Why Do You Like the Forgotten Realms?
- Thread starter TarionzCousin
- Start date
The history. There are like 36,000 years of written history. That's pretty cool.
The magic. It's an odd mix of the medieval feel, with characters getting a chance to learn some cool spells and a real emphasis on the whole teacher/student thing.
It's big. There's something for everyone.
Because it's big, there are lots of characters...not only 1st lvl commoners, but also lvl 28 archmagi. That's cool. The world isn't static, and it's not waiting around for the PCs. Further, the PCs can't just choose to run roughshod over everyone else. Many other settings have population levels that just seem unrealistically low.
Just about everything in D&D can fit there...somewhere.
I like the amount of ruined cultures. It really gives the world a "lived in" feel.
I'm reading Swords of Eveningstar at the moment, and it really brings me back to the Grey Box feel of FR, which is I think one of the times I liked best.
The 3.0 FRCS was probably the best campaign set ting book I've seen.
Banshee
The magic. It's an odd mix of the medieval feel, with characters getting a chance to learn some cool spells and a real emphasis on the whole teacher/student thing.
It's big. There's something for everyone.
Because it's big, there are lots of characters...not only 1st lvl commoners, but also lvl 28 archmagi. That's cool. The world isn't static, and it's not waiting around for the PCs. Further, the PCs can't just choose to run roughshod over everyone else. Many other settings have population levels that just seem unrealistically low.
Just about everything in D&D can fit there...somewhere.
I like the amount of ruined cultures. It really gives the world a "lived in" feel.
I'm reading Swords of Eveningstar at the moment, and it really brings me back to the Grey Box feel of FR, which is I think one of the times I liked best.
The 3.0 FRCS was probably the best campaign set ting book I've seen.
Banshee
Hunter In Darkness
First Post
The Realms to me is a living breathing setting. It is loaded with past and a rich history. Everywhere you look you can find proof of that histy and how it still effects the world.
I love the vast detailing , you can feel the setting. You take any reagion and its like a breathing place. I like having that history that level of detail and thought put into a setting. I want to be part of that, I want to make stories and adventures for that so my players can be part of that richness.
I like a living breathing world with a rich full history
I'll agree with some of the others here as well to me Faiths and Avatars 2e was how a god book should be made. I use it to this day. And the 3.0 FRCS is to me the book all setting books are measured against.
I love the vast detailing , you can feel the setting. You take any reagion and its like a breathing place. I like having that history that level of detail and thought put into a setting. I want to be part of that, I want to make stories and adventures for that so my players can be part of that richness.
I like a living breathing world with a rich full history
I'll agree with some of the others here as well to me Faiths and Avatars 2e was how a god book should be made. I use it to this day. And the 3.0 FRCS is to me the book all setting books are measured against.
Hella_Tellah
Explorer
My exposure is mainly from 3rd Edition, but here goes:
- Prestige classes that are well integrated with the setting.
- Corollary: lots of organizations PCs can join, which is a nice way to indicate to the GM what kinds of missions you want to be sent on.
- Multiple flavors for arcanists. Thayan Red Wizards, Shar worshiping shadow weave users, that one type of mostly-ladies locational magic that I forget the name of just now...
- Lots of content I can easily re-flavor and present as something different in another setting. The material in Planescape or Ravenloft, for instance, doesn't port nearly as well.
- Bards are cool and make sense in the world.
- As a player, I've always got something new I can read to whet my appetite between games.
- There are numerous portals to Sigil, so I can play in my favorite setting.
I keed, I keed!
- Licensing the Forgotten Realms IP has kept D&D alive and thriving through the lean years, and I'm very thankful for that.
Kaiyanwang
Adventurer
It's full of gold. Races, cultures, inspiring organizations (both good and evil). Magic items, spells, additional rules for magic.
Mythals. Portals. Weave. Shadow Weave. Fearzess. Underdark.
And history of NPCs, organizations, cities, races and special places is an huge fount of inspiration.
Gold. I used a lot of that material in non-FR campaigns too.
(ahem: I'm referring to the 3.0 - 3.5 FR. I'm a 3.5/PF player).
Mythals. Portals. Weave. Shadow Weave. Fearzess. Underdark.
And history of NPCs, organizations, cities, races and special places is an huge fount of inspiration.
Gold. I used a lot of that material in non-FR campaigns too.
(ahem: I'm referring to the 3.0 - 3.5 FR. I'm a 3.5/PF player).
I like that you can use the setting as a bad example for just about everything 
I'm also quite sure that it inspired settings that are actually good because they tried to be different from the Forgotten Realms.
I guess, its popularity has also played its part in growing the hobby. Clearly D&D wouldn't be what it is today, if it hadn't been for the Realms. It constituted a vanilla setting that made it ideal to introduce new players interested in fantasy of any kind. It also inspired some great artwork.
I'm also quite sure that it inspired settings that are actually good because they tried to be different from the Forgotten Realms.
I guess, its popularity has also played its part in growing the hobby. Clearly D&D wouldn't be what it is today, if it hadn't been for the Realms. It constituted a vanilla setting that made it ideal to introduce new players interested in fantasy of any kind. It also inspired some great artwork.
Peraion Graufalke
First Post
The AD&D FR "Old Gray Box" was my first campaign setting. It's a big sandbox with some areas that are well detailed and lots of space for including your homebrew stuff. Nice artwork and maps, many ruins and fallen realms, and an interesting pantheon (pre-Time of Troubles 
). No shortage of monsters and bad guys. Also: nostalgia. 
The 4e Realms went back to the sandbox style. The post-Spellplague world is very dangerous and really needs heroes. The vast majority of powerful NPCs are villains.
). No shortage of monsters and bad guys. Also: nostalgia. The 4e Realms went back to the sandbox style. The post-Spellplague world is very dangerous and really needs heroes. The vast majority of powerful NPCs are villains.
I liked FR 1e. Didn't mind 2e FR. HATED 3e FR. Love 4e FR.
I consider them all to be quite different settings. Names were kept but otherwise the setting's tone changed significantly throughout each edition.
Currently I like 4e FR because it's so broken, new, interesting and dynamic. It's a setting that is genuinely ripe with potential for any DM who wants to use established material but still make the world their own through the adventures of the PC's. You can literally throw a dart blindfolded a map of FR and do a quick spot of reading and have a plethora of adventure hooks and spurs ready at a moment's notice. This is something I never felt I could do with FR.
I consider them all to be quite different settings. Names were kept but otherwise the setting's tone changed significantly throughout each edition.
Currently I like 4e FR because it's so broken, new, interesting and dynamic. It's a setting that is genuinely ripe with potential for any DM who wants to use established material but still make the world their own through the adventures of the PC's. You can literally throw a dart blindfolded a map of FR and do a quick spot of reading and have a plethora of adventure hooks and spurs ready at a moment's notice. This is something I never felt I could do with FR.
