I have read that some people are sketched out by running this campaign becuase it has so much lore already attached to it.
Any advice or tips for me?
the Realms contain alot of lore that may be alot to take in.
but that lore is also over 100 years old due to the Spellplague/timejump and may or may not have any bearing in the 4e version of the Realms.
oh and Welcome to the Forgotten Realms, just where do you plan on adventuring?
Its a big world, with a big story, but you dont need to know everything from the start (or ever, for that matter).
I have read that some people are sketched out by running this campaign becuase it has so much lore already attached to it.
Any advice or tips for me?
The lore of the Forgotte Realms is there simply to help DMs with their job of creating cool places to run adventures in.
That is, the Non Player Characters (NPCs) of the Realms, as well as the fantastic kingdoms and places (like the Kingdom of Cormyr or the great dungeon called Undermountain) that exist in the Forgotten Realms are there so that a Dungeon Master doesn't have to spend his or her limited time making up NPCs, creating fantastic Kingdoms and dangerous dungeons.
The Realms are best used by looking through the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (assuming you're playing 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons) and selecting a location that suits your taste and the type of adventure you want to run.
If you like knights, chivalry and daring do, choose Cormyr; if you like intrigue, thieves slinking about at night and vampires, choose Westgate; if you prefer barbarians, elf maidens, surely dwarves, werewolves and endless armies of orcs, choose Silverymoon and the lands of the wild north, etc...
This way you can tell players where they're at, a little about the lands around them, some of the more common dangers and something about what adventure awaits their characters, then get right to the adventure itself.
Once your game is going (say after four or five sessions) then you can start to add in bits of Realmslore to help spice things up.
Always remember that the meat of D&D is the adventure itself; your players will be far more interested in killing monsters, earning treasure and surviving then they will be to lear about Tressym (winged cats of Cormyr) or the Moon Doors of Silverymoon.
These last are tidbits to add as you go along, they're not meant to take center stage; that's where your players belong.
Good luck!
The Realms is exactly what it sounds like: a world in which civilizations build over one another, leaving ancient treasures (and dangers) waiting to be found. It is also a world full of magic, heroism, and intrigue. The panoramic setting can accomodate virtually any story you want to tell or campaign you want to run, with regions/cities tailored specifically to particular tales. The 4e FRCG is very specific about this, and of course on the boards we would be happy to help out.
What sort of game are you planning to run? Lots of adventure? Intrigue? Darkness? Heroism? Cosmopolitan? Rural? Desperate freedom fighters? Catspaws in a war between nations?
The Realms has got it all. Just let us know how we can help.
Cheers
Right now I am trying to wrap my head around all of it.
Are there any races not found in the realms that are in the 3 handbooks?
The races in PHB1 and PHB2 are discussed a little in the FRPG (players guide), and the races in PHB3 are also there, but considerably more rare. For instance, there are a few documented cases of minotaurs, mostly as enemies, and plenty of the gith races.
There's just less official 4e lore about them in FR, but they are indeed there.
Cheers