Shining South regional sup for FR end of 2004

[kuje31]

Which leaves us three countries and a steppe the size of Texas. Thank you.

Hey, no reason to be that way to me. I agree with you, but I was just pointing that out to you incase you didn't know that was supposed to be in one of the upcoming books.....

 

[teitan]

it is a hardback. 2106 Forgotten Realms Adventures.

The FRA actually was to update the Old Grey Box of GODLINESS and AWESOME COOL FACTOR to 2E AD&D and is a very, very good sourcebook as well. If you can find it, buy it or rip it out of the little weasel's hands because the little MFer doesn't deserve it... only you deserve the otherworldly awesomeness of the FRA Hardcover...

Jason

 

[NiTessine]

Hey, no reason to be that way to me. I agree with you, but I was just pointing that out to you incase you didn't know that was supposed to be in one of the upcoming books.....

Ah, I was not trying to come across as insulting. If I did, I apologize.

And apparently, it's now three kingdoms. Maybe they'll do a novel series on those.

 

[teitan]

I personally can not wait for the Waterdeep book. FR material from before 1999 is kind of pricey in my area and man, I want me some Waterdeep.

I also want a revision of Dwarves Deep, my favourite in the FR series...

 

[kuje31]

Ah, I was not trying to come across as insulting. If I did, I apologize.

And apparently, it's now three kingdoms. Maybe they'll do a novel series on those.

I might have been how I took it, so no worries. But a novel series or a web article would be nice.

 

[rounser]

I'm guessing an "Island Kingdoms" sourcebook is on the cards, with Moonshae, Mintarn, Ruathym, Nelanther and Lantan. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they cover Nimbral in place of either Nelanther or Lantan, though...

 

[Staffan]

All detailed. (Major sources below) - and this is all off the top of my head, since I'm at work:

Greenfields - 2eFR box, FRCS
Baldur's Gate - Forgotten Realms Adventures (full city map and description), Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast (same, with more details), 2eFR box, FRCS
Trollbark Forest - 2eFR box, FRCS
Marsh of Chelimber - 2eFR box, FRCS
Reaching Wood - 2eFR box, FRCS
Forest of Wyrms - 2eFR box, FRCS
Iriaebor - Forgotten Realms adventures (full city map and description), 2eFR box, FRCS, maybe Volo's Guide (can't remember).
Elturel - 2eFR box, FRCS, maybe Volo's Guide
Berdusk - Forgotten Realms adventures (full city map and description), Volo's Guide

IMO, there's only so much one can say about this particular (sparsely populated) region.

Now, I wouldn't say no to a Western Heartlands sourcebook - but there are far more books I'd rather WotC spend their limited resources on than rehashing something that I've seen a lot before. Do the undetailed areas first, then go back and regurgitate.

The stuff in the FRCS and 2e FR box doesn't count. I want *more* than that. The FRCS gives a whooping four paragraphs on Baldur's Gate. The Silver Marches gives 11 pages on Silverymoon. THAT's the kind of detail I want. Even FRA only gives two pages of Baldur's Gate, and about half a page is taken up by a map and the rest reads more like a small encyclopedia entry - listing off a bunch of stats about the place, but rather short on proper description.

And the Western Heartlands has never gotten a proper sourcebook. It's one of the more well-detailed areas in the core sets, but that doesn't compare to a proper sourcebook. By comparison, the North has gotten at least three: FR1 Waterdeep & The North (1987), The North (1996), and the Silver Marches (2002) - not counting the Waterdeep-specific material (City System, Waterdeep box set, various Undermountain/Skullport stuff). And the North has generally received equal billing to the Western Heartlands in the main sets. It's like they've unofficially gone the way of Sembia with the Western Heartlands - provide some sketchy info and leave the rest for the DM.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Don't forget Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate, based on the Baldur's Gate computer game. That extensively covers Baldur's Gate, though I'm not sure how much of it is canonical.

 

[diaglo]

Don't forget Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate, based on the Baldur's Gate computer game. That extensively covers Baldur's Gate, though I'm not sure how much of it is canonical.

well you could also mention the 3 Baldur's gate novels too while you are at it.

 

[Arnwyn]

Arnwyn, apparently you and I have a slightly differing idea of the term 'detailed'.

Maybe. But I think expecting a certain level of "detail" is patently unrealistic.

A Western Heartlands sourcebook would not only revisit, update and detail the region and its recent events, but also compile the information into a single, more easily referenced source.

Other than the "detail" part, everything else that you mention, especially "revisit" and "compile" has no value to me. I prefer books with value-added content.

The detail part is good - I too am a "detail person", and would love 11 pages (as Staffan notes, above) on Baldur's Gate as well. However, I do not value that anywhere near as much as detail on places that have never seen any detail ever before.

In addition... Is there really a place on Faerûn that we haven't seen detailed at some point? I think Lapaliiya, Tashalar, Samarach and Thindol are the only ones that haven't been gone over in a sourcebook of their own. The Shaar, too, maybe. I'm not too sure where it falls between Old Empires and Shining South.

Of course there are areas we haven't seen detailed. Along with the ones you mentioned, there is also Lantan, Nimbral, the Mhair Jungles, and Sossal.

Now, they have yet to announce a content list for either Serpent Kingdoms or the new Shining South, so guessing what might be in them is purely conjecture. If we're REALLY lucky, we'll see Lapaliiya, Tashalar, Samarach, Thindol, and Mhair in the Serpent Kingdoms, and the Shaar in the Shining South book. (If this is true, I'd be jumping for joy.)

After all that (and an Island Kingdoms book), I'd gleefully ask for a Western Heartlands book. But right now? Hell, no.

In any case, there's only so much you can do before you have to revisit the old haunts, especially when you're laying off adventures.

Exactly. I'm hoping that WotC details the last areas we haven't seen yet - then I'm all for something like a Western Heartlands book.

The stuff in the FRCS and 2e FR box doesn't count.

Um-hmmm.... I'll note that you also forgot to mention the (rather large) entry in Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast for Baldur's Gate.

And the Western Heartlands has never gotten a proper sourcebook. It's one of the more well-detailed areas in the core sets, but that doesn't compare to a proper sourcebook. By comparison, the North has gotten at least three...

And, I'll make an interesting note here - the North has gotten at least 3 books full of regurgitation. If you think that the North has much more detail than what was in those previous books (other than Silverymoon), you are mistaken. It's the same paragraphs for the same geographical features over and over and over again (eg. FR5, VGttN, The North box, etc). So, don't be thinking that "more pages = more detail", because you'd be wrong. The Western Heartlands has almost the same amount of detail (check the paragraph size for the geographical entries in each book) - just regurgitated fewer times.

However: I, too, would like Baldur's Gate treated the same way as Silverymoon was in The Silver Marches.

Don't forget Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate, based on the Baldur's Gate computer game. That extensively covers Baldur's Gate, though I'm not sure how much of it is canonical.

Nope. Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate doesn't cover Baldur's Gate at all. Instead, it covers the region south of Baldur's Gate in western Amn and northern Tethyr.