Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 vampirehunter_v Jan 10, 2009 21:06:08	So, I was in the bookstore looking at Forgotten Realms book section trying to decide weather to get The Gossamer Plain or The Lady Penitent, when a guy and me start talking about Forgotten Realms. I ask about the time when all the gods walked the earth and he dircted me to a series/book about the time. I think he mentioned R. A. Salvatore. What is the Book(s) called? I would Really like to know.
#2 maskedone Jan 10, 2009 22:02:27	Main books dealing with that are the Avatar trilogy, multiple authors were involved if memory serves. I don't actually remember Salvatore being linked to it but I haven't looked at them in a while. There are tie-ins through the Shadows of the Avatar which Greenwood handled. Ehmm, Salvatore did have one or two Drizzt novels that passed through that time period but I don't remember which ones. Avatar Titles: Shadowdale Tantras Waterdeep Shadows of the Avatar: ???? (don't remember, not looking) ???? (don't remember, not looking) All Shadows Fled
#3 Mr_Miscellany Jan 10, 2009 23:19:53	Shadows of the Avatar Trilogy: Shadows of Doom Cloak of Shadows All Shadows Fled Three of my favorite Realms novels. Check out my new sig: Call me crazy, call me a traitor, call me whatever. I really enjoy playing D&D in the 4E Realms. I like leaving the house every other Monday to go to game with just two rulebooks (FRCG, FRPG) and a binder with my adventure and DM’s screen in it. I don’t even need to bring the core rulebooks since my buddies have them. Contrast this with the veritable wooden log of books I carry around for my 3.5 Realms game. I like the simplicity of it. I’m a very experienced DM and I enjoy making stuff up as I go along. Having just two and three page explanations in the FRCG of the places in the Realms I like to use makes it easy for me to build on the information therein. I like the challenge of it. When things change in the Realms, it puts players and DMs and Realmsfans (that don’t play D&D) on the spot. Some don’t like to see changes, sure. But I do when it’s a wholesale set of changes due mostly to the advancement of time. I like returned Abeir. MarkusTay has asked me in another thread why I wanted to go “down south” in my 4E Realms game. Two big reasons are Tymanther and Akanûl. A third is the Abolethic Sovereignty, which conveniently lay in between Cormyr (where my campaign is at) and those two realms. I enjoy the change of flavor. When you’ve gamed in the Realms as long as I and my players have, a change of pace is very enjoyable. It lets us treat places and things we “know” about the Realms as unknowns again. Add to that our choice to treat both our ongoing 3.5 and 4E Realms games as being in the same Realms instead of separate and you have an additional layer of uncertainty owing to the unique path our 3.5 game has already taken. That’s fun because discovering something new or discovering a big change in the Realms during play is always a blast and so a big motivation to play. But most of all I like the advanced timeline. That’s got to be one of best fuels for creative DM thought out there for DMs that are somewhat familiar with the Realms. It basically pushes you to consider the new setting from a “what’s transpired?” point of view. When Manshoon the vampire has lived for a century through the Spellplague, consolidated his power over Westgate and the surviving Zhentarim, what does that mean? How did he do it? What secrets of magic and of returned Abeir has he uncovered? Is he dealing with the Eminence of Aurant or the Ironfell Council? Has he restarted any of his long term plots that were thwarted when all of his clones awoke? Have any of those plots come to fruition? Basically, Manshoon being Manshoon, what can he have accomplished in 100 years beyond what the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide tells us? My bet is: A LOT. That’s what’s so fun about it for me as a DM. All these ideas and possibilities constitute fun thought exercises and are the seeds of future adventures and campaign arcs. I invite those of you who have pondered things as I have to include your thoughts here. I invite those of you who enjoy playing in the 4E Realms to post why you enjoy it, especially if your reasons are different then mine. Lastly, let’s be careful not to let an edition war ignite here. Webster has the power to close threads and he will use it if we give him reason to.
#4 markustay63 Jan 11, 2009 0:11:23	Disliked the first three so much, I never read the next three. I think I started to read the first of that second series (I have some dim recollection of El wandering about in a stupor), but I lost interest about a chapter or two in. My favorite related novel - Prince of Lies. Ater all, My favorite Orc (General Vrakk) plays a part in it. :D
#5 18DELTA Jan 11, 2009 0:41:55	-I always knew you were a closet Cyricist Markus. ;) 18DELTA (Cyric is Lord) :D
#6 Zireael Jan 11, 2009 3:55:32	Well, Time of Troubles is also mentioned in "Siege of Darkness" by R.A. Salvatore.
#7 markustay63 Jan 11, 2009 12:53:58	-I always knew you were a closet Cyricist Markus. NOT on your life - the only thing that ruined it for me is that Cyric was left alive at the end. Although I was tittilated by what happened to his precious book. I was looking forward to The Trial of Cyric the Mad as well, but then I heard he Show got off scott-free
#8 rinonalyrna_fathomlin Jan 11, 2009 17:43:35	There are tie-ins through the Shadows of the Avatar which Greenwood handled. I'd like to note that these particular novels take place during the ToT and touch on some of the events (especially those involving Mystra), but they aren't really about the ToT. Also, I found them to be fun reads. Shadows of the Avatar: ???? (don't remember, not looking) ???? (don't remember, not looking) All Shadows Fled Shadows of Doom, Cloak of Shadows, All Shadows Fled.
#9 maskedone Jan 11, 2009 18:53:34	I'd like to note that these particular novels take place during the ToT and touch on some of the events (especially those involving Mystra), but they aren't really about the ToT. Also, I found them to be fun reads. They were pretty good at various points and well you won't see me complaining about Mystra's involvement.
#10 lord_karsus Jan 12, 2009 12:24:57	-The Avatar series is what you are looking for: Shadowdale, by Scott Ceincin (Richard Awlinson, Pseudonym) Tantras, by Scott Ceincin (Richard Awlinson, Pseudonym) Waterdeep, by Troy Denning (Richard Awlinson, Pseudonym) Prince of Lies, by James Lowder Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, by Troy Denning
#11 baldurs_gate_99_dup Jan 13, 2009 21:35:08	Did all of the gods and goddesses (except for Helm) get kicked out from the heavens? Even non-human gods and goddesses or gods and goddesses from other places from the Forgotten Realms? I was always a little confused on this part. It never mattered much but now since I have an account here, I might as well ask.
#12 maskedone Jan 13, 2009 21:58:30	Last explanation I heard over divinities with holdings outside Realmspace, AO told them they were required to send a single avatar to win their right to stay in Realmspace and failure to do so would get them summarily booted from Toril. AO doesn't hold jurisdiction over say Corellon's behaviour in Greyhawk but he has complete dominion over his own realm unless trumped by a being greater than he.
#13 18DELTA Jan 14, 2009 0:21:24	-Yes like the DM of that game. AO what a stupid concept. 18DELTA (The Chosen of Cyric who is Greatful that AO let Cyric become the God above all Gods!) ;)
#14 maskedone Jan 14, 2009 0:43:23	I have problems with AO's use though I don't particularly mind overpowers as a concept. I keep background beings that can pretty much wipe out the D&D multiverse with a hard thought so I'm not gonna begrudge TSR/WotC their meddlesome superbeings. I loathe the concept that AOs boss is the DM, so I won't go further there other to say that in game I have a vast number of beings that can outrank AO and NONE of them will be openly listed or heavily implied as the DM of the campaign.
#15 Stigger Jan 14, 2009 2:46:32	I'm fairly fond of Ao as a concept, just not as a plot device.
#16 lord_karsus Jan 14, 2009 10:53:42	-Same here. It's needed.
#17 1_ton_ghost Jan 14, 2009 13:32:12	"There's always a bigger fish." -Qui Gon
#18 ody_saraph_of_karsus Jan 14, 2009 15:55:37	"I'm The biggest" - Me
#19 Stigger Jan 14, 2009 16:59:54	*snort* :P
#20 1_ton_ghost Jan 15, 2009 10:04:48	"I'm The biggest" - Me Don't forget humble.
#21 lord_karsus Jan 15, 2009 12:58:54	-Back to the topic.
#22 ody_saraph_of_karsus Jan 15, 2009 13:33:08	Don't forget humble. Well when is EVERYgirl first reaction, you kinda belive it ;) -Back to the topic. Fine fine: what I don't get is why so many people didn't like it I think it was my first reading of the realms and I love it.
#23 Stigger Jan 15, 2009 16:33:43	I like the idea of it... but look on the bright side, in 10 years, some are going to get all nostalgic over the Spellplague and how great it was compared to the current crop of RSEs. ;)
#24 ody_saraph_of_karsus Jan 15, 2009 16:57:12	too true
#25 lord_karsus Jan 20, 2009 11:43:07	Fine fine: what I don't get is why so many people didn't like it I think it was my first reading of the realms and I love it. -I like the concept behind it, but not how it was executed. There are too many plotholes and continuity problems and things like that for my tastes.
#26 blackmasque Jan 24, 2009 0:50:39	Is there a list somewhere of where all of the different gods and goddesses went during the Time of Troubles? Just wondering.
#27 Stigger Jan 24, 2009 2:44:26	The Grand History of the Realms coverage of the ToT was about the closest thing I've seen to a list like that.
#28 Mirtek Jan 24, 2009 8:07:52	Is there a list somewhere of where all of the different gods and goddesses went during the Time of Troubles? Just wondering. IIRC there once was a list somewhere on the WotC website