D&D General What are the boundaries of what counts as part ot Forgotten Realms?

[Tonguez]

The Scandal is that the Lorwyn digital supplement is only available to those who have already purchased the $160 Forgotten Realms Ultimate Bundle which D&D Beyond is proudly promoting as the most expansive take on the Forgotten Realms in D&D history.

People hate it because its a digital only product and a money grab

only a few purist dont like MtG in their DnD

 

[Echohawk]

[...] the Lorwyn digital supplement is only available to those who have already purchased the $160 Forgotten Realms Ultimate Bundle [...]

Lorwyn: First Light is also available to those who purchase the Digital Bundle (although that's still $127). In addition, since the description of that bundle gives a sales price for each component ($14.99 for Lorwyn) it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect that it will be available to purchase separately once released. It's okay to be annoyed by the price point and lack of print version without misrepresenting the availability!

Personally, I am irked by the fact that WotC has previously included bonus items in the print plus digital bundles that aren't otherwise available, but then won't actually ship print products to my part of the world. But that's a long-standing gripe about how Hasbro's view of the world assumes that there are gamers on only five continents.

 

[haakon1]

Everything is Forgotten Realms - even Earth. Elminster has been to Toril (duh), Sigil, Greyhawk, Krynn, Realmspace and Earth and he knows of the Far Spheres (Mystara, maybe Eberron)

Or “the D&D setting” = Forgotten Realms, as general media seems to assume.

For me, FR is only properly the very well publicized Realms: the Sword Coasts, the dales, and in a pinch nearby places like Cormyr.

Is Al-Qadim FR? If it’s anything, yes, but will we ever see it promoted by WotC? Signs point to no. It was never much, and it’s been nothing for 25 years, so far as I have noticed.

Is Kara-Tur? Same answer, but personally since the 4 main countries were separate before the setting was yoinked by FR, I treat them as separate.

What about my beloved Greyhawk? Separate for some purposes, but the WotC chop shop treats it as parts that can be yoinked to FR at will.

What about Dragonlance? Cancelled the TV show, my guess is to avoid empowering the authors and to avoid “confusion” with “the D&D setting”.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

This isn't much different from all those who were claiming that all D&D is Planescape because it uses the Multiverse and the Great Ring Cosmology.

Sigil has portals to all sorts of places in Toril and especially Faerun. An official 2e adventure module has the Modrons use a portal through Undermountain during the (premature) Great Modron March that Tenebrous/Orcus initiated, but I don't think that makes the PS setting to be FR or FR to be the PS setting either.

 

[Laurefindel]

Lorwyn: First Light is also available to those who purchase the Digital Bundle (although that's still $127). In addition, since the description of that bundle gives a sales price for each component ($14.99 for Lorwyn) it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect that it will be available to purchase separately once released. It's okay to be annoyed by the price point and lack of print version without misrepresenting the availability!

Personally, I am irked by the fact that WotC has previously included bonus items in the print plus digital bundles that aren't otherwise available, but then won't actually ship print products to my part of the world. But that's a long-standing gripe about how Hasbro's view of the world assumes that there are gamers on only five continents.

Uncalled tangent here, but there are more than five continents?

Or perhaps North America is considered a separate continent from South America, but then that would leave Antarctica as the forgotten continent by Hasbro? Or is Eurasia back to being two continents now? What’s the consensus these days?

 

[Echohawk]

Uncalled tangent here, but there are more than five continents?

My understanding is that there are generally considered to be seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. I'm aware that this is not a universal truth, but I think "generally considered" is a reasonable statement. Wikipedia seems to agree with that, as does National Geographic.

I can forgive Hasbro for ignoring Antarctica in its distribution plans and marketing, even though some of the folks at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station are gamers, but the existence of Africa and (less frequently South America) tends to get overlooked whenever Hasbro makes announcements about product delays or distribution. On a really good day, Africa gets included as part of EMEA, but most of the time, Hasbro simply forgets that the second largest continent exists.

I'd apologise for continuing this thread derailment, but it occurs to me that "what counts as part of the Forgotten Realms" and "what counts as a continent" are not entirely unrelated questions!

 

[Parmandur]

My understanding is that there are generally considered to be seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. I'm aware that this is not a universal truth, but I think "generally considered" is a reasonable statement. Wikipedia seems to agree with that, as does National Geographic.

I can forgive Hasbro for ignoring Antarctica in its distribution plans and marketing, even though some of the folks at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station are gamers, but the existence of Africa and (less frequently South America) tends to get overlooked whenever Hasbro makes announcements about product delays or distribution. On a really good day, Africa gets included as part of EMEA, but most of the time, Hasbro simply forgets that the second largest continent exists.

I'd apologise for continuing this thread derailment, but it occurs to me that "what counts as part of the Forgotten Realms" and "what counts as a continent" are not entirely unrelated questions!

From another point of view, Hasbro is an Amerucab corporation that recognizes anything existing outside of the United States

 

[Tonguez]

The Five Olympic Rings represent Asia, Africa, Europe, America (combined), Australia/Oceania - but of course the count can range from four to eight depending on the arrangement and context.
The most 'scientific' approach is probably using the seven major tectonic plates (African, Antarctic, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, North American, Pacific, South American) but even thats not set as the Pacific Plate primarily features islands and Indo-Australian plate can be subdivided.
Then there is Zealandia which might get counted as the 8th continent if 95% of it wasnt entirely submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean

 

[Zardnaar]

The Five Olympic Rings represent Asia, Africa, Europe, America (combined), Australia/Oceania - but of course the count can range from four to eight depending on the arrangement and context.
The most 'scientific' approach is probably using the seven major tectonic plates (African, Antarctic, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, North American, Pacific, South American) but even thats not set as the Pacific Plate primarily features islands and Indo-Australian plate can be subdivided.
Then there is Zealandia which might get counted as the 8th continent if 95% of it was entirely submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean

Its our stealth continent. We're also very good at getting left off maps.

 

[Laurefindel]

(…) it occurs to me that "what counts as part of the Forgotten Realms" and "what counts as a continent" are not entirely unrelated questions!

Indeed, both probably have the same potential amount for “Achtually” comments…