MiraMels
Explorer
The principle characters in Erin Evans' series are two teenaged girls and their adoptive father. Why is young women having a feel-good fantasy adventure book written with them in mind something worthy of your scorn and derision?
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What is the status of Cormyr in 5e?
- Thread starter bmfrosty
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The principle characters in Erin Evans' series are two teenaged girls and their adoptive father. Why is young women having a feel-good fantasy adventure book written with them in mind something worthy of your scorn and derision?
Because this "feel-good" fantasy book also affects a RPG setting where verisimilitude is a tad bit more important than for a generic young adult fantasy novel.
Of all the Forgotten Realms novels I've read I think the ones in question are least problematic on that account. The attitude is to find plot holes and plug them (such as everything related to Dragonborn).
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MiraMels
Explorer
Verisimilitude. Forgive my directness, but have you actually read Erin Evans' series? Out of any of the Realms' novelists, she gives the most time and attention to detailed depictions of conversation and locations. She does this consistently throughout her novels, and they give you an amazing sense of everyday life in the Realms. She has an amazing sense of verisimilitude, and a healthy respect for the source material. She's not running roughshod over the Realms Canon. Ed Greenwood worked with her as she wrote these. She is the canon.
To return to the thread topic: Fire in the Blood, by Erin M Evans is an amazing resource for DM's looking for to run a game that includes Cormyr as anything more involved than a backdrop to handle equipment transactions, quest hook distribution, and the occasional tavern scene.
I'd recommend it over the 3rd edition campaign setting, the 4th edition Backdrop Cormyr pdf, and Volo's Guide to Cormyr (which hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet).
Given the fact that Erin has searched high and low for all Realmslore relating to Comryr--including finding the tiny corner of the internet where I had been working on a detailed and updated listing of all the rooms in the Royal Palace of the Purple Dragon, Suzail, Cormyr--in order to write her novels, and given the fact that her first comments to me during a private chat involved how much she enjoyed diving into the material (read: researching Realmslore on Cormyr), I find your comment to be both misinformed and hostile.
The only thing worse than snark is uninformed snark; it just makes you look bad.
Realms novels, when done correctly, are an excellent source of material for DMs looking to run believable, immersive campaigns, and of the sort their players will never forget. If you're really interested in verisimilitude, then you ought to read one of Erin's works.
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ON TOPIC:
The only work I have done for Cormyr on the DMs Guild is "Cormyr In The Year of the Ageless One", which focuses on Cormyr in the year 1479 DR, and so is about 10-12 years behind the current time in the setting.
I very much want to start another sourcebook for modern day Cormyr, but time and circumstances have put that work on hold (for now).
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Sorry, double post.
As far as "Cannon" goes, everything in 4e did happen, and the only "reversal" via 5e was that the Second Sundering reversed a lot of the physical changes that the Spellplague inflicted upon Faerun etc. As noted earlier, 4e moved the time-line forward about 100 years to DR 1479; 5e has moved the time-line forward only a few more years, so whatever History you can find from 4e, isn't far off the mark... For example, the 4e players guide has a little info, and the DM's campaign book has a lot more, about the whole of Faerun.
The "public beta" for 5e was set around DR 1482-1484, with the arrival of the "Chosen", the return of Bhaal, etc - see Madness in Baldur's Gate, Legacy of the Crystal Shard, Scourge of the Sword Coast, etc. PHB, SCAG, new published adventures for 5e etc are set from DR 1487+, the end of the Second Sundering. WoTC have deliberately focused mainly on the Sword Coast (like the original focused primarily on the Dales), and kept most things pretty vague, in order to try and avoid "cannon" cramping people's style. At least that's my interpretation.
On a personal level, I think it's a real shame that 4e advanced the timeline by 100 years, effectively wiping out most of the old source material's specific NPCs etc. But what's done is done...
The "public beta" for 5e was set around DR 1482-1484, with the arrival of the "Chosen", the return of Bhaal, etc - see Madness in Baldur's Gate, Legacy of the Crystal Shard, Scourge of the Sword Coast, etc. PHB, SCAG, new published adventures for 5e etc are set from DR 1487+, the end of the Second Sundering. WoTC have deliberately focused mainly on the Sword Coast (like the original focused primarily on the Dales), and kept most things pretty vague, in order to try and avoid "cannon" cramping people's style. At least that's my interpretation.
On a personal level, I think it's a real shame that 4e advanced the timeline by 100 years, effectively wiping out most of the old source material's specific NPCs etc. But what's done is done...
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
It is a believable character.
Could you try to explain your specific objection?
Do you perhaps labor under the false belief that teenagers are incapable idiots, or the even less true belief that teenage rulers haven't both existed and been pretty similar to the described ruler, or different but equally effective and "badass", in the actual really real world?
machineelf
Explorer
Except, most of the NPCs are long dead, and a lot of the political history of various places have changed.
I hate, hate that they advanced the timeline 100 years and made so many changes to the Forgotten Realms. That's why I just stick with the 1369 or 1372 time of the Realms. There's also tons of information on the realms from back then, and I don't think WOTC are interested in producing that kind of complete information on the realms again anytime soon.
machineelf
Explorer
Completely agree. It's a real shame they mucked around with the setting and advanced the timeline. So many classic NPCs gone. I just stick to the pre-4th edition Forgotten Realms and pretend like the changes they made to the Realms never happened. It means that I have to heavily modify any Realms adventures they put out, but so be it.
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