What is the Realms Feel? [Archive] - Wizards Community

What is the Realms Feel? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sullivan
06-24-07, 11:22 PM Often, when people do not like a Forgotten Realms product, they will complain about how it lacks the “Realms Feel.”

What, to you, is the Realms Feel? What constitutes the elements of what makes the Realms the Realms? Why do you think these elements are important to the setting?
Eladrinstar
06-25-07, 12:27 AM My idea of the Realms is one where it is evident that there is a vast amount of lore behind the world. The Baldur's Gate games illustrate my point. Any area in the game could feature thousands of little tidbits of information that do not advance the plot. Whereas in other fictional worlds, this can be hampering, in the Realms is slows nothing down. The world feels alive, nothings seems as if it was constructed, but that it grew and evolved. Sometimes the Realms seem almost as detailed as the real world. It started with a person, and it now seems to move along at it's own pace, as if it is happening somewhere. It is a living work of art.
Lord Karsus
06-25-07, 02:18 PM -Oddly enough, I think it feels like paper...:P
95
06-25-07, 02:18 PM it needs to organically feel like it ties in with theother already established components of the realms....

even if its far far away.....

like if it feels like its just some loosely based on an historical element and plopped down into the realms... i dont usually like those....
Francius
06-26-07, 06:02 PM Often, when people do not like a Forgotten Realms product, they will complain about how it lacks the “Realms Feel.”

What, to you, is the Realms Feel? What constitutes the elements of what makes the Realms the Realms? Why do you think these elements are important to the setting?

I 'll post some personal thoughts later, but now I 'll just say that the "Realms Feel" like *home* to me.
MarkusTay63
06-26-07, 06:27 PM Deep

The Realms is like an Onion.... ;)
Francius
06-27-07, 06:22 AM Deep

The Realms is like an Onion.... ;)

Can you be more specific?

(onion?)
lantan_gnome
06-27-07, 09:56 AM it has layers, makes u cry out of joy, and is o sooo tasty
The_Shaman
06-27-07, 10:24 AM I would not exactly call it tasty, but it certainly brings a little extra flavor to all those tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the salad that is D&D. As for its feel... I like how it seems so engrossing. You are not just the uberest group of heroes, you can see that there were others before, even meet some of them. It has heroes and villains on several different layers, engaged in different plots and projects. Plus, I like how it does not cap off around lvl 20 or so. Things can run really deep in the Realms.

It is not quite smooth, not quite perfect, but I like it. Even though you sometimes see a cockroach, note that the wallpapers have gotten dirty or think the drain pipes may need replacement soon, it is home, and a nice home at that.
Sullivan
06-27-07, 10:25 AM The Realms is like an Onion.... ;)

(Blinks a few times)

It has a lovely smell when caramelized?

It goes good on burgers and hot dogs?

It can be found in the produce section of a grocery store?

It's used in many casseroles?
XHereticX
06-27-07, 10:36 AM Deep

The Realms is like an Onion.... ;)

Onions have layers...ogres have layers...the Realms have layers....the nine hells have layers.:cool:

The Realms Feel is a complex multilayered thing. Its gives you a warm feeling in your heart and soul when you indulge on the lore on the world. It makes fantasy seem like reality, and reality seem distant. Its washes away your fears, pains, hatreds, and replaces them with a greater sense of self and morality, knowing there is always a place that will wrap its protective arms around you even in the most ebony of nights. Its is ecstasy in its purest form, and one may say its...magic.;)

Just like Walt Disney, Greenwood created a paradise where all ye are welcome to escape from the dark of the world, even just for a minute, and not just read, but live a place where magic is real, and reality is a dream.
Alediran
06-27-07, 10:50 AM It's a place where you can be among giants (legends, heroes and famous places like Elminster, Khelben, Myth Drannor, etc) without being stomped flat (unles you encounter a Glabrezu in Myth Drannor who happens to like adventurer hamburgers), where you can find lost cities and admire what was like when people lived there. Where you find a longsword/armor/staff/whatever in a Dragon's loot and after some time you discover that the sword has a history of heroes and villains, of wonders raised and hopes shatered.

It's hard to say what the Realms Feel to somebody who never felt it, but it's like a heaven, a place where we would love to be, see and experience with our senses.
Aegis_Chiron
06-27-07, 04:06 PM From a PC standpoint, the "Realms Feel" is like... I'm not sure how to describe it. There's so much going on around you, all of it is important/interesting. You want to see it all, visit all the different realms, meet the heroes of old (or the old heroes), and you can. Everyone has a story to tell, from the barkeep, to the blacksmith to the old cat lady no one likes. It's a very organic world that doesn't revolve around the party, yet is affected by them. There's so much history, and it still impacts the wolrd. It's amazingly complex yet so simple and easy to get into.
MerrikCale
06-27-07, 04:50 PM Just like Walt Disney, Greenwood created a paradise where all ye are welcome to escape from the dark of the world, even just for a minute, and not just read, but live a place where magic is real, and reality is a dream.

another big Disney fan
MerrikCale
06-27-07, 04:52 PM The Forgotten Realms feel like Fridays. Eberron feels like Tuesdays.
XHereticX
06-27-07, 05:00 PM another big Disney fan

Nah, I hate Disney, and a lot of cheesy american cartoons (though I like some of the funnier ones like Spongebob and Fairly oddparents). I am more of an anime person myself.

Just used that example to show how Realms fans feel when they are experiencing that feeling, just like little kids at Disneyworld.
MerrikCale
06-27-07, 11:33 PM Just used that example to show how Realms fans feel when they are experiencing that feeling, just like little kids at Disneyworld.

I love Disneyworld
Francius
06-28-07, 05:36 PM It has a lovely smell when caramelized?

It goes good on burgers and hot dogs?

It can be found in the produce section of a grocery store?

It's used in many casseroles?

It certainly brings a little extra flavor to all those tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the salad that is D&D.

Nice.

Now you 've turned on my appetite.

So I 'm off to the chicken for a burger, a salad and some candies.
Lord Karsus
06-28-07, 06:51 PM Nah, I hate Disney, and a lot of cheesy american cartoons (though I like some of the funnier ones like Spongebob and Fairly oddparents). I am more of an anime person myself.

-You truly are a heretic! ;) :P
XHereticX
06-28-07, 06:57 PM -You truly are a heretic! ;) :P

yes, I try to keep up appearances.:schemes:

Oh, and Merrik, I liked Disneyworld too, though the Mission Mars ride in Epcot made me throw up:yuck:

I'm asian Karsus, its natural for me to favor eastern animation to western.
The Ubbergeek
06-28-07, 07:00 PM he have great taste. ;)

Ubbie, a quebecker. :)
Lord Karsus
06-28-07, 07:28 PM I'm asian Karsus, its natural for me to favor eastern animation to western.

-Eh, that doesn't have to be true. I'm Italian-American, and I really don't like Italian-American people too much.
XHereticX
06-28-07, 07:31 PM -Eh, that doesn't have to be true. I'm Italian-American, and I really don't like Italian-American people too much.

Careful with your words Karsus, you don't want the Mafioso to overhear;)

Don't get wacked man, don't get wacked.
Lord Karsus
06-28-07, 07:41 PM Careful with your words Karsus, you don't want the Mafioso to overhear;)

Don't get wacked man, don't get wacked.

-Mafia? What mafia? There is no mafia...:incog:
XHereticX
06-28-07, 07:43 PM -Mafia? What mafia? There is no mafia...:incog:

Nice try Mafia boy... Now tell me, which of the five families are you tied to?
MerrikCale
06-28-07, 08:08 PM Oh, and Merrik, I liked Disneyworld too, though the Mission Mars ride in Epcot made me throw up:yuck:

That would be Mission Space. Mission Mars was an old ride at the Magic Kingdom that they tore down over a decade ago.

And the animation from the Lion King blows any anime completely out of the water
XHereticX
06-28-07, 08:10 PM And the animation from the Lion King blows any anime completely out of the water

yeah right:rolleyes:

Yeah, Mission Space, srry.
MerrikCale
06-28-07, 08:21 PM yeah right:rolleyes:

of course it is. much better
XHereticX
06-28-07, 08:25 PM of course it is. much better

Bah, to death with Disney and its happy-endings and magic getaways, I prefer to be stuck in an angysty, tragic anime any day, "hugs chibi":P
MerrikCale
06-28-07, 09:33 PM Bah, to death with Disney and its happy-endings and magic getaways, I prefer to be stuck in an angysty, tragic anime any day, "hugs chibi":P

OK. To each his own. But you gotta give that opening scene in Lion King is amazingly drawn
XHereticX
06-28-07, 09:42 PM OK. To each his own. But you gotta give that opening scene in Lion King is amazingly drawn

Yup, we're pretty much polar opposites, Disney beginnings are ok, I just hate Disney endings.

Now lets compare music:P what are u currently into in music?
Lord Karsus
06-28-07, 09:54 PM what are u currently into in music?

-Hendrix! Lennon! Dylan! Young!
XHereticX
06-28-07, 09:55 PM ahh, the classics, well, I was just listening to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FeIu_pf-_E&mode=related&search=
MerrikCale
06-28-07, 09:57 PM -Hendrix! Lennon! Dylan! Young!

Thats me as well. Throw in the Black Crowes and the Barenaked Ladies
XHereticX
06-28-07, 10:00 PM Any form of rock besides soft Rock.

I listen to a lot of heavy crap like Disturbed, A7X, Mudvayne, System of a Down, Godsmack, etc.

Euro rock is good too, Rammstein, Nightwish, Opeth.
Lord Karsus
06-28-07, 10:05 PM -I'll admit, though, that I've been listening to a lot more "Hard/Progressive" Rock than "Classic" Rock, lately. An old Rock station on the radio that converted to talk format a few years ago just recently changed back to rock, so I've been listening to that lately. There are a lot of good "modern" songs, I'll admit. They don't have lasting power, though. In fourty years, we'll still be listening to The Beatles, but we won't still be listening to Rage Against the Machine.

-Now, what did this have to do with the Realms? ;)
XHereticX
06-28-07, 10:07 PM -I'll admit, though, that I've been listening to a lot more "Hard/Progressive" Rock than "Classic" Rock, lately. An old Rock station on the radio that converted to talk format a few years ago just recently changed back to rock, so I've been listening to that lately. There are a lot of good "modern" songs, I'll admit. They don't have lasting power, though. In fourty years, we'll still be listening to The Beatles, but we won't still be listening to Rage Against the Machine.

-Now, what did this have to do with the Realms? ;)

Everything Karsus, its all a matter of personal perspective.

Older rock is good too. Stuff like Black Sabbath, KISS, Metallica, and Pink Floyd never gets old.

I like some rap too, and especially rap/rock mixes like slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park
Sullivan
06-29-07, 11:41 PM Hrumph... hrumph...

This is about what is "The Forgotten Realms Feel" and not rants about Disney.
Mr_Miscellany
06-30-07, 02:40 AM Sullivan,

To me the "Forgotten Realms Feeling" comes in a few flavors.

When I was in my early teens (about 23 years ago, give or take) the Realms were new to me. The Realms was the Grey Box and parchment-like pages and finding out something new about this wonderful place that caught my attention from the get go, with every page I read.

The Realms was about tension and heroes not always winning (poor Silk, who lost his foot to a displacer beast, then his life....that really got to me....and got me hooked on the novels).

Fast forward many years and now I'm familiar with the Realms....there's not much that's totally new, nor are the novels as interesting or entertaining for me like they once were.

So the Feeling is about play for me. It's about taking the Realms and really shaping and molding it to fit a campaign in the manner proscribed by those old Grey Books books.

For me the proper feel of the Realms is that of a fantasy gaming setting where it's not really THE Realms unless a DM takes the core elements of the setting and mixes them with his or her style of play, with the players in that campaign always the center of attention.

Anywho, hope that helps.

:)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sullivan 06-24-07, 11:22 PM	Often, when people do not like a Forgotten Realms product, they will complain about how it lacks the “Realms Feel.” What, to you, is the Realms Feel? What constitutes the elements of what makes the Realms the Realms? Why do you think these elements are important to the setting?
Eladrinstar 06-25-07, 12:27 AM	My idea of the Realms is one where it is evident that there is a vast amount of lore behind the world. The Baldur's Gate games illustrate my point. Any area in the game could feature thousands of little tidbits of information that do not advance the plot. Whereas in other fictional worlds, this can be hampering, in the Realms is slows nothing down. The world feels alive, nothings seems as if it was constructed, but that it grew and evolved. Sometimes the Realms seem almost as detailed as the real world. It started with a person, and it now seems to move along at it's own pace, as if it is happening somewhere. It is a living work of art.
Lord Karsus 06-25-07, 02:18 PM	-Oddly enough, I think it feels like paper...:P
95 06-25-07, 02:18 PM	it needs to organically feel like it ties in with theother already established components of the realms.... even if its far far away..... like if it feels like its just some loosely based on an historical element and plopped down into the realms... i dont usually like those....
Francius 06-26-07, 06:02 PM	Often, when people do not like a Forgotten Realms product, they will complain about how it lacks the “Realms Feel.” What, to you, is the Realms Feel? What constitutes the elements of what makes the Realms the Realms? Why do you think these elements are important to the setting? I 'll post some personal thoughts later, but now I 'll just say that the "Realms Feel" like home to me.
MarkusTay63 06-26-07, 06:27 PM	Deep The Realms is like an Onion.... ;)
Francius 06-27-07, 06:22 AM	Deep The Realms is like an Onion.... ;) Can you be more specific? (onion?)
lantan_gnome 06-27-07, 09:56 AM	it has layers, makes u cry out of joy, and is o sooo tasty
The_Shaman 06-27-07, 10:24 AM	I would not exactly call it tasty, but it certainly brings a little extra flavor to all those tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the salad that is D&D. As for its feel... I like how it seems so engrossing. You are not just the uberest group of heroes, you can see that there were others before, even meet some of them. It has heroes and villains on several different layers, engaged in different plots and projects. Plus, I like how it does not cap off around lvl 20 or so. Things can run really deep in the Realms. It is not quite smooth, not quite perfect, but I like it. Even though you sometimes see a cockroach, note that the wallpapers have gotten dirty or think the drain pipes may need replacement soon, it is home, and a nice home at that.
Sullivan 06-27-07, 10:25 AM	The Realms is like an Onion.... ;) (Blinks a few times) It has a lovely smell when caramelized? It goes good on burgers and hot dogs? It can be found in the produce section of a grocery store? It's used in many casseroles?
XHereticX 06-27-07, 10:36 AM	Deep The Realms is like an Onion.... ;) Onions have layers...ogres have layers...the Realms have layers....the nine hells have layers.:cool: The Realms Feel is a complex multilayered thing. Its gives you a warm feeling in your heart and soul when you indulge on the lore on the world. It makes fantasy seem like reality, and reality seem distant. Its washes away your fears, pains, hatreds, and replaces them with a greater sense of self and morality, knowing there is always a place that will wrap its protective arms around you even in the most ebony of nights. Its is ecstasy in its purest form, and one may say its...magic.;) Just like Walt Disney, Greenwood created a paradise where all ye are welcome to escape from the dark of the world, even just for a minute, and not just read, but live a place where magic is real, and reality is a dream.
Alediran 06-27-07, 10:50 AM	It's a place where you can be among giants (legends, heroes and famous places like Elminster, Khelben, Myth Drannor, etc) without being stomped flat (unles you encounter a Glabrezu in Myth Drannor who happens to like adventurer hamburgers), where you can find lost cities and admire what was like when people lived there. Where you find a longsword/armor/staff/whatever in a Dragon's loot and after some time you discover that the sword has a history of heroes and villains, of wonders raised and hopes shatered. It's hard to say what the Realms Feel to somebody who never felt it, but it's like a heaven, a place where we would love to be, see and experience with our senses.
Aegis_Chiron 06-27-07, 04:06 PM	From a PC standpoint, the "Realms Feel" is like... I'm not sure how to describe it. There's so much going on around you, all of it is important/interesting. You want to see it all, visit all the different realms, meet the heroes of old (or the old heroes), and you can. Everyone has a story to tell, from the barkeep, to the blacksmith to the old cat lady no one likes. It's a very organic world that doesn't revolve around the party, yet is affected by them. There's so much history, and it still impacts the wolrd. It's amazingly complex yet so simple and easy to get into.
MerrikCale 06-27-07, 04:50 PM	Just like Walt Disney, Greenwood created a paradise where all ye are welcome to escape from the dark of the world, even just for a minute, and not just read, but live a place where magic is real, and reality is a dream. another big Disney fan
MerrikCale 06-27-07, 04:52 PM	The Forgotten Realms feel like Fridays. Eberron feels like Tuesdays.
XHereticX 06-27-07, 05:00 PM	another big Disney fan Nah, I hate Disney, and a lot of cheesy american cartoons (though I like some of the funnier ones like Spongebob and Fairly oddparents). I am more of an anime person myself. Just used that example to show how Realms fans feel when they are experiencing that feeling, just like little kids at Disneyworld.
MerrikCale 06-27-07, 11:33 PM	Just used that example to show how Realms fans feel when they are experiencing that feeling, just like little kids at Disneyworld. I love Disneyworld
Francius 06-28-07, 05:36 PM	It has a lovely smell when caramelized? It goes good on burgers and hot dogs? It can be found in the produce section of a grocery store? It's used in many casseroles? It certainly brings a little extra flavor to all those tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the salad that is D&D. Nice. Now you 've turned on my appetite. So I 'm off to the chicken for a burger, a salad and some candies.
Lord Karsus 06-28-07, 06:51 PM	Nah, I hate Disney, and a lot of cheesy american cartoons (though I like some of the funnier ones like Spongebob and Fairly oddparents). I am more of an anime person myself. -You truly are a heretic! ;) :P
XHereticX 06-28-07, 06:57 PM	-You truly are a heretic! ;) :P yes, I try to keep up appearances.:schemes: Oh, and Merrik, I liked Disneyworld too, though the Mission Mars ride in Epcot made me throw up:yuck: I'm asian Karsus, its natural for me to favor eastern animation to western.
The Ubbergeek 06-28-07, 07:00 PM	he have great taste. ;) Ubbie, a quebecker. :)
Lord Karsus 06-28-07, 07:28 PM	I'm asian Karsus, its natural for me to favor eastern animation to western. -Eh, that doesn't have to be true. I'm Italian-American, and I really don't like Italian-American people too much.
XHereticX 06-28-07, 07:31 PM	-Eh, that doesn't have to be true. I'm Italian-American, and I really don't like Italian-American people too much. Careful with your words Karsus, you don't want the Mafioso to overhear;) Don't get wacked man, don't get wacked.
Lord Karsus 06-28-07, 07:41 PM	Careful with your words Karsus, you don't want the Mafioso to overhear;) Don't get wacked man, don't get wacked. -Mafia? What mafia? There is no mafia...:incog:
XHereticX 06-28-07, 07:43 PM	-Mafia? What mafia? There is no mafia...:incog: Nice try Mafia boy... Now tell me, which of the five families are you tied to?
MerrikCale 06-28-07, 08:08 PM	Oh, and Merrik, I liked Disneyworld too, though the Mission Mars ride in Epcot made me throw up:yuck: That would be Mission Space. Mission Mars was an old ride at the Magic Kingdom that they tore down over a decade ago. And the animation from the Lion King blows any anime completely out of the water
XHereticX 06-28-07, 08:10 PM	And the animation from the Lion King blows any anime completely out of the water yeah right:rolleyes: Yeah, Mission Space, srry.
MerrikCale 06-28-07, 08:21 PM	yeah right:rolleyes: of course it is. much better
XHereticX 06-28-07, 08:25 PM	of course it is. much better Bah, to death with Disney and its happy-endings and magic getaways, I prefer to be stuck in an angysty, tragic anime any day, "hugs chibi":P
MerrikCale 06-28-07, 09:33 PM	Bah, to death with Disney and its happy-endings and magic getaways, I prefer to be stuck in an angysty, tragic anime any day, "hugs chibi":P OK. To each his own. But you gotta give that opening scene in Lion King is amazingly drawn
XHereticX 06-28-07, 09:42 PM	OK. To each his own. But you gotta give that opening scene in Lion King is amazingly drawn Yup, we're pretty much polar opposites, Disney beginnings are ok, I just hate Disney endings. Now lets compare music:P what are u currently into in music?
Lord Karsus 06-28-07, 09:54 PM	what are u currently into in music? -Hendrix! Lennon! Dylan! Young!
XHereticX 06-28-07, 09:55 PM	ahh, the classics, well, I was just listening to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FeIu_pf-_E&mode=related&search=
MerrikCale 06-28-07, 09:57 PM	-Hendrix! Lennon! Dylan! Young! Thats me as well. Throw in the Black Crowes and the Barenaked Ladies
XHereticX 06-28-07, 10:00 PM	Any form of rock besides soft Rock. I listen to a lot of heavy crap like Disturbed, A7X, Mudvayne, System of a Down, Godsmack, etc. Euro rock is good too, Rammstein, Nightwish, Opeth.
Lord Karsus 06-28-07, 10:05 PM	-I'll admit, though, that I've been listening to a lot more "Hard/Progressive" Rock than "Classic" Rock, lately. An old Rock station on the radio that converted to talk format a few years ago just recently changed back to rock, so I've been listening to that lately. There are a lot of good "modern" songs, I'll admit. They don't have lasting power, though. In fourty years, we'll still be listening to The Beatles, but we won't still be listening to Rage Against the Machine. -Now, what did this have to do with the Realms? ;)
XHereticX 06-28-07, 10:07 PM	-I'll admit, though, that I've been listening to a lot more "Hard/Progressive" Rock than "Classic" Rock, lately. An old Rock station on the radio that converted to talk format a few years ago just recently changed back to rock, so I've been listening to that lately. There are a lot of good "modern" songs, I'll admit. They don't have lasting power, though. In fourty years, we'll still be listening to The Beatles, but we won't still be listening to Rage Against the Machine. -Now, what did this have to do with the Realms? ;) Everything Karsus, its all a matter of personal perspective. Older rock is good too. Stuff like Black Sabbath, KISS, Metallica, and Pink Floyd never gets old. I like some rap too, and especially rap/rock mixes like slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park
Sullivan 06-29-07, 11:41 PM	Hrumph... hrumph... This is about what is "The Forgotten Realms Feel" and not rants about Disney.
Mr_Miscellany 06-30-07, 02:40 AM	Sullivan, To me the "Forgotten Realms Feeling" comes in a few flavors. When I was in my early teens (about 23 years ago, give or take) the Realms were new to me. The Realms was the Grey Box and parchment-like pages and finding out something new about this wonderful place that caught my attention from the get go, with every page I read. The Realms was about tension and heroes not always winning (poor Silk, who lost his foot to a displacer beast, then his life....that really got to me....and got me hooked on the novels). Fast forward many years and now I'm familiar with the Realms....there's not much that's totally new, nor are the novels as interesting or entertaining for me like they once were. So the Feeling is about play for me. It's about taking the Realms and really shaping and molding it to fit a campaign in the manner proscribed by those old Grey Books books. For me the proper feel of the Realms is that of a fantasy gaming setting where it's not really THE Realms unless a DM takes the core elements of the setting and mixes them with his or her style of play, with the players in that campaign always the center of attention. Anywho, hope that helps. :)