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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Demetrios1453" data-source="post: 7147765" data-attributes="member: 6801060">I tend to agree with much of this - especially the Netheril box. Some really intriguing ideas, totally lost among the dross of stupid names and some really poor ideas.I'll disagree with you on Maztica and the Horde though. I thought Maztica was an interesting addition to the setting, while the Horde - well, you have steppe horsemen, you're going to get a horde from time to time. And I very much like how it tied to both east and west.I'm a bit more forgiving towards Mulhorand and Unther though. I know that originally Greenwood said they had a bit of Egyptian and Mesopotamian flavor, and the author of Old Kingdoms just ran with it, but I'm not displeased with the final results. My main problem with that accessory is that the map was of a different scale from virtually all the rest of the maps published for the setting, so I couldn't include it when I decided to cover the floor with a dozen or so FR maps! (Shining South was the other big offender here).I do agree that pretty much any actual accessories done by Greenwood, or those who worked closely with him or obviously heavily influenced by him, are really what make the Realms unique. If you wanted to run a FR campaign, you could do far worse than just use the Volo's Guides alone - they are hugely in-depth, provide incredible immersion, and actually cover a substantial portion of the setting. My only complaint with them is that Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II, while obviously a cash-grab to tie into the video game, is just too short; it should have been a full-sized guide and completely covered all of Amn and Tethyr (and ditched the silly name - couldn't they have just put a blurb or something on the cover?). Oh, if only they had let Ed continue the series further... Beyond the Volo's Guides, there is a really good run in mid-to-late 2e where we get Eric Boyd's books on faiths and deities ("Wow, this makes specialty priests cool!" was one reaction a friend of mine had after reading them) and several nice boxed sets and accessories (Steven Schend's works come to mind here, as I loved his Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan stuff).</blockquote>

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