D&D 5E Why does VGTM has so little to do with FR?

[Uchawi]

In other words, it's a huge generic monster sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite.

 

[gyor]

I hear ya, but they seem to not be making much of a distinction between generic and setting specific anymore: which makes sense in light of the Gameholecon comments about their approach to a unified assumed setting.

The problem with that is that its makes things really confusing and makes a mess with Forgotten Realms lore, it feels like retcons, except you can't be sure.

 

[gyor]

In other words, it's a huge generic monster sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite.

Which is fine, but don't market it as an FR book.

Their is a VGTM guide for AL, with little blurbs of varying usefulness you have to add to your backgrounds if you want to play VGTM races.

VGTM makes it clear that we need a FRCG to provide clarity.

 

[Captain Panda]

...how is it misleading? It's some guy's musings on monsters, and it delivers extremely well in that regard. If you want FR specific content, they've already delivered that.

 

[dave2008]

After reading the various deity lore sections in VGtM, I kind of expected that there was someone there like that. For the most part, the book hit all the right deity lore notes, especially, as being discussed, in the goblinoid section (which, since 3e, has basically, and boringly, been Maglubiyet with a few mentions of Hruggek). The whole section on Raxivort in the xvart section was surprising to see as well. The only deities really missing in the book were the beholder deities (which, given how egocentric they are, is not surprising) and the hag deity Cegilune (which, given the re-envisioning of hags as fey, is fine - if necessary Cegilune can simply be changed into an archfey patron like what has been done with Titania and the Queen of Air and Darkness). This certainly bodes well, in my opinion, for future monster lore books like this, where long-ignored deities and pantheons may make their reappearance (for example, will we finally see Saridor properly listed with the other draconic deities instead of an afterthought?)

Personally I wanted more on Kobold deities.

 

[Demetrios1453]

The problem with that is that its makes things really confusing and makes a mess with Forgotten Realms lore, it feels like retcons, except you can't be sure.

Well, that's Volo for you - you know the guy whose picture is next to "unreliable narrator" in the dictionary.

If you're wanting a book filled with facts that are unassailable in their truth, you're not going to get one with Volo's name on the cover.

 

[gyor]

Well, that's Volo for you - you know the guy whose picture is next to "unreliable narrator" in the dictionary.

If you're wanting a book filled with facts that are unassailable in their truth, you're not going to get one with Volo's name on the cover.

Excellent point, but when you don't even have a FRCG that is a luxury one can not afford as it will just confuse people.

 

[Blue]

Also note that the book isn't called "Volos guide to FR monsters".

Actually, it is. The association with the Forgotten Realms appears right in the title, as the word "Volo". He's been doing travelogues of the Forgotten Realms for decades.

It's disingenuous to claim that Volo isn't associated with the Realms. It would be really easy to have a non-FR title, so it's a intentional decision.

If you bought a book labelled "Queen Elizabeth's Country" and it was about Ecuador, you'd be rather surprised. (Perhaps pleasantly so, but it would still not be what you expected.)

 

[Demetrios1453]

Actually, it is. The association with the Forgotten Realms appears right in the title, as the word "Volo". He's been doing travelogues of the Forgotten Realms for decades.

It's disingenuous to claim that Volo isn't associated with the Realms. It would be really easy to have a non-FR title, so it's a intentional decision.

If you bought a book labelled "Queen Elizabeth's Country" and it was about Ecuador, you'd be rather surprised. (Perhaps pleasantly so, but it would still not be what you expected.)

Not necessarily. What if it was about Ecuador from 1559 - 1568, when Elizabeth of Valois was Queen-Consort of Spain (which ruled Ecuador at the time)?

 

[Parmandur]

In other words, it's a huge generic monster sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite.

If you are under a head, I suppose so.