D&D 5E Why Forgotten Realms is Loved

[Ralif Redhammer]

My love of the Realms in no small part began with seeing the giant maps in the grey box spread out in front of me.

I loved the tantalizing hints and hooks of adventure wherever the players wanted to go. The ruins of fallen civilizations, strange magics, the plotting Red Wizards and Zhentarim, the bustling cities. I can practically smell Waterdeep.

I’ll also mention the Underdark, which I love as an adventure setting. While it existed prior to Forgotten Realms, what we think of as it today was developed and refined there.

It has ever nicer maps.

 

[JeffB]

Zhentarim- before Cyric and destruction of Zhentil Keep and all that jazz. I liken them to Thulsa Doom's cronies.

The AD&D Maps (2e were prettiest, but I prefer the sparse nature of the originals).

*If* I want more details, about anything, they most likely can be found.

It is easy to plug and play most outside materials. There is usually a region that will fit without too much work. For example, I recently plugged in the city of Khromarium and The Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent (an AS&SH adventure set in "hyperborea") and the Vilhon Reach was a natural fit.

I do like that there are fewer "nations" and many places are large or small City-State type regions. The Savage Frontier, The Moonsea, The Western Heartlands, The Vast, etc.

FR1s Lankhmar like vibe.

The large and varied pantheon (though I don't like how they have become like character's in Realms Canon-sorry for the neg)

I enjoy Ed's actual game works. Volos guides..Haunted Halls (want to see whole thing though!), FR1, Els Guide (and The Realms as presented originally in there).

Pool of Radiance on my Commodore 64

If I have a plot idea, but not details, I can usually find the right pre-made antagonists/organization, some sort of history/lore/fluff that supports/reinforces the idea, a proper town/city/geographic feature/dungeon to work with/fit it into, etc. IOW, when I don't have time to weave something out of whole cloth, or have a mental block, I can usually grab a FR book of some sort and things start to fall into place.

 

[L R Ballard]

FR1s Lankhmar like vibe.

Yes. It's like when lazy Saturday afternoon graph paper scribbles and a child's imagination combine to make a city come to life . . .

 

[Mercurius]

I love how at its heart it is the homebrew D&D world of an eccentric nerdy teenager, who eventually grew a big beard and became an eccentric nerdy middle aged man. Meanwhile, hundreds have added to that world, and millions have played in it.

 

[amerigoV]

Heh - just picked up a complete FR Gray Box at half price books for $7.50 - that's something to love even if you hate FR.

 

[JeffB]

Heh - just picked up a complete FR Gray Box at half price books for $7.50 - that's something to love even if you hate FR.

Congrats!

1e or the 2e revised with Elminster on the cover?

Either are a score at that price, but just curious.

 

[amerigoV]

Congrats!

1e or the 2e revised with Elminster on the cover?

Either are a score at that price, but just curious.

This one:

 

[JeffB]

This one:

Original and still the best, IMO!

And a steal at that price.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

(((since I'm always down on the realms, I think it only fair I say some nice things)))

Depth of history, not just as in they have a lot, but quality of it. Ed and the others who added on later really got the epic feel down. Finally is I love the multi pantheon aproch with the overgod over them...I totally steal it for like 1/3 of my hombrew worlds.

 

[Xeviat]

My guess is that it's loved for the same reason I don't care for it: people are familiar with the setting. FR has had many novels and a lot of history written about it. If you've been reading those books (beyond the 6 or so Drizzt books I've read I'd say), you're likely familiar enough with the setting for it to really feel like home. I'm not too familiar with it, so I'm not really comfortable running in it; I'd rather run my own setting.