Some of the Forgotten Realms major world history events:
1358 DR - Tablets of fate destroyed, gods are kicked out of the upper planes for a while
1374 DR - Long lost Netheril floating city Thultanthar reappears
1385 DR - Death of Mystra, destruction of the weave, creation of spellplague
1451 DR - Eruption of Mount Hotenow
1482 DR - God of murder reborn in Baldur's Gate
1485 DR - The great rain
1487 DR - Destruction of Myth Drannor and Thultanthar
1488 or 1489? DR - Mystra's back, weave's back, spellplague's gone, changes to pantheon
Plus a bunch of other natural disasters and epic wars and major changes in geography that happened.
The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide sums this up nicely:
"The last one hundred fifty years have comprised one of the most cataclysmic periods in Faerûn’s history. On no fewer than three occasions, Toril has been shaken to its core by forces that have repeatedly rewritten the laws of reality...Students of history and those elves and dwarves who recall the past that short-lived humans see as distant perceive a world much like it was over a century ago. For most folk, wild tales of people empowered by the gods, and of far-off lands returned to the world, are the subjects of fireside chatter. Daily concerns and the dangers and opportunities just beyond their doors take precedence, and plenty of both remain on the Sword Coast and in the North."
The Lost Mines of Phandelver adventure takes place in 1481 DR. (I don't think it specifies this exactly but it says 30 years after the eruption of Mount Hotenow.) This is a world before the second sundering; a world with spellplague and unreliable magic for a hundred years. The adventure primarily takes place in a small remote town. I understand that farmers don't concern themselves much about what happens outside of their farm as miners don't care much about what's outside their mine so there's not going to be tons of interest in discussing news from far off places. However, this is kind of a big deal. It feels extremely strange to me to run a game in this setting, where none of this history is ever touched on by anyone. It also directly affects the main plot. In a world with broken magic, you recover an ancient magic forge. That's either especially good news if the forge somehow still works despite the broken magic, or less than good news when you realize the forge is just as broken. (Then your fortune might change if you hang out for a decade and magic gets fixed.)
I think all the other 5e adventures happen definitively after the second sundering, but very shortly thereafter. I haven't read through most of them so I could easily be missing something, but still from what I've seen, read, or played of these adventures, there is no reference anywhere to recent world history. It seems like many DMs tend to ignore these major world events because the adventures don't call them out. I feel like these events would profoundly impact NPCs and player characters. Older members of long-lived races would remember living though all of it, have stories to tell of what it was like, and could possibly still be suffering from losses and tragedies from all the bad stuff that happened. Everyone else who isn't old enough to remember the before times, suddenly their lives are different now. For arcane spellcasters, magic is way different now; what do they need to relearn? For any religious person or group, their gods may have just drastically changed. Anyone originally from Myth Drannor or any location which no longer exists, their home is gone, or moved. etc. etc.
As a DM preparing to run this setting, what are some good ways to incorporate this history into the game? It doesn't have to be woven into every plot hook, every character backstory, and every NPC conversation, but not having it at all feels wrong. What are some good ways to teach some history and lore to players? (assuming their character would know this information from the start) How do you handle major world history events in your campaigns, Forgotten Realms or otherwise?
I would assume the characters already know it, and can make a History check when you prompt them for it. Based on how they roll, you say something along the lines of, “you remember hearing about this thing that happened this one time”
I agree with dasmo511 here. I often outright tell players things their characters would know - "He is a knight of the order of ____,which you know to be attached to the court of _________, where they enjoy a fair amount of prestige, being known as ... " - although I try really hard not to go into "infodump mode" for that. Just the relevant facts, but enough to be a little enticing to find out more.
Characters are always allowed to ask as well, and I'll usually provide straight up details rather than making them make a History check. History checks are only for facts that wouldn't be pretty common knowledge ( or something about the current world that you'd expect a 5th grader from a competent educational system to know ).
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And don’t forget, this is your world, you can make it your own spin off the Forgotten Realms, with your own history. You could make it take place on a far off continent where none of the history of Faerun.
If you’re following up on Mine of Phandelver, which inarguably takes place in Faerun, you can do what I’m doing and have them leave the country at the behest of a distant high king. My continent, my history.
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Some of the Forgotten Realms major world history events:
Plus a bunch of other natural disasters and epic wars and major changes in geography that happened.
The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide sums this up nicely:
"The last one hundred fifty years have comprised one of the most cataclysmic periods in Faerûn’s history. On no fewer than three occasions, Toril has been shaken to its core by forces that have repeatedly rewritten the laws of reality...Students of history and those elves and dwarves who recall the past that short-lived humans see as distant perceive a world much like it was over a century ago. For most folk, wild tales of people empowered by the gods, and of far-off lands returned to the world, are the subjects of fireside chatter. Daily concerns and the dangers and opportunities just beyond their doors take precedence, and plenty of both remain on the Sword Coast and in the North."
The Lost Mines of Phandelver adventure takes place in 1481 DR. (I don't think it specifies this exactly but it says 30 years after the eruption of Mount Hotenow.) This is a world before the second sundering; a world with spellplague and unreliable magic for a hundred years. The adventure primarily takes place in a small remote town. I understand that farmers don't concern themselves much about what happens outside of their farm as miners don't care much about what's outside their mine so there's not going to be tons of interest in discussing news from far off places. However, this is kind of a big deal. It feels extremely strange to me to run a game in this setting, where none of this history is ever touched on by anyone. It also directly affects the main plot. In a world with broken magic, you recover an ancient magic forge. That's either especially good news if the forge somehow still works despite the broken magic, or less than good news when you realize the forge is just as broken. (Then your fortune might change if you hang out for a decade and magic gets fixed.)
I think all the other 5e adventures happen definitively after the second sundering, but very shortly thereafter. I haven't read through most of them so I could easily be missing something, but still from what I've seen, read, or played of these adventures, there is no reference anywhere to recent world history. It seems like many DMs tend to ignore these major world events because the adventures don't call them out. I feel like these events would profoundly impact NPCs and player characters. Older members of long-lived races would remember living though all of it, have stories to tell of what it was like, and could possibly still be suffering from losses and tragedies from all the bad stuff that happened. Everyone else who isn't old enough to remember the before times, suddenly their lives are different now. For arcane spellcasters, magic is way different now; what do they need to relearn? For any religious person or group, their gods may have just drastically changed. Anyone originally from Myth Drannor or any location which no longer exists, their home is gone, or moved. etc. etc.
As a DM preparing to run this setting, what are some good ways to incorporate this history into the game? It doesn't have to be woven into every plot hook, every character backstory, and every NPC conversation, but not having it at all feels wrong. What are some good ways to teach some history and lore to players? (assuming their character would know this information from the start) How do you handle major world history events in your campaigns, Forgotten Realms or otherwise?
Thanks!
I would assume the characters already know it, and can make a History check when you prompt them for it. Based on how they roll, you say something along the lines of, “you remember hearing about this thing that happened this one time”
I agree with dasmo511 here. I often outright tell players things their characters would know - "He is a knight of the order of ____,which you know to be attached to the court of _________, where they enjoy a fair amount of prestige, being known as ... " - although I try really hard not to go into "infodump mode" for that. Just the relevant facts, but enough to be a little enticing to find out more.
Characters are always allowed to ask as well, and I'll usually provide straight up details rather than making them make a History check. History checks are only for facts that wouldn't be pretty common knowledge ( or something about the current world that you'd expect a 5th grader from a competent educational system to know ).
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
And don’t forget, this is your world, you can make it your own spin off the Forgotten Realms, with your own history. You could make it take place on a far off continent where none of the history of Faerun.
If you’re following up on Mine of Phandelver, which inarguably takes place in Faerun, you can do what I’m doing and have them leave the country at the behest of a distant high king. My continent, my history.