Vote for your Forgotten Realms!

[IronWolf]

Well, that wouldn't be accurate because I do like the Realms. But the point is, you shouldn't have to go look for some obscure region to make your own. If there's a region you are interested in, it should all be fair game.

And the PCs should be the star of the show! Thus the 4e version is kinda what I love.

I tend to run a lot of my FR games in the Silver Marches, hardly what one would call an obscure region and I generally have no issues running there. The PCs still feel like heroes, I don't necessarily alter canon a lot and the players seem to have a good time. Now I have chosen more obscure areas to run as well - over in The Vast region.

I usually check recent past, current and future events if applicable with the timeline and work those in as necessary or effects of those events. I think to a degree this is how it is like if you choose to DM in a published setting.

Agreed, though - this might not work for everyone, but I have had no issues in games I have run in the Forgotten Realms even if I choose a somewhat not off the beaten path area.

 

[IronWolf]

If Amazon reviews actually are important to you then....that's your choice, I guess. They are what they are and generally not very worthwhile. Either their direct fanboy reviews (customer reviews) or their indirect reviews (supposed "editor reviews" by fanboy publications).

Of course its our choice.

Customer reviews server their purpose. Whether it be RPG books or computer equipment or any other area of interest. You just have to read them with that in mind.

I usually check customer reviews and sort of disregard the extremes (or at least read with a more critical eye) to either extremely positive or extremely negative. And then factor in what are people complaining or raving about. If they are complaining because there is too much fluff in an RPG book, well to me that's a good thing and tells me a bit more about the book in question, even if the review itself was negative.

This method has seemed pretty successful for my purchases - RPG and otherwise.

That's simply what they are, which is worth exactly what creedence you give a bunch of fanboys. Whether more in that group of fanboys likes something or not is not relevant to me.

To lump any positive review on a product as being written by a "fanboy" seems quite limiting to me. That's fine to say you don't want to decipher the reviews but to call them useless as a whole to everyone is stretching it.

 

[Renshai]

WotC lost a very loyal FR fan when they released FR4E. I won't go into the reasons as others have stated them before, but for me the Grey Box plus FR1-FR16 was my favorite.

Beyond that, Steve Schend's Empires of the Shining Sea and Lands of Intrigue rate among my favorite FR releases. These releases drove the narrative forward in a very familiar way.

 

[Shemeska]

Beyond that, Steve Schend's Empires of the Shining Sea and Lands of Intrigue rate among my favorite FR releases. These releases drove the narrative forward in a very familiar way.

I'm happily willing to call anything that Steve Schend has worked on as being golden. FR or otherwise, it's good stuff.

 

[Herschel]

To lump any positive review on a product as being written by a "fanboy" seems quite limiting to me. That's fine to say you don't want to decipher the reviews but to call them useless as a whole to everyone is stretching it.

It isn't just lumping positive reviews, it's all of them. The industry and publication circle is really small, and a lot are just by gamers out of (basically) their garage. Tthere really isn't a "good" (in regards to size), established market/network of actual, reliable critics because the market simply isn't big enough. If those that are there work for someone, well, good for them (for lack of a better term). Heck, even with a market like DVDs I often find the reviews avail. quite lacking. As always, your mileage may vary.

 

[Shazman]

[
I think your characterization is more of a cop-out. If the "well, you're the DM; ignore stuff that's published and do it your own way" is your solution, then why bother calling it the Realms at all? Just call it your homebrew and borrow any ideas from the Realms that you happen to like. And hope that your players aren't steeped in Realmsiana so they'll be spoilered once they recognize the obvious borrowings.[/QUOTE]

By that reasoning, you could call 4E Forgotten Realms Richard Baker's Homebrew instead, because it bears little resemblence to the FR that I knew and loved. Seriously, if I decide to change a few canon details when I run FR, that is by no stretch of the imagination a "homebrew". It's FR with a few tweaks I want to use for my particular campaign. Ignoring some published details to run a campaign setting like you want isn't a cop out, it's, you know, being a DM.