D&D 5E A question for fellow long time Forgotten Realms fans.

[Corpsetaker]

FR was always a kitchen sink setting. I don't see how throwing in the bathroom sink as well is going to harm anything.

Actually this is a bit of a myth.

Forgotten Realms is not a kitchen sink setting, Greyhawk would be more of that kind of thing.

Forgotten Realms is such a well established setting with many many plots from the past and present that you can't just throw in whatever you want and hope for the best. You can do this when using it as your own homeworld but not a commercial setting.

Anything that you change or add to the Realms can be traced along it's history and if something doesn't add up then it sticks out like a sore thumb.

FR is becoming more and more like someone's personal homeworld. It's kind of like your own car, when something changes you are the first person to notice it while others who may ride with you won't.

 

[Cyrinishad]

Actually this is a bit of a myth.

Forgotten Realms is not a kitchen sink setting, Greyhawk would be more of that kind of thing.

Forgotten Realms is such a well established setting with many many plots from the past and present that you can't just throw in whatever you want and hope for the best. You can do this when using it as your own homeworld but not a commercial setting.

Anything that you change or add to the Realms can be traced along it's history and if something doesn't add up then it sticks out like a sore thumb.

FR is becoming more and more like someone's personal homeworld. It's kind of like your own car, when something changes you are the first person to notice it while others who may ride with you won't.

Ummm... It is most definitely a kitchen sink setting, and it is also a well established setting with many many plots from the past and present... and I hope they continue to throw in whatever they want, so that it will continue to be a successful commercial setting.

It's true that anything you change or add to the Realms can be traced along it's history... but, I find contradictory lore to be more interesting than exasperating, because it reinforces the fact that Realms-Lore is always partial information from the perspective of an imperfect narrator or observer.

FR IS someone's personal homeworld... It's Ed Greenwood's... and I like that their approach to it has evolved to the point where everyone can have their own personal FR Car, and are welcome to drive it however they wish.

...My FR car drives anywhere it wants...

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

Actually this is a bit of a myth.

No, it is not a myth. Not. At. All.

The Realms really is a kitchen sink setting. It's certainly gone through phases where elements from other worlds have been deemphasized, but the concept of the Realms being connected to other worlds predates its publication as an official D&D setting.

Not ready to believe me? Ask Ed.

This has been reflected in several D&D novels--and not a little bit of official material in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, too. Jander Sunstar ended up in Ravenloft. Mages from other worlds have long crossed paths with mages of the Realms. Myth Drannor was once a planar crossroads. One can travel from certain portals in Undermountain to any of several different D&D worlds. It's all there. It's all official.

Its this core concept of the Realms that's led it to become a storehouse for all kinds of elements from other game worlds, as well as the backdrop on which DMs and players across several editions of the game have been expected to place all the shiny new toys (read new game rules for players, NPCs, magic items, dungeons, adventures and monsters) found in each newly released sourcebook.

This doesn't mean you should expect to see Knights of Solamnia or Warforged on every street corner in the Realms. What it does mean is that a player (with their DM's approval) can play a warforged PC in the Realms without the DM having to go through significant contortions to justify the warforged PC's presence. It means DMs can borrow cool plotlines from whole other game worlds and port them into the Realms.

And it means that game designers and novel authors can, if the story calls for it, mix and match elements from other game worlds to place in the Realms.

I get that you don't agree with how it's being done currently, it's just that this is not something new.

 

[Corpsetaker]

So WoTC is stealing stuff from other editions & sticking it in the FR.

So what? I've been doing that longer than they've been in bussiness.

That's great for you but I don't want to play in your kind of games.

The problem is WoTc have proven just how sloppy they can be. We have a lot of "well X is now back but there is no reason why, it's just back". This philosophy doesn't work in FR and I don't trust them to handle crossovers because I have a feeling they won't know where to stop. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing Vecna, Iuz, St Cuthbert, Boccob, and the rest start showing up. Why not? If a demilich can do it then so can gods.

Another problem is they are using NPC's who already have a history and association with another world while never having an association with FR such as Acererak. Now if they had said "The demilich Corpsetaker has arrived from another world and decided to set up shop in FR", we now have an NPC that has no association what so ever with any world therefore Wizards has the opportunity to create a background on Corpsetaker and develop his current presence in FR, but instead they use Acererak because people know the name.

It's very sloppy.

 

[Corpsetaker]

No, it is not a myth. Not. At. All.

The Realms really is a kitchen sink setting. It's certainly gone through phases where elements from other worlds have been deemphasized, but the concept of the Realms being connected to other worlds predates its publication as an official D&D setting.

Not ready to believe me? Ask Ed.

This has been reflected in several D&D novels--and not a little bit of official material in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, too. Jander Sunstar ended up in Ravenloft. Mages from other worlds have long crossed paths with mages of the Realms. Myth Drannor was once a planar crossroads. One can travel from certain portals in Undermountain to any of several different D&D worlds. It's all there. It's all official.

Its this core concept of the Realms that's led it to become a storehouse for all kinds of elements from other game worlds, as well as the backdrop on which DMs and players across several editions of the game have been expected to place all the shiny new toys (read new game rules for players, NPCs, magic items, dungeons, adventures and monsters) found in each newly released sourcebook.

This doesn't mean you should expect to see Knights of Solamnia or Warforged on every street corner in the Realms. What it does mean is that a player (with their DM's approval) can play a warforged PC in the Realms without the DM having to go through significant contortions to justify the warforged PC's presence. It means DMs can borrow cool plotlines from whole other game worlds and port them into the Realms.

And it means that game designers and novel authors can, if the story calls for it, mix and match elements from other game worlds to place in the Realms.

I get that you don't agree with how it's being done currently, it's just that this is not something new.

Mmmm actually it is. Once upon a Grey Box it wasn't but after all these years it's not anymore. Years and years of lore have taken the kitchen sink title away from FR.

 

[Corpsetaker]

No, it is not a myth. Not. At. All.

The Realms really is a kitchen sink setting. It's certainly gone through phases where elements from other worlds have been deemphasized, but the concept of the Realms being connected to other worlds predates its publication as an official D&D setting.

Not ready to believe me? Ask Ed.

This has been reflected in several D&D novels--and not a little bit of official material in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, too. Jander Sunstar ended up in Ravenloft. Mages from other worlds have long crossed paths with mages of the Realms. Myth Drannor was once a planar crossroads. One can travel from certain portals in Undermountain to any of several different D&D worlds. It's all there. It's all official.

Its this core concept of the Realms that's led it to become a storehouse for all kinds of elements from other game worlds, as well as the backdrop on which DMs and players across several editions of the game have been expected to place all the shiny new toys (read new game rules for players, NPCs, magic items, dungeons, adventures and monsters) found in each newly released sourcebook.

This doesn't mean you should expect to see Knights of Solamnia or Warforged on every street corner in the Realms. What it does mean is that a player (with their DM's approval) can play a warforged PC in the Realms without the DM having to go through significant contortions to justify the warforged PC's presence. It means DMs can borrow cool plotlines from whole other game worlds and port them into the Realms.

And it means that game designers and novel authors can, if the story calls for it, mix and match elements from other game worlds to place in the Realms.

I get that you don't agree with how it's being done currently, it's just that this is not something new.

Mmmm actually it is. Once upon a Grey Box it wasn't but after all these years it's not anymore. Years and years of lore have taken the kitchen sink title away from FR.

Nobody is talking about homebrew so please don't go there. We are talking about the official FR.

 

[Azzy]

Mmmm actually it is. Once upon a Grey Box it wasn't but after all these years it's not anymore. Years and years of lore have taken the kitchen sink title away from FR.

What about the years and years of everything new getting shoved into the setting?

 

[Corpsetaker]

What about the years and years of everything new getting shoved into the setting?

What's new that's getting shoved into the setting?

 

[Corpsetaker]

It's funny how some people still don't understand that the laugh button has changed.

 

[Azzy]

What's new that's getting shoved into the setting?

Anything that's new to each edition gets added.