Rating: 
Summary: It has everything
Review: This excellent new book from Wizards of the Coast gives you everything you need to run a D&D (3rd edition) campaign in the Forgotten Realms. It includes prestige classes, life in the Forgotten Realms, deities, and much more. This book was made with a quality that took my breath away (especially comparing it to the old historical Campaign Sourcebooks)! It includes many color and black-and-white illustrations and maps.I can't say more than it has *everything*! So, if you at all interested in the Forgotten Realms, or if you are interested in seeing a setting with interesting prestige classes and magical forms, then you must get this book!
Rating:
Summary: The "new" Forgotten Realms
Review: OK im gonna get straight to the point here...if your a new player and need a good setting for a campaign...then this is it. Its perfect you can play virtually any type of campaign from it. If you've played in the forgotten realms before and know it well....this book offers a lot of new 3rd edition rules and offers the current events of the realms...if you like the old forgotten realms but hate 3rd edition's style youll hate the art and the way they changed Elminister...(on a side note drizzt finally looks like the drizzt i imagined)...but if you love 3rd edition's new art as i do as well as its new system and love the forgotten realms setting then this book is a must have...and if youve always hated the realms...then well....youll hate them still...cause they have changed but they are still very much the same... The book is breathtakingly beautiful and is worth every penny if your a realms enthusiest or if you just need a good place to set your campaign and Oerth isnt it. So if you like the realms buy it if not...stay away.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for gamers!
Review: This book is a must have for all D&D gamers out there, despite the hefty cost. Forgotten Realms players especially need it. Contained within is a wealth of informaiton for 3rd ed D&D. A wide and varying assortment of new spells, feats, magic items, several new Prestige Classes (outstanding variety), descriptions and dogmas of many FR dieties. But the true thing that makes this book irreplaceable is the descriptions of the different lands of Fearun. Complete with populations, geographical makeup, leaders, backround information on powerful people, temples, groups, histories of many areas, and a brief description of what's going on in each area now to give the DM some adventuring hooks for his players. Want some powerful NPCs to either aid or hinder your PCs? Many are outlined here from Dizzt, Elminster and a few of the Seven Sisters to Artimes Entreri and Fzoul. The artwork is simply fantastic. Vivid and detailed each piece in the book describes the characters as I envisioned them (the first decent drawing of Drizzt I have seen as well), though Elminster's beard was a bit short for my liking. Ah well nothing's perfect. Forgotten Realms has always been a mystic and wonderful fantasy world, this book will only enhance your gaming experience. Pick it up, despite the price tag, you will not be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book, bad price...
Review: I have to admit I was hesitant to shell out the 40 dollars for this book, as I don't really even like Forgotten Realms all that much. However, upon opening the cover of this tome I found a wonderful collection of added game material for any games and world material for Faerun. I divide this book into two halves really, the general section and the Faerun section. The first half is a general section where races, prestige classes, feats, and spells specific to forgotten realms are found. All of these could easily be used in other campaigns. The character region system actually adds a lot of personality to various regions of the realm and once again can be converted for other worlds. New races include Planetouched Genasi, Aasimar, and Tieflings while all the old races return with some unusual new sub-races. Over 50 new feats grace this book and several new cleric domains and spells of all sorts can be found in here. Finally, a few new monsters can be found towards the rear of the book, including the dreaded Dracolich template. The next section of the book is largely dominated by geography of Faerun. However this is pretty in-depth and actually provides a great deal of information and even a few plot points are thrown in. Also in the last section of the book the gods are explained and there are a whole bunch of dieties. My main complaint here is that they only described a few of them in depth, the rest appear as names on a chart. Now of course there are a few specifics that can be found in the realms, from NPC's to such powers as spellfire, and all of them can be found in this book. Although some more notable NPC's are nowhere to be seen, but all the biggies are there (Elminster, the seven sisters, Szess Tam, etc). The book itself is wonderful. I'm glad to see the demise of the box set as hardcover books have a longer life time then the little softcovers they put in the boxes. The art inside is on par and in some cases better then the core rulebooks and so far I haven't found many errors within. The prestige classes and races are neat and interesting for the most part and the new feats are wonderful. The gem of this book in my opinion however is the region system. By picking a region your character originates from you gain access to feats and equipment from those areas. This adds an indescribable amount of personalization to any game world as people from each region will differ. On the downside the book is overly expensive. While it has 80 pages more than the DMG it costs as much as 2 of them at 40 dollars. Also they do not go into enough depth with the dieties. of the 100+ dieties they describe only about 30 of them in any detail. How am I supposed to know if I want to worship the Red Knight based on his stats in a chart??? I would highly suggest this book for anyone who plans on adventuring in Faerun or who would take the time to customize the neat stuff in here for their own realms. If you don't have the drive to do that or you aren't gaming in Faerun, the price tag would seem a bit high to pick this one up. If it weren't for that darned price tag I'd say this book would be on par with the psionics handbook and players handbook even if it is realm specific!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best Version Yet!!
Review: Well worth the steep price of admission. I was really surprised at how much information from all the previous boxed sets they crammed into this book. I simply love the new layout. Like previous 3rd edition releases, the Forgotten Realms Campaign book is stylish, easy to read, and immediately useful. They've included handy maps detailing Geopolitical boundaries, economics, trade routes. The sections pertaining to geography and organizations have very useful "whats happening now" type snippets. In addition, the history of Faerun section covers all the major events that have occurred in the Realms. Very useful for new players who don't want to read all the Forgotten Realms novels (90% of which are garbage literature). I highly recommend this book for any fan of the Forgotten Realms and especially for someone who doesn't have time to create their own D&D world. This book has everything you need. Bravo Wizards of the Coast. Not only have you saved D&D but you've somehow managed to improve it.
Rating:
Summary: An awesome book, unmatched in the D&D line...
Review: This book is as close to a perfect D&D book as you will ever find. I was shocked at how good it was... I would say that this book is a model for all other campaign setting books to follow. God, where to begin... the artwork is fantastic, beautiful drawings really bring the setting to life, I was very impressed, probably the best art I've seen aside from the core rulebooks. So much as happened with the Forgotten Realms campaign setting that it must have been incredibly hard to get all the important and relevant stuff into one hardover but they did it... the book is jammed packed with info on almost every area of Faerun (focus is, of course, on the western part of the Faerun). Highly detailed work, you could throw away all your older Forgotten Realms stuff and just use this book, gives so much good general information, which I think is exactly what a Dungeon Master Needs, you can personalize the world with no difficulty. I was very impressed with this book, you can't go wrong with it, there is nothing I don't like about it, from its content to its style to its artwork... a must have for anyone who plays D&D.
Rating:
Summary: It has everything
Review: This excellent new book from Wizards of the Coast gives you everything you need to run a D&D (3rd edition) campaign in the Forgotten Realms. It includes prestige classes, life in the Forgotten Realms, deities, and much more. This book was made with a quality that took my breath away (especially comparing it to the old historical Campaign Sourcebooks)! It includes many color and black-and-white illustrations and maps. I can't say more than it has *everything*! So, if you at all interested in the Forgotten Realms, or if you are interested in seeing a setting with interesting prestige classes and magical forms, then you must get this book!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books released by Wizards of the Coast!
Review: As someone who was mainly a Greyhawk DM, I've now fallen in love with Forgotten Realsm and have converted, after discussion and agreement with my players, my campaigns to the Forgotten Realms - I've played D&D for over 20 years, starting with Greyhawk. Wizards of the Coast has updated Faerun with a forward move in the timeline, 1372 DR, so that it synches up with the history of it's novelizations, as well as the fact that we see the rules set updated to the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. One of the most oustanding features of this product is it's scope and depth, both in regional information on nations and city-states and it's history, both of the world and of the individual nations. When looking at any nation, or city-state, we're given plot hooks, populations, resources, and other such information (stats for NPCs) that it gives you a sense of purpose when you're looking through the book with plans and thoughts of campaigns in your head. We're also given history that references other sections of the book, a detail index promotes this ideal, and shows a solid, constant purpose of the book - the more information given, the more you will want to use it, and the more flavored your game feels. Also the map of Faerun is given a face life, removing what many have felt of as unused spaces of blank water - as well as other features - and made into a more realistic map that fits on a solid page. This map is used many times internally, especially with a trade map that shows routes, resources, and other items to help flavor a campaign. The prestige classes, as well as information on high level camapigns gives you something to look forward to when other books are published - D&D Epic Level Handbook, etceteras. Also, with regional feats - something added to 3rd edition for the Realms in specific - also add tot he flavor, taste, of this Campaign Setting. Rich artwork, loving design, and full color layout makes this book one of the best buys, although at a price that is well worth it. Overall this book is one of the best books put out by Wizards of the Coast, far surpassing the design and feel of Dark*Matter (for Alternity) and Star Wars (another d20 game). As a resource for Dungeon Masters and Players alike, the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a good buy for the price, rich in all it's detail, and a lovely book in design and layout. New to the Realms, or an old hand, the setting is rich, the detail is strong, the history is in depth, the timeline detail, and the feel for adventure is rich. Do youself a favor, one of the best ones you can do if you're a gamer, and buy this book. You'll like it, love it, and very much you will want more of it!
Rating:
Summary: A+ A Must Have for any DM
Review: Let me start by saying i paid $40 for this books, it is worth every penny. It gives very valueble information for any DM, it gives prestige classes, feats, and new races. If you thing a campaign setting will limit your game you are wrong. If you dont want to use the numerous ideas they provide in the book it provides an excelent backdrop and it provides new ideas that can help any campagin. Many other books in the Forgotten Realms setting add to this book. I recomend you buy this. (Just a tip, get Magic of Fearun also.)
Rating:
Summary: Great book, excellent starting point
Review: This book is great for starting DMs and beginners alike. The Forgotten Realms is my personal favorite for adventures. This is because the place is so well fleshed out. However, I completely agree with all the people who think that it gets boring the second or third time that you get rescued by Mystra's chosen. This setting is just too overpopulated by strong, good characters. The good thing about the setting is that it's well developed. There's a lot of material to go through, and a lot of things that a good DM could flesh out. (It's very hard to come by good epic-level adventures)There are some locations that you can go for quite some time without seeing an allied character in, which is a good thing.
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