D&D 5E No Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting in development?

[Mercurius]

I don't get it. If FR is the default setting and most adventures are set in it, how do they expect newbies or players without prior edition Realms books to do anything in the Realms beyond play adventures?

It seems like this plan forces folks to either create their own setting (which is fine and my preference, but not for everyone), stick to pre-published adventures with no veering away from info and locations in those adventures (which is quite limiting and railroady), or buy old and often out of print materials.

Or maybe there's something else in the works? Maybe the DMG has a section on a region of the Realms, like the Sword Coast or the Dalelands? Maybe there really is a "Worlds of D&D" book in the works that gives short overviews of different worlds, with more detailed info on a specific region?

 

[Lord Blackstone]

Maybe there really is a "Worlds of D&D" book in the works that gives short overviews of different worlds, with more detailed info on a specific region?

O'rly... I had not heard of that rumor.... If true... that just got interesting for me....

 

[Dungeoneer]

Could this have anything to do with the fact that Neverwinter was in the not too distant past?

 

[Plaguescarred]

That's a real bummer as i was expecting not only a campaign setting for Forgotten Realms, but also for other universes like Eberron, Greyhawk, Dragonlance etc...

 

[Henry]

I don't get it. If FR is the default setting and most adventures are set in it, how do they expect newbies or players without prior edition Realms books to do anything in the Realms beyond play adventures?

If they are newbies, I really don't expect them to do anything BUT play published adventures - it's not like a newb is going to take a setting book and start generating whole new adventures. It's what I did, its what most of the guys in my gaming group did when they started out when they were young. The only one a setting book would benefit are existing players, and they already have enough material existing for the time being until WOTC gets past the release of the three core books this year. If the newbs are playing through the whole Dragon Queen Saga in less than six months to a year, that's some dedicated play!

 

[HobbitFan]

I don't understand. How can they use the FR as a setting and not support it with material?

It it wasn't going to be updated, why do the Sundering?
Why use it as the setting of the first 5E campaign?
Where do they point new players and DMs who want to run in the Realms?
Are they supposed to go buy out of print material and update it themselves?


I'm at a loss for words....
I can understand being gun shy because of the horrible mess they made of th 4E Realms.
But doing nothing?

Boggles the mind...

 

[Lord Blackstone]

If they are newbies, I really don't expect them to do anything BUT play published adventures - it's not like a newb is going to take a setting book and start generating whole new adventures. It's what I did, its what most of the guys in my gaming group did when they started out when they were young. The only one a setting book would benefit are existing players, and they already have enough material existing for the time being until WOTC gets past the release of the three core books this year. If the newbs are playing through the whole Dragon Queen Saga in less than six months to a year, that's some dedicated play!

When I was a newb, (oy some 30+ years ago...) after picking up the primary core books... I ran to the store and hunted down the Dragonlance Adventures, Greyhawk Adventures and Forgotten Realms Greybox Sourcebooks... I was into the novels so I wanted to see the world fleshed out.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

Over at Candlekeep it's been pointed out more than a few times that Ed Greenwood has been writing at a frenetic pace for weeks and weeks, to the point that he's had to refuse new writing offers.

He just turned over the latest Realms novel to WotC, but I can't believe all that writing went for one novel.

If he's producing world bibles (like the Waterdeep bible he wrote up that the authors of the Ed Greenwood Presents: Waterdeep novels used to update themselves on post-Spellplague Waterdeep) then it kinda sucks from a fan perspective because we don't get to see that work.

Instead we get novels (which are good for Realmslore and adventure ideas, but aren't sourcebooks) and adventures like Tyranny of Dragons, itself linked to Neverwinter, with some source material.

If WotC does have one or more Ed-written Realms world bibles, I hope they consider combining them and selling them in a deluxe format.

Lastly, before art guy Jon Schindehette left/was fired(?) from WotC, he was on panels at cons talking about all the work they were doing to really nail down the Realms, its feel and what it was supposed to look like in detail.

Where did all that work go?

And is there still a Realms MMO in the works (something also mentioned by WotC around the same time as Schindehette's con appearances)?

Is Ed doing all this writing for a Realms MMO?

 

[Lord Blackstone]

I don't understand. How can they use the FR as a setting and not support it with material?

It it wasn't going to be updated, why do the Sundering?
Why use it as the setting of the first 5E campaign?
Where do they point new players and DMs who want to run in the Realms?
Are they supposed to go buy out of print material and update it themselves?


I'm at a loss for words....
I can understand being gun shy because of the horrible mess they made of th 4E Realms.
But doing nothing?

Boggles the mind...

Agreed.

 

[HobbitFan]

If they are newbies, I really don't expect them to do anything BUT play published adventures - it's not like a newb is going to take a setting book and start generating whole new adventures. It's what I did, its what most of the guys in my gaming group did when they started out when they were young. The only one a setting book would benefit are existing players, and they already have enough material existing for the time being until WOTC gets past the release of the three core books this year. If the newbs are playing through the whole Dragon Queen Saga in less than six months to a year, that's some dedicated play!

Why wouldn't newbies buy a campaign setting?

As a young player (and newbie) in the 80s I bought: the old FR grey box, Dragonlance Adventures, Greyhawk adventures hardbacks, etc.