D&D 5E Campaign Settings 5e- Why I want to Forget the Realms

[Greg Benage]

I liked (and still do) the 1st edition campaign setting. The gray box, FR1 and FR5 make for a good vanilla D&D sandbox* setting. Compared to Greyhawk, FR struck me at the time as the first published campaign world that seemed to have been designed as a world for D&D campaigns, rather than a setting for fantasy wargames or high-level "domain" play. I felt the same about the Mystara gazetteers that started coming out about the same time. Greyhawk with its thirty-mile hexes, focus on state politics and army rosters, etc., was never particularly inspiring for me as a D&D world. The Forgotten Realms, as presented in the late 80s, felt like a world where D&D adventures** happened.

* Meaning no metaplot (yet) baked into the setting. It's a big world with lots of ruins and wild places.

** At least a certain kind of D&D adventure, specifically the heroic fantasy we-fight-evil-because-we're-the-good-guys adventures that had mostly already supplanted the more "murder-hobo" (in the good sense) treasure-seeking adventure style of the earlier (A)D&D modules. But if you want to run a mission-based, heroic fantasy campaign, you can do a lot worse than the Sword Coast circa gray box, FR1 and FR5.

 

[FriarRosing]

The Realms' problem, in my mind, ties directly to its age, the number of novels that have been written in it and the world being changed time and time again with updated new meta plots.

For example, I would love to play a Star Wars RPG set either right before or after the original trilogy, but completely ignoring any prequels or expanded universe nonsense. In that context I would have a massive, evocative universe to play with an explore, that was given some tonal and narrative context by a single story already told, but was otherwise wide open for me and my friends to wander around and shake things up as we went. As soon as you start to pile on more and more canon the universe becomes less of a fertile playground for my imagination and more a library catalogue of what everyone else has imagined already; there are fewer gaps and fun places to shove my ideas into, fewer seeds of intrigue and interest for me to latch onto and roll with, less room for forward momentum.

Forgotten Realms has just been around so long, supported so heavily and updated so constantly that there's very little wiggle room for me to take ownership of it. It belongs to everyone else, and the best we can do is jump and try to go along with the ride. But then we're just the passengers. I want to be driving.

That said, there is a lot stuff in the Realms I do like. Icewind Dale in particular, since it is so remote from the rest of the world and has such a unique atmosphere--relatively speaking--and can allude to the rest of the setting without being stifled by it. Also just that I liked the game so much as a kid. That's probably part of it.

 

[Hussar]

The Realms' problem, in my mind, ties directly to its age, the number of novels that have been written in it and the world being changed time and time again with updated new meta plots.

For example, I would love to play a Star Wars RPG set either right before or after the original trilogy, but completely ignoring any prequels or expanded universe nonsense. In that context I would have a massive, evocative universe to play with an explore, that was given some tonal and narrative context by a single story already told, but was otherwise wide open for me and my friends to wander around and shake things up as we went. As soon as you start to pile on more and more canon the universe becomes less of a fertile playground for my imagination and more a library catalogue of what everyone else has imagined already; there are fewer gaps and fun places to shove my ideas into, fewer seeds of intrigue and interest for me to latch onto and roll with, less room for forward momentum.

Forgotten Realms has just been around so long, supported so heavily and updated so constantly that there's very little wiggle room for me to take ownership of it. It belongs to everyone else, and the best we can do is jump and try to go along with the ride. But then we're just the passengers. I want to be driving.

That said, there is a lot stuff in the Realms I do like. Icewind Dale in particular, since it is so remote from the rest of the world and has such a unique atmosphere--relatively speaking--and can allude to the rest of the setting without being stifled by it. Also just that I liked the game so much as a kid. That's probably part of it.

But, why could you not do the exact same thing with the Realms? Why couldn't you set your game at DR X (whatever that year happens to be) and ignore the rest of the canon? I mean, you don't seem too attached to setting canon if you're willing to eject that much from Star Wars (which is at least as much as Forgotten Realms in terms of amount of lore), so, why not just do the exact same thing with FR?

Want to run a pre-Time of Troubles FR campaign? No problem, grey box only it is. Post ToT? Again, not a problem. All the supplements are (by and large) dated, so events beyond a certain date can be ignored.

I guess what I don't understand is, if you can do that with Star Wars (or Star Trek, or any other heavily built upon setting), what's special about FR?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Queer Venger]

I think I stated that I never liked the FR, I didn't really understand the popularity, but given that it was the default campaign setting of 5e, I was wondering if there was something I was missing. I also asked if I should go back and give it a second chance. Your generic response (haters gonna hate/do your own campaign) was not helpful.

"Maybe its the complexity, maybe its the inability to resonate with the signature characters of the setting, maybe its history and background of Forgotten Realms isn't something that interests you personally, maybe its because people that were around when you were introduced to the setting didn't like it and that passed on to you. You clearly don't like Elminster and Drizz't. Maybe you're transferring your dislike of those novels into the actual setting? The Realms have a much larger "everything is epic!" feel to them - maybe the mere presence of all these major players is not to your taste?"

I think this might be it. Other campaign settings are more about setting the world (the sandbox), while I felt that FR was more about crazy ridiculous things happening constantly around characters. I never played the video games, so there's that.

Anyway, I appreciate your post. Having been out for a while, I didn't grok that FR was considered the most popular setting. Part of me wishes they had gone even more campaign agnostic, but then the core books would have lost a little flavor.

Lowkey13, I want to apologize, I realize my response came across harsh; possibly because there are so many of these posts on this site and I reacted. I have been a huge fan of the FR since the original gray box; although Ive read many of the novels, the fiction was not what drew me in, (though much of it is really good). I have loved the generic high fantasy elements, and that its a vast world that I can mold as my sandbox. I love the Red Wizards, the Zhentarim, the gods and its vast cultural scope, (Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim, Hordelands). That said, I know its not what everyone wants for a campaign, and while Ive considered creating my own world, I realize as a full-time professional with many family responsibilities that I must settle for the best pre-published setting around. So for the last 25 years I have breathed live into the FR in many campaigns Ive run, and now Im running 3.

I know Greyhawk and Dragonlance and Eberron has its strong following, (personally I much prefer Planescape). I too hope that one day WotC will release products for other settings, but to be honest, Im in no hurry for these, I have a big library of setting products that Ive never even opened, (Dark Sun). For now I think WotC is being smart and keeping it to one official/default/fantasy setting, its good business, and they are dedicating word-count in all their published products in case you want to drop it into your Eberron setting.

My FR is my world, not the world of DRizzt or Elminster or Farideh, I don't subscribe that the events of these novels informs or changes my FR, I take what I want and ignore the vast majority to make it my story.

 

[gyor]

I have been running my first 5e campaign after an absence from D&D, and, for the most part, is has been enjoyable. I've adjusted the materials (so far, we are about to complete Phandelver) so that it is set in Greyhawk- boxed set, circa 1983 (more open ended).

Anyway, on the one hand, I appreciate that the core books of 5e have nods to the various campaign settings within them. On the other hand... Forgotten Realms ("FR") is the default? I was hoping that I could get a little input from the knowledgeable people here.

1. Why was FR chosen as the default? I understand that 5e had a lot of feedback, so is this the most popular campaign setting in general?

2. This is more of a question, perhaps, to enlighten me- why do I hate FR so much? I love different campaign settings. Spelljammer and Planescape to connect them, home-brew, Greyhawk, Eberron, Krynn, Al-Qadim/Kara-Tur (yes, I know that they may be considered "part" of FR, but they are standalone), and so on. But ever since FR came out, I disliked everything about it. I hated Elminster. I hated the mythos and the world. I hated, hated, hated Drizzt.

So why? Okay, I know why I hated Elminster (stand in for Greenwood) and Drizzt (that's just a terrible, terrible character). But what about the campaign world? Should I go back and give it a second chance? I'm genuinely curious- I honestly don't remember why I disliked it so intensely, which is odd, and it looks like there will be a lot of material coming down the pipeline. Thoughts?

Faerun is bigger then a few NPCs are the Swordcoast/North and Cormyr that eat up so much of the focus.

Drizzt and the Chosen of Mystria normally keep to Cormyr, the Dales, and Sword Coast, and don't really concern themselves much with other regions.

Chult really doesn't get visits from Drizzt or Elminister for example.

The Old Kingdoms region is one of my favourites, you have Mulhorand which is kind of like Ancient Egypt, but with some steam punk elements, and other weird stuff, you have Unther, based on Babylon/Sumeria, but with some very strange twists like, the fact that until recently it had been exiled to Abeir and Enslaved, you have Tymanther kingdom of the Dragonborn, which recently was reduced in size to it's two major cities, very exotic.

Then there is Chessenta, an alliance of city states, which broke off from Unther in ancient times. Each city has it's own strange form of government.

High Imaskar still residues in the Plains of Purple Dust and Planar stronghold, waiting to take revenge on Mulhorand.

For adventures their are Mulhorandi, Imaskari, Untherite, Batrachi, Bakara, ruins all over the place, maybe, some, Dupari as well.

So lots of weird stuff and you never see Elminster or Drizzr in thus region at all.
Then there are e

You settings within settings like the Old Empires Region of Mulhorand,

 

[gyor]

Another region is the Utter East, very much Conan flavoured, Rashimen is filled with Barbarians, Witches, and Fey Spirits.

You have Thay which is like Stygia, a land ruled by dark wizards, worshipping dark gods.

And Aglorond which is ruled by a council, with mostly human cities closer to the coast and elf communities in the Yuirwood, a mysterious forest connected to the strange demiplane of the Star Elves, which is near the Feywild. Also has xenophobic pirate cities nearby.

One of the Chosen of Mystria once ruled Algorond, but she hasn't for a, long time, in fact she died.

See what I mean, Faerun is, more then the traditional parts people are bored by.

Then there is Mazitica, where the Tabaxi cat people are from, which is based on Mesoamerica, on a separate contient.

So many cool regions far from Elminister and Friends.

 

[Azzy]

Holy thread necromancy, Batman!