I voted Like.
I ran its as my base during the first half of 3e before kicking over to Eberron. I was recently going through a process to pick my "campaign of detail" - while I might use any setting, I wanted a setting where the richness and detail of the world meant something. Things where if you describe a certain statue in a cemetery a couple of times and the next adventure it is broken/replaced/etc, the players know what it means since that detail has been introduced to them (vs. just glossed over and you have to tell them). I was leaning heavily to Eberron before I discovered Hellfrost (a Savage Worlds setting - since I'm a Savage
).
During that process, it dawned on my what bothered me about the Realms (not Dislike, just bothered). Its not the Canon or Super NPCs - none of my players are into FR enough to get bogged down in that. I could gloss over anything I want. What dawned on me is that FR is a "Magical world without Magic." What I mean by that is there is magic everywhere. There are magic items everywhere. You help a farmer out and they will give you a +1 sword (even though that equates to like 10 years of income). But most people live in a mud hut and there is little societal magic. I am sure there is "big magic" in places, but at least what I encountered and read its mostly "medieval tech world with wizards and dragons." There are no magic items to help make sure the windmill works when there is no wind. Transportation is still horse/slow boat. Magic only is replicated for adventuring gear. Most "big magic" is just a plot device for evil.
I think that is why I was gravitating to Eberron. Its not that airships, lightning trains, and systematic long distance communication was "awesome cool stuff I must run this world" (although it is cool stuff)- its that it made sense based on the level of magic inherent in 3e and in the world. But I still like FR for its adaptability of its adventures. As others have mentioned, its easy to take them and add detail vs. having to strip out very specific world detail that the plot hinges on. For example, I can easily port over The Mines of Phandelver to my game.
Oddly, I did not have this "problem" with Greyhawk. It might just be because when I was growing up Greyhawk felt like magic was rare. Yes the PCs had it and the bad guys had it, but the Innkeeper does not. We played GH under 1e were PCs did not routinely make magic items, so that might contribute to the idea that magic was found, not manufactured. I am sure if I had played GH under 3e vs. FR I would have a different opinion.
Incidentally, Hellfrost feels like 1e Greyhawk to me. The one key thing on this particular issue is that the world is in decline. There is magic and its powerful/on par with other PC abilities, but its declining in the long run. After a few wars and cataclysms, the science/art of making true permanent magics items are lost. So acquiring a permanent magic item is very meaningful.
On final point - I will say as a player I prefer FR over most people's home brew. I know some have a labored on their love to a point that its very good, but most people just do the same thing FR did - "here are the Europeans, here is the Eastern cultures...." I would rather see the high production values
. FR also allows me as a player to read a bit and make my own PC on lore that is available vs. the lore in one person's head.
