Have you been disillusioned by the Forgotten Realms?
- Thread starter Timeboxer
- Start date
It comes down to this, it is The most support setting ever created for any facet of dnd.. Of course people will have strong opinions for and against it. To say FR has nothing to offer, just means you have not read it all. I love Greyhawk but like someone else said, I buy all the FR stuff because the writers do come up with some impressive stuff sometimes.
Aaron L
Hero
I hated the Realms in 2e. Hated. Then I read the old 1E boxed set and got some appreciation for it. When the FRCS came out I was dang impressed, and get more impressed with each book. My liking of the setting is higher now then it ever has been. Races of Faerun bowled me over with things that I always loved in Greyhawk, such as human ethnic trends and history. Some problems other people seem to be having with the new books (small rewrites of history, cosmology changes) are things I greatly enjoy as they are unifying the setting, making things more consistent, and adding a nice level of individuality. I think the Realms are going great and look forward to more information.
On a side note, I'd just like to say that the idea that the Realms has "too many gods" has always struck me as extremely absurd. How many "gods" and religions have existed on Earth throughout history, and how many existed side by side? Many thousands more than in the Realms, I can tell you that.
Although I do agree with the complaints about too many subraces, elven or otherwise. Why do humans have no subraces but every nonhuman race has dozens?? Its ridiculous and not limited to the Realms by far.
On a side note, I'd just like to say that the idea that the Realms has "too many gods" has always struck me as extremely absurd. How many "gods" and religions have existed on Earth throughout history, and how many existed side by side? Many thousands more than in the Realms, I can tell you that.
Although I do agree with the complaints about too many subraces, elven or otherwise. Why do humans have no subraces but every nonhuman race has dozens?? Its ridiculous and not limited to the Realms by far.
Breakdaddy
First Post
I still really like the Forgotten Realms. More importantly, my players like the Forgotten Realms. Like many others, I marginalize or eliminate Elminster, Storm Silverhand, Drizzt DoUrden, et al. The Silver Marches is one of the best detailed regions in the Forgotten Realms since the release of the book of the same name. I treat it like a homebrew and it works nicely for me. We thought about changing to eberron, but after reading the setting book, I really disliked it (although I wanted to like it). At some point we might still give it a shot, but for now my answer is a resounding "NO" to this poll and the FRCS will remain my setting of choice in my 3.5e game.
AFGNCAAP
First Post
WARNING--My opinion's here. You might not like it.
I used to like Forgotten Realms. Back in the days of the original grey box set. When it pretty much just used to be the grey box set.
Then there were the novels. Those blasted novels. As fantasy books, on their own, they were OK. But fantasy fiction isn't necessarily the best example of material that can be considered "game balanced." Yet, that material got introduced into the game, and, IMHO, the game suffered due to it.
And then the Times of Trouble mess. And wild magic. And the drow overuse. And the NPCs--man, those NPCs.
I think what bothered me about it is that some players were left feeling unhappy or cheated if they played a typical D&D character (ala the PHB) in a FR game. There had to be something "special," whether being of a particular FR subrace like drow or gold elves, having particular abilities like spellfire or wild magic, possessing unique magical equipment, or anything else along those lines. Wanting uniqueness in character reflected in game mechanic-based bonuses/characteristics rather than through deeds, personality, or accomplishments.
As for the current incarnation, I could leave it behind. The only FR stuff I play are computer games, & that's only because the games are in that setting. If I want a magic-rich setting, there's Eberron, & that's a bit more intriguing, esp. since there's not a massive host of high-level NPCs present (big-name, yes, but not necessarily high-level).
I used to like Forgotten Realms. Back in the days of the original grey box set. When it pretty much just used to be the grey box set.
Then there were the novels. Those blasted novels. As fantasy books, on their own, they were OK. But fantasy fiction isn't necessarily the best example of material that can be considered "game balanced." Yet, that material got introduced into the game, and, IMHO, the game suffered due to it.
And then the Times of Trouble mess. And wild magic. And the drow overuse. And the NPCs--man, those NPCs.
I think what bothered me about it is that some players were left feeling unhappy or cheated if they played a typical D&D character (ala the PHB) in a FR game. There had to be something "special," whether being of a particular FR subrace like drow or gold elves, having particular abilities like spellfire or wild magic, possessing unique magical equipment, or anything else along those lines. Wanting uniqueness in character reflected in game mechanic-based bonuses/characteristics rather than through deeds, personality, or accomplishments.
As for the current incarnation, I could leave it behind. The only FR stuff I play are computer games, & that's only because the games are in that setting. If I want a magic-rich setting, there's Eberron, & that's a bit more intriguing, esp. since there's not a massive host of high-level NPCs present (big-name, yes, but not necessarily high-level).
Kilmore
First Post
The Forgotten Realms is a world on a bookshelf, and it does that as well as could be expected for being pieced together over 40+ years and by hundreds of people. I run homebrew exclusively, but some of the other guys run FR and I have no problem playing there.
And the 3.x FR books rock.
And the 3.x FR books rock.
Teemu
Hero
Voted 'no'. I'm not disillusioned by FR.
Well, I'm pretty new to the Realms, but I didn't use to like it. There still are some things that irk me, but generally, I do enjoy the setting.
I like Eberron better. It's more coherent and easier to handle. FR sometimes feels just too much, but it's also a strength of sorts. There's so much stuff around that it's fun to pick different things from different locations. I don't like its high-powered NPCs, though, but I can live with them. High levels and ability scores have suffered an inflation in the Realms, and it's sometimes hard to justify low-level adventuring (why would Alustriel or any other sponsor contact the 1st or 3rd-level PCs when there's so many 10th-level and plus guys and gals around?).
Lonely Tylenol
First Post
It took me a while to get into the Realms, since I had never bothered to buy any of the books back in my 2E days. But I did get into it recently, with the 3E books, which I like. However, the novels generally make me nauseous. R.A. Salvatore is a hack, and he's the cream of the crop of writers they dredge up to assemble the novels. So I don't keep up to date on the official storyline, because it makes me feel like my eyes are going to bleed. However, the actual sourcebooks are great, and are full of ideas for good adventures.
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