Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ohitsdevin Jul 23, 2014 17:12:27	Hi there, Im new to D&D and I may not be posting this in the correct place, or it may have been answered several times over already, in which case I apologize. I am interested in learning about the (in game) history/culture/lore of D&D. Whether it be novels, rule books, online sources; anything and everything! Looking forward to some great info! Thanks!
#2 ClockworkNecktie Jul 23, 2014 18:15:38	Hi, and welcome to the hobby!   The tricky thing about the world of D&D is that there isn't just one. Really, every group creates its own world, and many of them are very different from what you'll find written in the official books! And even if we're just talking about the official, published books, there are several different major worlds (campaign settings).   The most popular setting right now is called Forgotten Realms. Probably the most famous novels set in that world are written by R.A. Salvatore. I'd start with the first one, The Halfling's Gem. It's the first part of a trilogy starring Drizz't Do'Urden, who was born a drow (a race of evil subterranean elves) but with a good heart.   My personal favorite D&D setting is Dragonlance, because in my opinion it has the best novels. The first written was Dragons of Autumn Twilight, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It's interesting because it was possibly the first published novel actually developed by playing D&D: many of the major plot points, like the wizard charming a gully dwarf into following him, only made it into the novel because someone had done that while playing the game. And frankly, Weis and Hickman have a real talent for storytelling that can sneak up on you when you least expect it.   Now, there are 40 years of rulebooks, adventures, and dozens upon dozens of novels set in both these worlds. (And they're just the tip of the iceberg.) But I'd take a look at them to get started. And of course, play some D&D! The most memorable stories in the world of D&D are the ones you play out yourself.
(Reply to #2) seti	ClockworkNecktie wrote:
#4 Azzy1974 Jul 23, 2014 18:54:29	ohitsdevin wrote:
#5 Marandahir Jul 23, 2014 20:09:49	Unfortunately, the Nentir Vale / Nerath community's repository of information on 4e core world canon was mostly killed by the forum shifts.  Wayback machine can recover some of it, including some really cool maps, but most of the information is lost.  If you have interest in 4e's world (Nentir Vale, the Nerath Empire that it's a part of, and the surrounding nations), I'd direct you to these surviving places:   Nentir Vale Community Group   Points of Light Setting Timeline   Hi-Res labeled map from Conquest of Nerath, featuring the various lands of the 4th Edition World   Hi-Res, fan-altered, labeled map of the Nentir Vale, with just about everything that appears in the Nentir Vale If you're interested in other settings, WotC provides a LOT of their books from past editions on http://www.dndclassics.com/.  Dark Sun 4e is all you need for Dark Sun's  materials, but picking up the 2e book isn't bad either.   While 4e Eberron isn't sold there, the setting is almost identical to 3.5e Eberron, with minor changes about the planes, and the inclusion of 4e concepts like Eladrin, Tieflings, and Dragonborn (hint: Dragonborn are wild Lizardfolk relatives from Q'Barra, Tieflings are demonic folk from the Demon Wastes, and Eladrin have been popping up in their Dreamspires, the Taers, throughout the ages, though they've been confused for Elves, and it seems 5e is making them back into High Elves again, anyway).  Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms are also worth looking into, but a bit harder to get materials on.  Ravenloft has been nominally supported with new Domains of Dread last edition (specifically, ones that tied into the Nerath setting), but most of that is caught up in the magazines.  Actually, it might be worth purchasing a 1-month subscription to D&D Insider and downloading all the digital magazine back issues and articles (some of the issues aren't provided in full, but piecemeal from their issue pages) is not a bad idea, if you have the time to sift through the magazines.  There's a LOT of good setting material there.  But I'd do that after finding a setting you like, that way you can focus your hunts to get more involved in it.  Of course, there are more out-there settings like Spelljammer, Birthright, Hollow World, the like… they're generally harder to get material for and less supported.
#6 Zardnaar Jul 24, 2014 4:17:29	ohitsdevin wrote:
#7 ohitsdevin Jul 26, 2014 15:02:37	Wow guys lots of great info! And it came in so quickly! I can tell this is going to be a great community to be a part of. Here's my question about the Drizzt novels: if I wanted to go through the whole series and not just the original trilogy, would you recommend reading them in published order or chronological order?
(Reply to #7) JC999	ohitsdevin wrote:
#9 pukunui Jul 27, 2014 5:29:49	I'd recommend the Icewind Dale trilogy as well. The first one is The Crystal Shard. After that comes Streams of Silver, and finally The Halfling's Gem.
#10 Zardnaar Jul 27, 2014 6:10:17	ohitsdevin wrote: