Newbie Wish List [Archive] - Wizards Community

Newbie Wish List [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
al29902
03-03-05, 07:46 PM Hey! I have been playing D&D (mostly DMing) for about a year now. I recently started using the Eberron Campaign Setting and have experienced first-hand how great Campaign Setting stuff is.

I've decided that I should get some of the Realms stuff, stuff that I previously did not use because I felt there was just too much to catch up on, that I was jumping on the bandwagon way too late. But then I realized that the 3.0 stuff is mainly paperback, so it's not as expensive as I thought.

Anyway, as someone who knows almost nothing about FR, I was wondering if anyone could tell me

1. Which books I should buy.

2. The order in which I should buy it.

3. WHY!

Thanks! I'm really excited to experience the most popular D&D Campaign Setting.
al29902
03-03-05, 09:36 PM Please? :(
Demetrios
03-03-05, 09:43 PM Well, first and foremost, the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is the obvious first choice, as it's the base for everything else. And it's an awesome book in its own right!

The second book would be the Player's Guide to Faerun, which updates the setting to 3.5e, clears up some errata and balance problems of some things in the FRCS, and adds in some nice things of its own (such as a description on the setting's planar system).

Beyond that, the next three books I would recommend would be (in order) Races of Faerun, Faiths and Pantheons, and the just-released Lost Empires of Faerun, which will give you and your players a lot of useful background information on (respectively) the races of the setting, the deities and faiths of the setting, and the history of the setting. The first two of the three are especially important if you and your players are interested in really fleshing out the backgrounds of characters and NPCs, as there are loads of information on what an exactly it means to be, say, an elf or a dwarf, or a cleric of a certain deity, in the setting. Lost Empires is more useful for you as a DM, giving you a lot of background info on the history of the setting, making placement and reasons for adventure sites a lot easier. All three of these books are of high utility, as they have information that covers the setting as a whole, instead of just some segment of it.

After that, it's up to you. The regional accessories are all pretty good, but will only be really useful if you plan on either playing in the area covered, or if someone has a character from that region and wants more information for his character. I guess you could go ahead and pick one randomly if you want an in-depth coverage of somewhere for your first campaign, but you'll probably be just as well off (if not better off) using the information in the Campaign Setting book for a first campaign, and then later on getting a regional book should you decide that a certain area sounds interesting. Finally, Lords of Darkness and Magic of Faerun are nice as well, but they aren't as all-encompassing as the books listed in the earlier paragraphs.

I hope I've been helpful, and welcome to the setting! It's great fun and I'm sure you'll enjoy it! :)
Zevox
03-03-05, 11:01 PM And of course, if wish to learn more of the history of the Realms, the novels are an excellent sorce of Realmslore. The Threat from the Sea Trilogy, The Avatar Series, and The Return of the Archwizards Trilogy are a few series that each detail important recent events in Toril's history (particularly the Avatar series, since it details the Realms-changing Time of Troubles). Other good novels that may be of interest if you intend to run a campaign in the Realms would include the War of the Spider Queen series and the Dark Elf Trilogy, both of which give great detailed information about the underdark and the Dark Elf race. The Elminster series (which includes 5 books atm: Elminster: The Making of a Mage, Elminster in Myth Drannor, The Temptation of Elminster, Elminster in Hell, and Elminster's Daughter) is good for learning about a few of the more prominent characters in the Realms - the Goddess Mystra and her Chosen - as well as (in the first two books) a few ancient realms now long-dead and passed into legend. Plus that last book in the series, Elminster's Daughter, is the best source for information on the current state of the country of Cormyr. Of course, most any of the hundereds of novels that exist would be good for learning about the Realms, but those in particular you may find useful, depending on where and when you set your campaign.

Hope that helps (and hope that I didn't just inadvertantly get the thread locked: I am refering to these as sources of Realmslore after all, not as works of literature :) :bigeyes: ).

Zevox
al29902
03-04-05, 06:57 AM Thanks to the guys who have helped me out so far. Anyone got any other suggestions?
Lana "Silvertongue"
03-08-05, 08:57 AM I think once your more established, have a good grasp on the Silver Marches region, go pick up a copy of the Shining South. It has its own, unique flavor of life compared to the rest of Faerun and is a natural next step for mid level characters. Also is the best point to introduce the Expanded Psionics Handbook, in case one of your players has [gods forbid] died in their adventuring career. Between Drow and Yuan-Ti, there is pleanty for an adventuring party to do without getting caught up in major globe altering events that seem to be more of a mainstay with the North. [To my understanding, the Knights of Myth Drannor (Run by Ed Greenwood) focus their efforts in the Silver Marches over to Myth Drannor.]

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
al29902 03-03-05, 07:46 PM	Hey! I have been playing D&D (mostly DMing) for about a year now. I recently started using the Eberron Campaign Setting and have experienced first-hand how great Campaign Setting stuff is. I've decided that I should get some of the Realms stuff, stuff that I previously did not use because I felt there was just too much to catch up on, that I was jumping on the bandwagon way too late. But then I realized that the 3.0 stuff is mainly paperback, so it's not as expensive as I thought. Anyway, as someone who knows almost nothing about FR, I was wondering if anyone could tell me 1. Which books I should buy. 2. The order in which I should buy it. 3. WHY! Thanks! I'm really excited to experience the most popular D&D Campaign Setting.
al29902 03-03-05, 09:36 PM	Please? :(
Demetrios 03-03-05, 09:43 PM	Well, first and foremost, the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is the obvious first choice, as it's the base for everything else. And it's an awesome book in its own right! The second book would be the Player's Guide to Faerun, which updates the setting to 3.5e, clears up some errata and balance problems of some things in the FRCS, and adds in some nice things of its own (such as a description on the setting's planar system). Beyond that, the next three books I would recommend would be (in order) Races of Faerun, Faiths and Pantheons, and the just-released Lost Empires of Faerun, which will give you and your players a lot of useful background information on (respectively) the races of the setting, the deities and faiths of the setting, and the history of the setting. The first two of the three are especially important if you and your players are interested in really fleshing out the backgrounds of characters and NPCs, as there are loads of information on what an exactly it means to be, say, an elf or a dwarf, or a cleric of a certain deity, in the setting. Lost Empires is more useful for you as a DM, giving you a lot of background info on the history of the setting, making placement and reasons for adventure sites a lot easier. All three of these books are of high utility, as they have information that covers the setting as a whole, instead of just some segment of it. After that, it's up to you. The regional accessories are all pretty good, but will only be really useful if you plan on either playing in the area covered, or if someone has a character from that region and wants more information for his character. I guess you could go ahead and pick one randomly if you want an in-depth coverage of somewhere for your first campaign, but you'll probably be just as well off (if not better off) using the information in the Campaign Setting book for a first campaign, and then later on getting a regional book should you decide that a certain area sounds interesting. Finally, Lords of Darkness and Magic of Faerun are nice as well, but they aren't as all-encompassing as the books listed in the earlier paragraphs. I hope I've been helpful, and welcome to the setting! It's great fun and I'm sure you'll enjoy it! :)
Zevox 03-03-05, 11:01 PM	And of course, if wish to learn more of the history of the Realms, the novels are an excellent sorce of Realmslore. The Threat from the Sea Trilogy, The Avatar Series, and The Return of the Archwizards Trilogy are a few series that each detail important recent events in Toril's history (particularly the Avatar series, since it details the Realms-changing Time of Troubles). Other good novels that may be of interest if you intend to run a campaign in the Realms would include the War of the Spider Queen series and the Dark Elf Trilogy, both of which give great detailed information about the underdark and the Dark Elf race. The Elminster series (which includes 5 books atm: Elminster: The Making of a Mage, Elminster in Myth Drannor, The Temptation of Elminster, Elminster in Hell, and Elminster's Daughter) is good for learning about a few of the more prominent characters in the Realms - the Goddess Mystra and her Chosen - as well as (in the first two books) a few ancient realms now long-dead and passed into legend. Plus that last book in the series, Elminster's Daughter, is the best source for information on the current state of the country of Cormyr. Of course, most any of the hundereds of novels that exist would be good for learning about the Realms, but those in particular you may find useful, depending on where and when you set your campaign. Hope that helps (and hope that I didn't just inadvertantly get the thread locked: I am refering to these as sources of Realmslore after all, not as works of literature :) :bigeyes: ). Zevox
al29902 03-04-05, 06:57 AM	Thanks to the guys who have helped me out so far. Anyone got any other suggestions?
Lana "Silvertongue" 03-08-05, 08:57 AM	I think once your more established, have a good grasp on the Silver Marches region, go pick up a copy of the Shining South. It has its own, unique flavor of life compared to the rest of Faerun and is a natural next step for mid level characters. Also is the best point to introduce the Expanded Psionics Handbook, in case one of your players has [gods forbid] died in their adventuring career. Between Drow and Yuan-Ti, there is pleanty for an adventuring party to do without getting caught up in major globe altering events that seem to be more of a mainstay with the North. [To my understanding, the Knights of Myth Drannor (Run by Ed Greenwood) focus their efforts in the Silver Marches over to Myth Drannor.]