Community

"The most important rule of Dungeons & Dragons" read the original red boxed set, "is simply this; BE FAIR."

Those words have stuck with me my entire D&D playing career. It's not fair to have the first level characters go up against five huge red dragons.

Lately there's been a rash of anti-DM sentiment going around. The phrase "DM May I" is derrogotory. The DM is in fact a very important player. Rule, game, setting, adventure and other decisions lay on the shoulders of the DM. The DM is the person entrusted with running the game. All editions of D&D acknowledge this.

Looking at some of my older modules, the game itself tells the DM to use judgement. If an encounter is too easy, one module advises, add more monsters. Or have monsters from room 22 hear the noise and join the fight. In a multi...

If my 2e review seemed a bit on the light side, it was. I never really played FR in 2nd edition, although I did pick up a few FR themed products. Adventures, or Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog, and Volo Guides. The original FR boxed set suited me just fine for any FR setting needs for me, but I picked up the 2e boxed set more to have a "complete" collection. (Even though I wasn't trying to complete all the games.) Indeed, I had picked that set up long after I had all my Planescape materials. (I seem to recall picking it up as an "accessory" for Planescape- Faerun is another world to explore from Sigil.)

I did play 3e FR a little bit, but I have to say of all the editions (including 4e), I like the 3e FR campaign setting book the best.

The big draw for me is two fold. First, there's the trade...

Although my grey FR boxed set has been crushed, I can still sit it next to the 2nd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting box and see that the 2nd edition box is twice as thick. And it certainly is loaded with goodies.

The look and feel of the books are different than the previous version. For starters, the pages are white with black text. There is also a splash of color. Not full color but dark blue is used for the headings, and the pattern at the top of every page.  Sidebards are shaded blue. Back then, having any color at all was a big deal, as most RPG books were nothing but black and white. The color gave the books personality.

The first book is the 128 page "A Grand Tour Of The Realms", and it follows the tradition of the 1st edition's Cyclopedia, but the Grand Tour does so...

I've been thinking about the Forgotten Realms lately, and thought it might be fun to look back at some great FR products. Now, there were many produced and I don't have all of them. So, to make things a bit simple, I took a look at the main campaign setting books/sets.

Many moons ago, I was at our monthly get together for AD&D games when the DM pulled out a rather awesome looking map. I asked him where he got it. The jerk wouldn't tell me.

I eventually found out when I picked up that month's Dragon Magazine. It wouldn't have killed him to tell me that's where he got it as the map didn't have any secrets on it.

That map was my introduction to the Forgotten Realms. Yes, I had read some articles on it previously, but I never really paid attention to them. I ignored that world as much as I ignored...

In the old red box D&D set, page 46 of the Dungeon Master's Rulebook is a set of instructions on how to build a good dungeon. Step 1 is "Choose a Scenario." There's a short list of scenerios to choose from.

Exploring the unknown.
The party is hired to map uknown territory. The area might onece have been familiar but is now overrun or destroyed. A strange power might mysteriously appear overnight in a familiar area...

Investigating an enemy outpost.
The enemies (Possibly Chaotic monsters) are invading the Realm of Man. The characters must enter an enemy outpost, find the strengths and plans of the invaders, and destroy them if possile.

Recovering ruins.
The party is scouting an old village before permenent settlers move in. The ruins may have been overrun by a certain type of monster, who must...

Many of my older editon D&D books are turning yellow. The edges of the pages look rather nasty, which bothers me to no end because I was always so careful with my books. I'd always make sure my hands were washed before handling them. (Similar in look to the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms books. Which I'm glad THOSE books already look like that. I won't freak out as much because I recall the pristine white my books all used to be like.

One book however, has gone completely yellow. I suspect it's from the type of paper it was printed on. While I would like another clean new copy to keep in a plastic bag, the yellowing effect actually adds to the product.

The Forgotten Realms accessory Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue.

The idea for this book came up at a game table. The authors were playing in ...

Most role-playing games will suggest you borrow ideas from other sources, including other game systems. Not every book translates well, although with work, a good DM/GM can make almost anything work.

 

There’s one book on my D&D shelf that can not only be used in any edition of D&D, but in any RPG period. That book is the Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide.

 

While DM books generally tell you how to play D&D, the CS&CG tells you properly how to RUN the game. Whereas the DMG tells you how to handle encounters, CS&CG tells you how to handle players. It is one of the most useful books ever printed. It is what the DMG should have been, or at least included. So Let’s Review this gem.

 

The first chapter is very helpful as it handles gaming etiquette. It covers

...