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My Kingdom for a Fleshed Out World

Before I begin, let me just say that I love D&D, have for years. And despite its flaws I love 5E; its probably the most accessible version of D&D I've played... and I've played a fair few versions.

But... but! I'm sorely disappointed in 5th Edition's lazy approach to fleshing out the Forgotten Realms. There's just not a lot of official, contemporary material available and what is available has been watered down. I've taken to working with 3E / 3.5E worldbbooks because that's the last time I remember Wizards putting out quality worldbooks.

Am I just missing an amazing set of sources? Are there must-haves on a third party site that I may not know about?

Or, am I right in thinking that the current focus on comprehensive campaigns has left those who are interested in a less structured approach scrounging to find good source?

(Perhaps next time, we can chat about the lack of good, official one-shot adventures.)

5 comments

bionicjoey

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Be careful what you wish for. I switched to PF2e this year and while I like it a lot more than 5e, one thing I can definitely say I prefer about D&D is the more lax approach to the setting. In PF2e, the specific gods and factions of the default setting are actually integral to the game's mechanics, which makes it a lot harder to play the system in a homebrew setting. And worldbuilding is one of the things I love the most about being a DM

Diotima

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I like both... sometimes Faerun seems crowded or sloppy, but having so much history can be fun too.

Kichae

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In PF2e, the specific gods and factions of the default setting are actually integral to the game’s mechanics, which makes it a lot harder to play the system in a homebrew setting

Ehhh. You can ignore a lot of the setting specific stuff, especially with the remaster. I just let clerics choose their own edicts and anathema, and favoured weapon, for instance. It's not like the actual lore of the gods matters to the game mechanics. You can build gods or sects piecemeal.

Or don't. My family's game has both a cleric and a champion, neither of which has a specific god. They're just "good". It works just fine.

dumples

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I love the lax world building because I want to make it myself. With the depth of old books, most of which your can get for cheap or free you can look it up if you need to. I also don't live the forgotten realms too much. I do love the adventure without settings books like ghosts of saltmarsh

Diotima

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I've built worlds and I love the flexibility, but it also leaves little room for surprise if I'm the one creating it. Diving into other peoples worlds is a different experience, and one I've often enjoyed too.