D&D 5E (2014) The case for (and against) a new Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book

[teitan]

What is the measure for how appropriate the thoroughness is, though...?

3e FRCS or the old 1e & 2e boxed sets has always been the standard.

 

[teitan]

You can buy ToA if you want Chult. You can buy OotA is you want Underdark. Dragon Heist for Waterdeep. Descent into Avernus for Baldur's Gate.

I actually do agree that the SCAG probably didn't have great sales when it first released, but it is interesting that it still sells fairly well. I think most books have an initial spike in sales at launch and then drop off.

No, you can buy those adventures and stories but they don’t provide the tools to make your own. I think I’ve moved into some weird timeline where people no longer see D&D as a toolkit but a “take this and eat it”. Other games support their games with tool kits and people love it. D&D fans are like “you’re going to use this adventure if you want this type of thing”. It’s so backwards thinking compared to 2014 that I swear we are in a dark timeline. looks outside yep.

What the heck happened????

 

[Urriak Uruk]

3e FRCS or the old 1e & 2e boxed sets has always been the standard.

I've written this somewhere else, but the 3E FRCS only has 40 pages more setting material than the SCAG (much of the book is covering concepts like magic and deities). Yes it covers way more grography, but that's because many spots get only a paragraph or two.

SCAG is a case of going deep rather than wide.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

No, you can buy those adventures and stories but they don’t provide the tools to make your own. I think I’ve moved into some weird timeline where people no longer see D&D as a toolkit but a “take this and eat it”. Other games support their games with tool kits and people love it. D&D fans are like “you’re going to use this adventure if you want this type of thing”. It’s so backwards thinking compared to 2014 that I swear we are in a dark timeline. looks outside yep.

What the heck happened????

They literally do provide you options to make your own adventures in those regions (OotA may not, I don't have that book). Lots of random encounter tables and sidequests and NPCs to use, plenty of material.

 

[Parmandur]

3e FRCS or the old 1e & 2e boxed sets has always been the standard.

A subjective standard, sure, those products are great. But taking a strict, business approach, are they really the standard WotC is best advise to follow?

Personally, I'd love a FR box set at Target filled with bells and whistles, but I wouldn't expect it.

 

[Parmandur]

No, you can buy those adventures and stories but they don’t provide the tools to make your own. I think I’ve moved into some weird timeline where people no longer see D&D as a toolkit but a “take this and eat it”. Other games support their games with tool kits and people love it. D&D fans are like “you’re going to use this adventure if you want this type of thing”. It’s so backwards thinking compared to 2014 that I swear we are in a dark timeline. looks outside yep.

What the heck happened????

No, those books do include a lot of information on local Settings to spin off into further adventures. The Setting info in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is far more in-depth than the Waterdeep section of the FRCS.

 

[Fenris-77]

No, those books do include a lot of information on local Settings to spin off into further adventures. The Setting info in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is far more in-depth than the Waterdeep section of the FRCS.

If you add in the wealth of really excellent 3PP stuff that ties into Dragon Heist it's enormously in-depth. It's my favorite book in that regard.

 

[teitan]

I'm 99.99% sure that the reason the SCAG is still selling well is almost entirely because of the blade cantrips.

The Tyranny of Dragons book is minimal effort. A SCAG update is not.

I didn’t realize “copy, paste, modify” as previous versions have kinda done for the Realms was a lot of effort. I’m kidding.

 

[teitan]

A subjective standard, sure, those products are great. But taking a strict, business approach, are they really the standard WotC is best advise to follow?

Personally, I'd love a FR box set at Target filled with bells and whistles, but I wouldn't expect it.

Based on how the setting was the best selling of each edition? Yes. Considering all 5e settings follow that standard? Yes.

 

[Parmandur]

Based on how the setting was the best selling of each edition? Yes. Considering all 5e settings follow that standard? Yes.

And SCAG is a beat seller now...as are all the mini-Setting Adventure books.