(4E) What books do you use? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

(4E) What books do you use?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
trobon
Sep 20, 2008 9:32:48 Just wondering what books everyone else uses for their campaigns including the older edition books and why. This is mostly just Forgotten Realms materials. Obviously, some will use more than others and that's fine. Just like to see what others do. If you use them all, then talk about which ones are the most useful for you.

This is what I use:
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 4th edition: This book is an obvious choice for a 4th edition setting. It has all of the material to understand what is going on now in the Forgotten Realms Setting.

Forgotten Realms Player's Guide: Another obvious choice. This is mostly for the players, but it also adds to some of the knowledge a DM needs and is good to have.

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition: One of my major problems with the FRCS4ed is that it just ignores a lot of features and places and doesn't describe them at all. The 3rd edition CS book on the other hand, was the BEST 3rd edition book IMO in terms of how it was written and has a ton of information to use. Obviously I need to change certain things, but its still helpful. I have always found an adventure hook from the Major Geographical Features sections and the Plots sections.

Lost Empires of Faerun: Always a great book for coming up with ideas for campaigns or adventures. It gives a lot of information on what happens when an empire crumbles and disappears and gives some good empires that can still be used in a 4ed campaign.

Underdark: Like with the FRCS3rd, I use this book to get information on the Underdark before the 100 year changes. Again, I obviously have to change a bit or take into account the changes, but in the end I find it more useful than not.

#2
davesaunders
Sep 21, 2008 17:08:25 I just started a new Forgotten Realms game when me and a few friends got the new FRCG book. Me and two other people (out of 5 people) were really unhappy with that book, so I ordered a few D&D edition 2 books and a few D&D edition 3 books, and we are going to use those. Were going to use the D&D edition 4 rules but have our game take place in the old Forgotten Realms not the new FR.
#3
Belorin
Sep 21, 2008 17:35:39 I use all of my FR books, 2E,3.5 and 4E, since I don't have my PCs do alot of world spanning adventures, I need to keep them busy at home till they are needed elsewhere.

Bel
#4
strayth
Sep 21, 2008 21:18:43
Were going to use the D&D edition 4 rules but have our game take place in the old Forgotten Realms not the new FR.

This was most of it for me; I still have a lot of FR 3e books around, and use their Deities & Demigods one (different name, i forget their title for the setting), FRCS, Netheril, the Unapproachable East one, Magic of Faerun and Player's Handbook. Most of that is just for details or little functions we could quickly move over. (Example: mage duels in FRCS). We do play in the 3e "era" of play, so the weave is still around. Also the eladrin are the "new guys" and the moon / sun elves weren't retconned into those. They're still elves.

(Mechanically it is retcon, Evereskans can't just teleport now and then at will. And introducing eladrin while keeping elves as they are makes more sense to us than vice-versa.)
#5
Mr_Miscellany
Sep 22, 2008 0:25:18 For my 4E FR game I’m currently using only the FRCG, the Core Rulebooks and the adventure H1: Keep on the Shadowfell.

I plan on incorporating H2, H3, the Adventurer’s Vault and the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide.

I also use the online Dragon Magazine #365 article Backdrop: Cormyr by Brian R. James and the official Keep on the Shadowfell Forgotten Realms conversion by Greg Bilsland.

Have to say I don’t use much of my 3E books (or Volo’s Guide to Cormyr --my 4E game is set in Cormyr) simply because I’m tired of carrying all those damned books around.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 trobon Sep 20, 2008 9:32:48	Just wondering what books everyone else uses for their campaigns including the older edition books and why. This is mostly just Forgotten Realms materials. Obviously, some will use more than others and that's fine. Just like to see what others do. If you use them all, then talk about which ones are the most useful for you. This is what I use: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 4th edition: This book is an obvious choice for a 4th edition setting. It has all of the material to understand what is going on now in the Forgotten Realms Setting. Forgotten Realms Player's Guide: Another obvious choice. This is mostly for the players, but it also adds to some of the knowledge a DM needs and is good to have. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition: One of my major problems with the FRCS4ed is that it just ignores a lot of features and places and doesn't describe them at all. The 3rd edition CS book on the other hand, was the BEST 3rd edition book IMO in terms of how it was written and has a ton of information to use. Obviously I need to change certain things, but its still helpful. I have always found an adventure hook from the Major Geographical Features sections and the Plots sections. Lost Empires of Faerun: Always a great book for coming up with ideas for campaigns or adventures. It gives a lot of information on what happens when an empire crumbles and disappears and gives some good empires that can still be used in a 4ed campaign. Underdark: Like with the FRCS3rd, I use this book to get information on the Underdark before the 100 year changes. Again, I obviously have to change a bit or take into account the changes, but in the end I find it more useful than not.
#2 davesaunders Sep 21, 2008 17:08:25	I just started a new Forgotten Realms game when me and a few friends got the new FRCG book. Me and two other people (out of 5 people) were really unhappy with that book, so I ordered a few D&D edition 2 books and a few D&D edition 3 books, and we are going to use those. Were going to use the D&D edition 4 rules but have our game take place in the old Forgotten Realms not the new FR.
#3 Belorin Sep 21, 2008 17:35:39	I use all of my FR books, 2E,3.5 and 4E, since I don't have my PCs do alot of world spanning adventures, I need to keep them busy at home till they are needed elsewhere. Bel
#4 strayth Sep 21, 2008 21:18:43	Were going to use the D&D edition 4 rules but have our game take place in the old Forgotten Realms not the new FR. This was most of it for me; I still have a lot of FR 3e books around, and use their Deities & Demigods one (different name, i forget their title for the setting), FRCS, Netheril, the Unapproachable East one, Magic of Faerun and Player's Handbook. Most of that is just for details or little functions we could quickly move over. (Example: mage duels in FRCS). We do play in the 3e "era" of play, so the weave is still around. Also the eladrin are the "new guys" and the moon / sun elves weren't retconned into those. They're still elves. (Mechanically it is retcon, Evereskans can't just teleport now and then at will. And introducing eladrin while keeping elves as they are makes more sense to us than vice-versa.)
#5 Mr_Miscellany Sep 22, 2008 0:25:18	For my 4E FR game I’m currently using only the FRCG, the Core Rulebooks and the adventure H1: Keep on the Shadowfell. I plan on incorporating H2, H3, the Adventurer’s Vault and the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. I also use the online Dragon Magazine #365 article Backdrop: Cormyr by Brian R. James and the official Keep on the Shadowfell Forgotten Realms conversion by Greg Bilsland. Have to say I don’t use much of my 3E books (or Volo’s Guide to Cormyr --my 4E game is set in Cormyr) simply because I’m tired of carrying all those damned books around.