Cyrinishad
Explorer
I'll drop into this thread to throw my 2CP in about why I like the Forgotten Realms... and funny enough, it seems like some of what people dislike about it, are redeeming qualities in my mind.
1. I like that it's a kitchen-sink/patchwork setting with tons of lore for people to read through when we're not at the game table... it takes pressure off me as the DM to facilitate my player's ideas & creativity about their characters within the setting. I like that this means I am always able to find a way to say "Yes" to my player's ideas, and character concepts, without worrying about them monkey-wrenching the aesthetic of the campaign.
2. I like that there's lots of high-powered, named NPCs... My players characters are always the stars of the show, but they enjoy the prospect of an occasional cameo appearance, or name-drop, (or potential conflict) with NPCs that have had their own notable adventures. This makes them feel like they're part of a larger, shared world.
3. I don't feel any pressure to include any Lore that I don't want to include, nor am I bothered by contradictory Lore about the setting... Why? The prevailing assumption of the setting is the perspective of an imperfect narrator. The "canon" info the Realms source-books are the recollections of various "gods" and NPCs like Elminster & Volo that are all biased in their perspectives, have ulterior motives, and are notorious liars... So, I use the voluminous amounts of Lore more as rumors, myths, assumptions, obfuscations, and exaggerations about what might have happened. And the "Canon Lore" remains that way until parts of it are either affirmed or contradicted by the adventures & investigations of the PCs.
Anyway, that's my 2CP...
1. I like that it's a kitchen-sink/patchwork setting with tons of lore for people to read through when we're not at the game table... it takes pressure off me as the DM to facilitate my player's ideas & creativity about their characters within the setting. I like that this means I am always able to find a way to say "Yes" to my player's ideas, and character concepts, without worrying about them monkey-wrenching the aesthetic of the campaign.
2. I like that there's lots of high-powered, named NPCs... My players characters are always the stars of the show, but they enjoy the prospect of an occasional cameo appearance, or name-drop, (or potential conflict) with NPCs that have had their own notable adventures. This makes them feel like they're part of a larger, shared world.
3. I don't feel any pressure to include any Lore that I don't want to include, nor am I bothered by contradictory Lore about the setting... Why? The prevailing assumption of the setting is the perspective of an imperfect narrator. The "canon" info the Realms source-books are the recollections of various "gods" and NPCs like Elminster & Volo that are all biased in their perspectives, have ulterior motives, and are notorious liars... So, I use the voluminous amounts of Lore more as rumors, myths, assumptions, obfuscations, and exaggerations about what might have happened. And the "Canon Lore" remains that way until parts of it are either affirmed or contradicted by the adventures & investigations of the PCs.
Anyway, that's my 2CP...