Blend this with a pseudo-renaissance Italian city-state backdrop with masquerades, poisonings, ship-building, back-room intrigue and diplomacy drama mixed with an out of this world extravagance in as many aspects as the gnomes can manage, and you’re left with a deeply satisfying shard of Eberron.

Joe

Steve

The Flame is my first and favorite choice! It seems there are two types of people who follow this path: The “Flamites,” who live and die by the doctrine of the Flame, and those who seek to further their own positions of power through the strategic use of rank within the church.

What’s funny is, those whose motives were unclean, would naturally behave in the same way as the pure of heart. The “Flamites” because they know the cause is just and their actions warranted. The fallen clergy because to be exposed would mean to lose power. (Who doesn’t love a utopian villain?)
It would be up to the player to decide whom to trust.

The Host, to me seems like they are in a position to dominate as THE religion of Eberron. So why are they not shoving doctrine down the throats of the people? The answer is simple. They lack the stringent organization of the Flame. Priests are not chosen to become priests, they are “called.” Naturally, one would assume, that when the gods want something, they will ask for it.

What is even funnier to me is the fact that The Sovereign Host and Silver Flame do not really acknowledge one another openly. (This is the impression I get from my source books anyway.) I think there is real potential there for a heavily-fueled and layered conflict that would lead the player to have to choose a side. I love those choices where there are consequences on either side, where everything seems both right and wrong, where there are two rights in the same situation but you can only side with ONE!

It’s simplicity and intricacy all in the same package. It is not too difficult for a player or a reader of a story to grasp, but layered enough to turn even the best suspense-thriller on it’s ear.

Now add some dungeons and some monsters or undead minions with unwanted treasure hoards… and we have ourselves a game!

You ask what is my favorite thing about Eberron? It is not what is written or what is said, but what is IMPLIED that I can’t get enough of.
Cheers and thanks for your time!

My boyfriend introduced me to Eberron. It took months before I would read the player’s guide. I had to endure his leaving Inquisitives novels by my bed, or him suddenly exclaiming, “Whoa, she turned into a dragon!…And then she ate that guy!” Every time I complained about how poorly thought out a setting portrayed its countries’ politics and culture, he would say, “It’s not like that with the Five Nations.” It took a while, but when I finally gave in and checked Eberron out, I fell in love.

What I love about Eberron is how well-thought out everything is, with enough detail to inspire me but not feel constraining. I love that it’s a fantasy world that considers how cultures would change and grow with magic in the mix (instead of Generically-European with some wizards thrown in for good measure.) I love airships and warforged, together or separately. I love the shades of gray, encouraging greater complexity in designing adventures. I love how clever the other fans are, thinking up schemes and villains that I absolutely file away for later use. I love watching a cheesy action movie and filing that away for later use too.

However, my FAVORITE thing about Eberron is churning out ideas for what caused the Mourning with my boyfriend as we do the dishes, or calling him up while I wait for the train to arrive just to ask why aberrant marks aren’t called Khyber marks, or ominously mentioning to him, “Of course, one of the NPCs at the druid’s circle isn’t quite what he seems.” The setting just clicked for us and it’s a real joy sharing enthusiasm with each other.

I feel like I ought to be more eloquent or epic with my response, but this is how I feel.

I love the precarious balance of power in Khorvaire, and the way that each of the nations feels unique (and not just analogues of European nations).

I love the way that the PCs are given as the movers and shakers of the world, rather than setting up innumerable NPCs who are far more powerful than what the PCs could ever achieve in normal play.

I love that Eberron makes space for all styles of play, from film noir and pulp to high planar adventure and epic dealings, and all of the mechanics of D&D as well.

Especially, as an example, the elves. I am a massive fan of the stereotypical D&D elves, and of their usual default god Corellon Larethian. Neither of these things is in Eberron, but this bothers me not at all because what is there is so incredibly cool. The standard, somewhat integrated elves are a nice turn from the usual aloof elf off living in a tree miles from civilization. The Valenar are distilled martial badassery with a nifty religion, Drow aren’t psychotic spider-kissers, and the Aereni elves and their benevolent necromancy, the undying being powered by positive energy and the devotion of their descendants, are quite possibly the most awesome take on elves ever and make me want to use them somewhere in worlds outside Eberron as well, simply because the concept of them just pushes my buttons in all the right ways.

And I usually dislike most alternate takes on elves, most of them strike me as just trying to make elves non-elven because the author doesn’t like elves. But the elves of Eberron manage to be different while still retaining the elements of D&D elves that I love.