D&D 5E 5th edition Forgotten Realms: Why can't you just ignore the lore?

[Sailor Moon]

Figured I would take this topic to another thread.

It's no secret that the 4th edition Forgotten Realms alientated a "lot" of fans with the Spellplague and the very limited amount of books and detail we got when one of the things that actually make FR unique and inviting is it's deep history and abundent detail.

Well there are of course some people who liked the sparse content but there were more who wanted the vast detail that we've craved for years.

I don't understand why it's so difficult for people to just ignore the lore and use what they want. Why can't I have a thick FR guide with loads of the iconic detail that it's known for? I mean it's a win win for everyone and not just the sparse side.

Hopefully there will be a thick tome or two coming out that will allow those of us who like that much content, to dive in and drink up our fill. I don't need to pay WoTc for permission to buy a sparse book and create my own content.

 

[Warunsun]

You certainly can ignore any campaign setting book and use the materials you already own. I personally ran a Forgotten Realms campaign starting in 1369 DR for about a year now using primarily second edition source materials. We ran the campaign using Castles & Crusades rules but it could have easily been the D&D Fifth Edition ones. If you don't own the books there are tons and tons of them selling cheaply in game stores or online as used. Plus there is the digital option: Dungeons & Dragons Classics.

 

[Gnarl45]

I don't understand why it's so difficult for people to just ignore the lore and use what they want. Why can't I have a thick FR guide with loads of the iconic detail that it's known for? I mean it's a win win for everyone and not just the sparse side.

Some DM's don't have the spine to tell a whinny player to get lost. Some players will insist on playing in the FR as published.

I'll be honest though. If they don't deliver a couple of thick FR guides to make up for the nearly unexisting new lore, I'm not buying anything FR-related.

 

[ruleslawyer]

I use 1357 DR as my campaign start date (never liked what the ToT did to the realms), so I hear the OP here.

If it weren't so easy and relatively affordable to get all the old realms lore (I have basically every single 1e-3e sourcebook in PDF courtesy of drivethrurpg), I could see the problem. Given that all the old info is out there (and well supported by candlekeep etc), I think that playing at any date is fine. I would also be surprised if players have reason to complain about this; it's not like any given date is more fun or yields an in game advantage.

 

[Sailor Moon]

I absolutely adore all the old stuff, but from what we are being told the Sundering is supposed to bring the Realms back to the way it was, well as close as it can get, so I want a new book to be chock full of FR lore and details with continued support.

 

[Warunsun]

I absolutely adore all the old stuff, but from what we are being told the Sundering is supposed to bring the Realms back to the way it was, well as close as it can get, so I want a new book to be chock full of FR lore and details with continued support.

I think the closest thing you are going to get for a while is Elminster's Forgotten Realms. At-least for now they don't seem eager to sell campaign books. I liked Elminster's Forgotten Realms but it does require another campaign source-book to make it complete; but it could be any of them from the original gray box up to the fourth edition offering.

 

[BoldItalic]

My new 5e campaign is called The Remembered Realms. It's like FR except it only includes stuff that I, or the players, can remember having read somewhere. Everything else is just made up.

For example, we know there's a place called Baldurs Gate but we can't remember any details. So we make up the details as we go along, and that's how Baldurs Gate is, in our plane of the multiverse.

 

[Jaelommiss]

At my table I take ignoring the lore to the extreme.

I'm a new D&D player and DM, and know absolutely nothing about any of the existing settings. I use the FR map as nothing more than a set of location names and distances between them. I care just enough about the 'proper' lore to look it up online and laugh at how much I am changing it.

For instance, while running HotDQ my players needed to get up to Waterdeep to deliver something (they went epically off the rails). I showed them the map of the Sword Coast so they could see where they were and plot a course. They noticed a coastal town called Candlekeep and asked if they would be able to grab a ship there. Not knowing the lore, I said 'sure, that sounds fine'. In my mind it became a port trading town. After the game I checked online to see what it actually is. Since my players are looking for boats and not wizard libraries I am perfectly comfortable changing the lore.

It is worth mentioning that my players are just as new as I am and know even less about settings.

 

[Li Shenron]

Sometimes I think that, when playing in FR, ignoring the lore is not simply a possibility but it's almost a must...

Because there is so much printed official lore out there, that the DM can't know it all, and there will always be FR fans in the group who know something the DM doesn't, and will get annoyed when the DM makes it up.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Figured I would take this topic to another thread.

It's no secret that the 4th edition Forgotten Realms alientated a "lot" of fans with the Spellplague and the very limited amount of books and detail we got when one of the things that actually make FR unique and inviting is it's deep history and abundent detail.

Well there are of course some people who liked the sparse content but there were more who wanted the vast detail that we've craved for years.

I don't understand why it's so difficult for people to just ignore the lore and use what they want. Why can't I have a thick FR guide with loads of the iconic detail that it's known for? I mean it's a win win for everyone and not just the sparse side.

Hopefully there will be a thick tome or two coming out that will allow those of us who like that much content, to dive in and drink up our fill. I don't need to pay WoTc for permission to buy a sparse book and create my own content.

I am not a fan of post time or trouble and pre spell plague realms (so 2e,3e).

What I don't want, is a book I have to study to run the setting.

I will be told I am a bad DM, and a bad fan and suck at D&D (even thought I have run this experiment before and found my group only has these problems with some settings not others)

I was running a FR game back in 3.0... before the Epic level book was even out. It was pretty simple. I kept the PCs away from the Justice League Midnight, and was only some problems (other people disliking my idea of the setting) Then came the game ending explosion...

I had they prepping an army of slave soldiers and back up by necromancers. The idea I had was anyone who died on the battle field (either side) would be raised to then fight for the red wizards. They would start with neighbor and then steam roll through the region... The PCs where the only hope, they had to find the artifact staff of life and use it to stop the evil artifact that was boosting the necro magic... or they had to steal the necro artifact, or they had to fight the army... either way this was there war to win or loose. (PCs where 10-13th level),

Then the 10th level wizard and 11th level sorcerer/ranger told me "No, we will get the symbol to handle this."
my response was "Who?"

I was told it was the sorcerer queen of the kingdom about to be steam rolled, so I flipped ot the book, and read the region write up, but not her stats... I started playing her as not as powerful as the PCs, and not having the ability to help... then BOOM... sorry she is a chosen as powerful as Elmunchkin...

well then I changed to "She is too busy, other" and it was thrown in my face that she hates they and is a good aligned ruler... so yea...

I hate settings that require this much work.