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

[Corpsetaker]

If you are like me and have loved Forgotten Realms since the 80's and before then I have a question for you.

Are you currently happy with the direction the Realms is going in and why?

When 5th edition came out it looked as if there was a resurrection of the old Forgotten Realms that a lot of us grew up with and loved, but that seems to have changed. When I look at these modules and all the "mish mash" from other worlds popping in it just reminds of someone drawing a really nice picture only to have that one kid who just likes to stick their fingers in paint and start putting hand prints all over the other kid's really nice art. It's like Wizard's just can't help themselves when it comes to the "gonzoness" they feel must be included.

"Hey I know a way to save money, let's make FR the dumping ground for every world out there so we don't have to print other campaign settings!!"

 

[Cyrinishad]

I've loved the Forgotten Realms since the 80's... and I love the direction the Realms is going in... Why?

It's because it is a resurrection of the old Forgotten Realms (and a resurrection of Greyhawk, and Ravenloft, and hopefully many other settings that life-long Dungeons & Dragons fans like me have loved)... It's brought three generations of Dungeons & Dragons players in my family back to the same gaming table... And most importantly, because the kids like it... It has made my son, my nieces & nephews, into fans of the Realms...

So, my evaluation of both 5th Edition, and the current Forgotten Realms, is: A+++

 

[happyhermit]

If you are like me and have loved Forgotten Realms since the 80's and before then I have a question for you.

Are you currently happy with the direction the Realms is going in and why?

When 5th edition came out it looked as if there was a resurrection of the old Forgotten Realms that a lot of us grew up with and loved, but that seems to have changed.

Cool! Corpsetaker is back and making the same old posts but, (at least on the surface) respectfully now?

When I look at these modules and all the "mish mash" from other worlds popping in it just reminds of someone drawing a really nice picture only to have that one kid who just likes to stick their fingers in paint and start putting hand prints all over the other kid's really nice art. It's like Wizard's just can't help themselves when it comes to the "gonzoness" they feel must be included.

"Hey I know a way to save money, let's make FR the dumping ground for every world out there so we don't have to print other campaign settings!!"

Oh, nevermind then. Comparing Perkin's and other writers work to kids putting hand prints all over really nice art, nope.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Are you currently happy with the direction the Realms is going in and why?

Yes. Because I'm not 12 anymore, like I was in the 80s.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Shiroiken]

I'd have to honestly ask: what direction? Other than the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (which was good, but no replacement for a real setting book), nothing has really given us any information on the actual state of the Realms. The adventures are pretty much focused only what's needed for the adventure, rather than giving information on the Realms. The novels have been cancelled AFAIK, so no more stories to drive the details. Really, the only "direction" I see the Realms going is suffering from a plague of world threatening events...

 

[Torgaard]

I may be in the minority, but I kinda like it that way. Though I give it little thought. I'll take whatever comes down the pipe; it all works for me. My perceptions of how WotC handles the Realms is probably different from alotta folks. I guess the "why" comes down a few things:

I've never minded when the Forgotten Realms had things thrown at it to see if it sticks. I kinda like it. I tend to see those things having little to no impact on my Forgotten Realms, as the core areas of Faerun have tended to stay relatively the same. Sorta. And even if they didn't, and I didn't like the change, I tend to disregard it. I'm partial to the Sword Coast, the North, and the Heartlands, and most of the weird stuff (Lost Abeir, etc) seems to happen outside those areas, so it hasn't affected me much. But I do like that those additional things are there to draw on - if I need them. If there's a product that seems to kind of portal out of the Realms to somewhere else (eg Ravenloft, etc), I don't even blink - I work it in. Or not. The Forgotten Realms is an endless warren of magical portals and gates - so any world or product has a place in my Realms, and will be brought in without a second thought (if I wanna use it).

Canon has no hold on me. At all. This is my Realms. Faithful, insistence on following canon has always been a head-scratcher to me. That way lies madness. There are players out there that insist that WotC follow this historical or preconceived notion of how it "should" be, and - in my opinion - therein lies the trap. I would argue it is not WotC's responsibility to have a small team of continuity or canon-sages at hand to carefully craft everything to make sure it all fits or caters to expectations (which they will never satisfy), but instead it is on the fans to alter their perceptions and their expectations.

Also, for the most part, I mold the timeline to fit my needs. I play at the current(ish) date (DR), but I use all the content that's ever been published to fill it if the current content isn't there. I tend to glom everything from 2E through 5E all together. Some I keep, some I merge into current canon, some I toss.


For me, the Realms that I "grew up with and loved" is still there. My Realms is fairly timeless. I keep some but not all major events and changes in canon, major (NPC) characters have come and gone (or are still scamperin' around out there), but much of it I ignore or mold to my campaign. I take the random things that are thrown at the Realms, or I don't - but I'm usually happy to have it. I will say I went with much of the current history in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (though I'm not sure you're referencing that type of material). But other than that - I keep what I want, chuck what I don't, pull material from the dearth of material written over the years, and alter/create the rest.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

"Hey I know a way to save money, let's make FR the dumping ground for every world out there so we don't have to print other campaign settings!!"

During 2nd Edition, the rule at TSR was "If it's in D&D, it's in the Realms."

And of course every setting was linked to the Realms, and the Realms featured lots of game information and lore about how elements from other worlds influenced it and were present.

...but let's not get ahead of ourselves; nerdrage knows no history.

 

[Shasarak]

If you are like me and have loved Forgotten Realms since the 80's and before then I have a question for you.

Are you currently happy with the direction the Realms is going in and why?

No, of course not. But remember that Wotc is following the three P's now so what do you expect?

 

[Hussar]

Three p's?

Popular, Productive, Puissant?