FR Intro Campaign Advice

[Eridanis]

Great replies! One thing I think would help a new FR campaign would be to just drop dribs and drabs of info to start with. Part of the charm of the original Pages from the Mages articles (and what drove Jeff Grubb to suggest them as the new D&D setting in the first place) was the sense of a greater world behind the occasional dropping of the name of a person, place, or thing. I remember spending a day at age 14 or 15 trying to piece together who Khelben was, simply from the few mentions in the articles. That sort of "fill-in-your-own" storybuilding definitely has its place, just like it has its place in any fun, long-term campaign.

 

[heiki_e]

It is worth to take a look at the Northern Journey stuff, which is just the type of 'around the Realms' campaign.

http://www.candlekeep.com/campaign/nj_main.htm

It does have its downsides - it uses a lot of Icelandic names and has a fair amount of railroading.

It also has completely alternative Realms history from around DR 1370, geared to retain the flavor of old Realms. Read the FAQ from the Campaign Guide.

 

[BV210]

I had a similar idea several years ago about a Forgotten Realms campaign that has turned into my "Caravan". I mentioned a quick breakdown of the first 7 chapters in a previous thread (http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=202193).

Along the way the party has crossed the Zhentarim, the Kraken Society, the Pirates of the Inner Sea, and the Cult of the Dragon. They've got the Red Wizards and the Black Leopard Cult in their not too distant future as well. The final chapters should be very fun in cleaning up a bunch of loose ends.

 

[Grimstaff]

Another important theme in FR is all the fallen kingdoms and ancient legacies. I don't normally promote splatbooks, but Lost Empires of Faerun is a fantastic resource and wellspring of great adveture ideas. If you're running FR properly, you shouldn't be able to march 5 miles in any direction without stumbling across some old ruin or tomb, and their attendant mysteries and dangers.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

The good guys are lying, deceptive, control-freak, manipulative, intrusive, condescending, sexual predators of the first order, unapologetic and elitists.

 

[Gargauth]

I just want to thank everyone who has replied to this great thread... I haven't had quite so much luck on some other boards I have some other stuff I am going to run first (Freeport Trilogy, Black Sails, etc.) so I have some time to get this ready. I am annoyingly OCD and can't seem to make myself quit worrying about Canonical concerns... your suggestions have been beyond helpful (and I don't gush complimentary on a typical day) but I need some help getting past my own RPG mental issues. There is a part of me that hates FR for it's insistence on running things when I'm not looking and I can't for the life of me decide why I care (as in what the novelists are up to).

 

[RichGreen]

rounser, thank you for reposting that. I think that's great advice and will try to follow up on it in my Realms campaigns! And it's nice to see a succinct summary of FR flavor comparable to the Greyhawk ones that are floating around.

Agreed! This is a great thread which has made me think about my early Dalelands FR campaign using the Old Grey Box and the first few FR modules.

Cheers


Richard

 

[Milagroso]

I would avoid Shadowdale altogether. Aside from it being the home of the "retired" mage Elminster (who is rarely home altogether) the only other notable feature is the twisted tower and the Old Skull Inn. Actually, I have a 1st level campaign that came from the 2e Forgotten Realms boxed set. It was pretty good, but really there is no reason for Adventurers to do anything more then pass through Shadowdale, otherwise it was be a much larger town.

In the past I use to like getting players started in Hillsfar. Its a nice rumor depot. You have an arena for the bored. You are pretty close to Yulash if you want to get in trouble. Plus you can hop on a boat, avoid pirates, and sail on down to Sembia or Cormyr.

More recently I have been taken to starting games in Cormyr, usually right in the capital of Suzail. However in my latest campaign I tried something different. Urmlaspyr in Sembia.

If you are just looking to give your players a tour, I suggest starting in either Waterdeep or Hillsfar and work your way from one end of the map to the other. I've done it before with a 5 player group consisting of a mage, paladin, cleric, fighter, and a bard who died somewhere along the way and made a rogue. I would consider it a successful campaign.

 

[qstor]

There's a 3.0 adventure in Dungeon called Raiders of Galaths Roost that might make a good intro adventure. Its for 1st level PCs. Its set in Mistledale.

Mike

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Gargauth, I am curious what level you are starting the campaign at and how long you think it will go.