Is Forgotten Realms worth it?

[Black Omega]

And I'll say yes as well. I've gotten good use out of the FR books, they are very nicely pout together and have alot of useful stuff. I'm running Rokugan shoehorned into FR and it's been a challenge to merge those two but it's been worth it.

 

[Oni]

To be honost I had heard few good things about the Realms prior to 3E and had little knowledge of them. However I bought the FRCS for the hell of it, and let me tell you it was worth every penny it is very well done, and has raised in me a great desire to play games in the Realms and I very much look forward to the day when that might be a reality. As far as I'm concerned the Forgotten Realms is what fantasy (to me anyway) is all about and the products are very well done.

 

[drothgery]

I ended up getting an FRCS for free from someone who had ended up with four of them back when I was looking for gamers around here. Which led to me buying all of the other 3e FR stuff, excepting Monsters of Faerun and adventures, though I'd never run or played in FR, and am not a fan of the novels or video games set in the world.

But at this point, it's extremely likely that the next D&D game I run will be in FR.

 

[Mythtify]

As the othes have said, the FRCS is as close to the ideal of what a campaign setting should be. I have MAoF, Lords of Darkness, and the monster book. I have enjoyed them all. Who can't use more spells and monsters?

Lords of Darkness was a great read. It gave me great Ideas for my own evil organizations.

Rokugan by AEG is also a fantsticly well done campaign book, if you like your D&D OA style.

 

[Nightfall]

I have nothing against the FRCS. It's certainly offers a lot, but I still have that awful yet funny image in my head from SKR little tale "Bean Counters screaming "More Crunchy!"
That said, death to bean counters and keep the Realms alive. Goodness knows I need SOME competition out there!

 

[dagger]

Well I say get the FR book and the Scarred Lands stuff...I know I did.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I'd say definately. The FRCS is an absolutely beautiful book, and not only is it pretty, it is also FILLED with useful stuff. I love the setting, personally, and always have; this book did NOT disappoint me.

I really can't put any coherent sentences tonight, so my apologies....just buy the damn book... lol.

 

[Aaron L]

I liked the Realms in 1E, the grey box rocked. In 2E, the more Realms books that were written the less interesting it got, until it became a bloated happy purple Disneyland and I lost interest. Then in 3E, the FRCS came out, and it blew me away. I like the Realms again, and I'd say the book is more than worth getting.

 

[Gez]

If you want it for the setting, it's worth it. At least the FRCS. Either that or download all the FR stuff WotC has put for free on its site; and adapt the rules yourself.

Magic of Faerûn, Monsters of Faerûn, Lords of Darkness, Faith & Pantheons and Silver Marches can also be worth it as long as you can see an use for them (don't bother with Silver Marches if you plan on playing in the Shining South, or don't bother with Lords of Darkness if you want to use your own villains, for example).

If you want it for the rules, and plan to use it for another setting, it's worth it also as long as you think you can use most of these rules. Most of the material is pretty generic and/or easily adaptable, as it has been shown by seeing the FRCS feats in OA (as "ancestor feats") and in, IIRC, Wheel of Time. Two other above-mentionned books are also quite worth it, by decreasing order Monsters (the most generic), Magic (mainly spells and magic items usable anywhere), and finally, a long mile behind, Faiths and Pantheons (the prestige classes may be adapted to other religions -- it's a bit weak, but that's still more rule material than found in LoD and SM combined).

If by "Forgotten Realms", you mean each of the FR books plus Monsters of Faerûn, then the answer is probably no., however. Take the FRCS and Magic of Faerûn for a start, and then see for yourself if you may need the others.

 

[Alcamtar]

I'm not a fan of the Realms, so I had to vote no. However I do think the book is nicely done, and I do own a copy. For mining ideas and general inspiration in creating your own setting, I'd say maybe worth $30 depending on your personal style, definitely worth $20 if you can find it used. Personally, I picked it up mostly for the epic level preview.

In this hobby, value is in the eye of the beholder. There is no objective standard. To a dedicated fan, even a small tidbit may be worth an outrageous price. OTOH if you are indifferent to the setting and never play in it, is it worth even the paper it's printed on?

If you love the Realms and want to run games in it then you should buy it. If you lack the time or energy to roll your own then you should consider it, although you may be better served with something cheaper and less extensive. (In my experience, it takes just as much time to learn a large setting as it does to create it yourself, so it's a wash.)