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

[Bluenose]

Or the uber-NPCs are involved in Realms-shattering disasters of their own. Events such as fighting suddenly reactive hoards of orcs and drow in the frozen north (lastest collection of Drizz't novels), wandering around and keeping the Weave from fraying and falling apart by anchoring it to major wards (Elminster in the beginning of the Herald novel), keeping Cormyr from being overrun by Shaddover agents and heading to visit the dragonborn lands (Brimstone Angels novels), readapting to the world after being held captive by an archdevil for a century (Everis Cale), or keeping Tiamat from taking over the place (Minsc and Boo).

The uber-NPCs are kinda busy, which begs the question - why the hells are there constantly such huge events happening? That's the part that stretches my incredibility.

Agreed. Also, the frequency with which they apparently deal with Realms-shattering disasters successfully is one of the classic Mary Sue traits, "Incredible Deeds Done Off-Screen".

 

[MoutonRustique]

My, very personal, 2cp.

FR feels juvenile and MOAR!!1! to me. It gives off that vibe where everything "cool" must be included somewhere and there's a bigger fish around that bend, and bigger one beyond that hill and a bigger one over that field and a ... etc, etc.

We used to joke about picking up a +2 rock (it was a random rock) and looking over a beautiful sunset over that +3 lake. (Let's not forget that lvl0 tavern-bouncer with the girdle of stone giant strength...)

The reasons for this feeling are irrelevant - it is there, and it is true*.
*It's my feeling. That the Realms could have been approached differently and thus give a different impression is a statement which always true - and always irrelevant.

All this being said - the amount of stuff for it is mind-boggling, and there's plenty in there that I do like. Especially the "trade-routes and productions" map in the 3e FR book (probably the most beautiful D&D book.)

 

[I'm A Banana]

Or the uber-NPCs are involved in Realms-shattering disasters of their own.

Right, but if your storyline is Tiamat going on a rampage over the Sword Coast, one of them takes on a bit more urgency than the others. Which is the issue with ultimately, the NPC's HAVE to get involved, because it's not like they're just going to let the party fail and see their world get destroyed. Even if the PC's run in there and blow themselves up, an NPC is going to be concerned at some point, come in, and presumably not let the bad guys win. And then go back to killin' orcs.

Really though, its the problem I have with ANY RPG setting that has associated media with it: why aren't the Heroes doing this and not you?

Yeah, it's a big "transmedia" problem in that the presence of certain kinds of fantasy literary protagonists kind of wrecks the game world. Competing media have competing desires. When you're reading a novel about Drizz'zt you want him to be an awesome self-insert badass. When you're playing a game in FR, you want your characters to be that, so when the DM is controlling a character that steals that thunder....

The uber NPCs are actively involved in the realms shattering event, and they fail! Whatever new menace slaughters elminster in front of the PC's eyes. You know, juts to show what the stakes are and how this time there's no one to solve this is you fail. Just you know, no pressure

I mean I like the idea.

 

[Corpsetaker]

So why can't some of you just repopulate FR with your own NPC's?

 

[Jester David]

One of the reasons I hate the "unified universe" of a lot of superhero comics! "Oh, Daredevil, you're a great lawyer/beatemupguy/vigilante/crime fighter, but you know that Spiderman character is just a few blocks away, and also there's this school of trans-dimensional mutants a few hours' drive from here and also a literal god and a super-genius and a super-soldier who all made friends with some spies and an angry green metaphor. So, you know, keep punching people in your ZIP code, and if things get too weird, know that there's a lot of other people who will basically do what you can't! I mean, literally hundreds of evil plots to control or destroy the world are thwarted every year by these people, and do you ever wonder why we have so many megolomaniacal sociopaths in this world, I mean you'd think that we'd have some sort of Super Therapist by now who could help them confront their true emotional issues and become better people for it, but I suppose super powers are only about punching things and not about feelings...."

Not really liking super hero comics is one of the many ways in which I am bad nerd.

I stopped reading super hero comics shortly after the New 52 launched. And I dropped Marvel prior when they annulled Spidey's marriage and erased every Spider-Man story written since I was able to read from canon.

But just because you can call for help doesn't always mean you will call for help. If Daredevil thinks he can handle something he's not going to run off to Spider-man. Because you don't become a superhero if you're interested in not helping. And, of course, on the practical side, while he's waiting for help to arrive (assuming they don't have their own problems at that moment) people might be dying. At worst he'll call for help and move in to see if he can manage on his own until they get their.

But this isn't limited to just super heroes. The army doesn't call in an air strike for every threat. The cops doesn't dispatch SWAT to arrest every perp. If people think they can handle something on their own they will.

And, of course, most evil threats aren't public knowledge. They don't go around advertising they're trying to end the world. It's not like every high level hero in the world would be aware of the problem.
Heck, even overlooking established NPCs, what about the heroes of past campaigns. Assuming you've played through Tyranny of Dragons and Princes of the Apocalypse there are two adventuring parties on the Sword Coast alone who are able to dispatch gods or elemental princes. Why doesn't Drizzt call them to help with demons in Out of the Abyss? Unlikely Elminster, they're local.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

So why can't some of you just repopulate FR with your own NPC's?

At that point, why bother with the Realms at all? Why not just write your own campaign setting?

 

[Corpsetaker]

The biggest problem that was done was give NPC's like Elminster stats. He is purely a plot device that cannot handle every situation but when you look at his published stats then these things seem more possible in a white room vacuum.

 

[Corpsetaker]

At that point, why bother with the Realms at all? Why not just write your own campaign setting?

Okay let me get this straight. You don't like the Realms because of the various NPC's that populate it but when someone mentions taking them out and adding your own you say why play in the world then?

There is a lot more to the Realms than the NPC's I'm afraid. I really don't think you know too much about the Realms with a statement like that.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Okay let me get this straight. You don't like the Realms because of the various NPC's that populate it but when someone mentions taking them out and adding your own you say why play in the world then?

There is a lot more to the Realms than the NPC's I'm afraid. I really don't think you know too much about the Realms with a statement like that.

let me take a shot at this... I CAN fix everything I don't like about the realms, but by that point it is so different that I can't really call it a realms game... so I might at well put a tad more work and just make my own.

I even suggested a group project with WotC to make a tiered down realms that would be more general acceptable, based on the same idea as "ultimate marvel"