D&D General Initial Thoughts on the Two 2025 Forgotten Realms books

[Distracted DM]

• Do you want the in-store special edition covers? Now's the time.

I actually do like the art for these alt covers- it's been a year or three since I bought a WotC 5e book, but I'd be lying if I said this cover art hasn't made me consider the books.

• The Heroes of Faerun covers a ton about the FR. It’s more of a campaign sourcebook than I expected for a player-focused book.

A lot of players want to know all about the setting they're playing in, especially if it's "the main DnD setting" like FR has become. I remember when I was a kid, primarily a player, I would the FR and Greyhawk and Eberron campaign books; but I wanted to know more about the setting(s) I was playing games in. Maybe I would've been one of those annoying players that would say "what do you mean it's going to take us 3 days to walk from Waterdeep to Silverymoon, it should take 3 weeks!" (no idea how far they actually are)

• I’m still studying the mini adventures but I think I dig the style. They give me enough to riff a session.

I'm curious about these! I imagine they could be useful for non-realms games, or are they really FR-specific?

• The Icewind Dale section is different enough from Rime of the Frostmaiden but I still feel like another new (old?) region would have been better.

You've run Frostmaiden, would you find the info here useful to help you run the adventure, to fill in the area more?

• The two books reference each other. They’re really one big book.

That's kind of annoying, since they're so high-priced and sold separately.

• There's lots of use of renown and bastions.

That's very interesting! The bastions section of the DMG inspired me with its events, but I ended up abandoning the actual bastion rules because they kind of fell flat for me (they couldn't compare to the combo of MCDM S&F and A5E stronghold rules I use)... so I'm curious what they use, what they add, maybe they make the base rules more worthwhile?

I guess my last question... I have the old 3e FR campaign book somewhere. I'm not really into these new books for "the lore of the Realms," but more for inspiration for my home games. I guess you cover this in your breakdown already, that it's probably not worthwhile.
Anyway, thanks for the rundown! Very much appreciate it!
- a patron

 

[sevenbastard]

Lost Library of Lethchauntos

Always interested in a good short adventure. The good part being important ( and very subjective).

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Always interested in a good short adventure. The good part being important ( and very subjective).

I have not really read them yet but skimming through them, it struck me that these are all useful even if I use nothing other than the map. They struck me as similar to the DMG adventures, there is not enough context built in to make them good or great but there is enough that creating a context around them should be pretty easy and it either fits with what is currently going on in a campaign or not a quick skim and you will know.
It is a lot simpler to pull one of these into an existing campaign as compared to extracting a location from a larger adventure path or even a classic module.

 

[Zardnaar]

I use my 3.0 frcs and Faith's and Avatars trilogy a lit still.

Then I'll zoom in rereading older material. I've pre ordered to books alt art.

Price wise. Back then the old FRCS was super expensive due to crappy exchange rate.

$100 nzd. About two weeks rent at tgevtine for a room.

New obesity probably $150 nzd. Maybe a bit more.

Adjusted for inflation they're actually cheaper. In real terms theyre a lot cheaper. They're about 2 or 3 dine outs for a couple at local cafe or pub and not even one weeks rent.

Not that rent or mortgage is an issue. Just a comparison.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I really hope the subclasses show up in a future Everything book. I bought and loved the 3E FRCS back in the day, but I am just not going to get any other use out of these books that I can see.

 

[Tessarael]

I gather that there's nothing in the two new Forgotten Realms books relating to the Underdark. I shall await such a publication.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I gather that there's nothing in the two new Forgotten Realms books relating to the Underdark. I shall await such a publication.

Ooh. That'd be cool.

They love to reuse stuff that's appeared before, so they could start with the material in Out of the Abyss, and expand outward from there.

 

[TiQuinn]

Ooh. That'd be cool.

They love to reuse stuff that's appeared before, so they could start with the material in Out of the Abyss, and expand outward from there.

Speaking of 3rd edition FR books, the Underdark sourcebook from that edition was pretty awesome in its own right. Lots of material to draw from there.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Speaking of 3rd edition FR books, the Underdark sourcebook from that edition was pretty awesome in its own right. Lots of material to draw from there.

Yes! I'd hope that they'd also draw from older sources, in particular in ways that they skipped (unless it really should be skipped) when creating the material for OoA.

They could do a zoom-in for Menzobarranzan, Gracklestugh, Blingdenstone, and throw in some stuff from BG3 or something new, plus another of those 50 one-shots.

Honestly, the thing I like most about these new books is the format (not the price, mind, but whaddyagonnado?)