Disrespecting Faerun

[Bjarkmundur]

I'm about to start a campaign with the Sword Coast as the setting, and I feel bad.

Look at all those locations (https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0cda10d3-bbe2-4050-82d1-43a26a0d8ccb/dcx8bwt-312d5331-8925-45f0-a365-eba8739b1e6b.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJ IUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZT BkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzBjZGExMGQzLWJiZTItNDA1MC04Mm QxLTQzYTI2YTBkOGNjYlwvZGN4OGJ3dC0zMTJkNTMzMS04OTI1 LTQ1ZjAtYTM2NS1lYmE4NzM5YjFlNmIuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIj pbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.OX8En-pnkjGCxsQm9TIC3hbSIHUKzsuCR42AVj0hbS4)!

I'm using Faerun as a backdrop, but I actually know nothing about the setting, except for what's written in Waterdeep. I kinda feel guilty, having all these named locations, and I'm just going to make up my own lore about each and everyone of them!?

Is there a setting guide to Faerun, just so I can at least include the highlights of this amazing setting, and not just trample all over it with my own story? I'm especially nervous about my players then going to play with another DM in the same setting, and there being nothing in common with our worlds :'(

[Kuulvheysoon]

There's not a 'true' guide to the Realms in 5E beyond the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.

Personally, I sill like the 3.0/3.5E Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, but that's at least a century behind (FR's timeline advances with every edition, unlike say, Eberron).

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Kuulvheysoon
Personally, I sill like the 3.0/3.5E Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book....

+1 to the 3.0 FRCS. I love this book, and even if the setting's timeline has moved beyond it, there will still be a lot of good history and lore you can draw upon.

[Townopolis]

Best I can do is the Forgotten Realms wiki (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page).

There's definitely a lot going on in the setting.

[LibraryOgre]

The 3.0 Campaign Guide (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/28729/Forgotten-Realms-Campaign-Setting-3e?affiliate_id=315505) is the best single-volume Forgotten Realms overview there is. Lots of folks swear by the Grey Box (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16782/Forgotten-Realms-Campaign-Set-1e?affiliate_id=315505), and it's my favorite time period for the setting (with a couple changes from later), but the 3.0 covers pretty much EVERYTHING.

[Zhorn]

Best I can do is the Forgotten Realms wiki (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page).

There's definitely a lot going on in the setting.

Another vote for this.
Handy to look up details about locations on the fly, but yeah don't feel restricted by it.
If it's easier to remember details that you are inventing, use those.
But the wiki's and any other guide book will help.

[Sigreid]

There's a lot of information you can get online, including world maps etch. I would suggest, however, taking the maps and what you like about the flavor and doing your own thing with it. Don't let others write your campaign. Not only will you be more invested in and proud of your campaign, but your players will get to have more surprise and wonder as they won't have read about it all before hand.

[Rafaelfras]

The 3.0 Campaign Guide (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/28729/Forgotten-Realms-Campaign-Setting-3e?affiliate_id=315505) is the best single-volume Forgotten Realms overview there is. Lots of folks swear by the Grey Box (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16782/Forgotten-Realms-Campaign-Set-1e?affiliate_id=315505), and it's my favorite time period for the setting (with a couple changes from later), but the 3.0 covers pretty much EVERYTHING.

This.
I cannot recommend a better book for the Realms. I love this book with passion and it is, in my opinion, one of the best RPG books ever written.
As others said is a century behind, so you can read it and then go for what happened to the location you are using.
It covers everything, you will not be disappointed

[Tanarii]

I'm using Faerun as a backdrop, but I actually know nothing about the setting, except for what's written in Waterdeep. I kinda feel guilty, having all these named locations, and I'm just going to make up my own lore about each and everyone of them!?
IMo that's actually the best way to run FR. Any campaign setting really. Skim a few sources, take the map, and make up most everything, throwing in a few things as the backdrop.

FR mostly works as a map and a few high-level ideas from the local government and local town or city. And maybe two factions, one as recurring enemies for sure, and one as adventure hook allies if you need that kind of thing. I'm partial to the zhentarim as enemies but you'll need to bring back some of the old Black Network feel for the watered down 5e zhents. The Harpers are good allies for classic anti-evil heroic questing, and the Lords alliance for more ambiguous or political and less blatantly goody two shoes stuff.

Read a bit from Sword Coast adventurers guide or an online wiki. You don't need to read much. Just the local city-state and the nearby towns you'll need.

[Yakmala]

I ended up using Faerun as the background for my homebrew campaign because my players were familiar with certain areas of Faerun such as Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and the Moonsea from previous released material.

But I wanted an area to call my own, so I looked over the maps of Faerun, and dug into lore on the Forgotten Realms Wiki in order to find a place that was big enough for an extended campaign but that hadn't really been covered in detail in 5th Edition.

I ended up choosing the High Forest and it turned out great! It's a vast area, has tons of ancient ruins, ties to the Feywild and ancient Netheril, the Feyri, the Grandfather Tree and more but with plenty of undocumented space to add whatever a DM desires. I ended up treating the campaign as a pseudo West Marches / Hexcrawl, building the bones of the region and then adding the flesh as the players determined where they wanted to go and which sub-plots and NPCs interested them the most. By the time the campaign wrapped around a year later with the players having gone from 1st to 11th level, I'd churned out around 150 pages of notes.

Now I'm trying to determine which area of Faerun to expand upon for the next campaign.

[Christew]

IMo that's actually the best way to run FR. Any campaign setting really. Skim a few sources, take the map, and make up most everything, throwing in a few things as the backdrop.

FR mostly works as a map and a few high-level ideas from the local government and local town or city. And maybe two factions, one as recurring enemies for sure, and one as adventure hook allies if you need that kind of thing. I'm partial to the zhentarim as enemies but you'll need to bring back some of the old Black Network feel for the watered down 5e zhents. The Harpers are good allies for classic anti-evil heroic questing, and the Lords alliance for more ambiguous or political and less blatantly goody two shoes stuff.

Read a bit from Sword Coast adventurers guide or an online wiki. You don't need to read much. Just the local city-state and the nearby towns you'll need.
Wholeheartedly agree here. Faerun is a cool setting, but if you dig into the lore it quickly becomes bogged down with high level NPCs and ongoing narratives. Use the wiki for broad strokes and inspiration, but make it your own.

A lot of my players are well read on FR, so I tend to try and find a relatively unexplored corner when I do use it as a setting.

[ChaosStar]

I agree with the people saying to use the wiki and the 3.0 book. I'll also put up a map I found online that's helped me with my characters backstories. https://i.ibb.co/dgYvsZ7/Faerun-Map-Redone-Roll-20-Res-Hexes.jpg Be warned it's huge and has zoom.

[Naanomi]

The FR wiki got very entrenched with (at least somewhat defunct) 4E lore that hasn't been 'updated' yet, so take that in mind if you are looking for some sort of 'official vision' from there

If you want a larger-lense lore view, the 2e book on Realmspace (SJR 2 I think) is pretty good

[Lupine]

I'm about to start a campaign with the Sword Coast as the setting, and I feel bad

Dude, just invent a magical catastrophe, move the setting 2000 years in the future, invert and mirror the map, and change the setting name, and replace a few names, players will have no clue.

[Drascin]

Generally, just remember one thing: if the people writing actual novels in Faerun do not give a **** about previously established setting, why should you? Faerun is, more or less, an accretion of dozens of people sort of piling stuff on each other without really looking at the previous stuff. That's why many places that are basically neighbours in the map feel like they're on different planets. So honestly, just grab a player's guide, give it a quick read, keep whatever sounds neat and just make up the rest.

[Toadkiller]

There is no real reason to not just use a setting book, or parts of it, as current day if you want.

[Thunderous Mojo]

I love the Grey Box of the Forgotten Realms, and it is cheap as a PDF.
(Cheaper than the actual box set from 1987)

The 3.0 book has a lot of pages devoted to mechanics...PrCs, feats etc..that can detract from absorbing the setting.

I also think the Time of Troubles and other later World Wide Calamities are best ignored.

The Grey Box, with a smaller page count, gives you the information you need, with less mechanical bits from systems of yore.

The booklets were pretty useful in play as well. It wasn't hard as a DM to have the players ride into a strange area of the map, and read the paragraph or so section on the location, and get a sense of the place...and sometimes a good creative idea to boot.

The 3.0 book is a nice book, if you can find a physical copy. The binding is excellent, and the pages hold up...nice material was used.

[Sopor Tyranus]

I have found the DM's Guild book on the Border Kingdoms to be excellent. I am actually planning on running a 1356DR OSE game in the area. Eventually...

[Corvino]

Honestly my only real exposure to the Forgotten Realms is through Bioware and Black Isle video games. Yeah, they're 2nd Edition, but they weave lore and story into great games. They have in-game books with stories and legends, and the main plot and cutscenes touch on other stuff.

If you're got 40+ hours (each), then Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 are worth a look. There's the Enhanced Edition versions which work better on modern systems and touchscreens too.

This is making me want to replay them!

[Christew]

Honestly my only real exposure to the Forgotten Realms is through Bioware and Black Isle video games. Yeah, they're 2nd Edition, but they weave lore and story into great games. They have in-game books with stories and legends, and the main plot and cutscenes touch on other stuff.

If you're got 40+ hours (each), then Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 are worth a look. There's the Enhanced Edition versions which work better on modern systems and touchscreens too.

This is making me want to replay them!
I'd say you can give BG1 a pass unless you are a completionist. BG2 still holds up great though. I still go back and play it every few years.

[KorvinStarmast]

Dude, just invent a magical catastrophe, move the setting 2000 years in the future, invert and mirror the map, and change the setting name, and replace a few names, players will have no clue. That works. Our first 5e campaign used the FR map, and that was about it. Major cities were there but none of the Mary Sue expected NPCs were present. Which was good.

... if the people writing actual novels in Faerun do not give a **** about previously established setting, why should you? {snip} So honestly, just grab a player's guide, give it a quick read, keep whatever sounds neat and just make up the rest. Good advice.