Yeah, The Vast, that was it!  I like that, apart from Raven's Bluff, there was relatively less information about that region than some of the more typical (cormyr, waterdeep, shires, etc).  Just enough that you could build your own thing around it.  Plus it seemed to have more of a Sword & Sorcery style to it.

I'd need to look, it might not have been in the original box... but I remember seeing the Great Rift and going, "oh yeah! That's it!"

I used the Dragon Coast - specifically Elversult and Westgate. Gives you access to the entirety of the Sea of Fallen Stars as well as being the trade-route to the Sword Coast if you wanna do Baldurs Gate and points further north all the way up to Icewind Dale. It's also the main trade-stop to points south. You really can't go wrong.

QuoteI used the Dragon Coast - specifically Elversult and Westgate. Gives you access to the entirety of the Sea of Fallen Stars as well as being the trade-route to the Sword Coast if you wanna do Baldurs Gate and points further north all the way up to Icewind Dale. It's also the main trade-stop to points south. You really can't go wrong.

This is a really strong option. Westgate is an evil city there are plenty of things for PC's to do there. You could run an all good or all evil group there. I could also see using it in a Sanctuary style city based campaign.

QuoteYeah, The Vast, that was it! I like that, apart from Raven's Bluff, there was relatively less information about that region than some of the more typical (cormyr, waterdeep, shires, etc). Just enough that you could build your own thing around it. Plus it seemed to have more of a Sword & Sorcery style to it.

I ran a very successful campaign there. The weakest part was Ravensbluff, but its easily ignored. Start the campaign in Maskyr's Eye or if you want a city based campaign give a long hard look at Calaunt. Also to the North are the City States of the Moonsea, to the west the Bloodstonelands, & three major cities each with its own character Calaunt/Procampur/Tantras. I think it's very S&S too.

I personally am enamored with city based campaigns so I look to Sembia. The Forgotten Realms Adventure hardback has excellent thumbnail sketches of the cities of the Western Heartland including the amazingly dark cities of the Sembian coast. Saerloon & Selgaunt with their vast populations & dark underworlds for example:

QuoteNotable Rogues' and Thieves' Guilds:
Saerloon has at least two shadowy organizations
of the lawless.
• The Night Knives are an autonomous
group having no relationship to bands active
in other cities with similar names.
They number some 40 thieves, smugglers,
and fences (T1s through T7s, with a few
low-level wizards and priests of Mask),
and have been infiltrated by both Zhentarim
and Harper agents, who occasionally
butcher each other.
• The Eyeless Mask is a more sinister organization,
dedicated to the slavery of all
mages, priests, and nobility. It kidnaps
anyone of those three groups that it can,
and slays those it cannot kidnap. Its members
do not hesitate to prey upon visitors
to the city. This organization consists of
over two dozen very secretive agents of
Thay, slavers who are after all the wealth
and magic they can grab, while at the
same time seeking to weaken the western
Inner Sea lands magically so that they will
be less able to resist a future invasion
(Thay, like Zhentil Keep and Mulmaster,
harbors dreams of eventually ruling all
Faerun). The ranks of the Eyeless Mask
include 14 Red Wizards, several thieves,
some priests(faiths unknown), and various
warriors.

Quote• Cult of the Dragon: This secretive organization
is widespread in Saerloon. Adventurers
will usually only encounter a
Cult strike force, typically 2-5 evil fighters
and 2-8 thieves (for levels, roll 2d4 for
each), led by a NE W12 to W16 (40%
chance of W(N) 12-16).