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Vainelus
Seeker
USA
59 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 21:45:52
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Does anyone else feel that Faerun is having to many large scale conflicts occur in recent novels? Lately, it seems like every novel written has some realms shattering event that is pretty impossible to miss if you are running a campaign in the region that the novel occurs, or even one nearby. The Shadovar's return and death of King Azoun and virtual destruction of Cormyr's military, followed by Obould's war, followed by the Fey'ri, the Sahuagin attacking Waterdeep, the War of the Spider Queen along with several other events that can not be missed by local bards and Heralds.
This is not an invitation to complain about how much you despise the novels, or to mention that the sacred areas of the old gray box set have been developed. I like the novels very much and feel that they breath life into Faerun. What I am interested in is how other DMs have chosen to handle all these wars that are occurring? Have other scribes had this problem, if so how do you handle it? And also share an amusing story, or two? For instance, reading the Two Swords and realizing that an orc Kingdom just appeared next to Mithril Hall and a large war occurred and your players are based out of Silverymoon(members of the Knights in Silver) and apparently no one noticed.
My solution so far has been that I have changed some of the events of the Shadovar’s return and Obould’s war to fit my campaign. Also I am beginning to seriously consider basing all my campaigns ten or twenty years back from the current story line so that it can stay ahead of my campaign. However, I think that it would be nice if such major events were fully resolved before starting a new realms shaking event. For instance, all the events I mentioned above have taken place in less than 5 years(in realms) or at least to the best of my understanding. I would prefer to see more novels like the Shandril’s saga, some of the old Drizzt’s book, the House of Serpents, and the Harper’s series books that do not have to take center stage if a campaign is being ran in the area. They can occur and provide background noise without monopolizing the screen.
All that being said I really have enjoyed the all the books I mentioned. It just seems like realms is due for a period of down time were major events are not involving armies returning from other worlds, or large scale military conflicts(or if they are occurring, they occur in say the Shining South or Unapproachable East).
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4693 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 21:53:22
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Welll there will always be wars, famine, dought, eathquales, locust, etc. You could try looking at it the news is just traveling faster these days. Also it a the standard that any FR product provides a starting point, that the PCs in your games can change the outcome (as well as the NPCs).
Lolth I do not yet see as a RSE, though Lady Pentitant might become one. Orcs (trolls, giants, dragon(s), etc.) show up every so often and such battles have been going on for thousands of years. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 01:15:31
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It's possible that when a period of peace sets in, the majority are happy to maintain the status quo, but when things start kicking off, everyone wants to stake their own claim.
It's also worth noting that some things are a reaction - a lot of people had to react to the return of Shade, and the elves reacted to both the daemonfey, and to a lesser extent, the drow of Cormanthor. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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bloodtide_the_red
Learned Scribe
USA
306 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 05:40:43
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Well, it's not as if a lot has happend in just the last five years. A lot happens every year across the Realms. The older novels are full of such things too. The Timeline itself is full of such things also, things with no novel to describe them.
A lot of the stuff is regional. No one outside of Cormyr is realy effected by that war and folks outside of Waterdeep are not effected when it is attacked. Folks living in Secomber just go on with their lives.
In my game this is mostly all back ground information, as my game left the 72/73 Realms years ago. So it's all in the past. Though when running a current event game, I will use the big stuff as a back drop. Typicaly, my players are too busy with their own thing to worry about this kind of stuff. And when they are out hunting a bandit lord in Vassa, they don't much worry about the rest of the Realms. It only comes up in tavern news or tidbits like 'the weapon shops racks are empty, must be a war on somewhere'.
It's even possible to miss the stuff, even if your there at the time. A group of my players was busy in Undermountain way back when the Shaugin attacked Waterdeep, and only found out about the attack much later.
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Edited by - bloodtide_the_red on 14 Apr 2006 05:45:28 |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 05:54:13
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| move the campaign, change the dates of "your" current realms campaign, or choose to ignore pieces of lore that bother you. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11999 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 15:50:20
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I look at our modern society for a comparison. I have some friends who are lucky enough to have the cash that they've quit their jobs and are on their honeymoon and travelling the world (granted, as hikers, they ain't that rich). The guy had done this already once before, but he's still surprised when he gets to all these 3rd world countries. He says nearly every one that he's been to has had in their newspapers while he was their how their is some group who is having some civil uprising or terrorist issue that's having to be put down by the military. The wars are relatively small scale, but they're there. Its just that we as Americans hear only the smallest inkling of this kind of thing in the news.
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Fletcher
Learned Scribe
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 18:42:41
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I run in the history...4 years of characters' lives have passed by and they are just about to enjoy midwinter festivals in Fellaren-Krae in the bitterly cold winter of 1363...Then they are off to hunt vampires in Saerloon...
It makes it easy to not have any strange happening, when you know it all already. |
Run faster! The Kobolds are catching up! |
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 21:11:38
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Hell I chose to handle the War in Cormyr by basing my campaign there for several levels worth of play.
My players got to tangle with Ghazneths, hunt desperately for artifacts in Netheril so those could be used against the Ghazneths/Nalavara, fight with (and –if we’re keeping it real– run from) hordes of maurading Orcs, travel to Grodd to confront the Goblins of that place whome also plagued Cormyr, assist in the opening of a gate from Arabel to Suzail during the siege of the former…
The way I see it a DM chooses to either let the tidal wave of a current Realms event wash in and ‘ruin’ his campaign, or to hop on a board and ride that wave to a better campaign.
But these aren’t the only choices. A DM can base his game somewhere else, or keep it in the same place but not let the roll of events happen. Ed’s done it, I’ve done it and any DM who chooses to can do the same.
I think good campaigns can do this last because the players in those games will have come to value their DMs campaign based in the Realms far more than what WotC churns out.
It’s all good.
J. Grenemyer |
09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldn’t believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
Edited by - Sanishiver on 15 Apr 2006 21:12:37 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2006 : 07:04:11
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I tend to back date my campaigns a bit. When the FRCS came out, I backed things up a year or two, to give me some leeway with what I was doing. Now that the year has moved on to 1374 DR, I can start things out in 1372 DR fairly easily, knowing what is going on in the future, so I can integrate it or avoid it as it comes up.
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Faramicos
Senior Scribe
Denmark
468 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2006 : 17:57:14
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| I see all the events in the realms as a great help to creating great games and adventures... And it isnt all that unrealistic. I am from Denmark and if you take a look on the history of Europe in general, there are almost constantly a war being waged, peasants rebelling, kings being assassinated and countries that crumble under the preasure of outside influences... Nothing to do but embrace all the great adventure links laid out by all the authors of the great relms lore available. |
"When dragons make war, worlds can only tremble in the shadow of angry wings" |
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Running around and during current Realm's Events
