Is it just me, or is evil winning in the Forgotten Realms?

[Hand of Evil]

It is like this...picture this...roll camera.....Forgotten Realm in flames setting for 4th edition, the revamping of the setting you love to hate and hate to love....

 

[Ravenknight]

Darkness, evil and destruction everywhere. And hopefully Elminster sitting stark raving mad in a asylum somewhere. I really hate that character...

 

[Aeson]

In other words, if evil is winning it's your fault. Your party needs to kill more villains.

What if the party members are the villians?

 

[Testament]

I love this fact, its made it harder for me to hate the FRealms. Edmonster and his cronies are busy trying to stop the Shade v Phaerimm war from flattening the entire northern half of Faerun, while the Zhents and Red Wizards sit back, watch their fortunes expand, and get ready. The Drow (shudder) are recovering from the Silence and are cutting loose, and the Dragons have gone mental. Then again, I read somehwere that Mr Greenwood always intended for FRealms to be about the villains.

Looks like there's an actual need for heroes, no more "Elminster will save us, he always does" bollocks.

 

[Aeson]

Have all your PCs join the Church of Quintin. He is the God of Halfbreeds. Quintin will save Faerun.

 

[Nightfall]

Nah, just get the Archfiends and the Paragon Celestials to meet in the Cynosure. Have them revolt against the gods AND Ao, and let them run the damn show. It's sure to be damn better than all these chosen running around.

Plus Orcus gets to come back and run Vassa and Nar again!

 

[Prince of Happiness]

Now this roll of evil sounds great! Now, mind you, I almost almost picked up the main book on the strength of the drow taking over Cormanthor (shades of the Known World's Alfheim anyone?).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Evil might be winning? There's hope for the setting yet. Although if the rumors of Halaster no longer being evil are true, I will lose all interest in the Realms.

10. The sarrukh have awakened from their long hibernation and as a result their Yuan-ti and Naga servants have never been more active.

Sheesh... right after Bane came back, the City of Shadows came back, Lolth died [sblock]and was reborn[/sblock], etc. Slow down already!

 

[William Ronald]

I believe that a setting must have credible villains. Villains, like heroes, can be flawed. They can and often make horrific mistakes. (As a rule, perhaps using history as a guide to see how people can make mistakes. Evil rulers can often prove to be their own worst enemies.)

I think one of the weaknesses of the 2nd Edition Realms, besides those mentioned in this thread, was that it often seemed that the NPCs were running the show and the PC heroes were just along for the ride. Now is the time for new heroes to arise in the Realms, using weapons, wits, and magic to shake the counsels of the high and mighty. Perhaps PCs in your FR games will be the ones to succeed in removing a major threat. Would that violate canon? Yes, but I think that we should remember that each group makes different uses of a setting. Mind you, I think that some threats might be eliminated in a 4th Edition Realms book and others arise. Perhaps to reflect the tumultous times, a new book could feature some new NPCs -- whose deeds may inspire the PCs.
(Perhaps that is part of the grumble about Elminster and the Chosen -- before the FR novels, little was known of the deeds of those NPCs. I would like to think that the deeds of an NPC are a bit more interesting to most DMs and players than their statistics.)

 

[Alzrius]

Evil will always win...because good is dumb.

I'm happy to see the villains making a comeback. The days when PCs wanted to kill Elminster more than any bad guys were a big clue that the munchkin hero NPCs were dominating the setting too much. A rising tide of villainy is just what the Realms needed.