I need an introduction to Forgotten Realms

[Attila.Herrera]

First of, Greetings Enworld. I am a refugee fresh from the WotC forums and I'll be lurking here for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, I've been DMing 5th edition since the alpha, far before any of the published adventures were created, and back then I had a lot of free time. My favorite setting is Eberron and over the years from 3.5 to 5th I have had so much time to immerse myself within the setting that DM'ing Eberron for me is very natural. However my life has become very time consuming and I no longer have the wealth of time to devote to making campaigns, so I decided to start using the 5th edition adventure modules (Princes of the Apocalypse to be specific 'cause I really like that one, a lot). All of these have been published in Forgotten Realms, and while there are suggestions for how to convert the adventure into different settings, I feel the intention is for the campaigns to remain in that setting.

Which is where I'd like your help!

• I need suggestions for what wikis are really useful when gaining information on the Forgotten Realms
• Ideas of specific places that I should research, like Waterdeep or Neverwinter which I imagine are probably very important
• What characters I should research, I hear Drizzt is super divisive. I literally know nothing about him, besides the fact he is a drow.
• Ideas for new literature to purchase. I haven't gotten a new book in ages, and I feel now would be a great time! I've perused the review section, but it has been difficult for me to acclimate to it, so a push in the right direction would be very helpful!
• Cool games in Forgotten Realms would be nice! I like to play video games so this would be another two birds with one stone scenario. I even own Baldur's Gate, but I haven't got past the kobolds since they always seem to shank my party to death. I could give it another go if I get some encouragement, and possibly some advice.
• Advice about running in forgotten realms would also be grand. I imagine there may be some nuances to get used to since I've been using Eberron for such a long time.
• And encouragement! A simply greeting is nice enough way to give me confidence to DM, and get used to Enworld. There are going to be so many new faces, and I am excited to watch the conversation unfurl.

I'd like to give a preemptive thank you to anyone who saw this thread and decided to help me out, and I'd like to give a big hearty HELLO​ to Enworld.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Welcome to ENWorld!

I need suggestions for what wikis are really useful when gaining information on the Forgotten Realms

The Forgotten Realms Wikia (wikia includes the extra a deliberately: it's not a spelling error). Just use Google as I cannot at the moment. (Third world problem.)

Ideas of specific places that I should research, like Waterdeep or Neverwinter which I imagine are probably very important

Neither. PotA takes place inland. Best source albeit for 2E? Volo's Guide to the North. You can grab the PDF at the usual places.

What characters I should research, I hear Drizzt is super divisive. I literally know nothing about him, besides the fact he is a drow.

He's also irrelevant to PotA which is good. PotA doesn't really include any of the major FR NPCs so you don't need to do much research. You may, however, want to spend that time researching some of the FR deities who could have an effect on your version of PotA.

Ideas for new literature to purchase. I haven't gotten a new book in ages, and I feel now would be a great time! I've perused the review section, but it has been difficult for me to acclimate to it, so a push in the right direction would be very helpful!

I think the aforementioned Volo's Guide to the North provides some good hooks for fleshing out that area of the Realms. If you're really interested you may also want to purchase one or more of the 1E, 2E, or 3E campaign settings. (The 4E campaign setting is very different. I prefer it but I am in the minority.)

Cool games in Forgotten Realms would be nice! I like to play video games so this would be another two birds with one stone scenario. I even own Baldur's Gate, but I haven't got past the kobolds since they always seem to shank my party to death. I could give it another go if I get some encouragement, and possibly some advice.

While they don't relate to this area, I rather enjoyed the BG series as well as Neverwinter Nights. If you like MMOs, Neverwinter has some sort of Elemental Evil-flavoured storyline that may or may not be useful as a source of ideas for your PotA game.

Advice about running in forgotten realms would also be grand. I imagine there may be some nuances to get used to since I've been using Eberron for such a long time.

I've been running FR since the OGB and my only advice is: make it your own. That said, try and keep the original flavour as much as possible. Be careful with names - R A Salvatore is not - because Ed has a particular way of naming characters that simply "feels" Realmsian.

Coupled with that, use your Eberron experience to really make sure you have a few things behind the scenes. Make the Harpers, Emerald Enclave, Zhentarim, and whatever other factions you choose interesting much like the dragonmarked houses etc... in Eberron.

Oh, and bring the over-the-top pulp action to your set-piece battles!

And encouragement! A simply greeting is nice enough way to give me confidence to DM, and get used to Enworld. There are going to be so many new faces, and I am excited to watch the conversation unfurl.[/quote[

Again, welcome. It's a good place (I've been here under one name or another since the very first board when the EN of ENWorld - Eric Noah - started it before handing it over to Morrus). And good luck DMing. Frankly, I think if you can DM Eberron you can DM FR!

 

[Attila.Herrera]

Thank you, that was incredibly informative and a bit inspiring. I appreciate it, and I'll take it to heart.

 

[LordManshoon]

Greetings! As a fellow refugee and longtime FR fan, I'll do my best to help you out. Here we go.

[*]I need suggestions for what wikis are really useful when gaining information on the Forgotten Realms

The only real wiki that stands out to me is just forgottenrealms.wikia.com, but if you are willing to invest a little more time and effort, I would suggest visiting Candlekeep. It's a site dedicated to Forgotten Realms lore, and in addition to many veteran posters who can help you with lore questions, authors also drop by from time to time to answer questions. Plus they're pretty good at archiving these sorts of conversations.

[*]Ideas of specific places that I should research, like Waterdeep or Neverwinter which I imagine are probably very important

Waterdeep is definitely one of the top areas in the Realms, and although Neverwinter isn't on its level, it can't hurt to look up that either. I honestly don't know if you need to be go beyond whatever names appear in adventure modules, but I would recommend taking a look at Cormyr (FR's most important monarchy), the Dalelands (loose alliance of rural communities in the heart of Faerun), Baldur's Gate (massive super-city that rivals Waterdeep), and Thay (major stronghold of Szass Tam and the land's most dangerous wizards).

[*]What characters I should research, I hear Drizzt is super divisive. I literally know nothing about him, besides the fact he is a drow.

Divisive is apt. Drizzt gets a lot of publicity and his personality rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but the truth is that he's not very significant in the grand scheme of things. He's tough, but there are far tougher out there, and he isn't shaking up the world with his actions. As for major faces, there are so many major NPCs in the setting that a short list wouldn't do them justice, but off the top of my head, try taking a look at the Obarskyr family (who rule Cormyr), Elminster (because even though he's the setting's biggest meddler, he's worth knowing for sure), and Manshoon (who is totally the baddest mage out there and certainly doesn't lose face every time he goes up against Elminster). If anything, I would say researching groups like the Harpers or the Lords of Waterdeep would probably produce more ideas for stories and campaign ideas, but that's just me.

[*]Ideas for new literature to purchase. I haven't gotten a new book in ages, and I feel now would be a great time! I've perused the review section, but it has been difficult for me to acclimate to it, so a push in the right direction would be very helpful!

If you specifically want 5E-relevant novels for lore, there isn't much to go on, I'm afraid. The Sundering series is the most obvious, but half those books assume you've read a bunch of other previous books by the likes of Ed Greenwood and R.A. Salvatore, so they can be a tough nut to crack. If you want history, try the novel Cormyr or Evermeet: Island of the Elves. If you want a fairly accessible series that is still pretty relevant even with the 5E time transitions, try Ed Greenwood Presents: Waterdeep. Honestly, I've read close to 200 Realms novels, so if you have specific interests, I could do my best to find a potential match.

[*]Cool games in Forgotten Realms would be nice! I like to play video games so this would be another two birds with one stone scenario. I even own Baldur's Gate, but I haven't got past the kobolds since they always seem to shank my party to death. I could give it another go if I get some encouragement, and possibly some advice.

If console hack n slashes are up your alley, try Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance I and II. They are pretty fun and put a lot more effort into story than your run-of-the-mill hack and slash. If overheard CRPGS are more your style, then you can't go wrong with the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series for the PC, which are really cool for letting you control an entire party.

[*]Advice about running in forgotten realms would also be grand. I imagine there may be some nuances to get used to since I've been using Eberron for such a long time.

My tips would be:
1. Don't feel obligated to use lore if you don't want to - There is enough Realmslore to fill a college course. Don't feel like you *have* to acknowledge it. Sometimes the best Realms campaigns are the ones that tear down the upper levels and rebuild from the foundation up. If you find yourself getting swamped because so-and-so is a well-known figure in Town X, don't sweat it. Make of the world what you wish. If you read up on Waterdeep and decide it would be more interesting to have the Lords replaced with a shapeshifter or a dragon, go for it.
2. Forgotten Realms is kitchen-sinky - Most anything can exist in the Realms. The different lands and regions of Faerun are a big patchwork quilt of cultures, technologies, and magics. If a player has an idea that initially strikes you as "out there", odds are that it can make sense in the Realms. Faerun is massive and has plenty of room for your players' ideas, so let them help you flesh out the world.
3. The Gods are only as invasive as you want - One of the defining features about religion in the Realms is how in-your-face most of the gods are. They don't exactly keep their existence a mystery. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what role you want the divine to play in your games. Even though the Realms' history has been impacted by the direct actions, reactions, and deaths of the gods over the centuries, it can be very interesting to turn the tables and see what happens when an active god goes silent or a god becomes spiteful towards his/her followers.

[*]And encouragement! A simply greeting is nice enough way to give me confidence to DM, and get used to Enworld. There are going to be so many new faces, and I am excited to watch the conversation unfurl.

You sound very enthusiastic, so I'm sure that you won't be able to put a foot wrong as you dive into the Realms. I've had a lot of fun playing in the Realms and it's got a little something for most players, so I bet you and your group will have a blast. Welcome aboard!

 

[Attila.Herrera]

Thank you, its nice to hear from people who are so passionate about Forgotten realms. I'll take a look at all of this, and thank you for the advice.