Look What ED GREENWOOOD Is Doing! Forgotten Realms: The Unofficial, Non-Canon, Unlicensed, Utterly U

There's no news of an official Forgotten Realms book for D&D (at least not yet), but Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood is forging ahead with his own! Greenwood is writing Forgotten Realms: The Unofficial, Non-Canon, Unlicensed, Utterly Unapproved 50-Year History under the auspices of The Ed Greenwood Group and plans to release it at Gen Con in August this year, and once a week there will be updates on the web where he'll "peek behind the curtain and let you know something else about the untold history of the Realms, things you’ve never known".
Here's the full announcement:

"Welcome to the unofficial history of the Forgotten Realms.® Have you ever wondered why I, the guy who created the Realms in the first place, decided to share it with the wider world? Do you want to hear behind-the-scenes stories, some of those that can now be told, about why things are the way they are? Why, for instance, that from the beginning the Forgotten Realms® maps didn’t have hexes all over them, so the rivers didn’t run in little diagonal lines along the edges of hexes, but rather the maps looked like maps of real places, rather than game maps? Ever wondered about things like that?

Well, for the answers to those questions and many others, just keep visiting our site throughout the year because once a week we’ll peek behind the curtain and let you know something else about the untold history of the Realms, things you’ve never known. Things you may not even have thought to ask about, things that are deep dark secrets of the Realms.

See you every week, throughout the year!

The Ed Greenwood Group will launch its first projects in August at GenCon 2015 in Indianapolis—Forgotten Realms: The Unofficial, Non-Canon, Unlicensed, Utterly Unapproved 50-Year History by Ed Greenwood, curated by Brian Cortijo and All is Lust: Letters With a Hooded Lady by Ed Greenwood and The Hooded One.

Join us at RealmsSecretariat.com each week as Ed Greenwood continues the tale of how the Forgotten Realms went from a short story to becoming one of the world’s most beloved shared settings. All stories are totally unofficial—100% unapproved—not authorized, sanctioned, censored, or redacted in any way. Herewith we present the unvarnished Ed Greenwood and his take on the past fifty years."
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[video=youtube;XFdU3fUeBSI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XFdU3fUeBSI[/video]
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[Hussar]

Gm4pg, you mentioned quality of supplements which is why I brought up Sturgeons Law.

If you want sheer detail, we actually know the shape of windows in FR.!! How is that for detail?

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

Oh the Volo's Guides. Just so amazing.

Take Volo's Guide to Cormyr: when I am writing and building the Realms and I run out of ideas for NPC and places, need a cool location name or just plain old inspiration, this is the book I turn to.

It's also the ace up my sleeve when I need an NPC or town or temple or inn ASAP, because I am in the middle of running a game and didn't expect the PCs to zig when I thought they would zag.

I never run a game without this book at my side. It does not matter if the game is set in Cormyr or not. It does not matter what edition of the rules I am using.

The Realms is its own campaign setting, but certain of the Volo's Guides are self-contained campaign settings all by themselves.

These little books are indispensable resources; they will always have value to DMs and players alike.

 

[jeffknight]

I think this is an autobiography/documentary of how the Realms came to be, so legally, he's safe.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Why is that every time a thread brings up the Realms people post a bunch a crud about how much they dislike the setting?

Not cool...in any way.

Everyone, like what you like and by all means, share the love. Just don't pee in anyone's wheeties, please.
There's stuff that should be shared and talked about and then other stuff that should just be left well enough alone.

Apparently they have this misguided notion that we actually care.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

What I have noticed over the years is that heckling happens. People are sometimes compelled to take the opposing view for its own sake.

I know, because I have been that guy.

What I have learned the hard way is that it's better to tell the truth than to pick a side and grind it out with someone (or several someone's) online. The later is fun, but you accomplish more with the former.

It sucks when great campaign settings and great game designers get heckled, but it's also an opportunity to lay it all out there. Gamers are smart people and good people. They'll get it.

 

[Primal]

IIRC, Ed's "Home Realms" didn't have dark-skinned drow; his "dark elves" were an albino race, and wore heavy clothing and armor to protect their sensitive skin from sunlight. At least that is what I recall him saying when asked about how he's used the drow in his campaigns.

 

[Kramodlog]

Apparently they have this misguided notion that we actually care.

Judging by the amount of replies, I would say that a lot of people care about the Realms. People who hate them and take time to bash the Realms, also care about them. In their own way. the moment no one comes to defend the Realms will mean the end of the setting, because that will mean no one cares about it.

Edit: After checking the original print, I see gp price either. Just the XP for making the items and tables to roll treasure.

 

[dd.stevenson]

When I think of how much detail settings get, FR sits on top. Here's a rough idea of supplements by era.

Forgotten Realms has the most (by quite a long way). (~50 sourcebooks, ~40 adventures, ~13 boxed sets in the AD&D era; ~19 hardcover sourcebooks, ~9 adventures in 3E era)
Mystara has quite a bit (aided greatly by "The Voyage of the Princess Ark"). (23 sourcebooks , ~60 adventures, 1 boxed set)
Eberron has a relatively small amount (13 hardcover sourcebooks, 5 adventures in 3.5E).
Greyhawk has a relatively small amount (~8 sourcebooks, ~60 adventures, 5 boxed sets in the AD&D era)

And then, Forgotten Realms has a novel line...

Cheers!

Not to derail the thread, but ... how does this compare to Golarion, I wonder?

 

[Kramodlog]

Not to derail the thread, but ... how does this compare to Golarion, I wonder?

Difficult to compare. The compagnion line has around 55 books of 32 pages and the campaign setting around 70 books. Most of them are 64 pages long, but there are a few hardcovers with 300+ pages. The 100th adventure path book will be published this year. They have 96 pages. There are about 60 modules, they have between 32 and 64 pages each. And then there are the pathfinder society adventures. They are at the 6th season, with about 25 adventures per season. Each have 32 pages, I think.

If we just count books, Golarion is the winner. If we count pages, I would put my money on the Forgotten Realms, but the adventures really help Golarion come close.

I didn't mentioned the novels. Not sure how many FR novels there are, but they give it the edge for sure.

 

[Shasarak]

Difficult to compare. The compagnion line has around 55 books of 32 pages and the campaign setting around 70 books. Most of them are 64 pages long, but there are a few hardcovers with 300+ pages. The 100th adventure path book will be published this year. They have 96 pages. There are about 60 modules, at 60 pages each, and then there are the pathfinder society adventures. They are at the 6th season, with about 25 adventures per season. Each have 32 pages, I think.

If we just count books, Golarion is the winner. If we count pages, I would put my money on the Forgotten Realms, but the adventures really help Golarion come close.

I didn't mentioned the novels. Not sure how many FR novels there are, but they give it the edge for sure.

And there are also a lot of Dragon/Dungeon articles for the FR as well.