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Ozreth
Learned Scribe
240 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jan 2026 : 04:23:56
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A general post to share your timeline and points of interest in regards to this setting. Some questions to consider:
1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
There are probably many more questions that could spark some good conversation, those are just some to consider. Or, ignore those entirely and respond as you will, it's all good.
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Trumm
Acolyte
22 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2026 : 12:12:34
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1. My first contact with the Forgotten Realms was, when a neighbour lend me the books of the Dark Elf Trilogy (probably around 2000)
2. I have played and run several campaigns in the Forgotten Realms. Currently I DM a campaign set in the Vast.
3. As I player I really enjoyed the Sword of the Dales trilogy. I also loved Desert of Desolation (although you could argue if it this is specifically a FR campaign). Our current campaign started in 2021 and is going quite well, I suppose we will finish it in about 2 years. One very memorable "campaign" was, when I had my players working for the Iron Throne and at the third session they threw the whole campaign over board by killing their employer and running off with his magic sword.
4. I tend to stick very close to published material (with 3.5 Ed. stuff considered as latest offical material). As I am a huge Planescape Fan, I sometimes include small references to that setting e.g. a dead Doomguard inside the planeshifting Moonlit Tower.
5. Our group started with Ad&d 2nd Ed. and at some point changed to D&d 3.5. I don't think we will ever change to another edition.
6. Planescape is my/our main setting. Before our current campaign I DMed a 12 year ongoing Planescape campaign. After that my group wanted to play a classical fantasy campaign again. I suppose we all have a soft spot for the Realms as it was our first D&D setting.
7. Cloak & Dagger, The Sword of the Dales Trilogy, Desert of Desolation, Halls of Stormweather. |
Edited by - Trumm on 12 Jan 2026 12:14:23 |
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SilenceOfLolth
Acolyte
17 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2026 : 17:20:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Trumm
1. My first contact with the Forgotten Realms was, when a neighbour lend me the books of the Dark Elf Trilogy (probably around 2000)
2. I have played and run several campaigns in the Forgotten Realms. Currently I DM a campaign set in the Vast.
3. As I player I really enjoyed the Sword of the Dales trilogy. I also loved Desert of Desolation (although you could argue if it this is specifically a FR campaign). Our current campaign started in 2021 and is going quite well, I suppose we will finish it in about 2 years. One very memorable "campaign" was, when I had my players working for the Iron Throne and at the third session they threw the whole campaign over board by killing their employer and running off with his magic sword.
4. I tend to stick very close to published material (with 3.5 Ed. stuff considered as latest offical material). As I am a huge Planescape Fan, I sometimes include small references to that setting e.g. a dead Doomguard inside the planeshifting Moonlit Tower.
5. Our group started with Ad&d 2nd Ed. and at some point changed to D&d 3.5. I don't think we will ever change to another edition.
6. Planescape is my/our main setting. Before our current campaign I DMed a 12 year ongoing Planescape campaign. After that my group wanted to play a classical fantasy campaign again. I suppose we all have a soft spot for the Realms as it was our first D&D setting.
7. Cloak & Dagger, The Sword of the Dales Trilogy, Desert of Desolation, Halls of Stormweather.
It is nice that you can easily mix Planescape and FR if you wish to.
Would you mind if I PMd you regarding your previous Planescape campaign?
My group also never moved on from our mix of 3e/3.5 rules and have no plans to. You can find my thoughts on this here: http://candlekeep.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=25085&whichpage=2
I know that, like the Bloodstone modules, Desert of Desolation was retconned to be fit into the Realms. I imagine people have some strong feelings about this. I have not looked at in a very long time and should do so again.
Cloak & Dagger is certainly one of the best, in my opinion. Hard to go wrong with an Eric Boyd publication. The timing of the release was certainly awkward though.
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Edited by - SilenceOfLolth on 12 Jan 2026 17:25:45 |
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Trumm
Acolyte
22 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2026 : 09:06:07
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Cloak & Dagger is such a wellspring for campaign ideas, especially if you enjoy rather political games with lots of intrigue and organizations working against each other.
I wholeheartedly agree, that 3.5 is a very good and robust ruleset, if you are careful which additional books you use in your games. My players explicitly wanted to use only the Core Rules, which we then expanded by the FR Campaign Setting (especially regional backgrounds and feats). All additional rules (especially those from FR sourcebooks) can added on agreement between player and DM - I suppose we will make use of the Shou Disciple and Red Wizard perstige classes quite soon.
Very cool guidlines for your campaign!
quote:
Originally posted by SilenceOfLolth
Would you mind if I PMd you regarding your previous Planescape campaign?
Yes, sure. I always love to chat about the planes.
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SilenceOfLolth
Acolyte
17 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2026 : 14:54:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Trumm
Cloak & Dagger is such a wellspring for campaign ideas, especially if you enjoy rather political games with lots of intrigue and organizations working against each other.
I wholeheartedly agree, that 3.5 is a very good and robust ruleset, if you are careful which additional books you use in your games. My players explicitly wanted to use only the Core Rules, which we then expanded by the FR Campaign Setting (especially regional backgrounds and feats). All additional rules (especially those from FR sourcebooks) can added on agreement between player and DM - I suppose we will make use of the Shou Disciple and Red Wizard perstige classes quite soon.
Very cool guidlines for your campaign!
quote:
Originally posted by SilenceOfLolth
Would you mind if I PMd you regarding your previous Planescape campaign?
Yes, sure. I always love to chat about the planes.
Your game sounds just like the new campaign my group recently started up after deciding to go back to the realms. Books are:
- Classes and rules are core 3.5e (no immediate actions etc)
- Select races from RoF
- Feats and prestige classes from select 3e/3.5e/FR sources
- Spells are core and FR sources
You can view info about it at www.swordsagainstfaerun.wordpress.com if you wish. Some of the documents and pages are still under construction.
I will shoot you a PM soon, thank you. |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2549 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2026 : 19:50:05
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1. I discovered the Realms through the "Spellfire" novel (by Ed Greenwood). I didn't knew what D&D was at the time - this was in 2004, 2005. It was only a couple of years later that I discovered D&D, and was introduced to the Realms by the Neverwinter campaign of the DM we played in the local games store. I later entered the rabbit hole and discovered the novel was set on the same world.
2. Yes to both. Mostly DMd, as I'm usually the DM of the group. Thought, my very first D&D character was a wizard I played in the aforementioned Neverwinter campaign.
3. My own Neverwinter campaign, based in the 4e version of the setting and set 100 years after the one I was a player in. It lasted like 11 years, before the gaming fell apart because of real life (I moved to another city, one of the players married, another one "grew up" and quit playing, and another one passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic).
4. I like to stay close to the published material (in my view, if you wanted to heavily homebrew your game, you may as well create your own homebrew world instead), so I tried to follow the published lore or Ed's lore. But, sooner or later a campaign is altered by the players' preferences and interactions. So, I did ended adding up the Raven Queen into my Realms, as well as some stuff from Eberron and the 4e core world. We also ignored the 5e changes to the setting (mostly because the campaign happened years before the Second Sundering happened).
5. We played with 4e and 5e rules, but the lore was strictly 4e's. We never liked certain choices made by the 5e writers, so we mostly ignored the 5e lore.
6. Nentir Vale and Eberron, mostly. But I end up returning to the Realms because I like that is a living setting, even if I don't like the direction the new writers are giving it currently.
7. The Old Empires sourcebook and the Neverwinter Campaign Setting are my favorite books. I have also enjoyed Neverwinter Nights.
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Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
Edited by - Zeromaru X on 19 Jan 2026 19:51:58 |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
557 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2026 : 18:43:41
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1. Early 1999, Baldur's Gate.
2. I'm normally the DM and since the Realms are my preferred setting we normally run there.
3. I've had a couple campaigns that have lasted about 6-7 years. One took the party from Shadowdale to Waterdeep, via Cormyr and Baldur's Gate. They had been chasing after the Cult of the Dragon and constantly a step behind. We left off with the party lost in Undermountain. The other has been a highly modified and expanded version of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, there are a lot of good ideas in that book but very poorly implemented.
4. Lore wise I do my best not to contradict any published materials. The only thing I can think of that I've brought in is the greater Masterwork levels from Dragonlance, Item of X.
5. My group used to run 2e but not in the Realms. When I started DMing we were switching to 3e then quickly switched to 3.5e and we haven't changed since. It is pretty easy for me to convert 2e or 5e content to 3.5e. I've have several house rules, some take from other editions.
6. Greyhawk, I inherited a game a buddy could no longer find time to DM. It was fine and I'd be interested in trying it again at some point. I intend to run things in Planescape and Spelljammer at some point. But the Realms just seem to most fleshed out, my joy comes from working with the limitations of such a fleshed out world.
7. Some of Ed's newer novels are very good, I especially like Death Masks. I also very much like Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. And of course The Grand History of the Realms is always useful.
Glad to see others enjoyed Neverwinter Nights, it had such a great toolset and online community. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36999 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2026 : 04:16:02
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1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
Around 1990 or so. I had read pretty much all the Dragonlance novels available at that point -- Chronicles, Legends, Tales, Heroes, Preludes. I was bored with Dragonlance by that point... I was in K-Mart, looking at books, and I saw the cover of Shadowdale, with the blurb "From the publishers of the Dragonlance Saga!" on the front cover. At that point, I jumped in.
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
I've never DM'ed, and most of my gaming has been homebrew or other published settings. But there's been a couple Realms ones, including the 2E game I'm in now, that started in late 2019.
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
See above. 
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
If I was DM'ing in the Realms, I'd set the campaign around 1372. Everything from 2E would be canon, everything from 3E and onward would be optional. The Spellplague and the timejump would be entirely off the table.
I've got a partial list somewhere of many of the changes I would make; most would be minor, like adding my own Lords of Waterdeep. Off the top of my head, the only things from other worlds would be my Realmsified versions of warforged (in very small numbers), and one single very large NPC that is an amnesiac and very displaced 40K Space Marine (minus all his gear, of course).
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
N/A
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
Oh, there is a long list of other settings/systems I'd love to try. Midgard, Shadowrun, Starfinder, the new Cosmere game, Dragonbane, the relaunched Possibility Wars... The list goes on and on, and includes much third-party and Kickstarter material.
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
Volo's Guide to Waterdeep converted me from a casual fan of the setting to a Realms junkie. Forgotten Realms Adventures was one of my earliest purchases and really made me want to learn more. Volo's Guide to All Things Magical is a wonderful book, and I love the three god books we got in 2E. And Cloak & Dagger was one of the best books we've ever gotten, for any edition.
The fact that I discovered the Realms around the time of the 1E-2E changeover, and the fact that I "grew up" in 2E, should be readily apparent from my responses. I'm not going to say that ruleset was better, though I know it better than the rest -- but the 2E lore was the absolute best; I consider that era to be the Golden Age of Realmslore. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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bloodtide_the_red
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2026 : 04:30:44
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1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
I was playing D&D back in the Time Before Time. The late 80's Dragon/Dungeon and comics I read had lots of ads for "the new setting" for D&D. With the Old Gray box set cover art (oddly upside down ). I remember the "On the 3,234 day we rested and created: (cover box art). So when it came out....I bought it
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
Nearly all my games after '89....
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
Running through the Time of Troubles. Doing a couple time travel ones to "try and stop it". Running through all the published adventures.
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
Well, everything the players do "alter the setting", but I avoid the wacky stuff like blowing up cities or the moon.
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
1E to 2E was the fun Time of Troubles, but only a little bump rules wise. 2E to 3E was only a slight bump. Utterly ignore anything after 3.5E.
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
Ravenloft and Darksun.....both run out of steam fast.
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
Anything with "author Ed Greenwood". The 2E god books. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4497 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2026 : 11:08:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
A general post to share your timeline and points of interest in regards to this setting. Some questions to consider:
1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
Probably back in 1997-ish? I got the PC game Baldur's Gate. No idea who the characters were or the setting or, really, anything including the mechanics/math of the system (2e at the time) as it didn't make any sense. But I started to learn from there. Didn't actually try D&D until about a year later. I tried to make my D&D character like my Baldur's Gate one - Human Paladin. And was instantly killed in the first battle. Really gave me a sour taste of 2e as a D&D system (but it was find for BG1, lol).
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
Yes, decades worth. It's been our go-to setting since probably 3e/3.5 when we got a weekly group going in 2005.
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
Probably our Isekai-style game called Us in the Realms. Its where people are transported to another world (think 80's D&D cartoon) with the players turning into Characters. Started in roughly 2006/2007 and we're still going strong in 2026. We've changed systems 3 times and have updated our characters to 5e (2014 rules). Happily just hit 15th level.
Our other long-standing one was when we did the super 3.5 adventure Cormyr/Shadowdale/Anauroch. Took us from 1st to 16th level. Now I have some plans for the group to finish up the quest by going to Rasheman.
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
Ohhh, yea I had to. So things were pretty much the same as the novels/D&D supplements go and how our campaigns worked. Then 4e hit. If you're not new here, you know that I'm a pretty vocal supporter of 4th Edition rules and many of the changes that happened to the Realms. That said, I wasn't too fond of them killing off Mystra...again. So that was one factoid that I changed. I kept Mystra in my 4e Realms (using any published "core" options of Ioun - a 4e deity) and renamed it Mystra. I also added in the Raven Queen as a consort to Kelemvor. I did advance the timeline and that was kind of interesting to our "Us in the Realms" campaign, as I had to figure out how a bunch of humans survived the time-jump. Luckily a lot of my players were long-lived races (like Dwarves) so they were fine. I've also added races, like Shifters and Warforged from Eberron and have included portals to the newer settings like Ravnica (my favorite Magic: the Gathering setting).
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
I think we're pretty unique as a group, as we change things around depending on who's DM-ing. For me, I usually run 4th Edition or 5th Edition as a system, depending on what the group wants. My ADHD tends to pull me in a lot of different creative directions, so campaign ideas might favor a style more suited to 4e (like, I'd love to run a Diablo campaign set in the world of Sanctuary, which 4e is wonderfully suited for) but also 5e has a lot of new books coming out that I'd also like to try, and there's also the ease of 5e via D&D Beyond. My wife loves DM'ing 3.5 so when we do her campaigns it's generally with that edition.
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
Well I have a nice collection of the Warcraft: the RPG setting for 3.5 edition that I've always wanted to play in, yet don't want to DM if that makes sense? I've mentioned that I'd love to run/play a 4E Diablo game and I've also played in 13th Age's system/setting and created my own from that. Then there's the other non-FR settings like Darksun, Eberron, and Ravenloft that we've done on occasion. They're ok for a time, but not something I continually gravitate towards as much as the Realms.
Why I keep returning to the Realms is pretty simple, you kind of get everything you want in one setting. I know people don't like using the term "Kitchen Sink" setting, but that's what it is. What other settings can you get Pirates, Ninja's, Knights, Vampires, Wizards, Vikings, Shamans, siege weaponry, firearms, and dragons to fit all in the same world at the same time? Other settings are set in a specific Theme. The Realms allows those themes to work in connection with one-another. You can have a pirate/rogue character from the Sea of Swords next to a Celtic-inspired Druidic-shaman from the Moonshaes as both adventure along with a 15th century looking Knight of the Flaming Fist and her companion, a floppish Bard strumming a lute and it makes Canonical sense, lol.
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
In no particular order:
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3e)
FOrgotten Realms Player's Guide (4e)
Neverwinter Campaign Setting (4e)
Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villany (5e)
Faiths and Pantheons (3e) |
Diffan's NPG Generator: FR NPC Generator
E6 Options: Epic 6 Campaign |
Edited by - Diffan on 27 Jan 2026 11:11:52 |
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Dewaint
Learned Scribe
Germany
154 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2026 : 08:34:16
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1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
it was around 1986 or 1987. Was playing D&D already a couple of years when "Darkwalker on Moonshae" caught my attention. At that time reading it was a pain in the neck as I had no real English skills developped ;) Soon after I discovered the Gray Box displayed in a local game shop with same art on the cover. After browsing though the materials I fell in love almost immediately by the sheer depthness of the locations and history provided, the "in-game" notes written by a character of that world calling himself Elminster. A friend of mine was running Dragonlance and I was looking for a new setting. I decided it was exactly what I was looking for, so it started.
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
DMing all the time :)
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
Oh, there have been a lot of memorable situations, like my group entering Myth Drannor for the first time
My longest Campaign running on the realms started 1357 DR and we stopped playing 1371 DR we played almost 30 years of our lifetime. During that time the group experienced some fluctuations. Some players leaving, other joining, and some rejoining after years.
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
I didn't include things from other worlds into Toril. Portals other settings like Ravenloft, or Planescape yes, of course. Typically there was more than enough material available, including Dragon and Dungeon magazines.
Only started to alter things with the introduction of D&D 4th Edition.
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
We embraced the new editions as they provided more game rule options for the different classes and game mechanics. Basically started with D&D --> AD&D --> 3.0 --> 3.5 -- Pathfinder Rules. We skipped 4th Edition but are using 5e rules now. Switched to 5e rules as they are easier for me to handle than Pathfinder, which IMO is more complex.
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
I was and still am very pleased by the tons of fluff provided including 3.5 era, so this question is not relevant for me. By altering 4th and 5th edition FR fluff and adopting it as required on how I envision the FR nowadays am still enjoying the Forgotten Realms setting.
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
Looking back, what impressed me most I think was (in no particula order):
The Grey Box, original FR setting 1e
The Myth Drannor Box 2e
Cormanthyr Arcane Age 2e
Faith & Avatars compediums (all 3 books from Eric) 2e
Volo's Guide to All Things Magical 2e
Races of Faerun 3e
Unapproachable East 3e |
Edited by - Dewaint on 29 Jan 2026 08:59:14 |
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SilenceOfLolth
Acolyte
17 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2026 : 18:15:38
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quote:
Originally posted by bloodtide_the_red
1E to 2E was the fun Time of Troubles, but only a little bump rules wise. 2E to 3E was only a slight bump. Utterly ignore anything after 3.5E.
Interesting. While I agree that for many, when looking at the 2e (with splats, C&T etc included) to 3e transition, the rules ultimately were more of a consolidation, organization and streamlining of much of what was already there. And many house rules intended to reflect the game as it was actually being played by the late 90s made it into the rules in some form or another. To me the early 3.0 playstyle, rules and assumptions were an evolution of late 2e, but not largely different.
But many (whether because they actually felt it at the time or have not carefully read the 3.0 PHB and DMG in many years) would argue that it was not a slight bump.
Your group felt the former rather than the latter? |
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Delnyn
Master of Realmslore
USA
1094 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2026 : 15:18:20
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quote:
Originally posted by SilenceOfLolth
quote:
Originally posted by bloodtide_the_red
1E to 2E was the fun Time of Troubles, but only a little bump rules wise. 2E to 3E was only a slight bump. Utterly ignore anything after 3.5E.
Interesting. While I agree that for many, when looking at the 2e (with splats, C&T etc included) to 3e transition, the rules ultimately were more of a consolidation, organization and streamlining of much of what was already there. And many house rules intended to reflect the game as it was actually being played by the late 90s made it into the rules in some form or another. To me the early 3.0 playstyle, rules and assumptions were an evolution of late 2e, but not largely different.
But many (whether because they actually felt it at the time or have not carefully read the 3.0 PHB and DMG in many years) would argue that it was not a slight bump.
Your group felt the former rather than the latter?
If there were one rule change that really changed the game, it was the time spellcasters needed to regain spells. In 2nd edition, spellcasters needed 10 minutes per spell level to regain spells. In 3.x, the total preparation time was only one hour. |
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SilenceOfLolth
Acolyte
17 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2026 : 21:59:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
quote:
Originally posted by SilenceOfLolth
quote:
Originally posted by bloodtide_the_red
1E to 2E was the fun Time of Troubles, but only a little bump rules wise. 2E to 3E was only a slight bump. Utterly ignore anything after 3.5E.
Interesting. While I agree that for many, when looking at the 2e (with splats, C&T etc included) to 3e transition, the rules ultimately were more of a consolidation, organization and streamlining of much of what was already there. And many house rules intended to reflect the game as it was actually being played by the late 90s made it into the rules in some form or another. To me the early 3.0 playstyle, rules and assumptions were an evolution of late 2e, but not largely different.
But many (whether because they actually felt it at the time or have not carefully read the 3.0 PHB and DMG in many years) would argue that it was not a slight bump.
Your group felt the former rather than the latter?
If there were one rule change that really changed the game, it was the time spellcasters needed to regain spells. In 2nd edition, spellcasters needed 10 minutes per spell level to regain spells. In 3.x, the total preparation time was only one hour.
On paper I agree that it did, but this was heavily hand-waived and/or house-ruled anyways. Because the time it takes, regardless of how long that time is, is only ever represented in game with the DM saying “Ok, X amount of hours pass.” There are some edge cases in which this came into play when the group was time crunched, but that’s rare.
Now, number of spells known and castable per day? That made a more tangible change in my experience. But even then, the game largely played the same over the course of an adventure or a campaign between late 2e and early 3.0. |
Edited by - SilenceOfLolth on 30 Jan 2026 22:00:39 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36999 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2026 : 18:12:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
quote:
Originally posted by SilenceOfLolth
quote:
Originally posted by bloodtide_the_red
1E to 2E was the fun Time of Troubles, but only a little bump rules wise. 2E to 3E was only a slight bump. Utterly ignore anything after 3.5E.
Interesting. While I agree that for many, when looking at the 2e (with splats, C&T etc included) to 3e transition, the rules ultimately were more of a consolidation, organization and streamlining of much of what was already there. And many house rules intended to reflect the game as it was actually being played by the late 90s made it into the rules in some form or another. To me the early 3.0 playstyle, rules and assumptions were an evolution of late 2e, but not largely different.
But many (whether because they actually felt it at the time or have not carefully read the 3.0 PHB and DMG in many years) would argue that it was not a slight bump.
Your group felt the former rather than the latter?
If there were one rule change that really changed the game, it was the time spellcasters needed to regain spells. In 2nd edition, spellcasters needed 10 minutes per spell level to regain spells. In 3.x, the total preparation time was only one hour.
That was a huge change... I'm playing a 2E wizard right now, and casting just two spells from each level he can would take 6 hours of study to replace. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4497 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2026 : 01:31:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
If there were one rule change that really changed the game, it was the time spellcasters needed to regain spells. In 2nd edition, spellcasters needed 10 minutes per spell level to regain spells. In 3.x, the total preparation time was only one hour.
To compound this, we then had significant restrictions on weapon-based characters in both terms of attacks made with movement and a loss of capabilities as these characters gained higher levels. The creation of the "full-attack" action and iterative attack penalties cemented the supremacy of magic and spell-casters, even as most of their disadvantages disappeared faster than the years of life lost when casting Haste pre-3rd edition.
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Bragi
Seeker
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2026 : 07:09:24
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1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
I read about the setting in Dragon magazine circa 1986. In 1987 when the first novel was published I was drawn to the setting. I liked that it didn't have a large catalog of backstory and was a setting I could get involved with from the ground up.
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
I enjoy DMing much more than playing. I have ran far more games than I have played.
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
There's so many to mention. Menzoberranzan, Myth Drannor, Undermountain. My current campaign has been running for 9 years now. I particularly enjoy running campaigns during the Time of Troubles.
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
I try to stick to cannon as much as possible; however, I do enjoy using unofficial fan made materials. Northern Journey being a stand-out example. The only changes I make are events that occur due to actions of my PCs from prior and current campaigns.
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
While I started in 1e, it was mostly tournament modules and stand-alone sessions. My campaign started with 2nd edition and ran for 10 years from 1990 to 2000. The conclusion of that first campaign coincided with the release of 3e so it was a natural progression. My next campaign was with 3rd edition and ran from 2000 to 2006. After that I took a break from D&D to start a family and skipped all of 4e as a result. I started playing 5e in 2016 after some co-workers told me about this new show called Critical Role. I have no intention of switching over to the 2024 rules until after this campaign has reached 20th level, which I anticipate happening in the next 3 years. So to answer your question, each edition change has progressed organically with each new campaign.
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
So many settings. Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Lankhmar, Spelljammer, Dark Sun, Mystara, Ravenloft, and likely others as well. Ironically, I started with the Forgotten Realms because there was so little back catalog and it felt fresh and new. I've stayed with it because of the amazing breadth and depth of materials that have been published over the years.
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
My favorites have changed considerably since I started playing. They are all my favorite. Top 5
Gray boxed set
The Forgotten Realms Atlas (paperback)
The Grand History of the Realms
Faiths & Avatars
Forgotten Realms Adventures |
In Pursuit of Better Worlds,
Bragi of Erin |
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Taleras
Seeker
76 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2026 : 01:14:05
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I haven't posted in a while, but I felt compelled to contribute to this post!
1. When did you first discover the setting, and through what means?
I discovered the Forgotten Realms sometime in the mid 2000's when I was looking for a game to replace my departure from EverQuest. That game was Neverwinter Nights! I had no idea the Forgotten Realms went beyond that game at the time (or really that it was set in the Forgotten Realms). I really discovered how big the setting was when I downloaded the collection of short stories from RA Salvatore on Audible and decided to read some of the Drizzt books, and now have devoured most of that series, along with a bunch of other novels, and now am working my way through some of the sourcebooks and discovering so many great and exciting things on DMGuild that have to do with the Realms! Including some of those old sourcebooks.
2. Have you played or ran more games in the Realms?
I have actually never played a game set in the Realms! Well, besides the BG series, NWN1 and 2, and a brief stint playing Neverwinter. I have never ran a game, though I hope to soon and would love to DM one set in the Realms.
3. What are some of your memorable and/or most long running campaigns set here?
Still haven't played a game in the Realms... Although I am about to start a solo game using some adventures from DMGuild. So that will be my most memorable and longest running game in the Realms when I start it. 
4. How did you alter the setting as you went along? Did you include material from other worlds? Alter anything in major ways?
Can't really answer this one, but one of the things I love about the Realms is how fleshed out it is, like organizations such as the Harpers and Zhents, various locations, history, famous figures, etc. It allows for so much flexibility and creativity with a lot of the details already done for you. Yeah, creating your own setting could be really cool, but it feels like there is enough leeway to really do some cool stuff within the Realms and not have to "retcon" your game later on.
5. How did you and your group approach each edition change? What rules did you settle on for your campaign long term? Or do you intend to keep changing with each new edition?
While I can't really answer this question as I haven't played a game in the Realms, discovering the breadth of the setting well after my original intro to the setting I find it interesting all of the ways the setting was moved forward in the timeline, as well as the various editions of DND that have happened over the years.
I really like the 2024 version of DND, I think it keeps things simple and streamlined, but allows for a lot of flexibility and ways to add things to your own game that you might like. Easy for me to say, having not played anything else but 2014 though, which doesn't seem like a huge difference all things considered. Overall it feels like a way to get new players into the game without a high barrier to entry, which in my opinion is a good thing!
6. What other settings have you flirted with over the years? What made you decide to keep returning to the Realms over the others either for playing or running games?
I have looked into the new Cosmere game and want to play some games there, and have looked into Pathfinder a bit. That one doesn't really excited me, although I do enjoy learning about the setting and have enjoyed playing Pathfinder Kingmaker. I also have read a handful of the Dragonlance novels, and while I enjoy the stories, it doesn't entice me too much as a setting for DND.
7. What have been your favorite Realms releases?
I love the video games, the BG series is so fun and while BG3 is quite different than the first two, it is pretty incredible in its own right. NWN is also so amazing. I love going back and playing it over and all the fan modules are incredible. I also think the Avatar series is a really fun read (only read the first 3), Elfshadow is super fun, and the following books are good too. I also love the Grand History of the Realms and Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. I am looking forward to enjoying more!
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What is your history with the Forgotten Realms?
