D&D 5E (2014) Settings played in D&D: cause or effect?

[Pragmatic]

I agree with much of what you said about the Realms, but do enjoy using it for "data mining."

And the NPCs. Oh my god. Super powerful with divine backing that are willing to not do somethign so the players can adventure.

I always "data mined" them as being reasonably-powered, but with exceptional Public Relations.

E.g., Elminster is really just a middling mage and sage, but has claimed credit for a couple of powerful enemies defeated by luck.

 

[JohnLynch]

I am so freaking tired of FR. I've been playing in it on and off since the late '80s. Even back then it was too complex for me to know all of the parts without reading all of the novels and such. Trying to play a bard without putting in homework to read bunches of novels of wildly varying quality, ugh.

I've never understood this complaint. Then again I freely ignore or change anything I don't know or don't like.

I've never RUN the Realms because I can't run a world that the players know significantly more about than I do. "Oh, that sigil means that the Red Wizards are involved, and since we're near myth drannor obviously they are looking for elven 10th level magic." "Umm, no, I just made up a sigil." or "Oh, we're near Waterdeep, have our characters heard rumors about the well in the inn or other means to travel to Undermountain or Skullport?" "Whoswhat to where?"

1) Their characters shouldn't have that knowledge and are completely metagaming.
2) Can happen in any campaign setting. I've had it happen to me in Golarion.

Try producing another setting early in release cycle for three editions of D&D and then compare the numbers. Because as Morris says, they are assuming correlation is causality and people are playing FR because they prefer it, and not even evaluating that only having one officially supported campaign may make have something to do with why it was picked.

Forgotten Realms was published in 2008 with 4th ed. It got exactly 1 year's support before it was abandoned in favour of Eberron which was subequently abandoned after 1 year in favour of Dark Sun. Forgotten Realms is the only setting that was revisited in "4th ed" (actually Essentials but most people don't distinguish). WotC had the sales numbers for all 3 settings. Do you really think they would have gone with Forgotten Realms if Eberron had better numbers?

Actually, I've got a possible test. Let's ask a bunch of Pathfinder players if they run in the Forgotten Realms. There is plenty of 3.x FR material that's easily compatible, and I'd hazard to say that many pathfinder players are either former D&D players or have played games that former D&D players have run. If FR is actually a popular setting, I would expect that we would see a significant number of PF players who have kept it.

That'd be interesting actually. I expect the biggest number would be Golarion, followed by Forgotten Realms or Homebrew. I'd be interested to see those numbers.

 

[Blue]

I am so freaking tired of FR. I've been playing in it on and off since the late '80s. Even back then it was too complex for me to know all of the parts without reading all of the novels and such. Trying to play a bard without putting in homework to read bunches of novels of wildly varying quality, ugh.

I've never understood this complaint. Then again I freely ignore or change anything I don't know or don't like.

No, as a player I can not freely ignore or change anything I don't understand. If I am collecting gossip and the DM gives me rumors about Sammaster returning and I don't connect it to the Cult of the Dragon, I can't tell him his plot isn't happening.

I've never RUN the Realms because I can't run a world that the players know significantly more about than I do. "Oh, that sigil means that the Red Wizards are involved, and since we're near myth drannor obviously they are looking for elven 10th level magic." "Umm, no, I just made up a sigil." or "Oh, we're near Waterdeep, have our characters heard rumors about the well in the inn or other means to travel to Undermountain or Skullport?" "Whoswhat to where?"

1) Their characters shouldn't have that knowledge and are completely metagaming.
2) Can happen in any campaign setting. I've had it happen to me in Golarion.

WHY run a specific setting if not for the shared background with the players? "Hey, I'm going to run star wars". "Cool, and I play a Jedi?" "Well, nah no jedi, sith, smugglers, droids or the force." At that point, why put it in the Star Wars Universe? Same here. If you aren't going to cater to the FR parts, why play FR. If you're going to use FR as a shorthand so you can say "Cormyr" and your players immediately know what you are talking about, they'll have expectations such as the Purple Dragon Knights being around.

Try producing another setting early in release cycle for three editions of D&D and then compare the numbers. Because as Morris says, they are assuming correlation is causality and people are playing FR because they prefer it, and not even evaluating that only having one officially supported campaign may make have something to do with why it was picked.

Forgotten Realms was published in 2008 with 4th ed. It got exactly 1 year's support before it was abandoned in favour of Eberron which was subequently abandoned after 1 year in favour of Dark Sun. Forgotten Realms is the only setting that was revisited in "4th ed" (actually Essentials but most people don't distinguish). WotC had the sales numbers for all 3 settings. Do you really think they would have gone with Forgotten Realms if Eberron had better numbers?

4e is one edition ago. Try three settings worth of it being the earliest out as I mentioned, and that's not even all of it. It was out for AD&D, AD&D 2ed, 3.x, 4e and 5e. So it's been around for 5 editions, and in at least three it's the first out so that people wanting to play the new system and are looking for more, it's the first setting expansion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Realms

 

[MechaPilot]

There are only two reason that I play in FR:

1) The friend from work who help me put the group together has an attachment to FR because he likes the Drizzt novels

2) That's where WotC's published adventures are set, and the time constraints of college work and preparing for the CPA exam makes using published adventures far more viable than making my own (which I prefer to do).


I don't personally care for FR, though some of the novels are nice. If I had my druthers I'd be running a Ravenloft, Eberron, Spelljammer, Planescape, or Homebrew-setting game, but it's like the song says, "you can't always get what you want."

 

[Xorne]

I know I'm running "Forgotten Realms" because I'm 41 with an adult job and don't have the time or inclination to homebrew a good campaign anymore. I use quotes because besides the map, pretty much anything lore-wise is a grab bag. I mean they already came across Threshold and met a noble from the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, so...

I want Dragonlance. I'm pretty sure I'll have to settle for just using the earlier edition stuff and make do.

 

[MechaPilot]

I know I'm running "Forgotten Realms" because I'm 41 with an adult job and don't have the time or inclination to homebrew a good campaign anymore. I use quotes because besides the map, pretty much anything lore-wise is a grab bag. I mean they already came across Threshold and met a noble from the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, so...

I want Dragonlance. I'm pretty sure I'll have to settle for just using the earlier edition stuff and make do.

I've done that before. In my opinion, one of the best parts of the 3e FR setting book is the big fold-out map. I used just that map as the world map for a BESM d20 anime campaign.

 

[pemerton]

The only way to get any type of real information is if they created equal amounts of product for three worlds and see what sells the best.

They more-or-less did this during 4e, with FR, Eberron and Dark Sun. Presumably FR sold best!

This makes me wonder why they don't produce more setting-neutral material for the majority of players who play in a home-brew setting. It's probably a big turn-off to these players that only products with large story-arcs that would be disruptive to a home-brew world are available, not to mention having to change names and other elements that would tie the adventure to a particular canned setting.

I think that most "home-brew" groups are probably used to adapting setting-specific stuff to being setting neutral. (Eg changing names, carving big story arcs into component pieces, etc.)

So the additional cost to them of buying setting-specific stuff is fairly low, whereas the cost to setting fans of generic stuff is high. Hence WotC sell setting-specific stuff.

 

[abirdcall]

Default settings for me need something to turn me away, otherwise I will play it. 5e FR is fine for me.

In 3.x I disliked the default and FR more so I played Ravenloft.

I find 5e FR softer. Drizz't is not in OotA for example and the game itself is much more grounded than 3.x was.

So I play Forgotten Realms because it is the default 5e setting, but, if say Eberron was the default then I would be looking to a third party for my gaming material.

 

[Imaculata]

Forgotten Realms is basically what most people think of when they think of Dungeons and Dragons. It's also used as the setting for many D&D based video games, and so there's a lot of name recognition. Not to mention all the books that take place in the Realms too. But to me, it is also one of the most cliche D&D settings. It is entirely without any character to it... much like Eberron.

 

[MechaPilot]

Forgotten Realms is basically what most people think of when they think of Dungeons and Dragons. It's also used as the setting for many D&D based video games, and so there's a lot of name recognition. Not to mention all the books that take place in the Realms too. But to me, it is also one of the most cliche D&D settings. It is entirely without any character to it... much like Eberron.

I think what most people think of when they think D&D is probably Lord of the Rings and awkward, nerdy teenagers hanging out in basements.

I'd also like to point out that there are several non-FR novels. A friend of mine loaned me some of the Greyhawk novels. The writing in the Gord the thief books isn't great, there's nothing in there that really hooks me and makes me want to keep reading, but I was surprised when he piled up something like eight Greyhawk novels. The Ravenloft books are, I think, better (they all certainly kept me reading them, even if a couple of the novels stumbled here or there), and there's something like ten or so of those novels.