Back when FR was first officially published by TSR, there was one country that was said would NEVER EVER be developed, and would be left to the DMs to develop locally.
Two questions:
Was it Sembia?
Did they hold to that promis?
If it was Sembia, they definitely didn't keep their promise. :P
That really is a bummer!
Oh well... I was hoping to recomend to one of my players, who has started to DM an FR Campaign, to use Sembia as a base of Operations.
Just out of curiosity, did they decide NOT to develope ANY area of FR?
Sembia, the Serpent Hills, the Wood of Sharp Teeth, and the Desert Edge Mountains were not supposed to be detailed. We see how well that worked out. Edition changes will do that.
Just out of curiosity, did they decide NOT to develope ANY area of FR?
I'm not sure if they decided not to develop areas, but they certainly neglected some areas in (vast) favor of others. Not that I'm saying the neglected areas weren't developed to some extent...
Anyone care to suggest an area that a (very new 13 year old) DM might develop for new characters?
I guess I should let him run a couple of sessions with me as a player... though I'm not sure how well that'll work out... I can be a real b*st*rd when I put my mind to it 
Anyone care to suggest an area that a (very new 13 year old) DM might develop for new characters?
I guess I should let him run a couple of sessions with me as a player... though I'm not sure how well that'll work out... I can be a real b*st*rd when I put my mind to it
I'd suggest the Dalelands. Theres tons of source material for it and it remained largely unchanged through the spellplauge.
The problem is that funds are short.
Which is why he's looking for an area he won't have to worry about getting source material for.
I was hoping Sembia was still UN developed so he could go ahead and do what he wanted with it, rather than worry about being contradicted when his players inevitably buy the sourcebooks... which they will...
Are you playing 3E or 4E?
4E, though we are just in the process of converting from 1E (no that's not a typo!) :D
I've heard it said that Sembia, Erkalzar and the Border Kingdoms would all never be developed (beyond a few snippets) and left as DM-only areas, as well as a bunch of plothooks in the Old Grey Box marked that they would never be resolved.
Of course, all those regions have been developed in one way or the other over the years. In fact, they seemed to have become author-only areas: no sourcebooks, but plenty of novels. And some of those plothooks have been used. Conversely, a bunch of places introduced in the Old Grey Box were never described in any detail in any edition: Lantan, Sossal, etc.
If you are having fun, I wont be hating.
From what I've heard from players since the Grey Box, it was Sembia. That didn't last too long, nor was the development a cursory run through like some other develop-able areas.
I think it was difficult to avoid (and probably a policy, don't want to say promise, that should not have been made) given Sembia's central location along the inner sea. It's smack dab in the middle of the "core Realms" the iconic parts of the setting that make the Realms, that ARE the Realms (aside from Waterdeep and arguably Silverymoon).
If they wanted to keep it undeveloped, it should have had some isolating geographical features, not too different from Halruaa. Problem is, even Halruaa get around terrain difficulties, that is inspite of being isolationist already.
I think it was difficult to avoid (and probably a policy, don't want to say promise, that should not have been made) given Sembia's central location along the inner sea. It's smack dab in the middle of the "core Realms" the iconic parts of the setting that make the Realms, that ARE the Realms (aside from Waterdeep and arguably Silverymoon).
Don't forget Cormyr. I never had the Gray Box, but did it mention Sembia's rivalry with Cormyr? If it did, there was never any hope of Sembia going undeveloped.
Anyone care to suggest an area that a (very new 13 year old) DM might develop for new characters?
I would start at Daggerford. I think you can still find the free download of The North around somewhere, and although it's 2nd edition, you get names and backgrounds of pretty much everyone living in the town, plothooks, and loads of detail. The town isn't terribly far from Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate, and there's lots of land in between those places to develop however you want. This way you can spend your time developing the adventure areas, while the "base" parts are fully fleshed out.
To the OP:
If you are playing with the Fourth Edition rules and your DM is planning to start a game in the current era of the Realms, all you need is the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide if you want to run a game in Sembia.
If you're using the Fourth Edition rules but plan to play in the Realms prior to the Spellplague....no worries. Just tell your DM to use what he or she knows about Sembia (from the DM's Sourcebook of the Realms if you have the old gray box set) and start play around the year 1356 DR (The Year of the Worm), which is a good ten or so years before all the poo hit the fan in that nation.
Regardless of which era you play in, if your funds are still short you can purchase any Realms novels set in Sembia in order to inform yourself about the nation. General information can be "current" in either era of the Realms.
You can also find information about Sembia in Ed Greenwood's responses to questions posed to him in the Chamber of Sages forum on the Candlekeep.com website.
You can also pose questions to Ed and other Realms authors and designers at Candlekeep or on the Interactive Interviews page of Matt James' loremaster.org website.
Good luck to you and your DM with the new campaign!
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As to the question of what was and was not initially supposed to remain undeveloped:
Per the DM's Sourcebook of the Realms (1987), the following locations, "...will not have future adventures, modules, or sourcebooks set in them, and are left solely for use by the DM for development without fear of some later product invalidating that portion of his campaign.
- The Serpent Hills (east of the High Moor)
- The Wood of Sharp Teeth
- The Desertedge Mountains (outside the Dales)
- The Nation of Sembia
Note also that the RPGA (dare I call it the ancient precursor to the Living Forgotten Realms) was given an area of the Realms to play in as well.
I still say the Dalelands.
you can find info on them for free
But really you could pick anywhere. They leave alot open to Dm interpertation in 4e.
Some Sembia related lore and information from the Wizards of the Coast website.
Rand's Travelogue
More Old Empires and Sembia!
By Rand Sharpsword
Rand's Travelogue
Caravans and Trading Companies in Sembia
By Rand Sharpsword
The Matchmaker of Sembia
I: Making Matches for Coin
By Ed Greenwood (note this last is part one of a four part series)
I still say the Dalelands!!!!
Seriously though heres some more freebies from the Living Forgotten Realms. They got the regions and the Drow and Genasi and a preview of the Swordmage level 1-3. Theres a 4e map on there as well.
Tymanther is brand new to the Realms and has only been covered in the 4e FRCG. Same with Returned Abeir, if you want areas where you don't have to look farther than the books you already own. If you have a subscription to DDI, there's a few articles related to Returned Abeir to help flesh it out.
Akanul is a new country atop the ruins of old western Chessenta. There isn't much on Chessenta in the Old Grey Box but there was more in 2e and 3e. Still, it is available as the countryside has been severely ruined. Again, there are some articles in DDI related to it.
Don't forget Cormyr. I never had the Gray Box, but did it mention Sembia's rivalry with Cormyr? If it did, there was never any hope of Sembia going undeveloped.
I don't remember anything from the original set mentioning sembia other than to say it was never going to be developed.
Cormyr's development was extensive all the way down to "the Sleeping Sword" which was not so loosely based on the Chinese Terracotta Army... oh, and Vanderghast coming across as a jerk...
I still say the Dalelands!!!!
You know what, when you're right your right...
I'd completely forgot about Volo's guide!
Note also that the RPGA (dare I call it the ancient precursor to the Living Forgotten Realms) was given an area of the Realms to play in as well.
Raven's Bluff.
Worth a read if anyone can get a hold of the old supplements. It's different from the typical Realms in a gimmicky sort of way, but funny and fun all the same.
Wancow-
Since the DM and presumably his players are not only new to FR but to D&D, and are also using the 4E Rules I suggest having them get the FRCG and FRPG with the former being the most important.
Fourth Edition Forgotten Realms was designed with exactly this type of group in mind. Information about the Realms outside of what is in those two books is sparse to say the least, leaving most everything up to the new DM. It has a starting adventure that can be used, if needed, or it can be studied to give an idea of what an adventure might be like.
In the end, allowing him and his group to look over the Realms, it will open the entire world up to him. He can simply pick a region that grabs his imagination and run with it, and not have to worry about cannon or other such nonsense getting in the way.
Despite its flaws the FRCG still has more lore and information than the original release of the Campaign Setting. Due to the Spellplague, Returned Abeir, and the 100 year time jump any change he could make to the setting is plausable.
Finally, direct him to these forums. Any questions or problems he has can be posted here to be answered.