Spelljammer The Forgotten Realms eats Spelljammer before it even finishes digesting Radiant Citadel!

[teitan]

Yeah, I'm going to disagree with this. I'm currently running Candlekeep Mysteries and I've gotten up to Curious Tale of Wisteria Vale, and virtually every adventure is pretty strongly tied to locations in Forgotten Realms. To the point where if you were to try to run these adventures outside of Forgotten Realms, you'd have a lot of work cut out for you. I mean, when you actually, literally, MEET FR gods in the adventure, it's pretty hard to claim that this isn't an FR adventure.

I’m going to preamble with I like Paramandur and 90% of the time I agree with him but this is one area where you won’t be able to win. It’s an agree to disagree kinda situation. FR is the “default” setting but not as heavy as it was before 2019. The adventures aren’t as modular as he likes to push but can be if you’re willing to do the work. Essentially you’re both right but his opinion involves being willing to do the work to make it work rather than it being an actual case of “it is generic/modular enough to fit anywhere”. While Chris Perkins said one thing back in the day, his boss back then was saying another, that they put everything in the Realms and emphasized story because communities were built on stories and shared experiences and the early days of D&D were built on those shared experiences with those stories. That FR was the assumed setting for the adventures but they would provide some guidelines for other settings for DMs to use the materials in other worlds if they wanted. When that guy was no longer the boss is when the attitude changed and FR was no longer the sole focus but the now yearly campaign is still set in FR. The supplements are more generic. They are intended to be generic from the beginning

Now the adventures are defaulted to Forgotten Realms because the adventures are also designed for DDAL which IS set in Forgotten Realms. But the rules material and monsters supplements and generic lore, no.

 

[Parmandur]

I’m going to preamble with I like Paramandur and 90% of the time I agree with him but this is one area where you won’t be able to win. It’s an agree to disagree kinda situation. FR is the “default” setting but not as heavy as it was before 2019. The adventures aren’t as modular as he likes to push but can be if you’re willing to do the work. Essentially you’re both right but his opinion involves being willing to do the work to make it work rather than it being an actual case of “it is generic/modular enough to fit anywhere”. While Chris Perkins said one thing back in the day, his boss back then was saying another, that they put everything in the Realms and emphasized story because communities were built on stories and shared experiences and the early days of D&D were built on those shared experiences with those stories. That FR was the assumed setting for the adventures but they would provide some guidelines for other settings for DMs to use the materials in other worlds if they wanted. When that guy was no longer the boss is when the attitude changed and FR was no longer the sole focus but the now yearly campaign is still set in FR. The supplements are more generic. They are intended to be generic from the beginning

Now the adventures are defaulted to Forgotten Realms because the adventures are also designed for DDAL which IS set in Forgotten Realms. But the rules material and monsters supplements and generic lore, no.

Changing a few proper names really isn't that much work?

 

[Maxperson]

Changing a few proper names really isn't that much work?

You really don't even have to change anything. You can ignore it. That event never happened. Those monsters and gods don't exist.

 

[Parmandur]

You really don't even have to change anything. You can ignore it. That event never happened. Those monsters and gods don't exist.

Exactly: the FR products are so carefully generic D&D, that you can just switch out a few names, and boom...it's Greyhawk.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Exactly: the FR products are so carefully gwner8c D&D, that you can just switch out a few names, and boom...it's Greyhawk.

Which applies to ANY WotC adventure, so what's your point?

 

[Parmandur]

Which applies to ANY WotC adventure, so what's your point?

The point is that Icewind Dale came out two years ago, and Candlekeep was the last specifically FR book released a year and a half ago. And Candlekeep IA very skin deep on that front.

The supposed "default Setting" hasn't received a product in a long, long time.

 

[Yaarel]

You really don't even have to change anything. You can ignore it. That event never happened. Those monsters and gods don't exist.

If the only time the word "gods" would be mentioned, would be in a sidebar in the Cleric class description. That would be ok. I would cover it up with a post-it. And done. But that isnt how the 5e Players Handbook is written.

Now I cant even read about the astral elves without having yet even more Forgotten Realms "gods" infections.

 

[Maxperson]

If the only time the word "gods" would be mentioned, would be in a sidebar in the Cleric class description. That would be ok. I would cover it up with a post-it. And done. But that isnt how the 5e Players Handbook is written.

Now I cant even read about the astral elves without having yet even more Forgotten Realms "gods" infections.

Okay. I can't read it and be infected by it.

 

[Maxperson]

Exactly: the FR products are so carefully gwner8c D&D, that you can just switch out a few names, and boom...it's Greyhawk.

That is written suspiciously like someone using a phone.

 

[Parmandur]

That is written suspiciously like someone using a phone.

I got a new phone last year, and I dunno if my muscle memory will ever adapt to this keyboard app.