Why Do You Like the Forgotten Realms?

[TarionzCousin]

Enough with the dislike. What do you like about the Forgotten Realms?

Forewarning: Haters will be reported.

 

[TarionzCousin]

My first long-term campaign was run in the Realms. I had been a fan of Ed Greenwood's articles in Dragon Magazine. I loved the backstory he had for all of his items, monsters, stories, etc. I made the mistake of telling one of my gamer friends "If this guy ever publishes his world, I'm buying it and we're starting a campaign that night."

Well, he did and I did--but only after my friend reminded me that I had said that!

My players were based in Waterdeep, with an early dungeon at Maiden's Tomb Tor. My only rule at the beginning was that none of their characters could be "locals," so we explored and created the city together. It got much easier when the Waterdeep city supplement came out.

I still have fond memories of that city. Here's one: the ancient, frail human lady who sold bread on the docks and was secretly the mastermind behind the local protection racket--how else could she walk around the toughest part of the city all day and night without protection?

Ah, good times.

 

[Pseudonym]

Halaster. I like my mages insane.

 

[Styracosaurus]

It is a very thorough setting.

1) When you pick up any book whether RPG or novel, the Forgotten Realms has a certain feel to it. You can immerse yourself into a well known place and not have to spend 200 pages of reading.

2) Historically, the Realms has been treated to some of the best artwork for any particular line of RPG books.

3) Back in the days of AD&D, the Realms' box sets marked the standard for how to build a campaign setting and world. All of the existing settings and all the subsequent settings have conformed to that standard.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Halaster. I like my mages insane.

Halaster was perfectly sane--just "misunderstood."

I really like Skullport, too. The guy that wrote that* didn't write any other D&D material.


*Edit: Joseph C. Wolf

 

[Psion]

Enough with the dislike. What do you like about the Forgotten Realms?

Forewarning: Haters will be reported.

Does that mean we can report "likers" in the "why don't you like" thread?

I like Undermountain. Nice big megadungeon with lots of cool rooms and lots of room to do my own thing, and lots of cool extras in the boxed sets.

The 3e FRCS book was, it seems to me, a great example of how to do a campaign setting, with plot hooks related to each featured region.

There were some cool magic ideas.

 

[Hussar]

The 2e FR Faiths and Avatars book was probably the best treatment of dieties in a setting ever. Just buckets of flavour goodness with some bloody excellent specialist priest ideas. Some very poor mechanics (yeah, let's let clerics cast all wizard spells as cleric spells *yikes*) but that's 2e for you. Overall, just a fantastic book.

 

[Psion]

The 2e FR Faiths and Avatars book was probably the best treatment of dieties in a setting ever.

Oooh, yeah, that too!

I remember after reading that thinking that should be the standard for Deity books forever after that.

Yet somehow in 3e, Wizards returns to the "Deity Monster Manual" format for Deities & Demigods. Why, WotC, Why!?

 

[megamania]

Though I don't play it I don't like mining for ideas-

1) Undermountain

2) Spellfire Channeler

3) 2e Zhentil Keep boxed set

4) The novels

5) Faiths and Avatars (I agree.... good book)


1-4 find direct influences in all of my game worlds. Faiths work as a good model for gods and the such in other game worlds.

 

[IronWolf]

There just seems to be something in the Forgotten Realms for any campaign I decide I want to run. I can easily find a place to situate it. When I first got back into D&D I set it over in The Vast just to put it in a slightly less detailed area. Worked great.

These days I tend to run in the Silver Marches. I love the sourcebook and I could build campaigns all day long with the hooks and possibilities in that region.

The Gray Box and 3rd edition campaign book were great. There were several other gems released in both eras - Volo's Guides, Undermountain and such and then Silver Marches, Faiths and Pantheons from the latter.