D&D 5E (2014) Why FR Is "Hated"

[Caliban]

A few of us are from the WoTC and have "known" each other for years. Mirtek for example was 2003 or 2001 on the WotC forums and he is from Germany.

And? I should be insulted because I haven't done years of research on people who post on a Rules Forum ? Please.

ccs is the one who decided they wanted to play the "I'm a better person than you" passive/aggressive insult game and escalate the situation.

Don't try to make excuses for them.

 

[Zardnaar]

And? I should be insulted because I haven't done years of research on people who post on a Rules Forum ? Please.

ccs is the one who decided they wanted to play the "I'm a better person than you" passive/aggressive insult game and escalate the situation.

Don't try to make excuses for them.

I'm not you guys can play your fun and games he said/she said things. Just saying that after a while you tend to learn things about certain posters and their posting style.

 

[Caliban]

I'm not you guys can play your fun and games he said/she said things. Just saying that after a while you tend to learn things about certain posters and their posting style.

OK. You are just saying this thing...and it in no way is a comment on any discussion I've been having, but you want to make sure I know it.

Is that about right?

 

[Hussar]

That is unfair. You are only ignoring that which doesn't concern your campaign in the immediate present. You would need to know a handful of deities (including the ones your characters selected). As the setting grows around the campaign, so to can you add more deities/lore should you desire and are capable to.

Do I need to use all of them before it is called a FR campaign? Wheren't you defending @pemerton just recently regarding his right to call his campaign a GH campaign even though he had imported the Towers of Sorcery and Krynn's 3 moons?

Bit apples and oranges though isn't it? Adding a minor element (and yes, a single wizard organization and a couple of moons isn't exactly a huge addition) to a setting isn't exactly a radical alteration. Stripping out 99% of the setting material is a somewhat larger change.

And, again, this idea of "only bring it in when you need it" ignores the fact that I have to know that material in the first place[/i]. IOW, in order to know those handful of dieties, I have to learn what's available. Which means I have to choose from those hundred or so deities at the outset in order to know which ones I can safely ignore. I mean, if I don't know anything about Bane and there is no mention of Bane in my Forgotten Realms campaign, that's a pretty big omission. If I'm leaving out Bane simply because I don't know anything about Bane, then, well, I'm missing a lot of what makes the Realms unique.

 

[Zardnaar]

OK. You are just saying this thing...and it in no way is a comment on any discussion I've been having, but you want to make sure I know it.

Is that about right?

More or less. Its just a thing on the boards and when you plug into the hivemind.

I used to lurk here years ago and most people knew who Gary Gygax's screen name was for example when he posted here.

 

[Hussar]

Exactly! Even starting back in 1st Edition, only the popular or most prominent gods were introduced. The rest only mattered in the game if they were relevant to your campaign. It just seems like people feel/felt compelled to know or keep track of additional material in general in order for their version of the Realms to be 'authentic' when that needn't be the case.

It's like...going to a banquet and the feasting table is packed. Do you decry all the food there you can't eat or do you, logically, take what you want most and leave the rest for the other guests?

I wonder, do people go to public libraries and lose their minds because they can't possibly read every book that's on the shelves?

Again, apples and oranges though. I don't need to read every book in a library in order to enjoy books. Nor do I need to read several books first before I can actually read the book I want to enjoy. But, let's run with this analogy. I don't read fantasy for the most part precisely because of this trend. Far too many fantasy door stopper books out there. I'm just not interested. I read the first two A Song of Fire and Ice books and never bothered with the rest. Too much of a slog.

Now, imagine that every time you went to the library, before you could check out the book you want to read, you must read three or four reference books before hand. Before you pick up whatever novel you like, you need to read three hundred pages of background material. Would you keep going to the library? I don't think so.

 

[Caliban]

Again, apples and oranges though. I don't need to read every book in a library in order to enjoy books. Nor do I need to read several books first before I can actually read the book I want to enjoy. But, let's run with this analogy. I don't read fantasy for the most part precisely because of this trend. Far too many fantasy door stopper books out there. I'm just not interested. I read the first two A Song of Fire and Ice books and never bothered with the rest. Too much of a slog.

Now, imagine that every time you went to the library, before you could check out the book you want to read, you must read three or four reference books before hand. Before you pick up whatever novel you like, you need to read three hundred pages of background material. Would you keep going to the library? I don't think so.

Except...no one is making you do this with the Forgotten Realms. If you don't have the supplements with the extra info and don't feel like researching them online...don't.

Use what you have and ignore the rest.

Why is this not an acceptable answer? I'm truly confused.

 

[Caliban]

More or less. Its just a thing on the boards and when you plug into the hivemind.

I used to lurk here years ago and most people knew who Gary Gygax's screen name was for example when he posted here.

Wow. So you are telling me - in no uncertain terms - that people who talk to each other learn things about each other?

Thank you for this random bit of unsolicited information that is in no way a reference to anything anyone else has been saying.

I certainly feel more educated now.

 

[Hussar]

Except...no one is making you do this with the Forgotten Realms. If you don't have the supplements with the extra info and don't feel like researching them online...don't.

Use what you have and ignore the rest.

Why is this not an acceptable answer? I'm truly confused.

I'm not explaining myself well.

AFAIK, the primary draw of Forgotten Realms IS the wealth of support the Realms have. Outside of that, what does FR actually offer? It doesn't have a library of classic modules (like Greyhawk), it doesn't have a strong theme (like Ravenloft or Planescape), it doesn't have any unique hooks (like Eberron or Al-Quadim).

FR is a pretty vanilla setting. Once you take away that mountain of material, what does it actually offer me that I cannot get from any other setting? That's the point I keep trying to make.

The prime selling point of FR is the setting material. Take that away (because for me, that's not a selling point but a non-starter), and there's nothing left.

Everyone here keeps starting from the position of "I like the Realms, why don't you?" I don't dislike the Realms to be honest. I'm utterly ambivalent. I save my dislike for Planescape. But, even then, I can appreciate the aesthetics of Planescape. I could take Planescape, strip out 99% of the setting material and still run a recognizably Planescape campaign, simply by leveraging the themes of the setting. I could have a PS campaign that never travels to Sigil, uses a completely different cosmology, none of the factions, and it would STILL be instantly recognizable as a Planescape campaign.

Strip out the setting material from Forgotten Realms and I have a bog standard, stock, D&D campaign.

 

[MoonSong]

Well good for you.

I, on the other hand, don't cyberstalk people on forums. It's kinda creepy.

Over time you get to know posters that pop-up frequently. From how they post what they post about, how often do they post, and over time you kinda learn a lot of stuff. Forums are a social thing. But don't worry, you aren't being judged or anything, you seem like a protective sensitive guy, in fact I'm thinking of adding you to my to-hug-list.