ThrorII
Adventurer
I'm just starting to jump in to FR, after decades of Greyhawk. So, I feel you and I've been doing the same research.
I personally believe that the 1e box set, with the 1e Savage Frontier boxed set, gives you probably the most bang for your buck, IF you want a fleshed out 'coat hanger' to hang your OWN version of Forgotten Realms on to. I liken the 1e boxed sets to the old World of Greyhawk boxed set: Lots of info in broad strokes, but lets you fill in the details.
Those 2 boxed sets will give you lots of info on the Dalelands, Cormyr, and the Sword Coast. Plus you'll learn the pantheon of deities, where in the Sword coast their temples are, a list of pertinent NPCs with levels and classes, broad strokes of history condensed, trade routes, info on Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Silverymoon, info on the Uthgardt barbarians, Harpers, the Zhenterim, etc. All without 30 years of novels and other lore to muck it up.
From there, you can slowly add late 1e or early 2e (stuff from 1988 to about 1993) for Chult (Jungles of Chult, 1993), Thay (Dreams of the Red Wizards, 1988), the Lands of Intrigue (Empires of the Sand, 1988), Moonshae Isles (1988), Mulhorad, Unther, and Chessenta (Old Empires, 1990), and Anauroch (1991).
I also MUCH prefer the orangish 1e style maps to the greenish 2e maps.
I personally believe that the 1e box set, with the 1e Savage Frontier boxed set, gives you probably the most bang for your buck, IF you want a fleshed out 'coat hanger' to hang your OWN version of Forgotten Realms on to. I liken the 1e boxed sets to the old World of Greyhawk boxed set: Lots of info in broad strokes, but lets you fill in the details.
Those 2 boxed sets will give you lots of info on the Dalelands, Cormyr, and the Sword Coast. Plus you'll learn the pantheon of deities, where in the Sword coast their temples are, a list of pertinent NPCs with levels and classes, broad strokes of history condensed, trade routes, info on Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Silverymoon, info on the Uthgardt barbarians, Harpers, the Zhenterim, etc. All without 30 years of novels and other lore to muck it up.
From there, you can slowly add late 1e or early 2e (stuff from 1988 to about 1993) for Chult (Jungles of Chult, 1993), Thay (Dreams of the Red Wizards, 1988), the Lands of Intrigue (Empires of the Sand, 1988), Moonshae Isles (1988), Mulhorad, Unther, and Chessenta (Old Empires, 1990), and Anauroch (1991).
I also MUCH prefer the orangish 1e style maps to the greenish 2e maps.
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