Thinking 1e (gray box and early supplements) for setting, and 5e for system, because all the cool kids seem to be doing it.

I've always wanted to set a game in Luskan. Captains of the People vs. Arcane Brotherhood, pirates, Old Illusk and all that northern wilderness to hexcrawl through.

i dont know much about the forgotten realms but its my understanding they have an extremely well developed underdark.

I like Icewind Dale. It's got the whole rustic thing kicking for it, and the Legacy of the Crystal Shard product that came out a couple of years ago gives quite a bit of info on it that is useful outside of the adventure that came with it.
I was actually thinking about running a 5e game in the realms for my group, and was thinking of using the old grey box as well.

Well, it sounds like you already know what you want. Luskan and Icewind Dale and nearby Neverwinter. That region comes at the periphery of the Starter Set maps and thus rich with activities just a short jaunt down south. And already has a 5e compatible Legend of the Crystal Shards adventure, which Skywalker here said is very good. That is atop the Starter Set's mini-sandbox around Phandalin south of Neverwinter. Great place to start!

Were you looking for other places in FR to tempt and tease you from your already desired and solidly supported location?

Or were you looking for ideas to populate the region with other things to do?

edit: Luskan & Mirabar should be plenty of space, to be honest. The big thing is populating the vast expanse between with interesting things. That's about you making the Realms your own.

I regret I didn't get the chance to run a Neverwinter city campaign in 4e. The book was interesting and it was the first time I could see myself using Forgotten Realms.

I like the Sword Coast, just because there's so much you can do with it.

I don't know much about the Realms, but WotC recently put out a Baldur's Gate book that seems decent. It has some plot threads and a good guide to the city.

i hear thay is lovely this time of year

I did a sandbox mini campaign using Legacy of the Crystal Shard that worked great - our main ruleset was Warhammer Fantasy Battle, with PCs leading small hosts vs the White Witch's forces. The campaign setting book is (a) rulesless and (b) great; we ignored the scenario book. Or there's the 4e & 5e playtest rules stats of course.

Western Heartlands will always be my favorite, especially in the 1e era. Demons, Zhents, Candlekeep, and so much other fun stuff.

PCs are a Zhentarim cell based out of the Keep with orders to conquer Hillsfar and 1,000 gold in seed money.

Quote from: Opaopajr;822784Well, it sounds like you already know what you want. Luskan and Icewind Dale and nearby Neverwinter. That region comes at the periphery of the Starter Set maps and thus rich with activities just a short jaunt down south. And already has a 5e compatible Legend of the Crystal Shards adventure, which Skywalker here said is very good. That is atop the Starter Set's mini-sandbox around Phandalin south of Neverwinter. Great place to start!

I've been meaning to look into LotCS for a while now. Good to know it's set close enough.

And I've wanted to run a game in Luskan ever since playing the (2003) Neverwinter Nights single-player campaign and infiltrating Luskan. The whole Sword Coast region strikes a nice balance of heterogeneous, scheming city-states and untamed wilderness.

Quote from: Opaopajr;822784Were you looking for other places in FR to tempt and tease you from your already desired and solidly supported location?

But of course.

Quote from: finarvyn;822833I don't know much about the Realms, but WotC recently put out a Baldur's Gate book that seems decent. It has some plot threads and a good guide to the city.

Cool! I might look into it too.

Quote from: danbuter;822928Western Heartlands will always be my favorite, especially in the 1e era. Demons, Zhents, Candlekeep, and so much other fun stuff.

Cormyr does have the whole High Medieval, nearly fairy tale-ish thing going on for it.

Quote from: Old One Eye;822929PCs are a Zhentarim cell based out of the Keep with orders to conquer Hillsfar and 1,000 gold in seed money.

Intriguing, but I'm not really up for an "evil PCs" game just now.

I'm rather partial to the Dale Lands. My first D&D exper ience was actually with a second edition starter box before I went and played the older stuff. We used the second edition FR boxed set (which I still have.) If I play in the FR again, I would use that little set to run It.

The Dale Lands have small towns to rest at, lots ruins, the crag keep, Cormanwhatever forest full of elves and occasionally drow. There's plent of gobs, hobs, and gnolls to pester them with. I think it's a great fit for 5th edition too.

Quote from: The Butcher;822969Intriguing, but I'm not really up for an "evil PCs" game just now.

i have been itching to run an evil party for weeks myself.

If temptation is your thing, it's really just all too big.

Tabaxiland = unknown island supposedly filled with nothing but Tabaxi and their culture.

Anchorômé = Native North America with a mix of man-sized Ants and their own society

Maztica = Mesoamerica Aztec & Maya (& Inca at Lopago) during the discovery and conquista phase from Amn.

Amn = Fantasy Spain + Portugal ruled by mercantile guilds, now with conquistadors in Maztica.

Tethyr = Fantasy cosmopolitan confederacy Occitan + Italy with druids, elves, dwarves, halflings, pirates, knights, frontiersman, & an ancient mythal megapolis deathtrap dungeon that rivals Undermountain (Shoon).

Calimshan = fantasy human + genie extra planar culture based on a mix of Arabian Night tropes, empire conquest v. Beholders, and the biggest city on Faerûn, the 2 million people behemoth Calimport and its 52 city districts.

Chult = dinosaurs walk the earth in steamy jungles.

Unther = Babylonia found a planar gate and conquered a swath of Faerûn, bringing its gods. Cuneiform, theocracy, warring states.

Mulhorand = Egypt found a planar gate and conquered another swath of Faerûn bringing its gods. Arbitrarily still then walking 50' statues, undying theocracy oppressive to wizards.

Chessenta = Greece found a planar gate and conquered a swath of Faerûn bringing its gods. Spear and shields and sandals, arenas, boats!

Thay = Slave holding magocracy whose upper class shaves itself bald. Rebelled from Unther & Mulhorand oppression and took to necromancy.

.... this can go on all day. Kara-Tur attached continent gives Tiger-headed Opium Nightmare, to Three Kingdoms China, to two versions of Japan, to massive Tibet and Korea. Connecting Faerûn & Kara-Tur is ginormous Ta'an Mongolia, Gobi, Taklamakan, Kush section. Another whole other continent for Al-Qadim's Zakhara continent, where the gods mostly play nice in a kathenotheistic polytheism society amid Sinbad & Al-addin tales. Massive glacial North Pole "continent" Pelvuria where giants, Saami, Inuit, Aleut, and Norsemen all fight....

Are you just looking for stuff to throw at you and see what sticks? We can get into IIRC UFOs and Spelljammer ships if you like. Lantan the tech paradise. Halruaa the magi-tech paradise. Menzoberranzan the drow "capitol" city. Skullport the Waterdeep underground.

Structure helps to pare down. Also, ideas just pick a region, it's the fleshing it out that matters. What is it are you looking for besides simple inspiration?