Totally Stoked!

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

AriKanen

Jul 22, 2014 15:45:04

After reading everything I could find on 5e, I think its the system I've been waiting for.  The players are ready.  The rules will be in place by the time the DM's Guide comes out in November.  Now, in order to get ready for my next major campaign, what world should I use?  Obviously FR, since I'm posting in this forum right? 

 

Sort of. 

 

I love creating game worlds and I've been doing it since I started playing DnD in 1989.  I'm in my mid 30s, I have a full time job, a wife, and tons of other hobbies.  After all, some wise guy once said, "A hobby is only a problem, when it gets in the way of your other hobbies."   

 

Forgotten Realms is the setting for most of the upcoming material, that I would like to use to one extent or another.  Starter Set, Tyranny of Dragons.  

 

But FR has so much stuff!  There's so much history, so many earth shaking events.  To be honest, its just intimidating.  And I have players that will look stuff up.  And as a DM, my preference is to know more about the game world I'm DMing than my players.   I think it helps keep everyone on the same page.  Roleplaying after all has a little bit to do with managing everyone's assumptions about what is possible right? 

 

But FR has so much cool stuff! Oh, what to do.  

 

I want to be able to craft a campaign that has its own earth shaking events.  I don't want to concern myself about continuity from exisiting products.  I want to use Waterdeep, Zhentarium, the Harpers, Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate, Cormyr, Myth Drannor and Kara-Tur. 

 

So here's my solution I'm throwing out there.  I'm going to run FR using only the Campaign Setting Set from 1987, FR 1-6, and Forgotten Realms Atlas that I think was published in 1990.   That will be the only cannon.  I'm going to paste all the Cyclopedia entries into a google doc that will only be accessible to my players.   That will be the only canon.   Time of Troubles didn't happen (yet), Cataclysm thingy in 4e didn't happen, Spellplague didn't happen, Sundering didn't happen.  Hell even Drizzt and companions of the hall didn't happen.   If they do happen, they will happen with the PCs in the center of it. 

 

Since I'm using roll20, I'll be pasting maps directly from FR Atlas, which look amazing by the way.  I'll be using mood music from soundcloud library, which has the soundtrack from Icewind Dale 2, Baldur's Gate 2, and even Planescape: Torment, for when things get weird. 

 

I think all the sources above will help me run a Sandbox, that leads into a narrative driven campaign that put the PC's and their choices front and center and allow my access to as much of the rich historical narrative as I want to use, without the pressure of needing to know that much.  

 

So what will be really helpful is if Tyranny of Dragons and upcoming FR material remains relatively era-agnostic. I know a complete reboot, as desired as it is by many fans, it financially impossible, due more to Drizzt I think than anything else.  But it would be helpful if not everything is centered on a particular time and place in the realms.  The adventure in the Starter Set achieves this, so I hope they keep it up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2

Drewboy74

Jul 25, 2014 0:00:42

AriKanen wrote:
#3

OrionDariusSilverbane

Jul 25, 2014 4:05:42

Drewboy74 wrote:
#4

mvincent

Jul 25, 2014 10:30:34

AriKanen wrote:
#5

HobbitFan

Jul 28, 2014 14:41:58

AriKanen:  I think you have the basics there that you'll need.  That should be more than enough material there both as backdrop to the "tyranny of Dragons" storyline and as inspiration to spin-off your own stuff too.  

 

I have been thinking of doing something similar, running from the 1E stuff.