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Sirine
Acolyte
USA
8 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 14:32:20
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Question- can anyone give me their thoughts on why so many people live the Realms adventures? Is it merely because the books are well written, or the game is well-played, or the history is so detailed, or because they just love fantasy, or because ...?
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Cheers, everyone! |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 14:44:38
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Thats a tough one! How "about all of the above"!? 
Personally, I love the Realms as its so vastly detailed and Ive had a love for the fantasy genre since I was yay-high.
Theres enough diversity to keep anyone happy. The novels have many different flavors and are very well written. Lately, the quality of sourcebooks has also increased immensily in quality.
Basically, the setting is so well detailed, in history as well as current events, that it feels like it does actually exist! |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 16:12:09
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| Rad hit it right on the head. FR's setting is richly detailed be it in persons, places, etc. Moreover, the passsion that Ed Greenwood had for this world came out from FR's published origins. Others that have contribued throughout the years have also brought passion in being a part of this shared world. When you have such energy, a setting stands out. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 16:44:46
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The Realms' popularity is due to
-- the specific essence, vitality, intelligence, and poetry of Ed Greenwood's vision, the 'as if real' approach and the sense that round every corner there's more of this fully envisioned world (which in turn leads to the question 'What's all that due to?')
-- for instance, the Realms is a praxis, not a purely literary construct, emerging from a played campaign as the World of Greyhawk did rather than from, say, a committee
-- TSR's heavy promotion of the setting c.1987-1995
-- transfer from sales of Bob Salvatore novels
-- amount of sourcebook detail allows people to borrow for other campaign settings; exposure means people think they know what the Realms is about (even when they don't)
-- ongoing novel timeline allows soap opera-style spectation
quote:
Lately, the quality of sourcebooks has also increased immensily in quality.
You really think? I don't think much recently has touched the Greenwood/Schend/Boyd setting-first glory days. |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 16:51:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
quote:
Lately, the quality of sourcebooks has also increased immensily in quality.
You really think? I don't think much recently has touched the Greenwood/Schend/Boyd setting-first glory days.
I agree. I really do miss Steven Schend in particular. If by quality, Rad meant presentation and layout, I concur, but for details, story within, etc., no way has the quality increased in my not so humble opinion. |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 17:03:33
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
quote:
Lately, the quality of sourcebooks has also increased immensily in quality.
You really think? I don't think much recently has touched the Greenwood/Schend/Boyd setting-first glory days.
I agree. I really do miss Steven Schend in particular. If by quality, Rad meant presentation and layout, I concur, but for details, story within, etc., no way has the quality increased in my not so humble opinion.
Exactly, SiriusBlack  I havent actually had much time to delve into 3rd ed. but I did mean that the presentation - the look and feel and the color art etc of the new products are very appealing....especially to newcomers to the game\setting. The old 2nd ed. products were just black and white and quite cartoon-like pictures.
For example, I can get my partner to sit and "appreciate" 3rd ed products for around 3 minutes........2nd editon wouldnt even get a murmer once past the cover art!  |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Edited by - Lord Rad on 24 Feb 2004 17:03:51 |
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The Cardinal
Senior Scribe
Canada
647 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 18:51:03
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We never thought someone would ask why... Well the Realms for us was just a natural evolution from past planes. After dealing with video games for the past...oh..15-16 years, we have found that there are few that deal in the same world... and if they do the storylines from that past game would be sketchy, no real sense of it carrying on.
After following the Saga of Urza, Mishra, and their decendants from 'The Brother's War' and other following novels of 'Magic: The Gathering' fame. Upon Urza's death we grew bored with the world, for us, M:TG novels were more about The Brothers and their bloodline than anything eles. For Urza we remained, upon his death (and perhaps the death of every other character we practically held dear, while making a great story, broke our black withered heart) we decided to look for a new home.
So we moved to Faerun, Since M:TG also seemed to be fading away. So here we are, in not only a world but a entire cosmotology linked to other prime material planes ( We don't care what Anyother thinks, The worlds should be connected by the outerplanes). Faerun has stood for years so far, and we hope it will hold for longer still. We doubt we could take another move again. The World and the Game interests us because we are Reader, Gamer and Imaginer. We finally have a place that Merges the Best of All worlds, Reading, Gaming, and of course the freedom to dream up whatever we want from Faerun to Far Realms all is possible within a simple manipulation of unchanging rules . We finally belong . |
It has to be Certain, the Gods Hate Me. For whatever irrevokable Fate, I have been made the walking Joke. Either that, or Beshaba is overlyfond Of Me.
-Unknown |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 21:51:11
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| Deimos, if you stopped reading MtG novels because of the death of Urza and Mishra, try picking up the Mirrodin and Darksteel novels. A few old favorites have reappeared... |
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The Cardinal
Senior Scribe
Canada
647 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 22:14:38
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Hmm, thou hast gotten our attention. We shall have to look into them next time we make a caravan to the south for books...
But What brings you into the realms Arivia? |
It has to be Certain, the Gods Hate Me. For whatever irrevokable Fate, I have been made the walking Joke. Either that, or Beshaba is overlyfond Of Me.
-Unknown |
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DDH_101
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1272 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2004 : 03:04:29
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| The reasons I like why I like the Realms have basically been answered by the others. Lol. I like the details put into it by the creators, where every little thing is thought through. NPCs and all the cities in the Realms have been carefully made to make the D&D and reading experience more enjoyable, such as Waterdeep and its citizens. |
"Trust in the shadows, for the bright way makes you an easy target." -Mask |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2004 : 07:36:46
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Well, my timeline resembles this:
- Picked up first D&D novel(Dragons of Spring Dawning)
- Began playing D&D(2e, at the time; 3e hadn't been released yet)
- Read first FR novel(Tangled Webs)
I stuck around for the NPCs and the books, and later for the detailed setting. |
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Alexander Heppe
Seeker
Germany
62 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2004 : 08:21:54
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I love the Realms because they are both
a) richly detailed
b) in large parts undetailed
The main areas of this campaign world are really thought through, while leaving enough "white spaces" for the DM to fill in at his pleasure. Need a village or hamlet? Just go ahead and drop it where you want to, the way the Realms work, chance is that your creation will fit in nicely...
Besides, I love the way the Realms seem to logically mirror and incorporate many different "earth" cultures from many different times, be it early Medieval times to high renaissance, be it the mysterious East, Arabian flavourde areas, or the age of exploration.
I also love the many different power groups working behind the scenes. And I love the richly detailed "classic" Adventuring areas, most of all the Silver Marches, the Sword Coast, Cormyr and the dalelands. You can adventure for years in that area without ever getting bored, introducing the more "exotic" locales by NPCs hailing from there...
To put a long story short: I love the diversity, and the ever-present opportunity for your players to achieve "what no man (dwarf, elf, gnome etc.) has done before..." |
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Lina
Senior Scribe
Australia
469 Posts |
Posted - 29 Feb 2004 : 02:55:59
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| The reasons I like the realms are due to the well written novels (some of them anyway) and the creativity, details and passion the authors put to their characters and storyline. The realms are an entirely different world where anything can happen and almost everything is possible. The mysteries, Gnomish inventions, adventures, political intrigue, religions, amongst other things adds depth to the realms; and the great thing is that eventhough the realms did stem from Greenwood, many authors have contributed to make the realms what it is... a FANTASTIC place for a holiday! |
“Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows! Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name. I pledge myself to darkness. All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed…by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!!!”
"Thieves? Ah, such an ugly word... look upon them as the most honest sort of merchant."
-Oglar the Thieflord |
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Cult_Leader
Learned Scribe
USA
337 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2004 : 16:02:38
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| Well I like FR because it is indeed well done. And the novels tend to run along with amny of the games my group of peoples can think up. Gives us backgrounds on what is all going on and such. However to tell the truth I deeply lonve dragonlance and Darksun. Darksun settings being one of my all time favorite settings. Simply because it IS, the land to my belief that magic and such stems from. It was the first game setting in which one could push themselves past the limits. And move out farther in their single job set skills. For example mages in Darksun can move up to 21st level and beyond, the trick to this is they become, slowly though, dragons. Clerics elementals, fighters fighters, thieves theieves etc. Spells increase to powerful ammounts as well. Psychics are accounted for as well. Darksun is a very well done setting in which people really have to struggle to make it. Its a well done setting. The problem is peopl look at soemthing like darksun and then look at something like dragon lance... then turn their heads to FR and go, oh yeah i have read books based on that one. So most people just over look the other settings. Its a real shame. The other settings are just as fun after all. But yes, FR is very well done and commonly played a lot. Its just to damn fun to ignore. |
"Madness you say! Do you fear me? Are you afraid of what I might do, of what I might say? What a fascinating reaction. Don't you find it somewhat encumbering?"
Piddles assumes a deep and resonant voice. "Space...the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship...Garou. It's mission: to slay Wyrm creatures where they live and breed. To accumulate more Garou than the world's entire population. To produce metis like no one has before." - Piddles
"Aren't you people supposed to be doing something? Like, entertaining me, the fascist wizard?" - InleRah
I have the passwords to the minds of everyone and the cheat codes to the universe - Me |
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Lina
Senior Scribe
Australia
469 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2004 : 01:15:57
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My sentiments exactly.
quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Leader
Well I like FR because it is indeed well done. And the novels tend to run along with amny of the games my group of peoples can think up. Gives us backgrounds on what is all going on and such. However to tell the truth I deeply lonve dragonlance and Darksun. Darksun settings being one of my all time favorite settings. Simply because it IS, the land to my belief that magic and such stems from. It was the first game setting in which one could push themselves past the limits. And move out farther in their single job set skills. For example mages in Darksun can move up to 21st level and beyond, the trick to this is they become, slowly though, dragons. Clerics elementals, fighters fighters, thieves theieves etc. Spells increase to powerful ammounts as well. Psychics are accounted for as well. Darksun is a very well done setting in which people really have to struggle to make it. Its a well done setting. The problem is peopl look at soemthing like darksun and then look at something like dragon lance... then turn their heads to FR and go, oh yeah i have read books based on that one. So most people just over look the other settings. Its a real shame. The other settings are just as fun after all. But yes, FR is very well done and commonly played a lot. Its just to damn fun to ignore.
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“Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows! Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name. I pledge myself to darkness. All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed…by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!!!”
"Thieves? Ah, such an ugly word... look upon them as the most honest sort of merchant."
-Oglar the Thieflord |
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Why the Realms?
