Forgotten Realms: Do players care about canon?

[JoeGKushner]

So when GMing the Forgotten Realms, do the players demand everything be canon?

One of the things I keep seeing brought up in the Wilderlands thread is a contrast to the Forgotten Realms is that they're free to do what they want. And as I joked in that thread, I've never had that problem in the Forgotten Realms. I've run games where evil ruled, where Elmisnter was dead, where the Harpers were an evil organization, where Tempus ruled the lands as a god among gods based on war and no worship, etc...

How about others? Do players challenge you on certain events? Do you backpeddle? Do you find it has to be official or you might as well homebrew it?

 

[Bastoche]

I prefer a non canon FR. I like the general feel of the setting but once everything get set in stone by canon issues, it loses what makes it great.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I prefer a non canon FR. I like the general feel of the setting but once everything get set in stone by canon issues, it loses what makes it great.

I disagree.

The canon of a shared setting is what makes it great.

What's the difference between a home-brew that is revealed to the players as they play and a shared setting that players can study before they play?

The difference is that, in the shared settings, players can create characters who are more a part of their world, who are more organic. They know the history of their country (at least a little), they know who some of the movers and shakers are in the world (if not everything), they come in with ties to the setting.

I can, for instance, create a Sembian merchant character and know, from the get-go, some Sembian cultural traits, can expect to be greeted with cool condescension by most Dalesmen (except for those from Mistledale, who either love me or hate me), understand the dangers posed by the pirates of the Inner Sea, be curious about the Cormyrian succession and its impacts on foreign trade, and, in short, create a character who is a part of the world. Trust a Calishite merchant as far as you can throw him, except when it comes to magic items - and then don't trust him at all. Watch out for Zhentarim spies. The Harpers are going to meddle, and they're going to mess up your plans - plan for it.

The more you divert from canon, the less useful my research is. If Elminster has died, that's one thing. If Thay is a land of peaceful nature-lovers, however, and the Church of Lathander is universally twisted and corrupt, are you really playing an FR game? Or is it one that just looks a lot like an FR game?

 

[Mystery Man]

I'm lucky in the sense that my players are not drinking the canon kool-aid. 3 out of 4(sometimes 5) even read many of the novels. We have an understanding that if it doesn't work for our campaign or its stupid (according to me) I'll change it. They have no problems with this and actually prefer my changes.

 

[Ranger REG]

So when GMing the Forgotten Realms, do the players demand everything be canon?

Not my existing players.

 

[kenobi65]

Not my players, either. Out of 10 players in the two home games I run in the Realms, maybe 2 are conversant *at all* with the Realms (and that's mostly from reading a few novels).

I don't tinker *much*, but even if I did, no one would notice.

 

[shaylon]

We aren't playing in the realms right now but I don't think that canon was ever an issue. There were no major changes, however, and if there were there may have been a person or two that would be upset about it.

-Shay

 

[JoeGKushner]

Hmmm... seems like a straw man arguement so far then that cannon ruins a campaign if the GM ignores it.

 

[diaglo]

how much canon do you keep?

i don't referee the FR as is. i use parts of it converted for my OD&D campaign.

but do you have a Waterdeep? do you have the gods in the Faiths & Avatars book. do you have Thay? do you have Evermeet? do you...

there is a bunchload of canon. if you drop or change a few pieces here and there and the players are cool with that then you aren't building your strawman.

but if you drop 50% then you will hear more rumblings about how this isn't the FR and it is more a homebrew.

i hear from my players how my homebrew isn't homebrew. and they swear it is X. but at the same time other players swear it is Y. but heck when i use Greyhawk, FR, Harn, Wilderlands, .... all in the same place no wonder they think that.

 

[diaglo]

switch this arguement to Greyhawk. was there a Greyhawk War?

for most of us(grognards), that event never occurred as TSR claimed it to be.


for FR... did the gods fall from the sky? was there a time of troubles?