D&D 5E Ed Greenwood's Border Kingdoms Now Available (& Official!)

From Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood and writer Alex Kammer, The Border Kingdoms, a sourcebook for the Forgotten Realms, is now available in PDF, softcover, and hardcover format.

Additionally, the book is "an officially-approved Wizards of the Coast release, meaning that its content is Adventurers League legal and all the lore contained in the book is official Forgotten Realms canon!"

According to the sage Meriadas of Westgate: “The Border Kingdoms are the most favored destination for adventurers who want to proudly and boldly conquer a realm or establish their own new kingdom. Lords, counts, dukes, kings and emperors rise, proclaim themselves, and are swept away with the speed and regularity of waves crashing upon a shore.”

A legendary “frontier” corner of the Forgotten Realms, the Border Kingdoms are where adventurers come to carve out their own kingdom, flee retribution, hide treasure — or find someone else's treasure.

It is a hodgepodge of tiny realms ruled by kings, grand viziers, imperial overdukes, and all manner of cabals, councils, and self-titled nobles. It's full of ruins, folk who want to stay hidden, long-slumbering secrets, and adventures waiting to happen.

The Border Kingdoms is a valuable resource for Dungeon Masters and players alike. In addition to describing the people and places of the Border Kingdoms, this book contains enough adventure hooks and lore to keep adventuring parties busy for years.

The Border Kingdoms includes:

• Over 100 pages of lore about the Border Kingdoms
• A beautiful new map of the Border Kingdoms by Mike Schley
• 11 new and fully Adventures League legal character backgrounds
• Dozens of brand new illustrations
• Brand new campaign hooks

 

[Mournblade94]

This is excellent. The most qualified writer developing for the Forgotten Realms. Can't wait for George Krashnos supplement to come out as well.

 

[amethal]

The quality is good. The only problem with drivethru and its adjacent sites is the shipping cost if you arent in the US.

Drivethru's shipping cost in the UK is very reasonable, as they have a UK printing facility.

I realise that doesn't help anyone in Canada, but I didn't want anyone in the UK to potentially be put off by your comment.

 

[Mirtek]

Shipping cost to Germany are really reasonable. $6/$13 depending on wheter one choses standard or premium. I am positively surprised.

However it seems as if their dowload capacity is another matter

 

[Morrus]

Drivethru's shipping cost in the UK is very reasonable, as they have a UK printing facility.

I realise that doesn't help anyone in Canada, but I didn't want anyone in the UK to potentially be put off by your comment.

Yep. Shipping to Canada Is always one of the most expensive places. Mainly because shipping anywhere from the US (even to the country next door) is super expensive, but anywhere not on an American continent is served by other centres elsewhere (such as the U.K. for for Europe). Canada ends up being an unfortunate oddity in that Venn diagram.

So yeah, PoD shipping from DTRPG is fine in most places. Just not Canada!

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

That's good to hear, since the two Monster Manual Expanded books from the DMs Guild will be available for POD in the next couple of weeks, and I'm definitely looking at purchasing them.

Really? That's good news.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Really? That's good news.

Yup, I will probably get the 2 both of them, the with Border Kingdoms book. If the shipping isnt ''per item'', I think it would be reasonable to get them all at once.

 

[Zaukrie]

I'm curious to read a review of someone that has it!

 

[Demetrios1453]

Really? That's good news.

Yep, when he announced the latest updates on April 5th, he said "As an additional note, if you are planning to print this but would prefer a physical book, then please hold off for now. Please wait a couple of weeks as I work out a PoD version with DMG." I'm hugely excited, since they are amazing supplements to official monster products - I've worked so many of his variants into my games to keep my players guessing! Having them in physical form (the books, not the monsters!) will be a huge bonus.

(For anyone out there unfamiliar with the products we're discussing - if you like monsters, get the two Monster Manual Expanded books from the DM's Guild. You'll have zero regrets!)

 

[Flamestrike]

Any crunch in it other than backgrounds?

If not, what are the backgrounds?

 

[dave2008]

(For anyone out there unfamiliar with the products we're discussing - if you like monsters, get the two Monster Manual Expanded books from the DM's Guild. You'll have zero regrets!)

I wouldn't say no regrets. I have a few (if minor) issues with the product:

1. He didn't update the dragons, just filled in some missing age categories and followed the uninspired design of the MM versions. This was a big disappointment to me.
2. The Tarrasque still didn't get regeneration
3. He didn't follow the new standard of providing stat block info for a "signature" spell (like 4e and newer 5e designs)
4. Overall he made the monster stats longer be adding more options and made them tougher (higher CR) but he didn't necessarily make them better. I was hoping for tactical adjustments like in 4e monsters. That is not what this product is. It has some of that, but not as pervasive as I hoped.
5. No dragon updates.
6. Did I mention that the dragons were not updated (and nothing at all for the metallic dragons)

 

[Badvoc]

Is there a listing of which other DMs Guild content has been similarly "officially approved"?

 

[Morrus]

Is there a listing of which other DMs Guild content has been similarly "officially approved"?

I don't know, but if there is one I'd like to make a wiki page listing them. Unless this is the only one, in which age there's not much point!

 

[dave2008]

Is there a listing of which other DMs Guild content has been similarly "officially approved"?

You can sort by "D&D Adventurer's League" but I don't think that is the same thing as "officially-approved Wizards of the Coast release, meaning that its content is Adventurers League legal and all the lore contained in the book is official Forgotten Realms canon "

The only other product I know for sure that is also "canon" is the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron.

 

[dave2008]

I don't know, but if there is one I'd like to make a wiki page listing them. Unless this is the only one, in which age there's not much point!

That is a great idea, but the only other product I know of at this point that is AL legal and canon is the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron.

But there could easily be more that I am unaware of.

 

[Remathilis]

Is there a listing of which other DMs Guild content has been similarly "officially approved"?

The Moonshae Isles Guide by Baldman games has similar AL-legal status.

Dungeon Masters Guild

www.dmsguild.com

As does Lost Tales of Myth Drannor

Dungeon Masters Guild

www.dmsguild.com

 

[Morrus]

I'll start a new wiki thread to list them.

 

[Morrus]

Here we go:

DDAL - DDAL Legal DMs Guild Books

ddal_legal_books

www.enworld.org

 

[atanakar]

What are the differences between this product and the Adventurers League's The Border Kingdoms 2018?

The Border Kingdoms (2018)

From the introduction: According to the sage Meriadas of Westgate: "The Border Kingdoms are the most favored destination for adventurers who want to proudly and boldly conquer a realm or establish their own new kingdom. Lords, counts, dukes, kings and emperors rise, proclaim themselves, and...

rpggeek.com

 

[Morrus]

What are the differences between this product and the Adventurers League's The Border Kingdoms 2018?

Ed Greenwood: "If you bought the earlier version, you have the place-lore tour, but not the new map, the character backgrounds, or the uberplots. So you have about 80 percent of it already."

D&D 5E - Ed Greenwood & Alex Kammer Working On 'The Border Kingdoms'

Designer Alex Kammer has shared some information about a Forgotten Realms expansion he and FR-creator Ed Greenwood are working on. It will be Adventurer's League-legal, and detail a frontier corner of the Forgotten Realms. "A little project that [Ed Greenwood] and I have been working on - a...

www.enworld.org

 

[Weiley31]

What are the differences between this product and the Adventurers League's The Border Kingdoms 2018?

The Border Kingdoms (2018)

From the introduction: According to the sage Meriadas of Westgate: "The Border Kingdoms are the most favored destination for adventurers who want to proudly and boldly conquer a realm or establish their own new kingdom. Lords, counts, dukes, kings and emperors rise, proclaim themselves, and...

rpggeek.com

It's an updated/upgraded version.