Is Forgotten Realms worth it?

[teitan]

Yeah it is worth it and far cheaper to get in on than say SCarred Lands, a superior setting to FR, but burdened with a rather unfriendly product line, as each book refers to another book etc and does not provide a sidebar alternative to things like FR strives to do. In FR all you really need is the FRCS and the core rules. Monsters etc from Monsters of Faerun are examined in a sidebar and monsters straight from the monster manual are suggested as an alternative to the MoF monsters etc. FR is really player and DM friendly. EVen if you never spend another dollar on a Realms product you will have enough material to last a lifetime in the FRCS itself. JUst an all around well developed line, though the softbacks are a wee bit overpriced, but they are worth it if you go to the right websites like http://www.frpgames.com or http://www.buy.com. Both sites have really great deals on D20 material.

I don't think the world is as rich as the Scarred Lands though and would highly suggest checking it out as the products are much less pricey and just as high in quality. The paperbacks are all around 20 dollars or less and well written with a good stock for the cover. Very good. The Hardback cap out at 27 dollars and are actually lower in pice than the core rule books. The line is already quite big though and references to Prestige Classes from other books in their line abound making it sometimes hard to catch up with the large library, but it is also fun to try and get it all. SL is my favorite setting over FR. MY players prefer FR though... sigh.

Teit

 

[Ravellion]

I voted yes, although I will never, but never, run a game in the Realms. The campaign setting book is excellent. It's filled with all sorts of crunchy bits that you can port into whatever campaign you are running. The Magic and the Monsters books are also worth having for the same reasons.

I don't think you need to bother with the rest of them if you aren't running a game in the Realms.

Great, just what everyone needed. Here it comes:

Me too.

Rav

 

[The Serge]

I detest FR fiction, and I think that some of the NPCs are a little overplayed, but I have bought most FR books since 2ed. They're interesting to read, provide some great and innovative game-play applications (spellcasting prodigy feat, anyone?), and find new ways to make the old new again. Still, I've never run a FR game since I think my campaign setting requires all of my time and energy and does not allow for gamer knowledge to infect it as FR can do.

 

[d12]

Most of what I want to say has been covered but I have both the FRCS and Magic of Faerun and found them both very worthwhile. I run a campaign in the FR and my players don't seem to care much about the history and politics and culture of the realms - they just like the fact that Wood elves get +2 Str and +2 dex - but that's MY players, not yours.

I chose not to buy Monsters of Faerun because ot didn't seem worth the $20 for a book I wouldn't use all that much but YMMV.

The FRCS is worth thr $40 just for the pretty pictures and detail alone - even if you never run a campagin there - and if you do then its even better.

 

[Desdichado]

Just a quick note: you can get it for $25 on buy.com. My new source for D&D!

Although the cover picture is wrong. The rest of the info is correct, though, so I'm pretty sure this is the new FR setting.

 

[Numion]

I consider the FRCS book my best RPG purchase. (And I had to pay closer to 50$ for it here in finland). But then again, I run a Realms campaign.

 

[Ysgarran]

There is so much information that you can easily pitch the things you don't want and keep the things you want. Just reading the stuff should give you lots of campaign ideas.

One of my complaints about FR is that it has never struck me as particularly cohesive. Everything about it seemed sort of 'glued' on as an after thought. That means that you can easily hack off the parts you don't like without harming the rest of the campaign.

later,
Ysgarran.

p.s.
I did not buy the FR "Faith and Pantheons". That one didn't seem to be worth the money for me. Too much re-hash and not enough added value from the other books.

The other thought is that you could just go with the ESDs and the basic FR campaign book.

 

[Glamdring]

I'm a big FR fan. I by all the new books worth buying (RAS, Greenwood, The Archwizards books, The Stormweather novels, etc.), and exclude those which are obviously terrible (The JEwel of Turmish, the Baldur's Gate books, etc.). You don't have to buy everything, either. Stick with Greenwood if your skeptical. You honestly can't go wrong with him. He paints the world as it should be, and is only made better by the lesser authors of the setting.

Even if you're not gaming in FR (which I've been doing for 4 years) the novels really lend a hand in shaping any campaign setting, helping DM's learn how a campiagn should be run. Those who are ignorant to the true beauty of FR will disagree, of course, but it's largely true. If you give the books a chance, you'll enjoy them.

 

[Glamdring]

As for the actual gaming books, a lot of what has been said is true. The FRCS is a must for any FR campaign, obviously (and it's also a good novel companion). Magic of Faerun and Lords of Darkness are important, in my opinion. Faiths and Pantheons is certainly a lot of rehash material, but, if you've never owned Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons, or Demihuman Dieties, the new Faiths and Pantheons is a must have. Silver Marches seems to be delving into specific regions that could be created without its help. The statistics for such novel characters like Taern, Breunor, Wulfgar, and Habromm were interesting, but the regional information could be created without buying the book. I'd just go to a local Barns and Noble and sit down for a moment to page through the books, making sure you know what your buying before you commit.

 

[Wolfen Priest]

I voted no. I could afford the book(s) myself with no problem, but after reading about how everything was so broken rule-wise (spellcasting prodigy, anyone?) I decided to save the $40+.

If you want to play in a campaign world that has been played and played and played and played and played, and can afford to spend maybe $100 or so for all the supplements, then go for it.

I prefer a little originality myself. And game balance.