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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mithriltooth" data-source="post: 755089" data-attributes="member: 6800">I have to agree with Jester, d12 and Adlon here. I have been running the realms for my group (though some players have changed) since the grey boxed set. The Realms are IMO, the most fleshed out campaign setting to date. All the powerfull PCs and power groups add to enjoyment of the setting. A roadside wandering encounter may earn you a friend for life, or an enemy for life. It allows DM's like me to leave certain sub-plots dangling all the time. Addressing some point of views that have characters tripping over various Ruins often or the fear of travelling beyond settlements, I have a comment or two...Even though the year is 1372 Dale Reckoning, many of the the older "Forgotten Realms" are in ruins, Faerun is in it's second age and the world is pretty much like a frontier of sorts. There are major well-travelled Roads between most settlements, some of which remain well guarded by various patrols of local garrisons or militia. There are also less travelled and protected trails as well as trackless areas. Most commoners would shun the trails in favor of the better protected well travelled roads. Some will take passage with caravans for the safety in numbers. WE are the adventures, we are the braver people of the realms, we are the ones looking for adventure, fame and fortune not the occasional jaunt for dinner with the Evil mother-in-law from Thay. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> As for the ruins, the ancient realms have fallen. Kingdoms like Anauria lie beneath the vast sands of the Anauroch, Myth Drannor in Cormanthor (Cormanthyr way back when), the old cities of the Dwarven Kingdom of Delzoun slowly being reclaimed (Adbar, Felbarr, and Mithril Hall), The Elven kingdom of Eaerlann around the High Forest, The Human Kingdom of Netheril, etc. It's only natural to come across some of these ancient places during the course of adventuring. Commoners of course would most likely avoid these areas and stay to the roads.On the subject of character bashing.... yes Driz'zt, Elminster, The Simbul, Alustriel, Khelben, etc are indeed popular but I dont have PCs meet them very often. The hardest thing about adventuring in areas like the Dalelands have been for myself as a DM. I intend to put the PCs through an epic such as City Of The Spider Queen. Some people might think if things get out of hand in the Dales, Elminster will step in and save the day anyway rather than let anyplace like Shadowdale or Daggerdale fall etc.I'm a different DM, If Daggerdale does fall then so be it. This will put a new kink into the Zhentarim's plan anyway. Personally, I like to keep the Elminster's of the Realms always behind the scenes thwarting the plans of the Szass Tams and Fzoul Chembryl's of the land or out world-walking.On the other hand, lesser known and lower level semi-famous characters interact with my party on a regular basis. Sometimes during and sometimes between adventures on the roadside/camp etc. I particularly like to use some like Jhaer Brightsong ( fem Brd 6) of Mistledale to promote story etc.As far as the novels go, one of my players ( Priest Of Kossuth on these boards) asked me recently if reading Dissolution and the other 5 CotSQ novels would ruin any of my plans for the party's future. I know he's the kind of player who can separate player knowledge from character knowledge pretty well, so I told him that reading them would only take away some of the surprise of being in a fairly new locale as well as some movers and shakers below. He of course decided not to read the novels <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> .It' all how you handle it as far as running the realms, and ultimately how memorable you make it.</blockquote>

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