Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster’s Forgotten Realms
By Waerloga69
Waerloga69 did one of the first review of Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster’s Forgotten Realms on October 16 when it was released.
Talk about this review here.
That said, Realmspeak is the most fun reading I have done filling my mind with wonderful phrases to use by my NPC's and my characters. The book also gives flashes of lore covering Nobility DR 1200, 1400's, and many more flashes as the subject matter needs here and there for detail references.
The General Flavor that it is giving to all of the Realms and thus far it gives a view of how it might feel, to drop into the Realms and spend a week or a month. It is not a book of rules, graphs, and charts, but more of a reference into life within the Realms: how folk think, foods, fashion, class, nobility, various laws (trade and glimpse into areas), entertainment, festivals, literature, medicine, illness and hygiene, drugs and poisons, economics, coinage, trade, slavery, how religions is viewed and used. The Art (Magic) Alchemy, Bardic Matters, Elven Music, Spellsong, Special Bloodlines, oh and More Magic.
Really fun reading thus far churning the creative juices in my mind.
I believe by my reading this book and another person reading this, our games in the realms will generally have a similar feel more so than just our stats of monsters, magic items, power groups, city names and deities. There might be more of an overall similar atmosphere between our games.
The cities and villages might end up having similar customs or festivals that the NPC's look forward to or prepare for all year long. This book covers general modes of thinking over all the Realms. This also works for your characters where before you might have simalr skills and language now your character might be more familiar with the Literature, Music, or Fashon as the NPC's. Some sections remind me of compiled history to inform the reader rather than overwhelm them with the vast history of the Realms. This book for me makes the Realms more living and breathing than other books which focus on classes, races, magic, or monsters. It seems more down to earth so to speak.
Details about perfumes, equipment, spices, toys, crafts, design, coinage, and general basics of guilds may not be important in everyones game but it sure gives weight to descriptions when describing areas within your game.
So Yes, all of our past games, over the years have been right on key, but now there might be a bit more similarity as far as sociology described between various game tables all over the world when emersed in a game of Dungeons and Dragons within the Forgotten Realms.
Seems like a useful product nevertheless!
Seems like a good review i didn't see the finished product yet. This book reminds me of the AD&D 2nd edition Elminster's Ecology. I thought it would make more explicit references to Ed's own campaign though. By what i can gather from the review and previews, it look like more of a general encyclopedia of the Realms.
Seems like a useful product nevertheless!
If anyone has read the book, would you please be able to tell me if it finally reveals why the beholders chose to ally with Manshoon in the formation of the Zhentarim?
A simple yes or no would suffice.
Thanks in advance... and anticipation as I won't get this until I get back to the first world some time in late November.
Yes. To dominate the local Church of Bane. Pages 70-72.
Thank, 18Delta.
That is the section I am most interested in reading. Oh well, only one more month to wait.
There is more to it. Just not going to spoil it all for ya!;)
No worries.
I'm happy to wait but, again, thanks for answering my yes/no question. It's good to know it's there.