Post/Author/DateTime	Post
slockard 03-17-05, 07:57 PM	I am, at the request of my group, going to learn/run the FR's soon. I've run a few D&D games, but not many, and am starting as a complete FR newbie. I have a copy of teh old boxed campaing set and some other of the other gamer's second edition material, so I'm certainly more worried about rules/character/stats type support than setting support right away. Given that, and a limited budget, what do I need the most, and in what order? --Shawn
Zevox 03-17-05, 08:54 PM	First and foremost is obvious: the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book. It gives most of the info you'll need to transfer characters over to the realms stat-wise, though theres not much need to do so. Since nearly all realms races have subraces, one of the subraces always has stats the same as the core races (Core Elf = Moon Elf, Core Dwarf = Shield Dwarf, ect.). The only difference will be in languages, since FR characters get regional languages. It'll also give you recommendations for transfering which gods the characters worship from those in PHB to FR Gods, which is a bigger transition since religion plays such a major role in FR. It also gives pretty much all the rules you'll need for most campaigns. So basically: get the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book first, it'll answer just about all the questions you're concerned about. Beyond that, however, you'll have to ask others, since thats the only FR-specific book I have :D . Zevox
Gadodel 03-17-05, 09:05 PM	My post could be a xerox of zevox's. :D
slockard 03-17-05, 09:28 PM	Ok, having done a little research, it seems like the Player's Guide has a lot of information, character wide, that is in the book the two folks above mention. And I do want the current v3.5 stats.. Just to give more information... Thanks!
Brom Greenstar 03-18-05, 12:02 PM	Silvermarches seems to be a wise choice for a new campaign, and I'd buy Faiths and Pantheons. My personal advice would be get all the Volo's guides you can grab and the Player's guide and you're done
Demetrios 03-18-05, 08:44 PM	I am, at the request of my group, going to learn/run the FR's soon. I've run a few D&D games, but not many, and am starting as a complete FR newbie. I have a copy of teh old boxed campaing set and some other of the other gamer's second edition material, so I'm certainly more worried about rules/character/stats type support than setting support right away. Given that, and a limited budget, what do I need the most, and in what order? --Shawn With a limited budget, get the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, and then the Player's Guide to Faerun, which updates the setting the 3.5e. Beyond that, it is simply a matter of what sort of information you are interested and how much you can afford.
Heron_Marked_Blade 03-18-05, 09:29 PM	In regard to familiarizing yourself with Realmslore, read as much 2E material as you can get your hands on. The WotC website has some free 2E downloads (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads) that will provide a LOT of useful information. With regard to 3.5 updates, the FRCS and PGtF are all you really need. The other books (Unapproachable East, Shining South, Lords of Darkness, Serpent Kingdoms, Lost Empires of Faerun, Races of Faerun, Silver Marches, Monsters of Faerun, Magic of Faerun) are nice, but not completely necessary. Out of the list, I'd suggest Lords of Darkness; it has a lot of good information on the major Evil Organizations and NPCs, which is of particular importance to a DM. My 2cp.
RogerWilco 03-19-05, 08:24 AM	With a limited budget, get the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, and then the Player's Guide to Faerun, which updates the setting the 3.5e. Beyond that, it is simply a matter of what sort of information you are interested and how much you can afford. I second that opinion. Beyond those two I also like Silver Marches, because it has a lot of info and adventure hooks for a beginning DM.
slockard 03-22-05, 09:52 PM	Excellent. I'll have to snag the big two, and then work on the other books (Silver Marches and Lords of Darkness at the top of said list) as resources allow. Thanks!
French_Guy 03-23-05, 12:55 PM	so guys, you recommand the Player's to Faerun ? Ok. I was really wondering if it was worth or not, as I already own the Campaign Setting. As for the while I don't feel the need for any other Faerun book (I am waiting for the places my campaign is set).
Faraer 03-23-05, 02:24 PM	The PGtF is recommended if the latest 3.5 rules updates are a priority for you, in other words depending on how strictly or loosely you use the rules. If not, it's a just grab-bag of bits and pieces that won't be as helpful as Races of Faerūn or Powers and Pantheons.
Lashan 03-23-05, 02:57 PM	I would recommend skipping the Silver Marches book if you want to play on the cheap. Unless you REALLY want to play in that area, you don't need that book. I recommend going to the free download page and get all the Volo's Guide books that you can. They can be great for setting up a game. Sure, they are 2E, but they are all about the game lore, and not really stats. I would recommend looking at the Dalelands book. It's free and cheaper then the Silver Marches. Beyond the FRCS (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting) I would recommend either Lords of Darkness or Races of Faerun. Lords of Darkness has lots of great evil bad guys for the DM. Races of Faerun has a lot of info about the different races (particularly human cultures). It also doubles as a great history book for those that are interested in the various FR areas. It combines a lot of stuff and is pretty wide in what it covers. One side note on the Lords of Darkness: Those aren't the only bad guys in the world. Many DMs make the mistake of having every single bad guy in every single plot be either a Zhentarium, Red Wizard, or other well-known group. There are plenty of regular old bad guy types all over the place. Maybe they are even secretly being controlled by one of the other groups, but keep it secret. Not every gang of thugs has a zhentarium badge on them. Sure, they might overall be controlled by them, but they don't know it.
French_Guy 03-23-05, 04:58 PM	The PGtF is recommended if the latest 3.5 rules updates are a priority for you, in other words depending on how strictly or loosely you use the rules. If not, it's a just grab-bag of bits and pieces that won't be as helpful as Races of Faerūn or Powers and Pantheons. Thank you :bow: :cheer: Exactly the kind of answer I was looking for a couple of weeks ago. Now it' up to me ;)
Razz 03-25-05, 01:54 AM	Personally, if you're serious about running an FR campaign, you need to consider getting all the FR 3.0/3.5 books eventually. Downloading 2E Forgotten Realms material or ordering them will enhance your FR campaign even more, background and story-wise. Read some Forgotten Realms novels, new and old. That'll help also.
RogerWilco 03-27-05, 12:57 AM	The PGtF is recommended if the latest 3.5 rules updates are a priority for you, in other words depending on how strictly or loosely you use the rules. If not, it's a just grab-bag of bits and pieces that won't be as helpful as Races of Faerūn or Powers and Pantheons. I do not consider the PgtF a very good book, it is indeed an odd assortment of stuff that needed an update to 3.5, and has the impression of being hastely assembled. In my group this update is however necessary, because there are some rules-lawyers. I recommended the Silver Marches, because it fleshes out one region in detail, including some small quests, so you can hit the ground running. I assumed that you would then basically run a campaign in the Silver Marches. It is of course of limited use in learing more about the Realms in general, or if you want to base your campaign elsewhere. I think you basicly need to decide to stick with only the FRCS and maybe the PtgF, or expand beyond it, but then I think in the long run you'll end up buying all FR books. The novels are of some use but wouldn't be my first priority, they give some character background to some NPC's, but on the other hand the writers did use their literairy freedom too.
RogerWilco 03-27-05, 01:05 AM	- bleh, stupid server- double post.
Borris 03-27-05, 01:33 AM	:twocents: So, as everyone said, you need the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS) first and foremost. Then I'd recommend Races of Faerūn if you want more info of the many races of the realms than the two lines of generic text given in the first chapter of FRCS. I don't suggest you buy Silver Marches. Not only does it cover a fairly small region, but the book is also 3.0, and many parts are kinda awkward to use with the revised rules. As for campaign ideas, the old 2nd edition downloads are just as good as they were (I personally suggest The North), but an even better thing would be to read a few FR books. The anthologies (Realms of Infamy/Dragons/Shadow/etc. are a good choice to start, with each book containing 10-12 short stories set in various places across the realms.
GothWulf 03-27-05, 11:37 AM	I agree....until it was given to me, I did'nt think that RoF would really be of any use....then I got it...read it....and well....don't think I could do without it ;) Wulfe [QUOTE=Borris]:twocents: So, as everyone said, you need the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS) first and foremost. Then I'd recommend Races of Faerūn if you want more info of the many races of the realms than the two lines of generic text given in the first chapter of FRCS. <snip> QUOTE]