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worth every penny. I love the new 4th ed books. whether you like the new system or not, this is a great quality book.
But to really get that old taste of the FR you'll need to stick with earlier editions--or do your own updates. Now having said that it does what it does well--it's just not really FR anymore; unless you are prepared to give it all up to move on to something completely different.So, it all depends on where you're coming from when you decide whether or not to buy these new 4e books. If on the other hand you were a die-hard Forgotten Realms fan that isn't really into 4e's premise then you might be dissapointed. So keep in mind those two determinants are framing my review.If you love 4e: The player's Guide is a great 4e supplement.
You won't find much at all about FR history or the past richness of its setting. So 4e has created controversy. 4e FR material is not going to give you what you want. New powers etc. The Spell Plague was a magical disaster that descended upon the Realms drastically altering its races and their civilizations. Lots to play with here and take the Realms into totally new areas.If you're not too fond of 4e or were looking for a "faithful" FR supplement: you're out of luck.
New classes and options. We can all agree on that. It has been custom tailored to fit the 4e concept. They continue the present trend. Both FR supplements are strictly 4e. The basic structure of the Realms is there, but the world has been altered to fit the 4e points of light amid a land of evil wildness premise. Chances are if you love FR and are playing 4e you'll be open minded enough to go with the flow. On the other hand if you're a 4e convert, or at least giving it a go then this is a pretty decent supplement as supplements go.Whatever you decide, good luck and good gaming.
It's whether we like it or not that will determine how well we like the new Forgotten Realms material. All very cool for those thirsty for new material. It has been stripped bare and left as an FR shell filled with 4e concepts. If you are really into the 4e stuff then this is a pretty good supplement, and so is the Campaign guide. They also have drastically changed the FR landscape, and setting. It is a catacysmic setting based on the Spell-Plague. New races or 4e updates for old races. If you are familiar with FR and loved it or were indifferent, but are dedicated to 4e then the new setting is cool.
No this isn't your old DnD, or your old F R. The game, the setting, the art, etc etc have all been improved by massive leaps and bounds. I'm a huge fan of the new F R books as well.
Most of them sound like people who don't like change for change's sake. If you truly dislike something for a substansive reason, that's fine, but don't hate it just because it's different. I know there has been a few negative reviews of these F R guides and of the new DnD in general.
I for one love the new DnD. This is bigger, brighter, bolder, and more exciting and playable than ever. Games grow, settings expand and change.
It's the way it is.
HOWEVER I really liked the Spellscarred talents as a kind of multi classing feat really nice.Paragon Paths were done very well and seemed to fit very well into the story lines that exist.A little over a third of the book was devoted to places in the realms and once again liked that.Finally the Feats and Rituals were a nice addition and I found most of them useful for future gaming. Did not see the need for another Warlock "pact" class it seems a little redundent. I liked it. I am normally not the type of person who likes to let folks use the "new races" but have to say they write up on the Genasi was very good and IMO they should have used the Genasi instead of the Tiefling for the replacement of the Gnome.The short history of where races come from was very interesting and helpful for those folks that are running the realms.New classes hmm well putting the sword mage in as a defender well good luck with that.
Or something else to make playing the Forgotten Realms campaign setting feel more "unique".All in all I am dissapointed in the lack of new races and classes, but I guess that is what the Players Handbook II is for. This should have been replaced with more feats, rituals, and maybe some realm specific expanded powers for the core classes. I was hoping this supplement would contain tons of content for players however all you are really getting is 2 new races, 3 classes and a multi-class. The paragon paths are interesting, but are more background based than adventuring based.Could have done without the region descriptions as they are already in the FR campaign guide.
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