Where to begin? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Where to begin? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-18-04, 01:14 AM I'm a huge RPG collector (scratch that... I'm an RPG addict). I pick RPG stuff most of the time because it looks interesting, and not because I ever plan to run it.

Over the years I've slowly acquired a huge FR collection, never intending to run the Realms... until recently. I'm going to be running for a part time group (meeting once or twice a month). Taking a look at my collection, I'm thinking of using FR. I've got about 18" worth of reading to do. I'm truly surprised at the amount of depth to the world and amount of information available.

I'm allowing the PC's to be from anywhere on Toril. My question is, with so many locals and cultures where do I begin a campaign? I'm thinking Mulhorand due to it's geographically central.

What is everyone's favorite local on Toril and why?
aravilar_holistacia
06-18-04, 01:31 AM The best place in my opinion to start would be either the Dales or Waterdeep. Reasons for both are that they both have great story potential.

But, my favorite place? Hands down, Myth Drannor, in the Cormanthor forest. It's the ruins of an old Elven city complete with magical maelstroms and the complement of demons and devils, and everyone's favorite plethora of traps and dungeons. :)
Mjordnir
06-18-04, 02:33 AM I'm currently running a campaign that centres on Everlund and Silverymoon, but reaches as far as Waterdeep, Darkhold and Anauroch.

Otherwise, my favourite places in Faerūn is the area around Thay, due the high level of accepted evil, like the red wizzies, and the Waterdeep area, because it's very "adventury" IMO.

I don't like Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. Not because they are bad places, but because my players repeatedly start blobbering about the computer games whenever I mention these areas. IMO those areas have been beaten to a pulp by the computer games, so I would never run a campaign there.

But anywhere in the realms is really a great place to run a campaign. It's just a matter of finding a good story.
I've run a campaign in the southern jungle lands, where all the players were jungle subtypes (from the Unearthed Arcana book), and were fighting Yuan-Ti and jungle creatures.

If this is your first FR campaign, you might want to think up a badguy (NPC, organization etc.) get their plot down, and then find an area that fits your plot.

Cheers
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-18-04, 09:02 AM Originally posted by aravilar_holistacia
Should be in the People and Places forum. ;)

Sorry, my bad. I was jumping between boards when I posted, and didn't realize I was on the wrong one until I had irrevocably hit the submit button. Wizo if you could please move this and then smite me with ye holy admin powers:( :) . Thanx:embarrass
ToxicToad
06-18-04, 09:52 AM My favorite is shadowdale. Comes from the first FR book I read when I was like 12.

Lots of stuff around the dales too. I'd hold off on myth dranor though till you get a higher level group of players. You can toss more chaos at them that way.
Mel Ann Cholly
06-18-04, 10:26 AM Originally posted by Mjordnir
I don't like Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. Not because they are bad places, but because my players repeatedly start blobbering about the computer games whenever I mention these areas. IMO those areas have been beaten to a pulp by the computer games, so I would never run a campaign there.

There is a certain amusement to shouting "For the glory of Amn!" every round. Or "You have been waylaid by bandits and must defend yourself" :)
Faraer
06-18-04, 10:52 AM Bear in mind how the Realms came to be. The detail which originally helped persuade TSR to buy the Realms was largely developed in Ed Greenwood's two main campaigns: the Company of Crazed Venturers, based in Waterdeep and roaming the Sword Coast North, and the Knights of Myth Drannor, roaming the Inner Sea Lands (especially the Dales and Cormyr). The southern and eastern places were 'beyond the map' lands encountered mostly through travelling merchants, and they remain less heavily developed. That might be an advantage depending on your DMing style, but veering too far from the Heartlands you also miss the feel and lore that really makes the Realms.

Mulhorand isn't really central, it's southeastern; and the published version, developed generally very well by Scott Bennie, is more literally Egyptian than Ed had in mind.

So do you want an urban or rural setting? Do you envisage the campaign being highly mobile? Will levels be gained at sane speed or 3E speed? Do you want a heavily detailed starting village/town or not? Etc.
aravilar_holistacia
06-18-04, 11:09 AM Originally posted by Mel Ann Cholly
There is a certain amusement to shouting... "You have been waylaid by bandits and must defend yourself" :)

:rofl:

I actually used a .wav file of that a few times in a campaign I ran. And I said it once in school when a couple of my friends and I snuck up on another friend. "You have been waylaid by bandits and must defend yourself, Ryan!" "What? Where? Who?" :rofl:
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-18-04, 11:15 AM Originally posted by Faraer

Mulhorand isn't really central, it's southeastern; and the published version, developed generally very well by Scott Bennie, is more literally Egyptian than Ed had in mind.

So do you want an urban or rural setting? Do you envisage the campaign being highly mobile? Will levels be gained at sane speed or 3E speed? Do you want a heavily detailed starting village/town or not? Etc.

I was thinking of allowing PC's to be from anywhere in Toril, including Zakhara, Maztica, and Kara-Tur. Mulhorand seemed to somewhat of a crossroads to meet. But I guess a port like Athakatla or Waterdeep could work.

As for setting rural and urban both work, definitely mobile. As for levels, 3E speed then slowing down to "sane" speed around 4th or 5th level. Detail isn't really a problem because I don't mind filling the blanks, the players haven't played FR before, and everything is so detailed I don't think there's much to want for.
Faraer
06-18-04, 12:02 PM Then you have many choices, all of which could work just as well. The more at home *you* feel in a locale, the more vividly you can describe it, of course. If *I* was to start a Realms campaign today, I'd go for a mostly tight-focused group, perhaps childhood friends, and only slowly explore the wider Realms, savouring the texture of overland travel. I'd most probably use Mistledale, Battledale, Deepingdale, or Eveningstar, or else one of the large villages/small towns of the Sword Coast North. If your players *want* to play such diverse characters you should probably let them; if not, going that way risks demystifying Faerūn and hurting the sense of scale, and if you mean to play the culture-clash out fully that's focus not placed on other things.
Lashan
06-21-04, 12:56 PM I say pick a place and a TIME that you feel comforalbe. If you have all the old FR stuff, then you can really play your game in any point in FR history. I've found that instead of trying to start off new players at 1370 DR (where they have no idea about the complex history of FR), I start off at 1354 DR or so and then move forward in time. Of course, if you really want to add some part of the campaign, like the Horde campaign, to your game world, just start a bit before that time so that they are the appropriate level.

I guess the big thing is, where do you want them to go?
Chewbacca's LightSaber
06-23-04, 12:40 PM Thanks every one for all the suggestions. I've decided to start my campaign in Waterdeep for reasons I'll explain here. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263765)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-18-04, 01:14 AM	I'm a huge RPG collector (scratch that... I'm an RPG addict). I pick RPG stuff most of the time because it looks interesting, and not because I ever plan to run it. Over the years I've slowly acquired a huge FR collection, never intending to run the Realms... until recently. I'm going to be running for a part time group (meeting once or twice a month). Taking a look at my collection, I'm thinking of using FR. I've got about 18" worth of reading to do. I'm truly surprised at the amount of depth to the world and amount of information available. I'm allowing the PC's to be from anywhere on Toril. My question is, with so many locals and cultures where do I begin a campaign? I'm thinking Mulhorand due to it's geographically central. What is everyone's favorite local on Toril and why?
aravilar_holistacia 06-18-04, 01:31 AM	The best place in my opinion to start would be either the Dales or Waterdeep. Reasons for both are that they both have great story potential. But, my favorite place? Hands down, Myth Drannor, in the Cormanthor forest. It's the ruins of an old Elven city complete with magical maelstroms and the complement of demons and devils, and everyone's favorite plethora of traps and dungeons. :)
Mjordnir 06-18-04, 02:33 AM	I'm currently running a campaign that centres on Everlund and Silverymoon, but reaches as far as Waterdeep, Darkhold and Anauroch. Otherwise, my favourite places in Faerūn is the area around Thay, due the high level of accepted evil, like the red wizzies, and the Waterdeep area, because it's very "adventury" IMO. I don't like Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. Not because they are bad places, but because my players repeatedly start blobbering about the computer games whenever I mention these areas. IMO those areas have been beaten to a pulp by the computer games, so I would never run a campaign there. But anywhere in the realms is really a great place to run a campaign. It's just a matter of finding a good story. I've run a campaign in the southern jungle lands, where all the players were jungle subtypes (from the Unearthed Arcana book), and were fighting Yuan-Ti and jungle creatures. If this is your first FR campaign, you might want to think up a badguy (NPC, organization etc.) get their plot down, and then find an area that fits your plot. Cheers
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-18-04, 09:02 AM	Originally posted by aravilar_holistacia Should be in the People and Places forum. ;) Sorry, my bad. I was jumping between boards when I posted, and didn't realize I was on the wrong one until I had irrevocably hit the submit button. Wizo if you could please move this and then smite me with ye holy admin powers:( :) . Thanx:embarrass
ToxicToad 06-18-04, 09:52 AM	My favorite is shadowdale. Comes from the first FR book I read when I was like 12. Lots of stuff around the dales too. I'd hold off on myth dranor though till you get a higher level group of players. You can toss more chaos at them that way.
Mel Ann Cholly 06-18-04, 10:26 AM	Originally posted by Mjordnir I don't like Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. Not because they are bad places, but because my players repeatedly start blobbering about the computer games whenever I mention these areas. IMO those areas have been beaten to a pulp by the computer games, so I would never run a campaign there. There is a certain amusement to shouting "For the glory of Amn!" every round. Or "You have been waylaid by bandits and must defend yourself" :)
Faraer 06-18-04, 10:52 AM	Bear in mind how the Realms came to be. The detail which originally helped persuade TSR to buy the Realms was largely developed in Ed Greenwood's two main campaigns: the Company of Crazed Venturers, based in Waterdeep and roaming the Sword Coast North, and the Knights of Myth Drannor, roaming the Inner Sea Lands (especially the Dales and Cormyr). The southern and eastern places were 'beyond the map' lands encountered mostly through travelling merchants, and they remain less heavily developed. That might be an advantage depending on your DMing style, but veering too far from the Heartlands you also miss the feel and lore that really makes the Realms. Mulhorand isn't really central, it's southeastern; and the published version, developed generally very well by Scott Bennie, is more literally Egyptian than Ed had in mind. So do you want an urban or rural setting? Do you envisage the campaign being highly mobile? Will levels be gained at sane speed or 3E speed? Do you want a heavily detailed starting village/town or not? Etc.
aravilar_holistacia 06-18-04, 11:09 AM	Originally posted by Mel Ann Cholly There is a certain amusement to shouting... "You have been waylaid by bandits and must defend yourself" :) :rofl: I actually used a .wav file of that a few times in a campaign I ran. And I said it once in school when a couple of my friends and I snuck up on another friend. "You have been waylaid by bandits and must defend yourself, Ryan!" "What? Where? Who?" :rofl:
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-18-04, 11:15 AM	Originally posted by Faraer Mulhorand isn't really central, it's southeastern; and the published version, developed generally very well by Scott Bennie, is more literally Egyptian than Ed had in mind. So do you want an urban or rural setting? Do you envisage the campaign being highly mobile? Will levels be gained at sane speed or 3E speed? Do you want a heavily detailed starting village/town or not? Etc. I was thinking of allowing PC's to be from anywhere in Toril, including Zakhara, Maztica, and Kara-Tur. Mulhorand seemed to somewhat of a crossroads to meet. But I guess a port like Athakatla or Waterdeep could work. As for setting rural and urban both work, definitely mobile. As for levels, 3E speed then slowing down to "sane" speed around 4th or 5th level. Detail isn't really a problem because I don't mind filling the blanks, the players haven't played FR before, and everything is so detailed I don't think there's much to want for.
Faraer 06-18-04, 12:02 PM	Then you have many choices, all of which could work just as well. The more at home you feel in a locale, the more vividly you can describe it, of course. If I was to start a Realms campaign today, I'd go for a mostly tight-focused group, perhaps childhood friends, and only slowly explore the wider Realms, savouring the texture of overland travel. I'd most probably use Mistledale, Battledale, Deepingdale, or Eveningstar, or else one of the large villages/small towns of the Sword Coast North. If your players want to play such diverse characters you should probably let them; if not, going that way risks demystifying Faerūn and hurting the sense of scale, and if you mean to play the culture-clash out fully that's focus not placed on other things.
Lashan 06-21-04, 12:56 PM	I say pick a place and a TIME that you feel comforalbe. If you have all the old FR stuff, then you can really play your game in any point in FR history. I've found that instead of trying to start off new players at 1370 DR (where they have no idea about the complex history of FR), I start off at 1354 DR or so and then move forward in time. Of course, if you really want to add some part of the campaign, like the Horde campaign, to your game world, just start a bit before that time so that they are the appropriate level. I guess the big thing is, where do you want them to go?
Chewbacca's LightSaber 06-23-04, 12:40 PM	Thanks every one for all the suggestions. I've decided to start my campaign in Waterdeep for reasons I'll explain here. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263765)