RFC: Iconic D&D Cities

[Gradine]

My money is on Anuire. Because of course.

Didn't Birthright and Lankhmar win both the Survivor Setting threads, respectively? Those'd be where the smart money would go.

Edit: I actually think the second winner was Blackmoor, now that I think about it.

 

[gyor]

So, here's the thing. You need to take off your FR Loremaster hat for a second and put on you D&D Loremaster hat.

This isn't about the cities that are most important to the lore of Forgotten Realms.

It's about those cities (towns, villages, urban-esque locations) that are most important to D&D.

Which is why Phandalin, which is now super-important to new generations of D&D players (kind of like a new Town of Hommlet) is more iconic than many places in FR that are more important to FR. Make sense?

Just like, for example, I could list at least 500 (if not more) places in GH that are more important to GH than Town of Hommlet.

Or, to put a slight variation on it-

If you are campaign and setting agnostic, but a D&D fan, what locations would you likely know? I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about D&D, but not about the FR, and you list a lot of places that I can't place without looking them up.

(I wouldn't mind removing Shadowdale ... I was only including it because of Elminster ... is there some kind of consensus about Calimport? Gyor? [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION] ?)

How often do you really hear about Phandlin even among new players compared to other cities in FR.

I think even new players are more likely to talk about Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter.

Honestly I had to look Phandlin up, and I read a ton of FR novels, video games, FR RPG books, and so on.

I've never seen anything to indicate Phandlin is popular with anyone.

I think WotC wanted Phandlin to be iconic, I don't think they suceeded.

As for Calimport, yeah I support that, without Elmiinister living in Shadowdale anymore, it's just doesn't get much attention anymore.

Skuld is iconic enough that they had to bring back the nation if Mulhorand and it's Gods back in 5e after blowing it up in 4e., because of the out cry.

 

[lowkey13]

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[Gradine]

Birthright and Blackmoor. Lankhmar came in 3rd and 2nd.

That just means in a shoo-in winner for Survivor Settings Round Three.

Eberron will never win because too many people think Warforged are robots

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Gradine]

How often do you really hear about Phandlin even among new players compared to other cities in FR.

I think even new players are more likely to talk about Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter.

Honestly I had to look Phandlin up, and I read a ton of FR novels, video games, FR RPG books, and so on.

I've never seen anything to indicate Phandlin is popular with anyone.

As for Calimport, yeah I support that, without Elmiinister living in Shadowdale anymore, it's just doesn't get much attention anymore.

Skuld is iconic enough that they had to bring back the nation if Mulhorand and it's Gods back in 5e after blowing it up in 4e., because of the out cry.

I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of FR, I've had much more experience with it through video/computer games and board games than in actual table play, but I've read a decent chunk of the modules (especially the newer ones) and I've got a good idea of the cursory lore down. I've certainly heard of Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Calimport, Shadowdale, Phandalin (which is honestly easily in the top 3 of FR municipalities I hear conversations about these days), Menzoblahblah (which I've definitely heard about but don't care enough to learn how to spell properly), and many of the others you've named. This has, however, been the first time I've heard of Skuld, but then I almost entirely skipped 4e so that may be on me.

 

[Gradine]

I dunno. It seems like LMOP is kinda sorta the new Keep on the Borderlands, and every person I've run into has either run LMOP or played LMOP.

Even moreso if they are coming into 5e "fresh."

But I could be mistaken.

I'd love to see a poll, because I had suspected that LMOP was the single most-run 5e adventure out there.

This perfectly mirrors my own experiences as well, but then again, we are but two (and on the other other hand, gyor is but one, but that seems to be all we've got with a horse in the race at the moment.) I too would be interested in hearing other peoples' takes. It's certainly the most universally well-regarded 5e adventure (CoS and ToA are about as highly-reviewed but also certainly have their fair share of vocal detractors, which I haven't seen much of from LMoP)

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of FR, I've had much more experience with it through video/computer games and board games than in actual table play, but I've read a decent chunk of the modules (especially the newer ones) and I've got a good idea of the cursory lore down. I've certainly heard of Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Calimport, Shadowdale, Phandalin (which is honestly easily in the top 3 of FR municipalities I hear conversations about these days), Menzoblahblah (which I've definitely heard about but don't care enough to learn how to spell properly), and many of the others you've named. This has, however, been the first time I've heard of Skuld, but then I almost entirely skipped 4e so that may be on me.

I think that Phandalin should be be on the list. Its not a town with a lot of history or large background in some obscure novel or supplement from 20 years ago, its the village many new players/DM will first encounter and care about. Its like the Tristram of 5e. I dont hear a lot about it here, but on other forum, not a day goes by without at least one thread on ''how my group took over'' the old manor or another part of town as a homebase. This little gold-rush era village without any form of real government, standing at the crossroad of many AP screams HOME BASE, and I think its worth something.

 

[Mistwell]

Waterdeep and the City of Brass.

Speaking of the City of Brass (and I agree it's a key iconic city), when has it ever been detailed well by D&D? Is there a good source book for it? I assume Al Qadim had something. Maybe "Secrets of the Lamp" by Wolfgang Bauer?