D&D General What's your favorite starter sandbox region?

[der_kluge]

Map #1: Elphand Lands from the Wilderlands of High Fantasy.

 

[R_J_K75]

As for the Nentir Vale, I guess the WotC guys just nailed it when they designed this "pseudo-setting". The place has just everything you need to start a campaign, while giving you lot of room for your homebrewing needs.

Besides the Realms, Dark Sun and Eberron, werent most of the adventures for 4E set in the Nentir Vale?

 

[Zeromaru X]

Besides the Realms, Dark Sun and Eberron, werent most of the adventures for 4E set in the Nentir Vale?

Nope. Most were set in a "neutral-ish" setting that had some elements of the PoL setting (such as the gods), but were not directly related to the Nentir Vale setting. Thanks to those elements you could drop them easily in the NV world, but they were not directly linked.

They did publish some adventures in the Vale, and some of the best adventures of this decade are among them (such as Reavers of Harkenwold or Madness at Gardmore Abbey).

 

[Demetrios1453]

Shadowdale. From there you can spread out to the various other Dales, the Forest of Cormanthor & Myth Drannor, the Moonsea or even Cormyr. The area has a built in antagonist, the Zhentarim and theres lots of setting information out there for each.

Waterdeep, Undermountain & Skullport is also great too. Again lots of source material available.

My 2e campaigns were always Dalelands based. As you said, the Zhents are built-in protagonists, and there are plenty of varied places to explore, especially Yûlash and Myth Drannor. They would often spill over into Cormyr as well. All of which are reasons that I desperately want to see the region updated for 5e...

 

[Demetrios1453]

Phlan from Pool of Radiance.

I dont run sandbox that often, but when I do they get immediate D&D goodness with the Slums, Sokol Keep, the auction, the library, the graveyard, pyramid island, the kobold cave, and eventually Tyranthraxus himself.

Its just an amazing sandbox.

I literally fired up the FR Gold Box games over the last few weeks and finished Pools of Darkness over the weekend. They're totally hack and slash, and of course with circa 1990 graphics, but I still love them anyway. They're a blast from a tactical standpoint, in a way few CRPGs have managed to replicate. I sometimes want to try to turn them into an actual 5e tabletop 1-20 campaign. I've actually based some of my Giant Elites on some of the giant variants encountered in the last two games.

 

[R_J_K75]

All of which are reasons that I desperately want to see the region updated for 5e...

Id like to see a hardback or boxed set with the Dales, Cormyr, Cormanthor/Myth Drannor and the Moonsea for 5E. Something big enough to do it justice not just a paragraph here and paragraph here on areas.

 

[MNblockhead]

Frog God Games has so many great options within their lost lands setting.

Huge sandboxy mega-dungeon and surrounding wilderness areas: Rappan Athuk

Massive Kitchen-Sink Fantasy City: Bards Gate

Dark, Gritty, horrific Rennaisance city and environs: The Blight

Norse-inspired area? Northlands Saga

Age of Sails piracy type game: Razor Coast

Boardlands gives you a variety of regions to explore

The Recently Released Grand Duchy of Ream details a specific, ancient, grasslands-culture kindom

I know you were not interested in the world setting but The Lost Lands source book is available via the World Anvil campaign management platform. The large, detailed world map has a layer when you can show adventures and source books that FGG has published for the area of the map you are looking at.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

My 2e campaigns were always Dalelands based. As you said, the Zhents are built-in protagonists, and there are plenty of varied places to explore, especially Yûlash and Myth Drannor. They would often spill over into Cormyr as well. All of which are reasons that I desperately want to see the region updated for 5e...

I think you mean antagonists, unless you're running a very different Realms game than most...

 

[Ancalagon]

Yoon Suin. The best D&D campaign setting I've purchased in 30 years.

A review I wrote a way back: Review of Yoon-Suin - RPGnet d20 RPG Game Index

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

My 2e campaigns were always Dalelands based. As you said, the Zhents are built-in protagonists, and there are plenty of varied places to explore, especially Yûlash and Myth Drannor. They would often spill over into Cormyr as well. All of which are reasons that I desperately want to see the region updated for 5e...

What is the go to guide to the Dalelands?