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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Nov 2016 : 04:02:22
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Not so much 'under a rock' - I'm just not the fan/Tabletop gamer I used to be.
I'm starting up an RPG right now, that is a post-apocalyptic mash-up, but I'm using homebrew rules as well, so yeah, I'm "out of the loop", as it were, in regards to both D&D and The Forgotten Realms.
I stopped at a game store the other day - a new one opened up right in my neighborhood. Seems the 'big thing' around here right now are all these squad-based battle games. Since I lost my WH and WM armies in a fire, I've had no desire to play another mini game right now (although some of those games look freakin' awesome!) 
I did ask, and they did say they had some D&D games going on the weekends. Perhaps I'll stop back when I have more time. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 22 Nov 2016 17:40:12 |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4430 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2016 : 08:31:47
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| Well FWIW the basic rules and basic DM guide are free online so I'd say it's worth a look even just to see what the fuss is about. And like I said, the ease of porting adventures from other editions is a breeze. |
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Cyrinishad
Learned Scribe
300 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2016 : 14:54:53
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I'm going to go ahead and drop my two cents in on this scroll, and perhaps unsurprisingly, voice my support for FR as a Nexus of D&D Realities... Everyone should be proud that with each AP publication the Forgotten Realms setting is clearly being reinforced as the "Heart" of D&D and the Multiverse. As with anything, we all have our personal critiques of the details & execution (myself included), but I continue to be pleased with the Forgotten Realms as the Vanguard World for the game... |
To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. -Socrates
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. -Dr. Seuss |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2016 : 15:32:28
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| A setting can be the foremost setting for a game without having to acquire elements from other settings. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe
Ireland
705 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2016 : 16:03:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
A setting can be the foremost setting for a game without having to acquire elements from other settings.
This! Good Man! |
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien
*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2016 : 17:49:29
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"You can't stop progress."
Even when said 'progress' sucks.
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
Well FWIW the basic rules and basic DM guide are free online so I'd say it's worth a look even just to see what the fuss is about. And like I said, the ease of porting adventures from other editions is a breeze.
I was running a 5e game - it was the last campaign I ran, which ended abruptly about a year ago. I stated repeatedly (awhile back) that I think 5e is a solid rules system, that captures a lot of the flavor of several past editions. I just didn't realize others would take to it as well (considering the 'rabid fanboism' I saw for Pathfinder four years back).
A few years ago I might have been angry about whats happening to the Realms, but I just don't have that level of 'emotional attachment' to it anymore. 1e/2e/3e is one thing, 4e FR was something else, and 5e FR is something 'new'. I don't even really consider this new version 'The Realms' anymore. Its just a game setting now.
So why do I bother to map it? because I want to inspire others to recapture that feeling I once had. Because I enjoy working on maps, and I know FR better than any other world I could map. Because i enjoy hearing the praise from others. And most of all, now I can truly 'make it my own' without worrying about canon, because canon has become 'whatever we make it'. The level of frustration I once felt when I thought something 'looked wrong' is not any issue any more - I can 'correct it', without any guilt. Its like being able to eat all I want and not get fat (still working on THAT one LOL). |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2390 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 00:13:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul
I've heard something about Acererak is in the Jungles of Chult.
No one commented on this, but that's not completely random. There was a guy named Ras Nsi in Chult (The Ring of Winter).
Apparently, every immortal necromancer who can tell his arse from two skulls is Acererak now.
"Why, oh Ubtao, why?" Either because
A. <insert heavy breathing here> (it's sadly common - for example, in D&D3 see spiky chains, "eldritchtchtch" and "everyone is a dragon's bastard"), or
B. "one... two... too many!" (see also: D&D4)
- the result is the same.
quote:
Please God don't let FR become a dumping ground.
Too late, D&D5 already does this. The trend was here long ago, of course, just not the official policy. |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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Lukas Kain
Seeker
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 01:03:11
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I love the accessibility of 5th edition, but I have to say that overall I'm not crazy about it. I feel like what they were going for was the accessibility route (which is fine of course, bring new people in), but they ended up dumbing so much of it down. I mean the creatures in the Monster Manual have become just blocks of hit points and one or two different ways to deal damage. Dragons used to be some of the coolest and most interesting monsters because they were super-geniuses, inherently-powerful (at later stages) spellcasters who even when you took that away could still bite and claw your eyes out, not to mention breathe whatever element at you. Now they're just big lizards unless you use the spellcasting variant, and even then it's only a few spells. Demons have always been one of my favorite "bad guys", but so much of the flavor has been stripped from them: Barl-guras used to be the abductors of people, demons could always teleport, etc. I get that it's much easier to put things together, but -everything- has a set and immutable stat block: Archmages, city guards, just any creature, and I never saw any set rules on how to advance them, so if you're looking for, say a bear of "extraordinary size and ability", what do you do? Maybe I haven't read enough into it and I've never actually played a 5th edition game, but it just seems to me like it's lacking in complexity.
And I'll mirror what people have been saying and agree that mixing the settings, in the published world, is really dumb and lacking in creativity. I know that the Realms have borrowed people and things, but I feel like now too much is fair game. I don't mind reading about the spells and such people from other worlds made, but let the celebrities of Greyhawk or wherever stay in Greyhawk. Faerun has a host of amazing and interesting characters, and I'd like to hear about and from all of them instead. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4430 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 04:38:01
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| I wouldn't say a stat block is immutable, it's something that's a quick reference. If someone wants to add spells to to a Dragon, go ahead and do that the game won't suffer for it. The thing is, the game isn't going specifically point out what you can/can't do for every situation or encounter. It gives you some tools, some quick blurbs, and some inspiration but it's not going to paint the whole darn thing. |
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Cyrinishad
Learned Scribe
300 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 14:59:51
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Please do not mistake my support for the Forgotten Realms being tied to other settings in the Multiverse as somehow being supportive of creative laziness, or an embrace of turning the Realms into some sort of generic dumping ground for every recycled idea under the sun. We are all sorely in need of content that reinforces the uniqueness of the Realms, and reminds fans like us of why it ignited our imaginations, and has kept families like mine playing D&D in the Realms for 30+ years... Editions are temporary, the Realms are forever.
My expectation at this point is that we will see a progression of AP publications that tie the Realms to each D&D setting (whether we like it or not). At that point, it is my sincere hope that they will shift gears and expand on each setting independently of each other, and the Realms can get back to being the Realms. As always, I will remain optimistic. |
To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. -Socrates
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. -Dr. Seuss |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 15:57:26
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@TBeholder - We also had the quasi-canonical Kyuss, who was also a port-over from Greyhawk in Chult, in the Age of Worms Adventure Path. I say 'Quasi-canonical' because Kyuss is canon to GH, but the AoW AP had an FR conversion* (which was quite good). I even included the locations from that on my Chult map some years back. Since that AP is one of only two AP's that Paizo cannot attach to its Pathfinder/Golarion game directly (being jointly owned by the two companies, which is a sad "this will never see the light of day again" publishing limbo), WotC may be trying to do a similar thing using Acererak in Chult.
The other, of course, is the Isle of Dread, which WotC owns completely, but because of Paizo's 'visiting' it in their magazine, is also now a tricky subject. That one was also quite good (Paizo always did a better job at updating these old gems than WotC ever could).
@Lukas Kain - see, this is why WotC has had so much trouble figuring out what the fans 'like'. I myself am happy with the dumbing-down of the dragons. I NEVER used one in my games, because I thought they were WAY too OP (I could kill a party of lev. 20's with a kobold, if I really wanted to). Now, using FR as a base, we could think of dragons as two different things - an ancient, mysterious, POWERFUL race (capable of magic with genius IQ's), that has all but died-out in the distant past (the whole 'King-Killer Star' thing). The 'modern' ones are mere shadow of their former, glorious selves. That doesn't mean our hands are tied - quite the contrary - 5e leaves it open for the DMs to do whatever they want (so if you want a 'throwback'/survivor to still be around, then do so). It also means that a group of level 5's don't have automatic TPK when they meet a dragon, so it allows DM's of Dungeon & Dragons to actually USE dragons much earlier in their campaigns.
I didn't use Fiends either, at least, not the 'arch' types. But the same applies there (and is how I had pictured using them - most are just lowbie 'minion' types, and you could pull a 'special' out when you need one, and give it as much flavor as YOU want).
@Cyrinishad - Much the same sentiment, but I lack the 'hope' you have. So long as a large corporation is holding the keys to the kingdom, we will never see the finesse we once saw in regards to D&D settings... ANY OF THEM. Just remember the 'Old Realms' fondly, and accept that 5e FR is "just a game setting". Unless a miracle happens (like EG winning lotto), there is no real hope of things ever 'going back to how they were'.
*Since I've mentioned this conversion (AoW FR), I'd like to ask if anyone ever made a copy of that. It used to be available for free download on the Paizo site, but then they took it down after their falling-out with WotC. Does anyone still have this? I used to have a copy of it on my hard drive, but that comp. burned and I can't get this info anymore.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 23 Nov 2016 16:02:04 |
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Stormlord
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 16:35:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
*Since I've mentioned this conversion (AoW FR), I'd like to ask if anyone ever made a copy of that. It used to be available for free download on the Paizo site, but then they took it down after their falling-out with WotC. Does anyone still have this? I used to have a copy of it on my hard drive, but that comp. burned and I can't get this info anymore.
Greetings,
The conversion pdfs are still available on Paizo. They're stored away in the Dungeon Magazine download section.
Found here
The specific issues that pertain to the Age of Worms are: #124 through #135, also do not forget to download the Age of Worms Overload as it contains an overview of the whole Adventure Path. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 20:55:31
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Thank you so much, Stormlord! 
EDIT:
I was just looking through that AP - which I sadly never got to run - and one of the 'big bads' is called 'The Harbinger'. Its a powerful Spellweaver Lich. 
Hmmmmm... that just screams 'Jergal' to me.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 26 Nov 2016 05:36:34 |
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore
1621 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2016 : 21:05:27
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I don't mind some crossovers and intersetting connections, its the same multiverse after all, but this is getting to the point where there will need to be a second Sundering to split Toril and Oerth like Toril & Abier were split at this rate.
I can see the 6th edition realms now, AO goofed when splitting Toril and Abier, he sent Toril into gentle colliding with Oerth and Abier into Athas, so now he needs to do a new Sundering all over again, where he accident sends Toril colliding into Eberron and Abier into Mystarra, setting things up for 7th edition ;p
I kid, but their really over doing it. 5e is really great in a lot of ways, but their starting to ****up things now.
And Volo's guide makes it worse, it feels like more Greyhawk connections then Forgotten Realms connections. Its a great book, but its been deceiptfully marketed.
Volo's Guides stand for something, and this book has great content, but its not really a Volo's Guide at all.
I'll add more details in the VGTM thread here. |
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farinal
Learned Scribe
Turkey
270 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2016 : 13:17:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Not so much 'under a rock' - I'm just not the fan/Tabletop gamer I used to be.
I'm starting up an RPG right now, that is a post-apocalyptic mash-up, but I'm using homebrew rules as well, so yeah, I'm "out of the loop", as it were, in regards to both D&D and The Forgotten Realms.
I stopped at a game store the other day - a new one opened up right in my neighborhood. Seems the 'big thing' around here right now are all these squad-based battle games. Since I lost my WH and WM armies in a fire, I've had no desire to play another mini game right now (although some of those games look freakin' awesome!)
I did ask, and they did say they had some D&D games going on the weekends. Perhaps I'll stop back when I have more time.
In my country and city right now Sigmar is the hottest thing along with old Warhammer Fantasy and 40k but I can tell you stuff like X-Wing, Infinity and even old Mordheim has a certain appeal to many people since they involve less miniatures and it is more accessible and cheap to start to play instead of building a huge army.
But to return to the main topic sadly the roleplaying scene is mostly overtaken by Paizo here since the 4E days and they have regularly Pathfinder Society games yet there are no D&D AL games at all. But I think 5E sold fairly well even in my country, Turkey because I saw PHB and other core books in general bookstores which is normally a very strange sight to see a RPG book there. The community here has always been a more private game oriented so that could be the reason there are no AL games going on.
But yeah in general globally, 5E surprassed Paizo big time I think and I am glad it did. I really like this edition. |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2390 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2016 : 04:49:50
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quote:
Originally posted by farinal
In my country and city right now Sigmar is the hottest thing along with old Warhammer Fantasy and 40k but I can tell you stuff like X-Wing, Infinity and even old Mordheim has a certain appeal to many people since they involve less miniatures and it is more accessible and cheap to start to play instead of building a huge army.
This rises key question: "hot" as in actually in demand, or "hot" as in most over-the-top promoted?
I have seen not a lot of good said about Sigmar, and some mentions of how shops are stuck with it (with some microsoft grade arm twisting) and desperately pushing it. |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2016 : 05:56:54
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I think Warmachine started the this trend toward smaller, squad-based minis games. I know things like Mordheim existed before WM (and I still kick myself for not buying that when it was available), but they were just a sub-genre; side-stuff for people who mostly played Warhammer. Once Warmachine became the 'it' minis game (because of the lower entry-point cost), everyone tried to jump onto the bandwagon with their own tactical game, even Reaper miniatures. I've been playing the WotC MtG minis game Planeswalkers, which is pretty-good, for my minis fix (got t for x-mas last year). Its based off the now-defunct Heroscape game, which died-off, sadly. I used to buy the booster packs for that just for D&D.
Years ago we used to play a nifty weird crossbreed game that was squad-based, but also had some RPG elements to it, called Fire, Hack, & Run. You could use the rules for just about any genre (they were very simple), but we always played 'old west' with them (the store we played at had a lot of old west building just for this). And of course there was the counter game, Squad Leader, which is a classic. I don't know if thats still being sold, but Hasbro ate the rights to that as well. It was either AH or SPI - someone over at Hasbro should dig that old gem out and make a minis game out of it.
And as for Acererak, considering his involvement with (multi-spheric) deities, and his own 'planer' nature, I don't think its that far a leap to put him in FR. It could have been worse - it could have been Vecna, or even Iuz (and I would LOVE to see Elminster confronting Iuz in his Throne of Bones - that would be pretty epic). Vecna's the stronger of the two - like Larloch caliber - but Iuz is too closely associated with GH to ever pry him out of it (Vecna, on the other hand, HAS been out of it for quite some time - spent awhile in Ravenloft).
GH had a lot of great things, many of which have already made it over to FR (like most of the monsters... including the SHADES). Same with Mystara (where we got things like Avariel and Aranea from). Its really nothing new - they've been doing it for years. If they cherry-pick, and leave all the 'silly' behind, I don't think it would be so bad. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 26 Nov 2016 06:05:42 |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2016 : 07:41:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Perhaps in future products we'll start seeing some former-Wizbro game designers appear in the Realms as NPCs?
They already put Chris Perkins' gaming group in as NPCs.
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I was just looking through that AP - which I sadly never got to run - and one of the 'big bads' is called 'The Harbinger'. Its a powerful Spellweaver Lich.
Hmmmmm... that just screams 'Jergal' to me.
Eric Boyd came to a similar conclusion as you (Kyuss was originally a servant of Jergal, who gave him his first worms and taught him a bunch of stuff about spellweavers). Weirdly, he made very sure to note that his Forgotten Realms Kyuss was strictly non-canon, but then WotC made it quasi-canon in their Elder Evils supplement.
quote:
Originally posted by Gyor
Volo's Guides stand for something, and this book has great content, but its not really a Volo's Guide at all.
This kind of thinking, although definitely valid, has caused arguments online recently. Some folks really don't like being told that their brand new book of 'Realmslore' isn't what it says on the cover. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
Edited by - hashimashadoo on 28 Nov 2016 22:51:53 |
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Mirtek
Senior Scribe
595 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2016 : 19:46:43
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To me it's the difference between:
Congratulations to saving Chicago. BTW did I remember correctly that you always wanted to see the Eifel Tower? Good news, Paris is threatened and they need your help, here's your plane ticket
and
Congratulations to saving Chicago. BTW did I remember correctly that you always wanted to see the Eifel Tower? Good news, they just finished a life-sized replica over at Navy Pier. Just turn right after the replica of Mount Rushmore, cross the copy of the Golden Gate bridge and you can't miss it.
The multiverse should give the chance to travel it's width and explore new worlds. Not building replicas of everything in our backyard, so that we never have to go more than a dozen miles from home. |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2016 : 22:54:52
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Yeah, I'd like them to stop importing things from other worlds into the Realms and concentrate on just developing the world they've already got too.
But we're looking at this from the PoV of Realms fans. There are plenty of people who don't really like the Realms (for various reasons, some better than others) and their desires should be taken into consideration too considering the amount of resources that WotC seem willing to devote to D&D. I think Ravenloft fans should count themselves lucky that they got a season of adventures almost to themselves. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
Edited by - hashimashadoo on 28 Nov 2016 22:55:52 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2016 : 22:58:55
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Unfortunately, part of the reason why FR wasn't universally appealing to 'gamers' was its vastness (hence one of the reasons for the shrinkage in 3e). Most DMs are la.. errr... have time constraints, and don't have what it takes to develop an entire, living, breathing world (or even continent). Most campaigns 'stay local', thus we pick the Eastern Heartlands or 'the North', and simply ignore the rest (sure, we love its lore, but how many campaigns are actually run outside The Heartlands?)
Part of what they are trying to do to FR in 5e is what they were hoping to achieve with their core, 'non-setting' back in 4e - an easy place to dump adventures for people to go on, with nothing 'overly far' which might tax the DM's time (and creativity).
So there is what is 'good' (and what WE want), and then there is 'what works best for people who buy game products'. The gamer in me loves it, while the FR fanboi in me silently weeps for our loss.
Sometimes being Bipolar has its advantages. 
(or was that multiple-personality disorder? I better go check with my other selves...)
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 28 Nov 2016 23:00:37 |
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Mirtek
Senior Scribe
595 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2016 : 23:34:22
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quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
I think Ravenloft fans should count themselves lucky that they got a season of adventures almost to themselves.
See, this is a great example of how to do it. They did not bring Barovia to the realms. The snatched the PCs up from Toril and dropped them in Barovia, having to figure out where they are, why they are there and how to get back home. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7973 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 02:29:51
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quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Perhaps in future products we'll start seeing some former-Wizbro game designers appear in the Realms as NPCs?
They already put Chris Perkins' gaming group in as NPCs.
And don't forget Ed's gaming group(s) in the legendary FR0 Old Grey Box, lol.
A fine tradition started long before D&D even existed by Gygax's gaming group.
Although I don't feel many (if any) current Wizbro employees have made contributions worthy of immortal awesomeness (or even passing footnotes) in canon Realmslore. Claiming accolades (and profits) for a body of work forged by the creative toil of others. But, hey, that's just an opinion. |
[/Ayrik] |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 02:34:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Perhaps in future products we'll start seeing some former-Wizbro game designers appear in the Realms as NPCs?
They already put Chris Perkins' gaming group in as NPCs.
And don't forget Ed's gaming group(s) in the legendary FR0 Old Grey Box, lol.
A fine tradition started long before D&D even existed by Gygax's gaming group.
Although I don't feel many (if any) current Wizbro employees have made contributions worthy of immortal awesomeness (or even passing footnotes) in canon Realmslore. Claiming accolades (and profits) for a body of work forged by the creative toil of others. But, hey, that's just an opinion.
Oh, I didn't forget but, like you say, Ed got to write novels and sourcebooks about them. Even Khelben Arunsun started out as a PC in one of Ed's games. Perkins' group were included by merit of getting a lot of views on YouTube. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 14:31:50
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quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
Oh, I didn't forget but, like you say, Ed got to write novels and sourcebooks about them. Even Khelben Arunsun started out as a PC in one of Ed's games. Perkins' group were included by merit of getting a lot of views on YouTube.
Where does it say Khelben was originally a PC? I know a lot of the Knights of Myth Drannor and the Company of Crazed Venturers started as PCs, but I'd never heard that for Khelben. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3802 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 14:36:57
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| Yeah, I had never heard of that either. |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 15:30:46
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Well, in trying to research the definitive confirmation to this, I found out that there were not enough players to fill out the entire roster of Venturers, then a note from George Krashos that some of the members were NPCs. My bad - I'd assumed ALL of the Venturers were played by actual people at some point.
Of course, I can't say that Khelben was NEVER a PC either - Ed hasn't said anything for or against that possibility. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 17:30:18
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As an aside to all this, I've decided to do something... crazy.
As part of my new mapping project, I was adding a 'non-canon' layer (which can be turned off in the pdf version). I figured this would good for those people who 'crave a wee bit more', and aren't so fickle about canon (ie, gamers). Now, my original intention was to simply include some of my own stuff, as well as some stuff good material that have been done by other fans (like the scribes here) over the years. One of the larger endeavors would be a merger of Luiren with the Five Shires (although I personally prefer them further north, as I did with Dalor Darden's Gulthmere conversion). Thus, the maps would be both canon and non-canon, and should make everyone happy, and help keep the lore straight (since I've been admonished for slipping some of my homebrew onto maps that have wiggled their way into canon over the years). Another major one will be adding the Night Below material to the Realms (although most of that is underdark, and the surface map already fits rather well in FR).
So I've been pouring over old issues of Dungeon finding all the FR locales contained therein, and I've stumbled upon something - many 'generic' D&D adventures would fit PERFECTLY in FR. As of right now, I am cataloguing them for future placement (some are so easy they already have the same or very similar names to FR geography). So now I will have both homebrew and psuedo-canonical stuff in my non-canon layer. A good number of those Dungeon adventures are set specifically in certain worlds, so I am avoiding those, for the most part (unless the adventure is written 'generically', and the world is only a 'suggested placement').
So, I guess this will 'muddy the waters' even further, as to what is canon, and what is not, even though I am making an attempt to keep them separate. It just seems like such a shame to me that all those delicious adventures (and accompanying lore) just get 'abandoned' to the past, when we can use them to fill-in gaps in our own lore. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 29 Nov 2016 17:54:39 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 22:53:07
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The Forgotten Realms is like an onion... or an ogre.
Maybe parfait... "everybody loves parfait".
I'm also re-releasing two of my past maps, with updates. I'm starting to get a lot of requests for them, and I didn't want to repost them until I fix a few things that were bothering me (and adding whatever locales I've discovered since their creation). Not in my new style, mind you - these are maps people have seen before that I've updated the best I could (these are from back when I used far fewer layers, and 'tweaking' is a bit of a bear). So, they'll still have the look of the 3e maps, for the most part.
Oh, and a scale... cause I completely forgot to throw one on my 'Western Heartlands' map.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 29 Nov 2016 22:59:11 |
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So what's this about Acererak being in FR?
