What brings Faerun to life for you? [Archive] - Wizards Community

What brings Faerun to life for you? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Grocery_Bag
08-13-06, 03:44 AM I probably sound crazy saying this, but I love the little bits of lore thrown into the sourcebooks regarding what people in a particular area of the Realms eat. I'm looking at what I just typed and it still seems crazy, so how about an example.

Last week I purchased Power of Faerun at my local games store, and while flicking through the section on the Border Kingdoms, I saw a few lines about a type of cheese made in the farms surrounding one of the towns, the author then described the flavour of said cheese and how the locals traditionally ate it with mustard.

Now, I don't know about everyone else here but I love my food almost as much as I love my wife, and when an author takes the time to detail something like what the local cheese is like or what fish populate a river, in a game about, well, dungeons and dragons, it really brings it home for me, and makes it a heck of a lot more real.

And I can pass it on to my players too. Say bandits loot a caravan and the PCs, with a sense of civic duty and a couple of spiked chains later hurt said bandits, they find cheese in the bandits camp (along with treasure, as a DM who rewards their PCs with just cheese is not long for this world), and thanks to the handy description the adventure just got a little bit more real.

This raises some interesting questions

Do possible changes to the sourcebook format mean no room for the little things?
Are these tidbits of lore important to the average player?
Who is this Grocery_Bag, and why is he posting about fictional cheese at 3:40 am?
What, if anything, is your favorite thing about the background lore in the sourcebooks?
Yokinobu
08-13-06, 04:12 AM Do possible changes to the sourcebook format mean no room for the little things?
Well, things THAT little typically haven't been prevalent, that I know of. Thankfully, we have Ed Greenwood and his Realmslore (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archfr/rl) articles. What he doesn't address there, you may be able to inquire at Candlekeep.

Are these tidbits of lore important to the average player?

I appreciate them, and the few times I DM I try to include the "little things" because the more detail you have, the more you are bringing the Realms to life for your players. Sometimes in regards to a particular culture in the Realms I ask myself, "If I were to write a novel about this area, how much would I have to go off of, and how much would I have to fabricate or assume?" If my answer is that alot of the less significant aspects(the fare, the fashions, the slang) about a place has been delivered to me already, then I have that much more respect for the designers who created it.

Who is this Grocery_Bag, and why is he posting about fictional cheese at 3:40 am?
Not sure. What I do know is that Grocery_Bag is an awesome username, and that I like cheese, so I don't mind.

What, if anything, is your favorite thing about the background lore in the sourcebooks?
It's pretty broad, but I sometimes marvel at the thought that had to have gone into the Realms. The background lore for any given place is often so in-depth, that it's hard for me to enjoy any one aspect in particular. I have to step back, look at the big picture, and realize that all the little things that I might think are "neat" harmonize to form a world, the like of which I have never read or heard about from anywhere else.
Red_Wizard
08-13-06, 02:02 PM The detail in general. There is so much, both from Ed's origional realms, and what the companies have done with it. There is just no way to memorize it all. There's so many peronalities, every creature, and monster has a story if you want to take the time to learn it. I mean look at the entire source book we just got for dragons. Who didn't love them before, and now they have a depth and soul to them we can enjoy even more?

Also, unlike most setting's the map's alone are amazing. The smaller the map gets, the more detail of the area goes in, i personally love it, it keeps that real world feel going, and helps me to further immerse myself in every aspect of the realms.

Also the cultures, they're so well develpoed, and diversified, that everyone can find a home in the realms, and atleast attempt to become a master of that one little potion they call their own. The little things they do for them help, cause not only do we get to look into the window and see the lay of the land, but we get to see what every day life is like for them. A prime example being the latest little articles from waterdeep. The little things make the world so big, and not seem like a fantasy realm anymore, but a real place you could, and even might go to visit for a few weeks a year (not that we don't all live there as a second home anyway :P).
GothicDan
08-13-06, 04:00 PM Agreeing with Grocery Bag, here.

I really don't find great RSE's to "bring to life" the Realms. It's the lore about the local dance techniques, the marriage customs, the flavors of ale, and the descriptions of the common folk that do it for me.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Grocery_Bag 08-13-06, 03:44 AM	I probably sound crazy saying this, but I love the little bits of lore thrown into the sourcebooks regarding what people in a particular area of the Realms eat. I'm looking at what I just typed and it still seems crazy, so how about an example. Last week I purchased Power of Faerun at my local games store, and while flicking through the section on the Border Kingdoms, I saw a few lines about a type of cheese made in the farms surrounding one of the towns, the author then described the flavour of said cheese and how the locals traditionally ate it with mustard. Now, I don't know about everyone else here but I love my food almost as much as I love my wife, and when an author takes the time to detail something like what the local cheese is like or what fish populate a river, in a game about, well, dungeons and dragons, it really brings it home for me, and makes it a heck of a lot more real. And I can pass it on to my players too. Say bandits loot a caravan and the PCs, with a sense of civic duty and a couple of spiked chains later hurt said bandits, they find cheese in the bandits camp (along with treasure, as a DM who rewards their PCs with just cheese is not long for this world), and thanks to the handy description the adventure just got a little bit more real. This raises some interesting questions Do possible changes to the sourcebook format mean no room for the little things? Are these tidbits of lore important to the average player? Who is this Grocery_Bag, and why is he posting about fictional cheese at 3:40 am? What, if anything, is your favorite thing about the background lore in the sourcebooks?
Yokinobu 08-13-06, 04:12 AM	Do possible changes to the sourcebook format mean no room for the little things? Well, things THAT little typically haven't been prevalent, that I know of. Thankfully, we have Ed Greenwood and his Realmslore (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archfr/rl) articles. What he doesn't address there, you may be able to inquire at Candlekeep. Are these tidbits of lore important to the average player? I appreciate them, and the few times I DM I try to include the "little things" because the more detail you have, the more you are bringing the Realms to life for your players. Sometimes in regards to a particular culture in the Realms I ask myself, "If I were to write a novel about this area, how much would I have to go off of, and how much would I have to fabricate or assume?" If my answer is that alot of the less significant aspects(the fare, the fashions, the slang) about a place has been delivered to me already, then I have that much more respect for the designers who created it. Who is this Grocery_Bag, and why is he posting about fictional cheese at 3:40 am? Not sure. What I do know is that Grocery_Bag is an awesome username, and that I like cheese, so I don't mind. What, if anything, is your favorite thing about the background lore in the sourcebooks? It's pretty broad, but I sometimes marvel at the thought that had to have gone into the Realms. The background lore for any given place is often so in-depth, that it's hard for me to enjoy any one aspect in particular. I have to step back, look at the big picture, and realize that all the little things that I might think are "neat" harmonize to form a world, the like of which I have never read or heard about from anywhere else.
Red_Wizard 08-13-06, 02:02 PM	The detail in general. There is so much, both from Ed's origional realms, and what the companies have done with it. There is just no way to memorize it all. There's so many peronalities, every creature, and monster has a story if you want to take the time to learn it. I mean look at the entire source book we just got for dragons. Who didn't love them before, and now they have a depth and soul to them we can enjoy even more? Also, unlike most setting's the map's alone are amazing. The smaller the map gets, the more detail of the area goes in, i personally love it, it keeps that real world feel going, and helps me to further immerse myself in every aspect of the realms. Also the cultures, they're so well develpoed, and diversified, that everyone can find a home in the realms, and atleast attempt to become a master of that one little potion they call their own. The little things they do for them help, cause not only do we get to look into the window and see the lay of the land, but we get to see what every day life is like for them. A prime example being the latest little articles from waterdeep. The little things make the world so big, and not seem like a fantasy realm anymore, but a real place you could, and even might go to visit for a few weeks a year (not that we don't all live there as a second home anyway :P).
GothicDan 08-13-06, 04:00 PM	Agreeing with Grocery Bag, here. I really don't find great RSE's to "bring to life" the Realms. It's the lore about the local dance techniques, the marriage customs, the flavors of ale, and the descriptions of the common folk that do it for me.