When was Baldur's Gate 3 released and what awards did it win?

Baldur's Gate 3 was released in 2023 by Larian Studios and became the first game to win Game of the Year at all five major ceremonies. These awards include the Golden Joystick Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, the DICE Awards, the BAFTAs, and The Game Awards.

Forgotten Realms: the story on HearLore

Who created the Forgotten Realms campaign setting?

Ed Greenwood created the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in 1967 when he was eight years old. He conceived the world as a parallel universe to Earth that eventually became the most popular campaign world in the history of role-playing games.

When was the first official Forgotten Realms product released?

The first official product, The Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, was released in 1987. This boxed set included two source books and four large color maps designed by Greenwood in collaboration with Jeff Grubb.

What happened during the Time of Troubles in the Forgotten Realms?

During the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, the gods were cast down from their divine realms by the Overlord Ao. This event advanced the calendar by one year and demonstrated that the gods were not invincible while forcing mortals to take on roles previously held by deities.

Who is Drizzt Do'Urden in the Forgotten Realms?

Drizzt Do'Urden is a drow or dark elf ranger created by R. A. Salvatore and introduced in The Crystal Shard in 1988. He was the main character of 34 novels and is known for his commitment to friendship and peace which contradicted the stereotype of his people.

Which video game won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988?

Pool of Radiance won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988. This game was released in 1988 by Strategic Simulations, Inc. and set the stage for a series of successful titles including Eye of the Beholder and Baldur's Gate.

Forgotten Realms

In 1967, a young boy named Ed Greenwood began writing stories about a world that did not exist, creating a fantasy setting that would eventually become the most popular campaign world in the history of role-playing games. Greenwood, who was only eight years old at the time, conceived the Forgotten Realms as a parallel universe to Earth, a place where the legends of our world were actually memories of a real, accessible dimension. He imagined a multiverse where Earth and the Realms were once connected, but over time, humanity had forgotten the existence of this other world, leaving it hidden from modern eyes. This original concept included a specific detail in the early logos: small runic letters that read "Herein lie the lost lands," serving as a subtle nod to the connection between the two worlds. Greenwood's childhood stories were not merely idle daydreams; they were the foundation of a complex, living world that he would later bring to the table of a university student named September, who invited him to play the newly released Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game in 1978. The setting was not designed to be a static backdrop but a living, breathing entity that grew with the players' needs, evolving from a personal hobby into a global phenomenon. Greenwood's approach to world-building was obsessive, driven by the realization that his players wanted the world to feel real, with honest jobs and personal activities that made the setting feel like a place people actually lived in, rather than just a stage for battles. This dedication to detail and realism became the hallmark of the Forgotten Realms, setting it apart from other fantasy settings of the era and establishing a template for future world-building in the industry.

The Birth of a Campaign

The transition from a childhood hobby to a commercial product began in 1979 when Greenwood started publishing articles about his world in The Dragon magazine, a publication that would become the primary vehicle for expanding the Forgotten Realms. The first article focused on a monster known as the curst, but Greenwood quickly expanded the scope to include detailed descriptions of magic items, spells, and monsters, all set within his growing world. By 1985, when Gary Gygax lost control of TSR, the company was looking for a new default setting to replace Greyhawk, and they found it in Greenwood's work. Jeff Grubb, a TSR employee, was tasked with investigating the setting, and when he asked Greenwood if he just made things up as he went along, Greenwood answered yes to both questions, confirming that the world was both improvised and fully realized. The company saw the Forgotten Realms as a more open-ended setting than its epic fantasy counterpart, Dragonlance, and decided to publish it as the official setting for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition. Greenwood sent TSR dozens of cardboard boxes filled with pencil notes and maps, selling all rights to the setting for a token fee, a decision that would eventually make him one of the most influential figures in fantasy literature. The original conception of the Realms being accessible from Earth was de-emphasized due to concerns over potential lawsuits, but the core of the world remained intact. The first official product, The Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, was released in 1987, selling approximately 150,000 copies in its first two years. This boxed set included two source books and four large color maps, designed by Greenwood in collaboration with Grubb, and it introduced the campaign setting to a wider audience. The setting was not just a collection of rules but a living world that included the Moonshae Isles, the Desert of Desolation, and the lands of Kara-Tur, all of which were integrated into the broader narrative. The success of the setting was not just in its sales but in its ability to inspire a new generation of players and writers, creating a shared universe that would become the backbone of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise for decades to come.

The Gods and The Troubles

The history of the Forgotten Realms is punctuated by events that fundamentally altered the nature of the world, with the Time of Troubles standing out as the most significant of these cataclysms. In 1358 DR, the gods were cast down from their divine realms, an event that was planned by TSR management from the top down and executed through a series of adventures and novels known as the Avatar Trilogy. This event, which advanced the calendar by one year to 1358 DR, was a narrative device that allowed the writers to explore the consequences of a world without gods, forcing mortals to take on roles that had previously been the domain of deities. The Time of Troubles was not just a story arc but a fundamental shift in the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms, as it demonstrated that the gods were not invincible and that their actions had real consequences for the mortal world. The event was so significant that it became a central part of the setting's identity, with the gods being cast down and then returning to their places of power, but the world had been changed in the process. The pantheon of the Forgotten Realms was vast and diverse, with deities interacting directly in mortal affairs, answering prayers, and having their own personal agendas. All deities had to have worshippers to survive, and all mortals had to worship a patron deity to secure a good afterlife, creating a complex web of religious and political relationships that drove the narrative of the setting. The Overlord, Ao, was the single-handedly responsible for the Time of Troubles, and his actions were the catalyst for the events that followed. The Chosen, mortal representatives with a portion of their deities' power, such as Elminster, Fzoul Chembryl, and Midnight, played crucial roles in the story, with Midnight eventually becoming the new embodiment of the goddess of magic, Mystra. The event was so significant that it became a central part of the setting's identity, with the gods being cast down and then returning to their places of power, but the world had been changed in the process. The Time of Troubles was not just a story arc but a fundamental shift in the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms, as it demonstrated that the gods were not invincible and that their actions had real consequences for the mortal world.

The Companions and The Drow

The Forgotten Realms is home to a cast of characters that have become iconic figures in the fantasy genre, with the Companions of the Hall standing out as the most enduring and beloved group of adventurers. Created by R. A. Salvatore and introduced in The Crystal Shard in 1988, the Companions included Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow or dark elf ranger who was the main character of 34 novels, and who was noted for his commitment to friendship and peace, which was contrary to the stereotype of his people. Drizzt's character was often used to represent issues of racial prejudice, particularly in The Dark Elf Trilogy, and he was troubled by the lifespan discrepancy between himself and his human romantic interest, Catti-Brie. The group also included Wulfgar, a massive human barbarian who exemplified the strong, honest, hot-headed young warrior hero type common to adventure stories, and Bruenor Battlehammer, a dwarven fighter who retakes Mithral Hall with the help of the other Companions and becomes its king. The Companions were not just a group of adventurers but a reflection of the diverse races and cultures that made up the Forgotten Realms, with each character representing a different archetype and perspective. The setting was also home to other notable characters, such as Elminster, a wizard known as the Sage of Shadowdale, and Volothamp Geddarm, a human adventurer who was famed for the number of guidebooks he wrote about the various regions within the Realms. The character of Jarlaxle, a charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe, was another popular and intriguing supporting character, described as a dark reflection of the heroic and honorable Drizzt. The setting was not just a collection of rules but a living world that included the Moonshae Isles, the Desert of Desolation, and the lands of Kara-Tur, all of which were integrated into the broader narrative. The success of the setting was not just in its sales but in its ability to inspire a new generation of players and writers, creating a shared universe that would become the backbone of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise for decades to come.

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