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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Athenon" data-source="post: 3744125" data-attributes="member: 16769">Future RealmsA friend and I talked at length about the potential timeline fast-forward.  A couple points:- The mention of an "Empire of Netheril" I can't imagine R.A. Salvatore throwing something like that in just because the mood struck him.  He's generally gone far out of his way to avoid mixing in politics of anywhere else in the Realms.  I would think that if (as was hinted at Gen Con) the major players in the Realms got together a couple years ago to discuss the 4E changes, Salvatore was either involved or informed of what was coming.  Hopefully this is WotC learning from the Silver Marches/Hunter's Blades inconsistencies. - Naming the next Trilogy "Transitions" This also seems rather deliberate for an R.A. Salvatore book series.  While I suspect that someone else came up with that title for the trilogy, I bet the thrust of the series is transitioning the Realms toward the future and 4E changes. - Cleaning up the 3E novel mess  I'll freely admit that I have done a poor job of keeping up with the Realms novels in the last ten years.  This is partially the reality of being a "grown-up" and having a busy work schedule.  But it's also a lack of interest in many of the novels that have come out.  There certainly have been some great novels that have come out in the last decade, but there have been many that did not entice me to read.  I suspect I'm not alone in this.  A big jump forward in the timeline makes the relevance of these stories and mini-Realms Shaking Events much smaller.  At any rate they can be summarized in the Grand History that will come out next month.  - A Different kind of RSE  There has been nothing as big as the Time of Troubles in the Realms for years in real time, but I've noticed that the changes that have happened since then have made it harder to run campaigns in the Realms.  The retaking of Myth Drannor, large scale war between Cormyr/Evereska/Waterdeep and Shade, the death of Blackstaff and the wars going on in Sembia all make the core areas of the Realms difficult to use in-game even if you are up to date on the Realms novels.  Further, they're hard to predict even if you've read the books since these trilogy cycles can go on for a few years in real time.  A massive calendar reset gets past all these big local changes.  Even though this may be the biggest RSE of all time, it may actually make it easier to run a campaign in the Forgotten Realms. - A potentially exciting relaunch of a great setting  While I have no idea exactly what the WotC folks will do with FR 4.0, I suspect they will advance the timeline well past the Year of Blue Fire.  As was mentioned above, the WotC designers were very sly at Gen Con.  They never actually said that the 4E timeline would be reset to 1385.  They said that a big change would happen in the Realms and that it would be called the Spell Plague.  They also said that the Spell Plague would happen/begin in the Year of Blue Fire.  I've been a huge fan of the Realms for years.  I love the classic setting.  I also realize that I currently own enough material to run there for the rest of my life.  If anyone doesn't like the changes that WotC likely has in store, it's not like you'll be left wanting for mid 1300's FR lore.  But this sure could be a chance to represent the setting in a way that will make this classic feel fresh.  I really hope the designers deliver on this. We shall see...Will Maranto</blockquote>

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