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View Full Version : Best edition/version of Forgotten Realms campaign setting



Ichneumon
2012-05-23, 11:46 AM
So, basic question: Which version / edition of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (the main, core book) is best, fluff wise?

I'm thinking about getting into Forgotten Realms, as a DM, and as I'll likely switch to different systems when 5e comes out (and since I heard from some sources that 4e's version of Forgotten Realms isn't that good), I'm now just interested in getting the best book for the fluff. So, what are your opinions on the different versions? AD&D, 3.5 etc.

Thanks in advance. :smallsmile:

Scots Dragon
2012-05-23, 11:53 AM
The best version of the core book is the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, but the best material overall is mostly to be found in 2nd edition. Fortunately, all of the best things about them both are mostly edition-neutral, given that it mostly consists of setting and character information.

Yora
2012-05-23, 12:09 PM
I would go with 2nd Edition. Some people prefer the 1st Edition version because it is much smaller and includes only hints of peoples and places instead of desribing them in detail, or simply because they didn't like the changes made to the setting between the editions, though those are relatively minor. And that was 23 years ago, I think lots of us are not old ennough to ever have gotten used to Bhaal and Myrkul being alive. :smallbiggrin:

The differences in 3rd Edition are a matter of taste, I would say. In some regards it's good quality, while the rebuilding of the cosmology, the City of Shade, and the War of the Spider Queen events may not sit so well with people who got used to how things were before.

4th Edition is pretty much something entirely different. It has its fans, but from those I think I mostly heard they like it because it is different from the old setting.

Scots Dragon
2012-05-23, 12:24 PM
Aside from the rebuilding of the cosmology, the War of the Spider Queen and the City of Shade stuff was basically just events. And I personally have no problem with the latter event since it basically translates into 'a new challenger has arrived!' While I do have a few problems with 3rd edition's take on the Realms here and there, the core book serves as a very good repository of general information on just about everything without contradicting too much of what has come before.

That, and while I'm not exactly a fan of the elven subrace inflation, I'm a big fan of the wood elves. Even though I do generally house-rule away their intelligence penalties.

As for the Time of Troubles, I'm fairly sure that the death of Bhaal is more than justified by the Baldur's Gate games.

Yora
2012-05-23, 12:45 PM
War of the Spiderqueen destroyed one city and removed four deities. But since it's a drow city and 4four drow deities, the overall impact is indeed rather minor. Unless you've had have interst in drow. :smallamused:

Scots Dragon
2012-05-23, 12:49 PM
Ah, I wasn't aware of the full extent of War of the Spider Queen. I was actually under the impression that only Kiaransalee got killed off during that event, and that the deaths of Vhaeraun, Eilistraee, etc were part of a later and far more annoying event.