Introduce me into FR, please

[sunmaster]

Hello,

I am really stunned: 4th Edition is coming. Great, great, great

This is for me a new beginning of my gaming "carreer". And I want to start on the Realms.
Without the last 4 to 5 years where "Life"(TM) made me to stop playing I played and GMed since 1998 in a vast array of genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror and cyberpunk) and also made a half-year long campaign after the FR campaign setting for 3rd Ed. was released. At this point I made up my own Realms with my own adventures.

So after a long stop I want to use the chance for a new start.
But I have a stopping point: The canon of the Realms. I don't get it :\
Therefore I need your help.

My problem is in the campaign setting there is not much explained what is really happening
in the years (Year of that, Year of this). And in each year there are really big happenings
listed - but only in the "big picture" kind of way -.

Let's look at the FR timeline:
http://www.geocities.com/timessquare/castle/2566/realmstime6.htm

Let's take the year 1372:

On Midwinter night, the god Bane returns to Faerûn, bursting forth from the skin of his son, Iyachtu Xvim. With his divinity restored Bane quickly gains the portfolio of fear, restoring him to a Greater Power.
[/Qoute]

It is a good example for the big, earth shattering happenings which are listed point for point
and with many points for each of many years.
How can I present this to my players? What does this happening mean to the people on Faerun/Toril? Which canon characters are in one way or another involved in this listed happening?
How can I take this and make a adventure around it?

How can I use the canon for adventuring Forgotten Realms?
And is there a source where I can read moer about the history of FR?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

There's no need to present points that aren't recent. Something like the Time of Troubles is not that recent and something you probably don't want to deal with anyway (it was terrible). Bane coming back is recent, but unless one of the PCs is allied with a priest of Bane (a very evil deity) they're not going to know ... yet.

You make it into an adventure hook. A cleric of Bane really wants to impress the hierarchy by (doing something evil). When the PCs investigate, they're not just taking down this bad guy, they find out about Bane coming back. Or something like that. That took me ten seconds.

 

[sunmaster]

Bane coming back is recent, but unless one of the PCs is allied with a priest of Bane (a very evil deity) they're not going to know ... yet.
[/QOUTE]

But then, [bold]when[/bold] will they know? There have to be a time where the coming of such a deity will be recognized by the normal people and also with the lightning good adventurers.

My problem with the canon is: It is so vague. Yes, with this form there are many more possibilities to make "your own" Faerun, but I want to go with the history/canon but I don't know how?

How in : How are the happenings linked to the Faerun people? The coming of such a "thing" as Bane must be linked to one or more mighty characters on Faerun.
How in: Where is more written about these happenings?

But, please, take this example of the year 1372 only as an example. I just randomly chose this from the vast listing on page I linked above. I don't want to especially make a adventure around Bane. I just learn the canon <-> adventure making art based on FR.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I honestly have no idea, sunmaster.

But Candlekeep (or someone there?) might prove useful:

http://www.candlekeep.com/


Either way, best of luck.


edit --- It look like Wizards of the Coast are releasing "Grand History of the Realms" (link) in November this year. That could be the ticket.

 

[s.j. bagley]

i'll second the candlekeep rec.
the scribes over there are friendly, knowledgeable, and quite helpful.
in fact, it's the only other gaming messageboard i regularly read.

 

[sunmaster]

@Aus_Snow:
Thank you, for the tip with "Grand Histrory of the Realms" and with the link. I will look into it if it is goig to help me setting adventures in canon.

@bagley:
I am looking at the compendium right now.

 

[werk]

But Candlekeep (or someone there?) might prove useful:

http://www.candlekeep.com/

Yes, if your party is not familiar, just send them over to candlekeep, there is so much goodness over there.

Also, as you are the DM, your realms doesn't have to match up 100% with 'canon'. I don't think the canon meshes with canon 100%. Don't be afraid to go off script or suggest that the materials are themselves inaccurate. I've read articles written by Elminster that were strait wrong (some ecologies in particular)...I think Ed said something to the effect of, don't believe everything you read.

I prefer to stay out of the main (overdeveloped) areas when I run in the realms, but early on, that's the only places we played...waterdeep, cormyr, shadowdale, myth dranor, etc. If you are running adventure deep in the Shaar or northern Toadsquat Mts...then recent events and power struggles probably won't influence your game much.

Again, it really depends on what you want, try not to get overwhelmed.