Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Roman 11-16-07, 08:28 AM	Let me start of by saying that I like the Forgotten Realms, but have never DMed it before (I tend to create homebrews when I DM) and have in fact not had all that much exposure to it at all. We have just formed a D&D group at our small university and being the only one who has played and DMed the 3.X edition, I was selected to be the DM. Two of my players have played the second edition and have some passing familiarity with the 3.X rules (having read the rulebooks) and one of my players is a complete D&D neophyte. There are two other prospective players that might join; one being a complete D&D beginner and another having some 2nd edition exposure. Anyway, the players (well, at least those with previous D&D exposure - the beginners, of course don't know anything about settings) are very keen to play in Forgotten Realms, so I guess why not - might as well. Nonetheless, I would like to ask: 1) Apart from reading the FRCS, do you have any advice for a DM who likes the Forgotten Realms, but is not all that well-acquainted with the setting? 2) Are there any special considerations/advice I should bear in mind with respect to gaming in the FR with such a diverse group of players? 3) Do you have any advice on where I should set my campaign (I am not really so familiar with any region, so the reading involved in preparing myself will probably be about the same regardless)? 4) Any other advice you care to venture is welcome! Thanks!
Stigger 11-16-07, 08:39 AM	Don't worry about the details would be my best advice. Sure you'll make mistakes according to canon, but who cares so long as you have fun with it? Besides, those non-canon details make it feel more like home and keep your players guessing a bit if they sneak a few peaks at the lore. As to stuff to keep in mind... I can't think of anything you absolutely need to keep in mind, beyond not getting so hung up on details you need to keep referring to books. Just let the story flow and try not to overwhelm the neophytes with details I guess would be my suggestion. You might think about a cheat sheet with some of the more relevant details you notice after skimming the FRCS, as that can help some, maybe just names of npcs, towns, businesses, stuff like that too. The question of setting kinda depends on how much detail you want. I'd recommend avoiding the really detailed areas, and choosing some place kinda out of the way for a good start. Maybe a look at the free PDF Volo's Guides over on the Older Edition Archives at the FR main site might be a good idea to look at and scan for ideas and details. While not realy 3.x compliant ruleswise, the flavor of them might be good for inspiration. Good luck with it. :)
Reneshat 11-16-07, 08:56 AM	I'm sure others here will be more helpful than me, but I will give what advice I can. There are multiple things you will want to keep in mind. How concerned are you about staying close to canon? It's easy to get the Realms feel without having to do ridiculous amounts of research if you aren't concerned about stepping on something you might not have read. It's also important to get an idea of what kind of game you want to run/what kind of game do your players want to play in. The Realms is huge, and is host to settings for just about any game you could imagine. If you have a better understanding of what you want to do, it will better help many of the Realms Gurus around here to give you advice and options on where best to set your campaign in the Realms. Also, if you are concerned about canon, and still want to help keep the background workload before you start down, you might want to consider one of the less defined areas, or less populated areas so that you can be canon faithful with less research. The important thing you remember is you can do as much research as you want for you game, and there is always more Lore you can delve into. So, as I said I'm probably not all the helpful, but hopefully with some more information about what you are looking for, some of the others who are more knowledgeable about this than I am will be able to better help you.
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin 11-16-07, 12:06 PM	Hmm, I thought (based on another thread of yours) that you were going to use Rashemen? Anyway, I totally agree with the others that you shouldn't worry too much about what's "canon" and what isn't. Pick out a region or regions that you'd be interested in, and we can guide you better from there.
Roman 11-16-07, 02:20 PM	Right, I will probably gloss over the details and make up compensating ones as I go along to make my DMing job easier. I will also not be pedantic when it comes to following canon. These are, I think, good pieces of advice. As to the region, I am not certain. On the one hand, given that I a number of existing and/or potential completely new players, it may be sensible to set it in a region like the Sword Coast or Cormyr, both of which I surmise are well explored and losely based on Medieval to Renaissance Europe. On the other hand, I suspect the two players with exposure to 2nd edition know Forgotten Realms much better than me, so I might want to set the game somewhere off the beaten path. I am conflicted on the matter. I guess what would be the better choice really depends on how each player will turn out in game. I don't really know them very well yet gamingwise or outside gaming. BTW: My thread about Russia and Rashemen was just for personal interest and I posted it before our new D&D group was formed. It was not created for looking for information about a suitable FR region to game in.
Blibbering_Humdinger 11-16-07, 02:29 PM	Let me start of by saying that I like the Forgotten Realms, but have never DMed it before (I tend to create homebrews when I DM) and have in fact not had all that much exposure to it at all. We have just formed a D&D group at our small university and being the only one who has played and DMed the 3.X edition, I was selected to be the DM. Two of my players have played the second edition and have some passing familiarity with the 3.X rules (having read the rulebooks) and one of my players is a complete D&D neophyte. There are two other prospective players that might join; one being a complete D&D beginner and another having some 2nd edition exposure. Anyway, the players (well, at least those with previous D&D exposure - the beginners, of course don't know anything about settings) are very keen to play in Forgotten Realms, so I guess why not - might as well. Nonetheless, I would like to ask: 1) Apart from reading the FRCS, do you have any advice for a DM who likes the Forgotten Realms, but is not all that well-acquainted with the setting? Yeah--feel free to drop any generic adventure you feel like right into the middle of Waterdeep. It's your party, Potter, and your Forgotten Realms. 2) Are there any special considerations/advice I should bear in mind with respect to gaming in the FR with such a diverse group of players? Yeah--start with a rat infestation, like in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. That should be gentle enough to break in the newbies. :D Of course, there are veterans to consider, so maybe they should be evil rats bent on world domination... head over to the NPC Generator thread and mayhap you'll find one willing to write up stats for Pinky and the Brain. :P 3) Do you have any advice on where I should set my campaign (I am not really so familiar with any region, so the reading involved in preparing myself will probably be about the same regardless)? Whereever you set the campain, make it someplace smelly. Foul odor is an adventuring stimulant, you know. Makes you want to get out and see new places. Or maybe to just get out... 4) Any other advice you care to venture is welcome! On more bit of advice... stay away from Jarlaxle. If you're his enemy, he will kill you with his enchanted through daggers, Deus and Machina. If you're his friend, he'll trick and manipulate you until you can't even tell your beard from your pubics. Oh, and he'll relieve your corpse of any mystical trinkets you may have found along the way.