The Realms WILL Be Updated!

WotC's Chris Perkins and Mike Mearls both mentioned the possibility of Forgotten Realms updates on Twitter today. A chap called Montgomery Headstrom tweeted at both of them - to Perkins he said "I don't understand why you guys did the Sundering if you weren't going to update the Realms. Can you clarify that for me?" and the Mearls he said "if WOTC isn't interested in updating the realms would corporate allow kickstarter drive to let Ed Greenwood do it?" Both replied to his his comments, confirming that they do, in fact, intend to update the Realms. Thanks to Adrian for the scoop.

Montgomery: if WOTC isn't interested in updating the realms would corporate allow kickstarter drive to let Ed Greenwood do it?
Mike Mearls: who sez we aren't interested in updating it?

Montgomery: I don't understand why you guys did the Sundering if you weren't going to update the Realms. Can you clarify that for me?
Chris Perkins: The Sundering allowed us to bring back things that the setting had lost over the years. We ARE updating the Realms.

 

[HobbitFan]

The title of this post is misleading and inaccurate. It should not say The Realms WILL Be Updated. It should read The Realms ARE Being Updated. As in presently. Not the future. Nowhere in those tweets are they promising a book or supplement. They're clearly stating the truth. The Realms are updating. Have been updating. We're already seeing it. I would love to see a full campaign guide too, but this is not proof we're going to get one. Nor is it proof we're not. We know nothing more than we did before. But here's what we do know.

1) Ao has rewritten the tablets of fate.
2) The dead gods (including Bhaal, Waukeen and more) are back. It's safe to assume that all FR deities listed in the DMG have returned.
3) The spellplague has ended.
4) Magic and the weave have reverted to what they once were.
5) Abeir and Toril have once again been separated. The geography is more in lines with what it was in 2nd edition now.
6) The city of Shade is gone.

So yes. There's definitely updates. Those are some major changes. Mainly in the interest of reverting the campaign to a more familiar form. Which is why I have to now play Asmodeus' advocate. If they're returning the world to a familiar recognizable one, why do we need a new campaign setting? We already have some excellent campaign settings giving us a wealth of rich information about the Realms. Far more than any DM could ever use. Some of the books are even pretty recent. The 4th edition information was well laid out and not hard to find.

The simple facts as I've laid them out above already tell me a great deal about what I really need to know. Sure, there's things I don't know. Why's Bhaal back? But ultimately, does it matter? The players aren't going to know why Bhaal is back from the dead. Let them ask him personally. He probably won't tell them. Or they can ask Ao. He DEFINITELY won't tell them. (Though if it were important to my campaign, I would certainly have it tied into his attempts to return to life already extensively explored in the Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II games and expansions. Question answered satisfactorily for me.)

So while I'm not against the idea of the book, I raise this thought. Before you ask "When is the book coming?", ask "What is it I need from the book that I don't already have?"

There are a couple points about your last question:

1. What about people new to the realms? What about people who don't have the old books?
2. What about people who don't want to piece together a current snapshot from the older material? Not everyone wants to do all that work. Most people use campaign settings to avoid having to do all that work you have to do for home-brewed worlds.

 

[Mephista]

Did the sundering change the map of the Realms back the way it was before everything changed in 4e? (i.e. substituting Maztica with that dragonborn continent? Flooding Luiren?)

Everything? No. They're bringing back the missing kingdoms, but the dragonborn and their land aren't going away either.

Its basically bringing back all the stuff that was taken away over the years, be it the various gods or the lands, but keeping all the new stuff that was introduced as well. Except earth motes and the spell plague. Those are going away. Shade's been knocked down from being a huge overlying threat to one that's far less prevalent.

You basically have the potential to play any plot from any edition in the Realms, but without the Spell Plague effects.

 

[Brian M]

I would like a comprehensive or even semi-comprehensive update for the current standing of the realms. Preferably a boxed set with multiple maps, but a hard back book with a map would do. This bit about getting updated info slowly and piecemeal through different books is rubbish. Offering additional info through other books is great, but we do need a campaign setting for the latest update. It could even be edition neutral with no stats, just fluff.


I'm lucky to have old books to run the realms in a previous era, but current info is needed, especially for new players and DMs.

 

[DMZ2112]

Um... "already have" would be past tense.

Ah, good eyes. You caught me using inflammatory rhetoric, and poorly. I was trying to offset the unsubstantiated all-caps "WILL" in the article title. My apologies, it will happen again.

No, he's saying they ARE updating them, which in this context (with "updating" referring to what they are doing behind the scenes) is a future tense in terms of products

This is rank supposition, and...

But really, when Internet board posting fans parse what they say this horribly like it's a Presidential candidate and they're the opposition party looking for any crumb to spin against them, it's no wonder WOTC says nothing most of the time. I wouldn't either.

...this is just sloppy.

Wizards considers the products they have already published, are currently publishing, and will continue to publish for the next couple of years the "update" to the Realms. None of these have been, are, or will be a campaign setting guide. This is clear as day from the message they've been communicating for more than 12 months, and is reinforced by these tweets. You may continue to delude yourself if you wish -- I will be here every step of the way in a selfless attempt to minimize your ultimate disapppointment.

There is no need to thank me -- I do what I do for the personal satisfaction.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

An updated Forgotten Realms campaign setting is the one product that I actually need at the moment. Not having one is really making my job as DM harder.

While we wait for that, I'd really like WotC to do an interview, or an "Ask Me Anything", or something similar where we can at least get an overview of the changes to the setting.

 

[Irennan]

An updated Forgotten Realms campaign setting is the one product that I actually need at the moment. Not having one is really making my job as DM harder.

While we wait for that, I'd really like WotC to do an interview, or an "Ask Me Anything", or something similar where we can at least get an overview of the changes to the setting.

Right now, the only way to obtain updated info is to ask Ed Greenwood here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=1 (which basically is the AMA you are asking for).

He will answer your questions -unless you run into a NDA-, you can already find some updates on the current FR in the linked thread, such as Halruua, clarifications on the Tiamat storyline, a bit of news on Bane, Eilistraee&Vhaeraun's current status and other. And all of that can be considered official (as Ed's words are canon).

 

[Targan]

There are a couple points about your last question:

1. What about people new to the realms? What about people who don't have the old books?
2. What about people who don't want to piece together a current snapshot from the older material? Not everyone wants to do all that work. Most people use campaign settings to avoid having to do all that work you have to do for home-brewed worlds.

Exactly. I haven't played D&D since early 3e. I don't want to have to buy all the 4e campaign supplements and then spend months trying to extrapolate what the "current" timeline is based on whatever I can find in 4e mixed with the few bits information provided so far in 5e.

 

[Targan]

Everything? No. They're bringing back the missing kingdoms, but the dragonborn and their land aren't going away either.

I get the impression that the Dragonborns' lands have gone along with the rest of Abeir, but at least some Dragonborn remain on Toril.

 

[Xavian Starsider]

There are a couple points about your last question:

1. What about people new to the realms? What about people who don't have the old books?
2. What about people who don't want to piece together a current snapshot from the older material? Not everyone wants to do all that work. Most people use campaign settings to avoid having to do all that work you have to do for home-brewed worlds.

Valid questions but I'd like to answer with 3 points of my own.

1) How many people in this thread do not own any Campaign Guide from any edition of the Forgotten Realms, and need one because they're completely new to D&D? I'm guessing not many. Not on EN World at least.

2) For the people who are completely new. $18 will get you the 4th edition campaign guide on Amazon. $16 will get you the 3rd edition campaign guide on Drive Thru RPG. For a grand total of $34, you'll have far more material from two excellent campaign guides than you'd get in a single new guide (which would probably cost you more than $34)

3) Campaign Guides are for DMs. If a DM can't crack open two books, I wouldn't want to play in their campaign anyway. If there's any 'one book' DMs out there, please consider doing a bit more groundwork. Your campaign will be better for it. It's fine to go back to 2E and 3E sources for inspiration and ideas. Campaign Guides are more about fluff than crunch, anyway. You have all the crunch you need. And the fluff is available if you want it.

 

[Targan]

An updated Forgotten Realms campaign setting is the one product that I actually need at the moment. Not having one is really making my job as DM harder.

I couldn't have said it better myself.