RPG Superstar 2008 Top 8
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I admit, I am one of those people who do not care for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Plain and simple honesty.
I do like many of the novels, although I despise anything by RA Salvatore or involving drow or Drizz't. Forgotten Realms has great story to it; thats why I don't like it so much for game play.
It does not feel as if there is space or even need for heroes beyond the novels or setting story. I have played in some Forgotten Realms games over time, some run very well, but I always feel constrained and hedged in with the world. No space to find anything new, no way to really effect the world with my actions. Another qualm for me is the high prevalence of magic and items, it seems that every farmer has a +1 shovel or some other such silliness.
I have no intention on switching to 4e, but from what I've heard about the changes to Forgotten Realms, I'd happily play a 3.5 game set during the new FR time period.
I like the massive world shattered changes that have been made. Now we have new places to explore, potential to help or hurt the world as per our actions. Its almost an entirely new campaign setting. Now those who had the "brilliant idea" of the spellplague, I think have spent a bit of time reading other RPG companies work; concept comes off as VERY Rifts to me. Continents and tracts of land replaced, holes in the earth where there were mountains, new and strange monsters appearing because of this plague, very Rifts.
I know many people don't like the FR changes that are happening to make 4e work there, but if you look at it from a story point of view, it should reinvigorate the line and create new adventure possibilities. Sometimes the best thing is to advance things so far to the point where everything is new. All your history is still there, the events of the past have still shaped the present, nothing is really invalidated. As it was, the Time of Troubles should have sparked more changes to the world.
Rant off and Flame on!
Hmm, interesting points and I find myself agreeing with some and disagreeing with others.
To start, it sounds that you and I are coming from two major perspective differences as Drizzt is what got my interested in Fantasy and Bob Salvatore has been my favorite author for over a decade now.
I agree that from a story point of view the spellplague COULD be a good thing, and I'm unsure if I think it is but this jump could be used to open new posibilities.
I don't agree with the view that the Realms are cluttered or unwieldy. I've run my FR game for 2 years now and the entire campaign has been a huge war throughout the Silver Marches. Elminster gives my players advice, helps teach the mage new spells and might be able to score them some potions if they get a high diplomacy check. Bruenor is, as King of Mithril hall, a political ally and a patron, not an adventuring buddy and I dunno, maybe I've got a good group but my players have never said "Well we want Drizzt to come with us on the dungeon crawl." The end result has been that these characters that some of my players have never read about, and that some of my players have loved for years are seen in the background now and again, Drizzt scouts in to enemy territories and the party may have to rescue him or play courier between him and the front line, Wulfgar could lead a charge against an oposing army but it's while the PCs lead the strike force against the capital or quest for some artifact.
There's something wonderful and lasting about the Realms, I'm not saying this because I'm a fanboy but because sales represent it. The Realms have always sold well and are one of the longest lasting Fantasy world.
But I think that's where the problem lies as well. Let's use Eberron as an example, as the shiny new setting. If the PCs fight their way through Brokenblade Castle and kill King Boranel, its not a big deal. Well it is for them but nothing seems wrong with it because the setting is for lack of a better word, new. People are building the first new stories there. Same with Homebrew campaigns because that's a world personal to your game.
The Realms however have lasted for over 20 years now and so people get this sense that they can't mess with it. The book says Waterdeep is there, so it's there! When even the FRCS says that the DM should feel encouraged to change whatever they like. Add in the numerous Realms shaking events (Time of Troubles, Return of the Shades, The Last Mythal, Rage of the Dragons) and people feel they can't keep up and campaigns either race to stay afloat, keep their adventures low key or do as I did and stop caring about whether your game is in synch with the "proper" Realms. Ed Greenwood's own game is not!
But at the same time this is my problem with the Spellplague. It feels as though someone went "People are really getting thrown off by all the changes and stories we keep making... LET'S CHANGE EVERYTHING!" I'd much rather they just design the setting and then leave it be for me and mine to run our own adventures.
My thoughts, anyway