who can possibly ascend to godhood and change the Realms for better or worse (depending on your desire and perspective), not because the game has multiple endings, as they claim, but because there are players who want to do what they want, rather than respecting the rules of people who maintain balance of good and evil in the Forgotten Realms. Ever wonder why the Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights game series don't have their own novelizations and never will? Because those games do not threaten to change the Realms. If our only option was to refuse godhood in ToB, they probably would never have made novelizations of the Baldur's Gate series.
Recently I listened to an interview with Drew Karpyshyn (the author of the ToB novel, a few Mass Effect novels and the Darth Bane trilogy of the Star Wars novels), and he said that one rule WoTC has when you're writing D&D novels for them is that you can't do anything that changes the Forgotten Realms universe, which mean D&D games and novels are restricted from allowing their characters to gain enough power to change the Realms unless it is absolutely necessary. The Baldur's Gate games defies that rule, giving you the option to become a god, and when you do, you change the Realms universally based on your decision to become the new Lord of Murder, or becoming a god of justice. WoTC wanted to avoid leaving the future of the Realms in the hands of whimsical players and novel writers. Abdel could have become a god, which would have undoubtedly solidified his "canonical" existence in the Forgotten Realms years before Murder In Baldur's Gate was made, but WoTC most likely won't go for it, based on what Drew said in the interview.
Here is the link to the Drew Karpyshyn interview I'm referring to.
I started reading the first book once and didn't finish. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't interesting enough for me to want to keep reading it. R. A. Salvatore is a fairly respected author of D&D books, though.
I started reading the first book once and didn't finish. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't interesting enough for me to want to keep reading it. R. A. Salvatore is a fairly respected author of D&D books, though.
In case you do not understand, The Icewind Dale Trilogy was written way before the games were created. It was the series that created Drizzt.
I started reading the first book once and didn't finish. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't interesting enough for me to want to keep reading it. R. A. Salvatore is a fairly respected author of D&D books, though.
Not R.A. Salvatore's novels, wise guy. THIS Icewind Dale, Heart Of Winter and 2.
Why do some people always get R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy novels and the games confused? Drizzt wasn't even born yet in the timeline of the first Icewind Dale game.
Icewind Dale (original, Enhanced Edition and Heart of Winter): 1281 DR
Icewind Dale 2: 1310 DR
The Icewind Dale Trilogy (The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver and The Halfling's Gem): 1351-1357 DR
The reason they write books is not to clear up confusion regarding the canon. They write the books to make money. Standardizing canon is an effect, but not exactly the primary goal.
The reason they write books is not to clear up confusion regarding the canon. They write the books to make money. Standardizing canon is an effect, but not exactly the primary goal.
One thing's for sure, were the BG novelizations any good, we wouldn't spend half as much time discussing them.
The reason they write books is not to clear up confusion regarding the canon. They write the books to make money. Standardizing canon is an effect, but not exactly the primary goal.
Are you positive about that? If Drew said in that interview that WoTC does not allow authors to do anything that changes the Realms for better or worse, then that must mean standardizing canon is more than an effect, it's a rule, and it matters as much as making money.
The reason they write books is not to clear up confusion regarding the canon. They write the books to make money. Standardizing canon is an effect, but not exactly the primary goal.
Are you positive about that? If Drew said in that interview that WoTC does not allow authors to do anything that changes the Realms for better or worse, then that must mean standardizing canon is more than an effect, it's a rule, and it matters as much as making money.
There is but one rule in the real (corporate) world: If there's a potential to make money, do it, if not, don't do it. There is no overall charity or other non-fiscal motives behind writing books or making games. True, there's always a couple of people who will participate without monetary incitement, but the driving force is, and always will be, money. Even if you, as a writer, write a book without the end-goal of making money, to get it published, marketed and sold still comes down to expected revenue.
I may cynical, but truy I'm not. It's just the way the world works.
The reason they write books is not to clear up confusion regarding the canon. They write the books to make money. Standardizing canon is an effect, but not exactly the primary goal.
Those are not mutually exclusive objectives, and I wouldn't be comfortable claiming what the primary goal was.
If money was the sole objective, it would be probably be easier for WotC/Hasbro to stop producing material in-house altogether and just license franchises out for development. That they retain the degree of control they do over the game canon and continue to invest in and produce material for PnP games in an increasingly digital world speaks to a commitment to something beyond (or at least in addition to) profits.
If you license and allow people to do whatever they want to your product it diminishes the value of the intellectual property. You get inconsistent quality, conflicting storylines and generally a less valuable product with diminishing value. You protect your canon exactly because it protects your profits. I highly doubt there are many executives at Hasbro worried about the integrity of the product for the sake of "art"
Licensing doesn't mean you "allow people to do whatever they want to your product". I work for a company that's licensed Baldur's Gate for video game production. We do nothing that doesn't go through WotC for approval. And profit and what you call "art" are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
As far as I'm concerned, Canon is whatever the controller of the IP says IS canon; despite whether or not I like or even agree with it. Its their IP do do with as they please.
But the first few pages of every RPG book say "Remember, these are just suggestions, it's your game so feel free to change whatever you want " . It's a pretty good principle !
@DJKajuru And that's why it's called "head" canon. Many rpg say that, and yet sequels and books follow x story line making that storyline canon unless said otherwise by the IP owner.
In my own head canon, I'm a freaking Dragonborn and Viconia's leads me on a quest to kill a god... Well goddess, after our son grows old enough to explore the world on his own. Oh, her death isn't until our son turns 21 and is done by the avatar of Lolth herself.
Hell, if only I knew how to mod, I'd put the race in the damn game.
I always thought the best way to handle a situation like this - where the game encourages personal canon while the literature demands a singular sequence of events - would be to take the player character out of it altogether. If WotC had been a bit more imaginative, they could've just made Imoen the protagonist of the BG1 novel and then had Jaheira take the lead in SoA. That way you're not stepping on players' toes, and you're not risking any major discontinuities because it still leads to the canonical "good" ending.
That... Sounds amazing. Imoen as protag? Jaheira as protag? I'd read it.
As if nerds would accept anything that empowers women
I always thought the best way to handle a situation like this - where the game encourages personal canon while the literature demands a singular sequence of events - would be to take the player character out of it altogether. If WotC had been a bit more imaginative, they could've just made Imoen the protagonist of the BG1 novel and then had Jaheira take the lead in SoA. That way you're not stepping on players' toes, and you're not risking any major discontinuities because it still leads to the canonical "good" ending.
That... Sounds amazing. Imoen as protag? Jaheira as protag? I'd read it.
As if nerds would accept anything that empowers women
Every alien nerd just stood up in unison and spoke two words, "ELLEN RIPLEY."
As if nerds would accept anything that empowers women
Some cultural differences asides, no one really cares in 2015.
Eeeh.. gamergate anyone? We're far, far from an equal society still, and the few accepted female protagonists in games and movies won't change the fact that the world is still misogynic.
I could care little if s protag is male or female, especially when I always try to make myself it.
Then again there is a movement out there called, "diversity is codeword for anti-white" who are currently bitching about the protagonist of the new starwars movie.
I could care little if s protag is male or female, especially when I always try to make myself it.
Then again there is a movement out there called, "diversity is codeword for anti-white" who are currently bitching about the protagonist of the new starwars movie.
We live in a sad, sad world where people value their social rank and perspective of beliefs more than enjoying life and respecting it.
I believe that the wisest thing to do, when you're dealing with a charname from a game , is to give him or her an aura of mistery like "one such bhaalspawn survived and became a powerful adventurer" and instead of describing the characters, I'd rather describe what he or she did aftwerwards , like "the bhaalspawn known as gorion's ward did return to baldur's gate to intervene in...".
That would be more respectful , after all, Forgotten Realms has got plenty of characters created by them , CANON, and we've got only one created by us .
Comments
If you'd chosen to become a God, Cyric could've sent Kezef after your believers in order to weaken you (a god's power is based upon how many followers he has), and you would've had to deal with Kezef, and then Cyric.
If you'd chosen to remain mortal, Cyric could've sent Kezef after you, in order to try to destroy your essence and soul, so Bhaal could never be reborn to contest Cyric.
Recently I listened to an interview with Drew Karpyshyn (the author of the ToB novel, a few Mass Effect novels and the Darth Bane trilogy of the Star Wars novels), and he said that one rule WoTC has when you're writing D&D novels for them is that you can't do anything that changes the Forgotten Realms universe, which mean D&D games and novels are restricted from allowing their characters to gain enough power to change the Realms unless it is absolutely necessary. The Baldur's Gate games defies that rule, giving you the option to become a god, and when you do, you change the Realms universally based on your decision to become the new Lord of Murder, or becoming a god of justice. WoTC wanted to avoid leaving the future of the Realms in the hands of whimsical players and novel writers. Abdel could have become a god, which would have undoubtedly solidified his "canonical" existence in the Forgotten Realms years before Murder In Baldur's Gate was made, but WoTC most likely won't go for it, based on what Drew said in the interview.
Here is the link to the Drew Karpyshyn interview I'm referring to.
Listen from 9:43 to 10:02
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Icewind_Dale_Trilogy
I started reading the first book once and didn't finish. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't interesting enough for me to want to keep reading it. R. A. Salvatore is a fairly respected author of D&D books, though.
http://www.icewinddale.com/
Why do some people always get R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy novels and the games confused? Drizzt wasn't even born yet in the timeline of the first Icewind Dale game.
Icewind Dale (original, Enhanced Edition and Heart of Winter): 1281 DR
Icewind Dale 2: 1310 DR
The Icewind Dale Trilogy (The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver and The Halfling's Gem): 1351-1357 DR
He was already corrected. Chill.
I may cynical, but truy I'm not. It's just the way the world works.
If money was the sole objective, it would be probably be easier for WotC/Hasbro to stop producing material in-house altogether and just license franchises out for development. That they retain the degree of control they do over the game canon and continue to invest in and produce material for PnP games in an increasingly digital world speaks to a commitment to something beyond (or at least in addition to) profits.
And that's why it's called "head" canon. Many rpg say that, and yet sequels and books follow x story line making that storyline canon unless said otherwise by the IP owner.
In my own head canon, I'm a freaking Dragonborn and Viconia's leads me on a quest to kill a god... Well goddess, after our son grows old enough to explore the world on his own. Oh, her death isn't until our son turns 21 and is done by the avatar of Lolth herself.
Hell, if only I knew how to mod, I'd put the race in the damn game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate_controversy
Then again there is a movement out there called, "diversity is codeword for anti-white" who are currently bitching about the protagonist of the new starwars movie.
I can't take things seriously that begins with an hashtag
A bunch of internet trolls rotted together mobbing some women, was there any more to it ?
That would be more respectful , after all, Forgotten Realms has got plenty of characters created by them , CANON, and we've got only one created by us .