Author | Ed Greenwood |
---|---|
Genre | Role-playing games |
Publisher | TSR |
Publication date | October 1, 1994 |
Pages | 240 |
ISBN | 1-56076-904-1 |
Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast is a supplement about part of the Forgotten Realms published by TSR in 1994 for the 2nd edition of the fantasy role-playing game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons .
Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, one of a series of guidebooks written in the voice of inveterate traveller Volothamp "Volo" Geddarm, is a detailed look at the various cities, communities and notable sights along the coast from Daggerford in the north through to Amn in the south, with a special focus on the various taverns that can be found.
Volo uses a rating system of 1 to 5 pipes for inns, 1 to 5 tankards for taverns, 1 to 5 coins for prices, and 1 to 5 daggers for dangerous places. [1]
Several appendices provide further details of notable personalities likely to be encountered, various magical wards used in the area, and new magic items. [1]
Gamemasters can use locations and characters described in the book as a foundation on which to create proper Sword Coast scenarios.
TSR first published Forgotten Realms material for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in 1987, and transitioned the Forgotten Realms campaign to the second edition of AD&D in 1989. The campaign was supported by many adventures, novels and supplements, including 1994's Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, a 248-page softcover pocket book designed by Ed Greenwood, with interior art by Jennell Jaquays [lower-alpha 1] and Valerie Valusek, cartography by Dave S. "Diesel" LaForce and cover art by John and Laura Lakey. [2]
In a list of the Top 20 games and resources for November 1994, White Wolf listed Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast at #13. [3]
A copy of Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast is held in the collection of the Strong National Museum of Play (object 116.607.5). [4]
Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, it was published for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, in addition to novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called "domains", brought together by a mysterious force known only as the Dark Powers. Each domain is tailored to and mystically ruled by a being called a Darklord who is forever trapped and surrounded by magical mists surrounding the domain. Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire in the original AD&DRavenloft I6 module released in 1983, became the first Darklord, both ruler and prisoner of his own personal domain of Barovia. The story of how Count von Zarovich became Darklord of Barovia was detailed in the 1993 novel I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire. As originally established in the Ravenloft: Realm of Terror boxed set known as "the Black Box" released in 1990, the Ravenloft campaign setting was located in the Ethereal Plane. As a physical manifestation of that plane, lands, monsters and even people were created out of the mysterious mists, and the realm acted as a prison where one could enter or be transported, but means of escape were few. Other Ravenloft Domains and Darklords were eventually added in various AD&D 2nd edition products establishing a core continent attached around Barovia which could be traveled to by others if their respective lords allowed entering or leaving their borders; while some Domains remained isolated in the mists and were referred to as Islands.
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Ed Greenwood is a Canadian fantasy writer and the creator of the Forgotten Realms game world. He began writing articles about the Forgotten Realms for Dragon magazine beginning in 1979, and subsequently sold the rights to the setting to TSR, the creators of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, in 1986. He has written many Forgotten Realms novels, as well as numerous articles and D&D game supplement books.
The Monstrous Compendium is a series of accessories for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game released from 1989 to 1998. The title was then used for a series of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons supplements released on D&D Beyond.
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The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published by TSR in 1987 for the first edition of the fantasy role-playing game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that describes the campaign setting of the Forgotten Realms. It contains information on characters, locations and history. Various revised and updated editions have been produced over the years.
The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) game rules means that Dungeon Masters (DM) are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. For those who wanted a pre-packaged setting in which to play, TSR, Wizards of the Coast (WotC), and other publishers have created many settings in which D&D games can be based; of these, the Forgotten Realms, an epic fantasy world, has been one of the most successful and critically acclaimed settings. Many campaign settings include standard sword and sorcery environments, while others borrow Asian, Central American, swashbuckling, horror and even space-travel themes.
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Forgotten Realms Adventures is an accessory for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The book, with product code TSR 2106, was published in 1990, and was written by Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood, with cover art by Clyde Caldwell and interior art by Steven Fabian, Ned Dameron, Larry Elmore, Caldwell, and Jeff Easley.
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