Why is Forgotten Realms your least favorite setting?

[Aaron L]

The Weave and Mystra. Mystra as a Lawful Neutral intelligence bound into and maintaining the integrity of space/time and the matrix that allows it to be altered as magic is a cool idea.
(My view of the Weave, the only way I can stomach it. I despise ideas of magic as an energy field. YMMV)
Mystra as Neutral Good ascended human who now has total control over magic is a good way to make the setting into a playground fairy tale waste where bad guys are meaningless.
Why are the Red Wizards of Thay still in existence? It says that Mystra can cut off mages if they cast spells she doesn't like. And she's NG. Makes no sense.

Other than that, I love the Realms.

 

[Greatwyrm]

Since I've never actually played in the realms, I don't really want to vote on this one. However, I think the stuff I've seen in 3ed for the Realms has been pretty darn good.

Most of the reason I don't end up playing in the Realms is it's reputation for munckinosity. Personally, I don't see that as a setting problem as much as a DM problem. If I ran the Realms, the PCs would probably never meet any of the NPCs everybody complains about anyway.

I guess another reason would be that I've never read any of the fiction. Same for DragonLance. Thus, I was never that "in to" the setting, aside from the rulebooks I picked up to see if there was anything I could use in other games.

 

[Desdichado]

I don't really hate the Realms, but I do have quibbles with it. I won't mention the mish-mash kleptomania feature of it, which Psion has enumerated on quite well already, but in addition to that, I don't like the power level of the PCs -- why do the regional feats give you a substantial equipment bonus over the standard chargen guidelines, for example? Oriental Adventures handled the same idea in a much better way, I think.

Oh, and in general, I just find the concepts uninspired. Not bad, just not good either. I want a setting that actually reaches up, grabs me by the ...er... throat (or something), pulls me to the ground and shouts "PLAY ME!" right in my face. The Realms, on the other hand, just kinda glances at me, shrugs and says "Whatever."

 

[TBoarder]

The Weave and Mystra. Mystra as a Lawful Neutral intelligence bound into and maintaining the integrity of space/time and the matrix that allows it to be altered as magic is a cool idea.
(My view of the Weave, the only way I can stomach it. I despise ideas of magic as an energy field. YMMV)
Mystra as Neutral Good ascended human who now has total control over magic is a good way to make the setting into a playground fairy tale waste where bad guys are meaningless.

I felt the exact same way with the 2nd edition Realms. I'm very impressed with how 3e took care of it though. Rather than doing the predictable and making Mystra neutral, they created the Shadow Weave. Sure, I don't quite understand why she's still allowing the Red Wizards to access the Weave, but with the Shadow Weave around, it's easier to come up with a reason (Such as knowing that if she stripped access to the Weave from the Red Wizards, they'd go to use the Shadow Weave, giving Shar more power. Better to keep them using something she has control over.)

 

[Blade!]

I like FR, but I am always dissappointed that they keep covering the same areas over and over. I want to see Durpar and the 5 Kingdoms of the Utter-East; I want to see Kara-Tur & the Hordelands; I want to see all those lands aside from the repeated Heartlands/North/Waterdeep & Calimshan areas.

 

[rounser]

You forgot Thar. It used to be an oD&D orc country in Mystara.

I think that you're confusing Thar with Thay.

Thay is an evil human mageocracy full of the Red Wizards of Thay on Faerun, whereas Thar is the Mystara Broken Lands kingdom of orcs, IIRC. Apart from the name, they have very little in common.

There is a link to Mystara though; Ed Greenwood wrote the Gazetteer for the Five Shires for the Known World, and apparently that's more similar to how he envisions Luiren than what got published about it in FR's the Shining South.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

i suxor.
rounser roxor.

 

[BOZ]

when is someone gonna do a greyhawk poll?


it's only fair...

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

I don't understand why so many people complain about the powerful NPC's. Why is it so unrealistic to assume that someone besides the PC's has gained a few levels? And who says these powerful NPC's ever need to show up at all? I've DM'd in the realms off and on for 5 or 6 years or so, and I think I've used Azoun once, and even then the PCs didn't even meet him.

Maybe such a thing was more widespread in the 2e modules or something, but I never used those, so I don't know. I know the avatar adventures were pretty bad in that respect...but the novels seemed damn cool when I was 10.

Yes, Elminster is a high level wizard. He's a staple of the campaign world because he's Ed Greenwood's alter ego, right down to the beard and all. Last I checked, Mordenkainen was Gygax's alter ego as well.

And I really don't see how a masterwork item or a potion or two is going to throw anything out of balance. It's just a convenient way of saying, "People from area A ride horses. People from area B are comfortable with magic. People from area C like to fight with scimitars"

 

[Heretic Apostate]

I think that you're confusing Thar with Thay.

Look near the Moonsea. There is a land called Thar. Is it the same information? No idea.

Me, back when I was trying to roleplay, I liked the Realms because it had so many ideas to steal. If I had to DM, would I use the Realms? Not a chance. Too much stuff. But the ideas!!!

Of course, I'd steal from Planescape, Dark Sun, SpellJammer (though more from the 3E conversion, I think), Birthright, Dragonlance, Oriental Adventures, Maztica, Al-Qadim, and so on.

But since I'll soon have absolutely NO roleplaying material (aside from the fact that I'm keeping some 0D&D computer games, and the Birthright and first Dark Sun computer game), it's a moot point.