D&D 5E Why Forgotten Realms is Loved

[Irennan]

My 2c

The Realms feel like a living world to me. It's so full of history, detail and lore to discover (and intrigues/mysteries left hidden within that lore), that it's like visiting a world that has seen eras being shaped by people and icons, each region with its own history and flavor. Not only that, but the richness in details about people and factions pursuing their own goals makes the world feel alive, as if it kept ticking even when you're not watching or playing in it. There are also some characters or gods or nations that I really, *really* like, so they contribute to my fondness of the setting too; but the general reason is that which I have described. While other settings can feel alive too, none of the D&D settings can provide that kind of feeling, as far as I've seen. In short, the iconic part of the Realms is how deep the characterization of the world and its history goes.

 

[gyor]

Yeah, I love how alive the setting feels.

 

[Henry]

At first, I really didn't like the Forgotten Realms; all the complaints people used to have about every little corner being overly detailed, I took to heart, and preferred my homebrew settings.

However, what changed my mind in about 2000 was playing with a DM who (1) was very focused on immersive character detail, who (2) used his encyclopedic knowledge of the setting to breathe life into it and gave us a strong appreciation for it. Every town we went to, every bar, every unique feature he brought out in detail, using backstory to give everything a very active, "lived-in" feel. he Star Warred it up for us, making us feel like we lived there and that there was always something going on in an interesting way all the time. I am still appreciative today for the different perspective he gave me on the setting.

 

[Li Shenron]

I am not a hardcore FR fan, but I like it as a DM because:

- it's fairly generic, and thus perfect for traditional 'vanilla' D&D, especially when playing with beginners or casual players

- the material available is huge... lots of different regions each one with own theme, maps can be easily found online

- very easy to get adventure inspirations just by reading about some power organizations, some famous NPCs, or deity and pantheons of the realms

The main downside is the high chance of having a player who already knows a lot (always more than me at least) and can anticipate things or criticize inconsistencies, so I always make sure to mention that it will be my own adaptation of FR, not a faithful rendition

I also hate the metaplot, especially when dictated by edition rules changes, but I just ignore it completely.

 

[The_Gunslinger658]

I use the Realms campaign setting but many of the major NPC's are nonexistent. To that end, if a player starts gobbing off about his knowledge of the realms, I will just tell him right off that he can either put a muzzle on it or leave the game. I use the realms, but I make it my own. Fortunantly, in my 25 odd years of DM'ing, I have never encountered such know it all players.

I am not a hardcore FR fan, but I like it as a DM because:

- it's fairly generic, and thus perfect for traditional 'vanilla' D&D, especially when playing with beginners or casual players

- the material available is huge... lots of different regions each one with own theme, maps can be easily found online

- very easy to get adventure inspirations just by reading about some power organizations, some famous NPCs, or deity and pantheons of the realms

The main downside is the high chance of having a player who already knows a lot (always more than me at least) and can anticipate things or criticize inconsistencies, so I always make sure to mention that it will be my own adaptation of FR, not a faithful rendition

I also hate the metaplot, especially when dictated by edition rules changes, but I just ignore it completely.