What places are 4e DMs using for their campaigns? Do you have it in the present game time of 1479 or...?
If you want a more "heroic" campaign, Cormyr with its purple dragon knights, war wizards and its rivalry with Sembia/Netheril would be the best place.
If you are more into intrigue/politics, Amn/Athkatla would be best (Cowled Wizards vs. Shadow Thieves vs. Emerald Cabal). Best choice also for providing the players with decision paths.
For some other suggestions in these fields:
Intrigue - Amn (avaricious merchant lords/monster empire as a neighbor/Cyric's church strong here), Damara
War - Calimshan (genasi factions warring/major number of slaves ready to revolt), Dalelands (threat of Moonsea to the north and Sembia to the south)
Civilization - Waterdeep, Akanul, Baldur's Gate
Wilderness- Rashemen, Vilhon Wilds, Moonshae Isles, Narfell
Politics - Cormyr, Impiltur
It follows the adventures of Rhogar, Dragonborn fighter, an ex-Amnian mercenary, now a member of the Snowden underground. He is joined by;
Ardath a Deva Invoker
Garan a Halfling Sorcerer
Mordant a Tiefling Bard
Torak a Half-orc Ranger
Valanda a Genasi Swordmage
Bel
After we're done with Scepter Tower of Spellguard (I moved the tower away from its canon location, as you might have guessed) I'm not sure where to go next.
My players are familiar with Cormyr from our 3E Realms Campaign. Maybe I ought to try Akanûl too.
I am trying to use Abeir even if I couldn't find much on it to be honest. I've developped lots of stories and made up interesting locales to fit in as it is blend stright from the books.
I like the Eminence of Araunt story-arc of Eskorn and I modified lots of Eskorn to include a Palinshuck half-orc city look-alike (Argul in my game). Skelkor is the evil empire, akin to D'Hara and the Midlands of Goodkind's Sword of Truth, and Darken Rahl as an empress dragon.
Am still trying to find the "right" feeling for Returned Abeir though, it does not come to me as easily as Fearûn.
I am looking at where our major player character of 3.5 were settled or are adventuring. Our group has three to four various locations in 3.5. They have not converted to 4E as of yet. I felt there was a need for them to work their adventures out through the Era of change. I plan to have them drag out some these retired PC's and determine the effects of change on them by the environment, wars, and politics. Some of their small kingdoms and trade routes are swallowed up by spellplague or transformed. I have DM in 4E Rules with another group. I have a full understanding of the game mechanic changes and have began working them into some of our weekly games. They have a party of adventurers who started out before 4E was even talked about and are getting near the end of their quest. They have 1stE, 2E PCs that are major NPC's now in the area, which we break out every 4 or 5 years as PC's for a game. Who will live who will die and why? I want it to rest on their terms of judgement and of course "the die don't lie". To make a long answer short below are two transitional areas that will have an affect them and their 20 year old PCs(yes we have Characters that are actually older than some of the players in our weekly game).
3.5E
The Sword Coast
Amn/Tethyr(Small Teeth, Sea of Swords, and Velen Coast)
The Dragon Coast/Western Heartlands(South of Eversult along the west side of the Giant's Run Mountains)
4E
The Sword Coast
Velen/Amn/Muranndin
The Dragon Coast/Eastern Heartlands(Land's Mouth?)
I am seriously thinking of doing a 4E game set in 225DR.
Halaster's Hunts anyone? That would make a great Mid to High Paragon Tier adventure. A 10 day slaughterfest in the Future Undermountain that at the time is full of Drow and Duergar, all to gain Halaster's ear.
I've always been fond of the northlands between Luskan and Silverymoon. The Silver Marches just appeal to me for the rugged wilderness, fierce winters, warring orcs, with few shining cities to find refuge in.
-Cal
I am currently running a 4E Forgotten Realms campaign set in the Western Heartlands, just south of the River Chionthar, involving adventures in Baldurs Gate, Najara and Elturgard with plans to widen it out to nautical adventures along the Sword Coast and Amn. The timeline follows the one given in the 4E books.
None of my players were previously familiar with the Forgotten Realms or D&D and they are loving it. Just to note, I came to the Realms with the Grey Box, gave 3E a miss, and am enjoying D&D like never before. It's great 
Welcome Muddypaw!
Welcome Muddypaw!
Thanks!
I've been lurking for the last 6 months or so, after coming back to D&D after a long break. I thought the forum change-over might be a good time for me to break my silence 
Hello Muddypaw - another Old Grey Boxer who skipped a generation! :D
Tymanther is a new and unique place to center your campaign around. There is a lot of room to create your own intrigue there. Anyways, might be worth considering.
I am currently running a 4E Forgotten Realms campaign set in the Western Heartlands, just south of the River Chionthar, involving adventures in Baldurs Gate, Najara and Elturgard with plans to widen it out to nautical adventures along the Sword Coast and Amn. The timeline follows the one given in the 4E books.
None of my players were previously familiar with the Forgotten Realms or D&D and they are loving it. Just to note, I came to the Realms with the Grey Box, gave 3E a miss, and am enjoying D&D like never before. It's great
I'm an old grey box man myself. Followed every generation though despite that I'm in no way a canon-monger. Too many damn books to read for that to happen... 
-Cal
Pamela, I know you saw my maps, so you know where my impending campaign is set. For those who haven't seen them, it's basically the border of Sembia and the Dalelands centering mostly around Scardale. I plan to have some side trips to Cormyr and the Dalelands proper (and planar travel as well).
Filson
Pamela, I know you saw my maps, so you know where my impending campaign is set. For those who haven't seen them, it's basically the border of Sembia and the Dalelands centering mostly around Scardale. I plan to have some side trips to Cormyr and the Dalelands proper (and planar travel as well).
Filson
I had a feeling I might know where your campaign was. ;) Thanks for posting that link in the Maps thread; when LK returns, he'll put it in the first post so it'll be easy access for everyone who comes along looking for maps.
Hey Cal, cool to see another old timer! My husband has the 3e FRCS and some other books but I've never done much besides take a peek now and then. My old eyes couldn't cope with the small print. :P
Our campaign (2nd edition with bits of the the fourth edition crunch thrown in) is for the most part set in Halruaa (Mystra's mountain temple, and the passes into the barbarian lands).
4e Campaign started off in Eastern Tethyr, and has now spilled into Erlkazar. I am milking the combination of Tethyr as a somewhat spain/ancient rome mixture, with the beast kingdom to the north and Erlkazar as a great unknown to the east. Most settings are rural or small towns, and its slowly working up to a campaign where the players get into Erlkazar and get tangled up with the whole night barony/day barony stuff.
What I really love about it is that these areas are pretty unknown, the information on them is scarce and not strewn over a score of novels and sourcebooks, and they are largely noncritical to 4e official storylines it seems, so I get to play around and wont have to worry about official timeline trouble.
Erlkazar really has a lot of potential for a rural undead vs. living war.
My first 4E game pays homage to a lot of 1E modules.
It's centred on Silverymoon and heroic tier involves drow-led slavers. Paragon tier is about drow-led orcs, trolls and giants with a punitive expedition to be mounted into Menzoberranzan (going for the whole D1-D3 vibe here). The epic tier will start with an adventure similar to 1E's Fedifensor and ultimately involve the resurrection of Eilistraee and an epic battle with Lolth in her throne room (a la Q1, Queen of the Demonweb Pits).
Yes, completely derivative and wholly unoriginal... and perfect for me and my group. I can't wait to play the whole thing through. The great thing is that the MMIII with Lolth's stats will definitely be released before we get to that final adventure!
Im running the Scales of War campaign and I have set it in the Western Dalelands (DaggerDale); but the game has primarilly focused on the Desertsmouth Mountain. It has worked out really well.
I've always been fond of the northlands between Luskan and Silverymoon. The Silver Marches just appeal to me for the rugged wilderness, fierce winters, warring orcs, with few shining cities to find refuge in.
-Cal
It's an excellent area to run a campaign, I ran one that included the area from Silverymoon to Loudwater, many enjoyable hours were spent.
Now that I've moved to the Moonshae Isles, it's nice to know someone will be looking after the place.
I'm glad to see other OGB's take an interest in 4E.
Bel
After reading all of the (published) Ed Presents Watterdeep series, I am really considering running a city adventure.
The only problem lies in that all my players have read those books as well. I forsee several Rogue/Paladin characters as well as several Carver reletives (can't get lost in the City of the Dead).
I have never run a full on "City" adventure before but it sounds like a lot of fun.
Don't use Waterdeep, use Silverymoon, or Arabel.
Have the Carvers be off limits. Just because Sophrea has that ability doesn't mean a PC Carver would.
Those Waterdeep Novels are outstanding.
Silverymoon would be a great choice to run a city game. It may not seem as hard a place as Waterdeep, but it does have its own politics and Realms-flavored awesomeness that can become a part of any game.
Moon Doors of Silverymoon, anyone?
I certainly WAS NOT planning on letting them be Carvers (no matter how much I make them beg for it BEFORE I tell them no.
There is just so much more information on Watterdeep then any other city that that was my first choice...I have run adventures in and around Silverymoon, and I enjoyed them immensely, so that will still remain a valid option.
The main reason however is that all my players are trading my Ed Presents books around and everyone is so jazzed about Waterdeep now. The characters have visited the city in the past but no adventure was ever really "SET" there.
The only road block I can see with running a meaningful Waterdeep adventure for my group is they are all pretty high level (17-19) and anything that would be a threat to them would be noticed by the "powers" of the city.
That being said I may just have them roll a 5-6th level character and use this city adventure as a break from our usuall campaign.
The only road block I can see with running a meaningful Waterdeep adventure for my group is they are all pretty high level (17-19) and anything that would be a threat to them would be noticed by the "powers" of the city.
Send them to Skullport. The powers of Waterdeep have practically no say in what goes on there, even if they're constantly keeping an eye on it. Downshadow and Undermountain are full of good stuff, too. There are plenty of twists and turns; Undermountain is a vast treasure trove of challenges the Masked Lords and such can't/don't confront.
I certainly WAS NOT planning on letting them be Carvers (no matter how much I make them beg for it BEFORE I tell them no.
Cool, no reason to yell.:wink:
Yet make them bag anyways.:evilgrin:
When they get high level, let the Lords of Waterdeep be like you started this mess, and we think you can fix this mess. Now snap to it!:D
I'm in 2 4e FR games right now.
The first is a Scales of War campaign set in an unspecified region sometime 1479+.
Ok, so how do we know it's in the FR? Easy, because a few of us players have said so. The DM? He has no preference - or even any FR knowladge for that matter. Nor is it even really relevant what world this adventure is set in. So if we players are content to call it FR, the DMs just as happy.
FR game #2
This one takes place in/around a completely homebrewed city-state that lies northward of Icewind Dale....
Really though, aside from a few snippits of info found in various character backgrounds & the fact that we're about to head south to the Moonsheas, an outside observer would be hard pressed to id this as a FR game.
Btw, this game is comprised mostly of vet. gamers who're chock full of official TSR/WoTC FR lore. We just aren't slaves to cannon.
2 Campaigns - one is set in Cormyr, but on the western outskirts. Set in Skull Crag for the beginning and will be around that area in heroic, paragon will probably head to the underdark towards Myrmdria (spelling) and eventually planar for epic, elemental chaos, etc.
Other since I was just introducing 2 people to D&D and the other player was new to 4th ed, but familiar with the realms I went with Loudwater, and just ran the module from the beginning and will branch out into the highmoor, specifically dragonspear castle and possibly the high forest at some point.
I wasn't looking at FR originally but lately I've wanted to set one in the Moonshaes.
IF WE CAN EVER GET OUR CURRENT GAME FINISHED!!!
We're starting to wind down our Unapproachable East campaign. Soon my beloved Crinti Rogue, Usami, will move on to greener pastures (or grayer battlefields), and I will regain the DM's chair. Now where to strand my friends when I regain my godlike might? Perhaps I'll have them go fishing near Xxiphu.
My 4e campaign I'm starting up is beginning in Uthmere and sticking in the Demonlands for at least a tier. I'm hoping to have a lot of fun with the giant cluster of pain that area is poised to become --- war themed and supported by standard adventuring. Should be a blast.
I'm running another 4e campaign that's hit a bit of a snag due to player scheduling, it started in Silverymoon and was focusing on a number of dragon lords dormant in the area before the players, those wonderful bags of randomness that they are, took a red herring and are now thinking of holing up in Amn.
Present game time of 1479. Setting is High Imaskar. More here:
I've started in Akanul.
The heroic tier is based on Paizo's Savage Tide but the Vanderboren family has been renamed and are genasi descendants of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa (now a legendary genasi empire from Shyr). The final boss monster is a lesser aspect of Demogorgon (solo controller 12).
The paragon tier will be based on a reimagining of Temple of Elemental Evil/Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil spread out across a number of sites (including the Mud Sorcerer's Tomb). The final boss monster will either be a stone giant cleric of Ghaunadaur/sorcerer (solo artillery or controller 22) or an aspect of an imprisoned primordial (Karshimis, who ruled over the genasi of Shyr on Abeir as an evil tyrant).
The epic tier will include B4, The Lost City and Zargon, Pandorym from Elder Evils and the aboleth city of Xxiphu.
The following campaign is likely to take place around the Moonsea so I can use the warlock-knights of Vaasa.
I'm holding my first 4E campaign in the land of Calimshan, centered around the town of Almraiven actually. That little town, trying to remain independant in the battle between wind and fire, is very interesting to me somehow.
Haven't gotten to play in almost half a year now though, I think... if not longer :\
Started in Myth Drannor, then went off to Saerloon in Sembia, got chased out by Shades, then up to the Fallen Lands to go throught the Scepter Tower of Spellguard, after that its off to the ruins of Zhentil Keep, after that im not sure, I havnt planned that far ahead yet.
Dalelands ftw! Also sword coast!
Holyretard FTW! Just for the name alone!
Set mine to start in Baldur's Gate - had a bit of fun developing the Wards outside the city walls to handle the massive population explosion - using Obsideon Portal for keeping track of the campaign here
Seemed a good staring point to let the characters decide if they want to head south to play in Calimshan and Amn or north to Waterdeep or east to the Dalelands and Cormyr.
We are currently making plans for as series of adventures set in Neverwinter. A big name city trying to rebuild after the Spellplauge is the perfect spot for beginning adventurers. Almost reminds me of Phlan....hmmmm