Quintessentially Forgotten Realms

[Terraism]

Lots of good stuff.

You know, I don't even particularly like the Realms - for a number of reasons, even discounting the oft-mentioned "Drizzt problem." And I'm impressed with your post - it almost makes me want to go back and take another look. Nicely said, and, despite my problems, I think you're representing it completely accurately, too. They need to put that list on the back of their next FR ad run.

 

[wingsandsword]

I've got to disagree with some of the advice given here.

Don't make your campaign Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms, make it your Forgotten Realms. The Realms has so much in the way of lore, history, legends, and material that even hardcore fans have a little trouble keeping it all together.

For a DM who is just dabbling in the setting, don't worry about the minutiae of things. Don't get preoccupied with checking everything against the Canon of the Realms (just make it internally consistent), be more concerned with your game being fun and using the Realms as a backdrop.

Find out what about the Realms it is that your players want. Are they just familiar with the setting and have more fun playing in a setting they know well? Are there specific elements of the setting they like? If you're running the Realms on request, find out exactly what they are requesting.

 

[rounser]

Nicely said, and, despite my problems, I think you're representing it completely accurately, too.

Thanks.

Don't make your campaign Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms, make it your Forgotten Realms.

Well, yes, but his style and the vibe he was trying to convey are definitely relevant when attempting to answer this request:

I would like some advice on the elements that make the Forgotten Realms distinctive, the kind of images, themes and stories I can weave in to make this a Forgotten Realms game, rather than Eberron, Greyhawk, or any other setting.

I think your big post, wingsandsword, reflects what the Realms has come to represent, so makes a good foil for mine. You can play it either way; I just find that (in general) the original vision is a lot more beguiling than the alternatives, and even a personal DM's take can benefit from it if they're trying for a vintage realmsian feel to the campaign.

A simple example is the Moonshae Isles. They're very Douglas Niles in style, unsurprisingly, because he wrote the books as a "British Dragonlance" originally, but they were retrospectively plonked onto Faerun. Halls of the High King, a module set in the Moonshaes, is very different in style, probably because it's written by Ed Greenwood...and represents many of the themes I've touched upon above (it's almost as if he was "reclaiming" Moonshaes so they fit the style in which he envisioned the rest of the setting). You can run a Moonshaes campaign in any style you like, but I think Greenwood's themes tend to improve most any Realms campaign, though, because they resonate so strongly, and as such add a lot of FR flavour to FR.

 

[StupidSmurf]

Big Realms booster here...

I agree with the post that says to make the Realms campaign YOUR Realms campaign. But, if you're looking for at least a framework upon which to hang your own tapestry of the Realms, here's my suggestions, based on observations culled from the many Realms novels and products.

1. The Realms is High Fantasy, not Grim N Gritty. Call it Tolkein Lite if you want, just don't call it late for supper. The Realms is your classic "go to a great tavern, have a few ales, sing a few songs, get a quest, do quest, return to tavern, repeat" setting. Some think it's cliche, and avoid it. Personally, I find "grim n gritty" to be cliche these days, and a reversion to the classic style refreshing again.

2. The gods. Again, this has already been touched upon, but it's important enough to repeat. Especially since the Avatar Crisis (yawn), the gods are more involved in the affairs of mortals, particularly in attracting worshippers. A good character could send a prayer to Umberlee, an evil goddess who controls the sea, for a safe journey. Or Talona, the evil goddess of poison and disease, may get otherwise nice people to make offerings, in an appeal to stave off disease for their community.

3. Harpers. Chaotic good busybodies, but so much more. For instance, there's been a recent schism in the Harpers, where a breakaway group, called the Moonstars, I believe, has been started up in Waterdeep. Disagreements over methods and philosophies has caused tension in the ranks. As a result, my players' characters have run into at least one group of Harpers that are a bit more "on edge" than usual, quick to find fault with people's actions and being a little more paranoid.

4. The Zhentarim. My favorite organization. They are Lawful Evil, and their chief deity is Bane, the god of tyranny. I've made them PC enemies, sure, but sometimes, when chaos threatens to overtake a certain area, the Zhentarim sometime become unlikely allies. I've taken at least one "noble enemy" from the ranks of the Zhentarim. I've given them the philosophy of "Yes, we want to conquer the world, but if we let (crazed group of destructive chaotic evil types) have their way, there'll be nothing left to conquer. So, let's join forces, and we pledge (bear in mind, the Zhents as a rule ARE lawful) our co-operation until the threat's passed.

5. What lies beneath. The Underdark is a great place, and it's big enough that you can do stuff there with using the 'd' word.

Recommended Books:
Races of Faerun
Players Guide to Faerun
Magic of Faerun (it's a 3E book, as opposed to 3.5)
Lords of Darkness (evil organizations)

 

[Mystery Man]

You can also find hundreds of replies from Ed himself that I collected and am still collecting as files at this site:

http://home.rochester.rr.com/kuje/

Other answers by game designers and authors can be found:

http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/misc_lore.htm

Fabulous, the chewing out Ed gave me is now immortalized on the internet in not one but two different mediums.

 

[werk]

I am a huge fan of the forgotten realms, but like others on here, dislike the uber NPCs and very high magic of the setting.
Here are the things that I keep from the setting:
1. Maps - Gotta love 'em. There are a lot of great locations.
2. Dieties - I like the way religion is handled in the realms, it has a huge panthoen and tons of intrigue.
3. Organizations - While I'm no fan of the harpers or zhents, I frequently use the Watchers of Severeld, Brotherhood of Black Blood, Cult of the Dragon, and the Red Wizards.

Other than that, I pretty much use it as a blank setting. Keep in mind how big it is, you can't just hop a caravan and go from Waterdeep to Shadowdale for the weekend.

 

[Tarangil]

Think of the Forgotten Realms like this for a setting feeling:


It's very similar to the transition of the dark ages period and the renissance period on earth.

Faerun has had many world spanning empires that have collapsed on themselves roughly 1000 or so years ago. Since then many populations were dispersed and had degradated to a primitive lifestyle. Certain aspects of the old cultures have influence and people are rebuilding a semblance of civilization. Waterdeep is a good example of hitting it's renissance.

But it really depends on the region you'd be playing in.

 

[Desdichado]

If I were to run a FR campaign (which is unlikely, but still), I'd do something similar to that as well--a frontier town on the edge of a desert sounds like fun.

I'd open up options for sub-races, particularly the plane-touched. Maybe fire genasi are more common than normal in a desert region, for instance. I'd also make sure to make Red Wizards be a recurring threat. Just on principle, because the Red Wizards are the coolest thing uniquely FR, IMO.

 

[kuje31]

Fabulous, the chewing out Ed gave me is now immortalized on the internet in not one but two different mediums.

Er? Well, sorry?.... I'm not sure what to say......

 

[delericho]

Lots of good advice in this thread. I'll probably combine some of the older feel expressed by rounser with some of the newer feel expressed by others to get something to taste.

Just one thing...

Don't make your campaign Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms, make it your Forgotten Realms.

I certainly will be putting my own stamp on the campaign. However, I'm also keen to be running a Forgotten Realms game, rather than just a generic fantasy game that happens to be set in the Forgotten Realms.

By way of an analogy, suppose I'm writing the following story: An ice-based supervillain threatens the loved ones of our superhero. The hero investigates, confronts the villain, and ultimately triumphs.

Obviously, that story can be written using either Superman or Batman as the superhero. When writing it, I would definately give my interpretation of the character used. However, if I'm doing my job correctly, I'll write a distinctly different story if I'm using Batman than if I'm using Superman. (The Batman story would focus more on the investigation, and probably require a more cunning resolution. The Superman story is likely to feature more pyrotechnics in the finale.)

Another example would be the Quentin Tarantino episodes of CSI. They featured several of the signature features favoured by Tarantino, but also remained essentially a CSI show. That's the sort of thing I want to shoot for: a campaign that is distinctly my own, but also that is distinctly Forgotten Realms.

It's just that I can do the campaign that's distinctly my own by myself