The Realms Are Back, Mate, But D&D's New Books Have Me Wondering if They Split the Spell Scroll Too Early
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Francesco Cacciatore's review of D&D's new Forgotten Realms books, *Adventures in Faerûn* and *Heroes of Faerûn*, highlights a mixed bag: genuine enthusiasm for deep lore and region-specific details is tempered by frustration over a two-book split, redundant content, and questionable design choices like "Epic Destinies" that risk railroading player agency.
Right, so apparently Wizards of the Coast just dropped a couple of new D&D books for the Forgotten Realms, *Adventures in Faerûn* and *Heroes of Faerûn*. Now, for anyone who grew up with Drizzt or thought Baldur's Gate II was peak gaming (and let's be fair, it still holds up!), the Forgotten Realms isn't just a setting; it's *the* setting. It’s the digital equivalent of that comfy old armchair you always return to, no matter how many fancy new sofas appear. My mates and I have spent countless hours delving into its lore, so you can bet my ears perked up when this news dropped.
According to a recent piece by Francesco Cacciatore over at Polygon, who clearly shares my deep-seated love for all things Faerûn, these new books are a bit of a mixed bag. And you know me, I love a good mystery, especially when it involves Wizards of the Coast trying to weave a new tapestry in an already sprawling magical world.
Francesco's got a point that resonated with me like a crit hit: why on earth are these two books, theoretically for DMs and players respectively, essentially *mandatory* purchases if you want a complete picture of Faerûn? It's like casting a "Summon Lore" spell, only to have the scroll split in half and scattered across two different grimoires. Fair dinkum, my old 3e Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book was a singular, glorious tome, an atlas of adventure begging to be explored. This split, Francesco reckons, is one of those general design flaws creeping into recent D&D products, and honestly, I'm inclined to agree. It smells a bit like an unnecessary monetization scheme masquerading as "targeted content."
Now, don't get me wrong, there's plenty to get genuinely enthusiastic about here. *Adventures in Faerûn* offers some cracking deep dives into specific regions – the Dalelands, Icewind Dale, Calimshan, the Moonshae Islands, and Baldur's Gate. Francesco highlights how absolutely fantastic the Icewind Dale chapter is, building on the *Rime of the Frostmaiden* campaign and showing how the world has actually *moved on*. New villains, new plots, tangible consequences – that's the good stuff, mate! That’s the kind of living, breathing world-building that makes a DM's heart sing and players feel like their actions actually matter. It’s like discovering a secret chamber in a dungeon that’s been there all along, but you just needed the right spell to reveal it.
But then, as always, there's a flip side. While Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate get some proper love, Calimshan and the Moonshae Islands, apparently, don't quite hit the same level. And for all the other legendary locales in Faerûn – places like Cormyr, Sembia, Amn, Damara – *Heroes of Faerûn* gives them a mere 48 pages. Forty-eight pages for decades of untold stories! It's like being handed a treasure map that's got half the clues smudged out. You can still get a spark of inspiration, sure, but a DM's gotta do some serious legwork to fill in the gaps. That's always been the way, to a degree, but when you're buying a campaign *setting*, you expect a bit more to sink your teeth into.
And speaking of things that make me scratch my head, let's talk about *Adventures in Faerûn*'s first chapter. It dedicates its opening pages to, of all things, suggestions on how to "run the Realms," including a concept called "Epic Destinies." Now, the Forgotten Realms *does* feel epic, that's its charm! But apparently, these "Epic Destinies" are about crafting character arcs that lead players to pre-determined grand outcomes, like claiming a crown or inheriting an archmage's tower.
This, Francesco rightfully points out, rubs me the wrong way too. It doesn't add any new rules, just suggests a particular way to railroad a narrative. We've all been there, right? The DM has a grand vision, but the players decide to adopt a goblin orphan or open a bakery instead of saving the world. That's the beautiful, chaotic magic of TTRPGs! Handing out non-rules that nudge DMs towards pre-planned outcomes feels a bit like trying to force a wild magic surge into a predictable arc. It goes against the very spirit of organic storytelling and player agency. It feels like pandering, trying to guarantee every player gets a "trophy" rather than letting the story unfold through genuine interaction with the world.
Then there are the 32 pages of one-page adventures. Now, I love a good map, and Francesco says these maps are solid, which is a definite plus. But the adventures themselves are described as simple combat sequences or basic "fetch" quests, with throwaway NPCs and locations. For a campaign setting that's supposed to inspire ongoing adventures and deep immersion, these feel a bit like glorified tutorials. It's like buying a master craftsman's toolkit and finding half the tools are just tiny plastic spanners. They might be *useful* in a pinch, but they're not what you came for.
Ultimately, both Francesco and I reckon that while Wizards of the Coast *did* attempt to give us something akin to those glorious single-volume campaign settings of yore, they stumbled a bit. The push to guide DMs and players too much, combined with splitting crucial information across two books and filling pages with arguably unnecessary fluff, dilutes the overall impact.
Still, there’s a silver lining, isn't there? Despite these design quirks, the sheer depth of the Forgotten Realms still shines through in parts. If you're a DM ready to roll up your sleeves and treat these books like an "incomplete jigsaw puzzle that you have to fill," as Francesco puts it, then you'll absolutely find plenty of inspiration. You'll just need to bring your own super glue for the bits that are meant to be together and maybe a bit of creative wizardry to magic away the bits that don't quite fit. The Realms are calling, mate, just be prepared for a slightly unconventional journey.
Tags: Dungeons & Dragons, TTRPG, Forgotten Realms, Tabletop Gaming, Campaign Setting
Original article: Polygon