There are several D&D wiki sites. I particularly like the Forgotten Realms fandom wiki; the information appears to be sourced from official WoTC material. I've found links to most of the things (people, places, creatures) I want to find out about.
The Forgotten Realms wiki is a good resource but it may be a bit overwhelming. If you have the funds then you can take a look the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from the Dungeon Masters Guild website. To be a bit more specific aim for the "Old Grey box" which is 1st edition or the hardcover book from 3rd edition.
The Forgotten Realms wiki is a good resource but it may be a bit overwhelming. If you have the funds then you can take a look the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from the Dungeon Masters Guild website. To be a bit more specific aim for the "Old Grey box" which is 1st edition or the hardcover book from 3rd edition.
My default D&D campaign is set in a Forgotten Realms where the Spellplague/Second Sundering never occurred. I play in the Realms *because* I was given the Grey Box for Christmas as a kid. I still have the books and maps, although the box itself is long gone. When WoTC published material for the Realms for use in 3.x I gleefully added that to my shelf. The Forgotten Realms has loads of information about it, you don't just have to go with Wikis and game supplements, a lot of novels and even video games support the game world as well.
Forgotten Realms is my favorite campaign setting, but yes the lore is REAL THICK. There is a lot to know, and I still feel like an absolute beginner sometimes, mainly because I haven't been able to get my hands on all of the novels yet. The wiki can be kind of dense. I am especially interested in the Spellplague stuff, and Mystra's role in that alone is a lot of info to take in. It might be a slightly controversial suggestion, but I'm a big fan of 1d4chan. It's set up like a wiki, but is delivered in a sliiightly more irreverent way, which is a big help for me, personally. Since it is an offshoot of the actual 4chan, I wouldn't put 100% of your trust in it, but once you have a handle on the basics, Ye Olde Forgotten Realms Wiki might be a little easier to attack.
Also, a whole bunch of the video games are getting re-released for modern gen systems soon (if they haven't already??? admittedly I'm not a big video game person)! The Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series' are both set in Forgotten Realms, and like Hawksmoor said, the in-game lore checks out.
The games were updated with better graphics and bug fixes, and we are currently awaiting Baldur's Gate 3. The trailer cinematic shows...a flaming fist soldier transforming into a mindflayer and what appears to be a Great Old One in the clouds above. I am looking forward to it!
There is one essential website for Forgotten Realms Lore, and that is http://candlekeep.com/.
The many sages on the forums there can help answer any questions you have, and you can search old posts for information as well.
There are also sections that contain a great deal of miscellaneous information. For example, there is a complete bibliography of Forgotten Realms books, a Forgotten Realms FAQ, a timeline of the Realms, maps, and a gallery of images.
The number of books covering various bits of Realmslore is a bit overwhelming. A ton of it is from second edition and there's a good bit from third edition, but both still have relevance in the 5e Realms. To narrow down exactly which of those you want to delve into, you would have to know which area of the Realms you want to learn about. But if I were going to recommend a single general source for learning the history, I would suggest Grand History of the Realms. It ends with the year 1385, though, so you'll need other sources to cover the Spell Plague and following events.
There is one essential website for Forgotten Realms Lore, and that is http://candlekeep.com/.
The many sages on the forums there can help answer any questions you have, and you can search old posts for information as well.
There are also sections that contain a great deal of miscellaneous information. For example, there is a complete bibliography of Forgotten Realms books, a Forgotten Realms FAQ, a timeline of the Realms, maps, and a gallery of images.
The number of books covering various bits of Realmslore is a bit overwhelming. A ton of it is from second edition and there's a good bit from third edition, but both still have relevance in the 5e Realms. To narrow down exactly which of those you want to delve into, you would have to know which area of the Realms you want to learn about. But if I were going to recommend a single general source for learning the history, I would suggest Grand History of the Realms. It ends with the year 1385, though, so you'll need other sources to cover the Spell Plague and following events.
Candlekeep is the place to go once a new DM feels settled in. It is a good resource and I can say the same for https://www.realmshelps.net/ for some older information pulled from the WotC old website. Another good read is the source book Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It too can be found on the DMSGuild website.
What are the best resources to learn the history/lore of the forgotten realms? I'm trying to get more familiar with the lore. Where should I begin
There are several D&D wiki sites. I particularly like the Forgotten Realms fandom wiki; the information appears to be sourced from official WoTC material. I've found links to most of the things (people, places, creatures) I want to find out about.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page
I also like looking over this Faerun map site ( https://loremaps.azurewebsites.net/Maps/Faerun ) - I find it gives me a better sense of where places are in 'the world'.
The Forgotten Realms wiki is a good resource but it may be a bit overwhelming. If you have the funds then you can take a look the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from the Dungeon Masters Guild website. To be a bit more specific aim for the "Old Grey box" which is 1st edition or the hardcover book from 3rd edition.
My default D&D campaign is set in a Forgotten Realms where the Spellplague/Second Sundering never occurred. I play in the Realms *because* I was given the Grey Box for Christmas as a kid. I still have the books and maps, although the box itself is long gone. When WoTC published material for the Realms for use in 3.x I gleefully added that to my shelf. The Forgotten Realms has loads of information about it, you don't just have to go with Wikis and game supplements, a lot of novels and even video games support the game world as well.
Forgotten Realms is my favorite campaign setting, but yes the lore is REAL THICK. There is a lot to know, and I still feel like an absolute beginner sometimes, mainly because I haven't been able to get my hands on all of the novels yet. The wiki can be kind of dense. I am especially interested in the Spellplague stuff, and Mystra's role in that alone is a lot of info to take in. It might be a slightly controversial suggestion, but I'm a big fan of 1d4chan. It's set up like a wiki, but is delivered in a sliiightly more irreverent way, which is a big help for me, personally. Since it is an offshoot of the actual 4chan, I wouldn't put 100% of your trust in it, but once you have a handle on the basics, Ye Olde Forgotten Realms Wiki might be a little easier to attack.
Also, a whole bunch of the video games are getting re-released for modern gen systems soon (if they haven't already??? admittedly I'm not a big video game person)! The Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series' are both set in Forgotten Realms, and like Hawksmoor said, the in-game lore checks out.
The games were updated with better graphics and bug fixes, and we are currently awaiting Baldur's Gate 3. The trailer cinematic shows...a flaming fist soldier transforming into a mindflayer and what appears to be a Great Old One in the clouds above. I am looking forward to it!
There is one essential website for Forgotten Realms Lore, and that is http://candlekeep.com/.
The many sages on the forums there can help answer any questions you have, and you can search old posts for information as well.
There are also sections that contain a great deal of miscellaneous information. For example, there is a complete bibliography of Forgotten Realms books, a Forgotten Realms FAQ, a timeline of the Realms, maps, and a gallery of images.
The number of books covering various bits of Realmslore is a bit overwhelming. A ton of it is from second edition and there's a good bit from third edition, but both still have relevance in the 5e Realms. To narrow down exactly which of those you want to delve into, you would have to know which area of the Realms you want to learn about. But if I were going to recommend a single general source for learning the history, I would suggest Grand History of the Realms. It ends with the year 1385, though, so you'll need other sources to cover the Spell Plague and following events.
The noble soul has reverence for itself. -- Nietzsche
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/
Candlekeep is the place to go once a new DM feels settled in. It is a good resource and I can say the same for https://www.realmshelps.net/ for some older information pulled from the WotC old website. Another good read is the source book Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It too can be found on the DMSGuild website.