7 reasons why Forbidden Lands is one of the best RPG settings of all time

[@DaveThaumavore]

Errata: the elf crystals are red, not green. Support the channel by joining my Patreon! www.patreon.com/thaumavore Sign up for my newsletter! bit.ly/ThaumavoreNewsletter

[@Sammo212]

Having a limited number of playable races is ideal imo. I think some games have WAY too many options for that stuff.

[@davidnaomicrawford5088]

Totally agree. That’s exactly what I hate about Pathfinder.

[@RabidHobbit]

I call them "race costumes". I don't believe most people are interested in role-playing their race, I think people just really like to take on superficial affectations. I'm not saying this is a bad thing necessarily (any more than costume parties or ren faires), but for me it distracts from why I want to play an RPG. So, I also prefer a few races with strong cultural identities over a long list of races with superficial descriptions.

[@drowningin]

Yeah my first rpg was dark eye, and other races were extremely rare. Then I tried others and all the races were basically the same except a stat or two, and traits like night vision. So now we have to make sense of a hundred likely hostile races living together because players want to min max

[@Sammo212]

@@drowningin yeah...I am totally fine with there being a handful of races but saying the amount of playable/sentient races in even something like Forgotten Realms is just...immersion breaking.

[@leandronc]

Having had to deal with this a lot in D&D 5e through the last decade, I decided as a player I'd always just play as Human. That added at least some semblance of plausibility.

[@mariodosantos]

The Alderland expansion is being written as we speak. Erik has been dropping teasers in the Discord server. A book on "The Sparse", the archipelago to the west is also in development.

[@BanjoSick]

Oh no, he is writing that. Had hoped that Magnus Seter would write that one, Bitter Reach is the best material for FL imho.

[@antigrav6004]

Glad to hear more is coming, I've got everything that has come out for it ( but still haven't played)

[@Grumpyoldgamer310]

I spoke with him on some of the things he’s got planned for Alderland, because he was interested in how I was homebrewing the region. It sounds like it’s going to be excellent.

[@lukejw11]

Forbidden Lands is my perfect mix of old school and new school. I love the setting set up and tie into the campaign. The fact that it doesn’t use another d20, D&D or BRP knockoff system is also a big bonus.

[@chanintornsilakul7915]

More Forbidden Land videos please!!

[@andreazanon5995]

No one ever talks about Forbidden Lands (with only occasional nods to it when new material comes out). Dang, I've also heard countless people say that it has no reason to exist anymore now that Dragonbane is a thing again. I personally don't understand the comparison between the two games in the first place, and I totally do not understand why people disregard what is arguably one of the best iteration of the Year Zero engine. Forbidden Lands fucking rules, dude. Thanks for the vid, Dave!

[@Woodclaw]

In my mind, the settings of Dragonbane and Forbidden Lands are two parts of the same world, settled in different times and/or by different cultures.

[@BanjoSick]

Dragonbane is so much better and does nit have such a shitty juvenile setting.

[@Majiger]

@@BanjoSick You could simply say you prefer a high fantasy setting instead of a low/grimdark fantasy, but instead you chose to be shitty about it.

[@BanjoSick]

@@Majiger While it is true that I prefer Low Fantasy non-cynical settings(Hyborean Age, Middel Earth, RuneQuest, HârnWorld), I thought the lack of coherence in FL was shocking tbh.The Warhammer setting makes at lear sense internally, it’s just not to my taste. FL is just nonsene. I played it since the system has some very elegant aspects like incorporating HP into the attribute and how item wear down works but ran into the settings incoherence constantly. The towns feel like video game hub towns instead of real places, the maps have all the same size like in some board game expansion and make no tectonic sense. The population levels are absolutely undecernable/testable. The whole setting feels so fake and unreal.

[@Majiger]

@@BanjoSick I guess that's the difference in play style. I don't care for using the pre-written adventures of the FL. I use its lore, but the rest of the world is just made up as the characters play. Towns are going to be like 100 people max, since my setting is only 50 years post mist. Cities can have a couple of hundreds, and the capitals can see thousands. I'm not looking to have the world be vibrating with life as if this is Middle-Earth or some D&D settings. As for the map and how the lands are all split apart, I really don't care for it to follow Earth's natural laws. I could just as easily hand wave it away to the Gods containing calamities, or the Dwarves decided to prank the other races by putting big mountains in their way. There are much better settings for the kind of play you seem to want, but it works perfectly well as a blank canvas that you throw table generated dungeons/towns/encounters at players while having some loose lore to let you fill in the gaps with.

[@SamuraiMujuru]

Excellent timing! Starting up Raven's Purge this Saturday! Forbidden Lands elves are probably my second favorite take on them after the Divinity take on elves.

[@Gopher86]

Just concluded our 11th session the other day. Started a year ago. One day we met up as a group to play Star Wars, but I was a bit burnt out as the GM after having hosted Fantasy Flight Games' version for 5 years. So I forced Forbidden Lands onto them, grabbed the Legends and Adventurers pamphlet, created 5 characters randomly. We had a blast. One year later and we've travelled the land, went through 3 adventures sites and are on our way to the 4th. Whatever happens to my group and our campaign, Forbidden Lands will always have a special place in my heart. It is my de facto somewhat grim dark but reaonsably dangerous classic fantasy TTRPG with Raven's Purge being one of the most intriguing campaign ever written. Forbidden Lands is my 5e.

[@UndeadNorseman]

This is disturbingly similar to my own experience with the game. Been running Star Wars FFG and looking to jump ship to something fresh.

[@Kunstdesfechtens]

It's also kind of like FFG Star Wars in a way, with different coloured dice representing the stat, gear, etc. instead of proprietary dice. Not that I mind the funky dice, I love WHFRP 3e which is the origin of the FFG narrative dice system.

[@ConlangKrishna]

Thank you so much for highlighting Forbidden Lands! It's one of my favorite RPG settings, but is not talked about often enough. You used "mature" to describe it, and that's exactly it. The world is kind of dark, but has hope for a change to the better. All the races and factions have their dark side. They often have conflicting goals which makes for really cool stories. The regions are sandboxy without being just random tables. FL is well fit for solo and group play. The rules are medium-crunch too. And it deserves all the love you give it in this video!

[@BanjoSick]

I think juvenile, shallow and edgelordy describes it much better. Feels like the idea if a 16 year old.

[@Acmegamer]

@@BanjoSick Kinda just going through and shitting on any positive post about the Forbidden Lands. Kinda sucks man.

[@BanjoSick]

@@Acmegamer Just an opinion, that’s what comments are about. I think my problems with the system and setting have merit. Free League is a big publisher and can take a comment, especially since the authors adressed most problems in FL themselves in DB.

[@yotelolailo]

@@BanjoSick Can you realise is your subjective opinion? You don't mention any problem with the system, just shitting around without any feedback other than "I don't like the setting", so it doesn't work. That doesn't help Free League at all. I haven't even played the game, and your comments don't help me or anyone at all.

[@BanjoSick]

@@yotelolailo Setting wise you are right, that's taste. I think the setting is also non-sensical internally but I would have to make my own video to explain that. The systematic problems of FL's application of the Year Zero engine I described quite concretely though. That is not "just" an opinion but a well grounded one.

[@ekurisona663]

imagine making an entire RPG as a stretch goal

[@theLazyPragmatic]

Not so uncommon; catalyst did it for battletech, tomkin press for starforged, the mentioned tales from the loop; certainly more, but I'd have to start thinking.

[@pedrorivero5209]

Recently bought this setting and have been having a hard time absorbing it. Every time I open KZbin you have a video that makes me go daaaamn, that's super cool. I'm now very much looking forward to getting back in.

[@Madkingstoe]

So glad to see another fan. I've got a massive bookshelf of RPG's from over 30 years of collecting them and yet Forbidden Lands has stood out and become my favorite. Everything about the books feels classic, old and special. I like to think of it as Tolkien Fantasy but redone by Heavy Metal magazine, or Ralph Bakshi. Everything has a familiar but slightly twisted feel to it. The writing is fantastic and really captures my imagination.

[@theokogod6711]

This sounds like a great setting! The goblin-halfling dynamic is especially cool

[@joeworrall2383]

As a lover of both, this is the coolest version by far. I want to play a halfling looking for my goblin twin brother

[@garyperkins4172]

Thank you Dave, after completing Dragonbane, I moved to FL and haven’t looked back as a solo player. The books are amazing for the art and lore alone!

[@SamuraiMujuru]

Free League is frankly the gold standard of game publishing that any larger company should be utterly ashamed when they fall short. The entire Forbidden Lands core box costs less than a single official 5E book and the quality doesn't even remotely compare.

[@natel7151]

Those solo rules in Book of Beasts... man, they hit it out of the park. (AND the author of the solo rules has an expanded set of rules in DTRPG.) What's great about the solo rules - they remember that it's a solo player, not just a guy playing the regular game with 6 character sheets. Free League has really figured out that formula. The Walking Dead has great rules for solo, and I'm looking forward to what they do with The Electric State and the Blade Runner's replicant book... also, the Vaesen rules for solo were greatly appreciated (and probably the best blueprint for figuring out how to do the current Blade Runner's investigative game in a solo format). Too bad they didn't have this formula when they set out to do Twilight:2000's solo rules... but they had to start from somewhere, I guess. (I would appreciate a re-imagining of the Twilight:2K solo rules, tho, especially following The Walking Dead, which handles the apocalyptic setting far better.)

[@Acmegamer]

@@SamuraiMujuru Soo much this.

[@charliemedina8439]

Thanks!

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@charliemedina8439 thank you!🙏

[@christiangullfeldt2151]

Our group is soon finishing its fourth year of campaigning i the Forbidden Lands. It gets better and better.

[@ernestogonzalez2095]

Great video, love Forbidden Lands! In the discord Erik has discussed the upcoming Alderland expansion and the isles to the east apparently are also being worked on.

[@YpnosGR]

Got a Discord link please?

[@BillPaine]

​@@YpnosGR I don't know how to put a link in, but I've chatted with Erik Granström [I'm not worthy!] on a channel called "Forbidden Lands RPG"

[@andrewjoy4084]

Just started running this game and so far am really enjoying how fresh it is. Looking forward to seeing where the campaign goes and look forward to seeing your solo play.

[@wheelie9719]

Am in the Forbidden Lands DIscord, the writer of the setting Erik Granstrom has been teasing Alderland, the next expansion!

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@wheelie9719 Yeah, this turns out to be the case! The project is in good hands at least.

[@Acmegamer]

Love that you came back and did a follow up video. I'm a big fan of Free League and The Forbidden Lands in particular.

[@JHuntjens88]

Once again a great video, Dave. Over a year ago I convinced my game group to play Symbaroum after seeing your video. And I picked up a couple of new RPG's along the way, because of your reviews. But now I'm really tempted to pick up Forbibben Lands as well. I just wanna run this now! Haha. Thank you very much!

[@RyanoftheNorth]

Definitely intrigued by the setting, and of course love FL products. Thanks for this over, you've sold me on it, now just another RPG I need to add to the collection!

[@paavohirn3728]

Really cool that you came back to FL! I got the game based mostly on your review back then and similarly it's been at the back of my mind ever since. I ran a brief game in it and we had a ton of fun with my one player but I felt the game would be more fully appreciated with a group.

[@mikescrazyideas]

Dave's videos are the absolute best! Would love to play this game someday!

[@rongriffis]

This sounds amazing, a wonderful departure from the usual. I especially love the youngness of the world. I recently took the Forgotten Realms D&D setting, kept the maps and some lore, but had a "demon plague" ravage the world 700 years prior to the start of the campaign so that none of the old polities exist, most people don't even recall any history prior to the Scourge, and the relations of various cultures are completely scrambled. Same map, fresh start. I really appreciate what Free League has done with Forbidden Lands!

[@travman228]

I subbed so I can watch the solo forbidden lands vids you plan on running! Can't wait

[@Marsh1563]

Can't wait for that solo campaign. Great video. Need to get a copy of this.

[@michaeledmonds4849]

We are on session 36 of our FBL game.

[@DeadMarsh]

I really think, and sadly so-the d20 system players at large dismissed this game far too quickly even if they have played a few sessions. People CAN NOT understand how beautifully designed and written this game is unless you stick with it. I’ve been playing Solo games more and more-essentially learning all the rules of the games I play in depth and Forbidden Lands stands head and shoulders above all of them. Forbidden lands and I’d say the one ring are unrivaled and under appreciated. Thanks for bringing more attention to this game.

[@BanjoSick]

The design has a bunch of flaws, like dice pool pushing rolls, will power farming, skill usage. I love the way equipment gets worn and broken though and system has a certain elegance. Dragonbane took many criticisms of FL heart and improved on nearly every point.

[@mariodosantos]

​@@BanjoSick while the system is not perfect, there's no such a thing as "Willpower" farming unless the GM allows players to roll for everything they ask. Not every action requires a roll and not all rolls can be pushed. The GM decides.

[@BanjoSick]

@@mariodosantos true this puts quite a bit cognitive load on the gm, since if you let the players push, a competent starting character (10-12 d6) will have a 96+% chance of success if he can push. That is every time. Since the Char Creation is point based, players will always be close to maximum competent. To put that on the GM is not optimal design imo.

[@mariodosantos]

@@BanjoSick what is on the GM? As far as I know in every RPG, the GM decides when players should roll. The rest is deciding when a roll is dramatic enough to warrant a Push. In YZE games you can usually push because you should only roll when there are dramatic stakes. If not then it's an auto succeed or just an impossible roll that shouldn't be allowed. If anything it unloads the GM from asking for rolls and submitting every little thing to the whims of dice.

[@DeadMarsh]

@@mariodosantos He’s hate commented about this game on nearly every positive response for FL. My question is…what did this game do to him?? Lol😂

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Great overview. Very cool. Immuchmore likely to dip my toes into forb lands now

[@HeribertoEstolano]

18:45 this is one of my favorite features of most of Free League's game, specially Coriolis, my favorite of their settings. Setting lore is just described enought so that GMs and Players can get a grasp on the overall feel of the setting and it's main locations and cultures. All the rest is left for your table to fullfill in your adventures. It makes the setting part of the game much more enjoyable to read. I thought it was only a "me" thing that all previous setting books I've tried to read were cumbersome and boring and Coriolis felt diferent readin. In the main books there's no clear answer to questions like: what are Djins and other bokor? Who built the portals? Are the Ghosts from Xene actually the icons as they claim? Event though some of those questions are answered by the end of the Mercy of the Icons campaign, It is all for you to decide and use in your own table. Player's won't stumble upon critical answers to a plot point in your adventure if they read the setting book and possibly ruin the fun.

[@andrewburgess9578]

Thanks, going back to take a closer look. The goblin thing I amstealing whole cloth...

[@deusvault5732]

Its always good to hear about this game. It's really fun. Don't know if this was commonly known but I heard the creator is making a book in the setting.

[@EricVulgaris]

ran a west march campaign in forbidden lands ravenland and it was awesome. I'll return to it if Alderland ever got fleshed out.

[@christiangullfeldt2151]

Erik Granström is working on it. He is active on the FBL discord server if you want to learn more.

[@drachehofen]

Was lucky to participate in that campaign! One of my most cherished online TTRPG experiences.

[@ChrisChapmanIAm]

Love FBL. This is a setting and system I keep coming back to, spelunking the lore and getting deeper into the kin and their history and features. For example, a little while ago while re-reading the Shardmaiden's lore, I was inspired to create a new playable profession for female Elvenspring, the Druid Maiden, who are descendants of the Shardmaiden herself, with each featuring a shard of her embedded in their foreheads. I envision them as skilled rangers who frequent the north-east of Ravenland acting as protectors and emissaries...

[@spikepit1]

I'm a self confessed Free League fanboy, Forbidden Lands is no exception. Having enjoyed it from a player point of view I really would love to have a go at running it. The big problem now is choosing between Dragonbane, Symbaroum or this! Thanks for sharing.

[@KyleMaxwell]

Whoa, that hobbit lore update is… a lot.

[@benjackson-ellery4267]

Would love to see your takes on both bitter reach and bloodmarch!

[@WhenCanWePlay]

Couldn't agree more, Dave! In terms of lore and setting adding to the gameplay, FBL is unmatched

[@tubebobwil]

*THIS* is how you create lore.

[@mohnkern]

I think one of the challenges of Forbidden lands is that its kind of in an internal "competition" in Free League Publishing with Symbaroum and Dragonbane. They are all very different games, but all three are fantasy settings (and systems) by the same publisher. Dragonbane seems to be getting more love)

[@deusvault5732]

True, but they tend to cycle out. Rn Dragonbane is just the new one that is quick enough to be done at conventions. Next year I have heard reports that symbaroum will start a line of new books supposedly once ruins of symbaroum has caught up. And forbidden lands is supposed to get it's next book sometime either q4 of this year or next. (Big difference in time I know but I can't keep all the information😅)

[@opscontaylor8195]

For right now, it's the newest, where as Forbidden Lands and Symbaroum are both pretty well supported and fleshed out already. I am sure we will get more for both. And I love both Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane for different reasons.

[@BanjoSick]

Dragonbane is the by far superior game. Better tested mechanics from BRP + improvements made from experience with FL and it’s not weighted down by the a laughably bad setting.

[@BanjoSick]

Dragonbane and FL are very similar games with many shared concepts. Even Symbaroum is similar if you compare it to non-Swedish, non-Runequest based games.

[@HeribertoEstolano]

6:56 that's one of the things that bogs me the most about kitchen sink settings like Forgotten Realms or Golarian. Any world consistency is lost in the name of providing players "options" to fullfill their fantasies. I often comparte this to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, even though is not a world made with a game mentality; the world is populated only by human factions which are so culturaly diferent and unique with their culture and traits that surpass by far any other multi-species settings in any media. As a Wargame player, I find the World of Ice and Fire a far better "fluff" for a wargame than the market #1 Warhammer 40k. Every faction has unike likeable and unlieakable traits that makes your thematic choice much more fun and meaningfull. Even tough the CMON wargame isn't for every wargamer's taste and lacks a little bit of scale.

[@jonathanbaago5312]

Amazing rules set. It was soo approachable and fun. OSR but simple.

[@BingusMcdingus57]

This game has been on my radar for a while looks like I may need to get a copy

[@mohnkern]

@@BingusMcdingus57 the starter box is beautiful

[@obamabiden]

free league can always be trusted to add cool lore to their goblins also if i had a dollar for every time elves were originally a green mineral of some kind id have two dollars, nit much but is *incredibly* weird that this happened twice

[@MrMuddyWheels]

I love Forbidden Lands but haven't had the opportunity to play or gm. I love the interaction between goblin and halfling. One group acknowledges their ancestry and the other doesn't. Orcs and their sexual dimorphism is really cool.

[@mapcrow]

This video is fantastic! Cheers!

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@mapcrow thanks, Kyle!

[@retrodmray]

Fantastic, spot-on video, Dave! 🤓

[@Orang3zRPG]

Love this game!!! Great review and video here! 😀

[@totallymojo]

FL is great but I wish there was less types of dice. Red White Black, when do they matter and how does it work. But the setting is amazing!

[@MelodicMethod]

thank you for this overview

[@jgrace2006]

Great content from Dave.

[@davewire87]

I remember I first heard about Forbidden Lands a few years ago and I had to get my hands on it. The books are beautiful, the setting is evocative, and the gameplay is interesting and different. I remember devouring the core books just for the lore. My fear is that Free League will shift their focus from Forbidden Lands to Dragonbane as both are incredibly similar types of games. You can already see elements of Forbidden Lands creeping into Dragonbane and Free League hasn’t released any new content for Forbidden Lands since Dragonbane was published. It doesn’t help that Dragonbane also happens to be one of the most significant games in the history of Swedish roleplaying. It could just be that Free League now has so many different games and licenses that they’re juggling now. I am hoping that they just haven’t been able to devote time to Forbidden Lands. Don’t get me wrong. I love that Free League got to publish a new edition of Drakar och Demoner (Dragonbane) and that they were able to release it worldwide. I just hope this doesn’t spell doom for Ravenland.

[@ALvIn0H-f6y]

They have an external writer for Forbidden Land, Erik Granström (except Bitter Reach that was done by another external writer), so expansions comes in due time. With Ravens Purge, Bitter Reach and Bloodmarch, you can have hundreds of sessions worth of play. Alderland is coming as well.

[@davewire87]

@@ALvIn0H-f6y I know it takes a while to produce these things. I’m just looking at the timeline of releases for Forbidden Lands and the fact that they now have two different RPGs that do roughly the same thing. The original FL box set was crowdfunded in 2017, Bitter Reach in 2019, and Bloodmarch in 2021. We haven’t had any update on FL since Bloodmarch and the Book of Beasts were released and since then Free League acquired Drakar och Demoner. There is a lot of hype surrounding Free League acquiring DoD and of course they want to support it as much as possible and as quickly as possible. While Erik Granström does the writing for the setting, he’s not the lead game designer or the editor. That’s Tomas Härenstam who is also the project manager for DoD (which again explains why you see several mechanics from FL ported over to DoD). I think it’s very possible that with DoD being the main focus for fantasy roleplaying for Free League right now that Tomas has decided to put Forbidden Lands on the back burner.

[@swordsnstones]

forbidden lands sounds very cool, i wil be getting a pdf to mine for ideas for my own game world, similar but not the same... keep 'em rollin'

[@AgranakStudios]

Great review.........I need to pick this up!

[@DeadMarsh]

Id really like to hear your opinion on it actually. I hope you do a review!

[@leandronc]

I had trouble with some 5e groups because of this "fantasy rennaissance fair" style of party where a Tiefling, an Orc, a Furbolg and a Genasi walk into a bar and nobody bats an eye. Not my style at all, and 5e has been really pushing this lately.

[@BunnyNiyori]

Forbidden lands the game, and Forbidden lands the setting are almost two entities. Almost. The game design is good, no good vs bad. Just players trying to get by. The setting can be grim enough to actually entertain the Warhammer FRPG design. Another perk, FL is among the best made products out there. Player's, DM's and perhaps one setting book and you are good to go. So it isn't treating you like a cash cow.

[@BattleBro77]

Can't believe it came out that long ago. My old group played it when it first came out- everyone else kind of lost interest, but I fell in love with the campaign, and the setting in general. We never really used the rules properly, so combat wasn't as fun as it could've been. Hope I get to play again one day.

[@GoblinWife]

I love this setting so much. I think the tensions between the different Kin are a lot more hopeful than you let on, but it is definitely a more sober and grounded take on fantasy "races". I love that every Kin has a defining conflict at the core of their societies, and although it seems like a simple no-brainer, most games completely flop on this front. A lot of games take the same, watered-down approach that 5e does, reducing ancestry options to aesthetics. It might seem more inclusive on the outside, but it's ultimately devoid of substance. GMs can bring their own substance, but why play a game that isn't interested in meeting you half-way. If I'm going to go to the lengths of designing everything myself, as I go, then a game aught , at the least, reward me with inspiration to work from. Forbidden Lands has that in spadefuls, and for that I love it dearly.

[@Runehammer1]

one of my all time favs

[@thehubbleton]

Such convenient mountains.

[@Ragwald3]

I agree that they do look kind of silly, but it's a compromise in order to have the lands separated and also so you can fit the maps from different expansion together seamlessly if you're so inclined 🙂

[@thehubbleton]

@@Ragwald3 Nice.

[@henrikcollin4727]

Mr. Granström is an great rpg author.. the first adventure I played that he wrote is Svavel vinter.. and that was amazing, so when I saw that he was involved with forbidden lands, it was an instant buy.. please do more forbidden lands, so I'll get inspired to play it again 😅..

[@ChrisChapmanIAm]

Desperately want to find a copy of Svavel Vinter. I've heard a lot of good things about it...

[@PikachuGamer918]

Dude this was an incredible video. Glad to see FL getting some well deserved love. Any chance you may review OUTCAST SILVER RAIDERS any time soon? If you like dark fantasy it delivers. Cheers!

[@DaveThaumavore]

Very cool, I'd never heard of this one until you mentioned it. I'll look into it.

[@PikachuGamer918]

That would be awesome. It's been flying under the radar.

[@josephquesnel1737]

Love the mechanics!

[@sonder_ua]

Man, please. Hold your horses. I can't handle every great video you are releasing. I am weak man and want to play everything you recommend. Have mercy :)

[@outercow1]

Ok I need to get this game now.

[@MyParedrus]

Great video for an amazing setting! Thanks!

[@himurogentoku7117]

I haven't watch the video but i agree.

[@himurogentoku7117]

I love Forbidden Lands.

[@kalleendo7577]

Awesome!!!

[@YpnosGR]

I was reading the FbL books at the same time as reading Michael J. Sullivan's book series (Age of Myth/Legend/Sword, Riyria, etc) and thinking how close they are to each other. Like it wouldn't even take a leap to weave MJS's stories into a FbL campaign - the way that history is twisted and lost in the mists of time. I'm just about finishing up a 5e adventure and FbL is near the top of the list for what to run next.

[@n4tune8]

YES! Thank you, finally someone who understands the beauty of a setting that lacks absolute truths. As you mentioned, the gods may or may not exist. Orcs and humans might have a common ancestor. If the 'gods' did not actually give the orcs as slaves to the elves and dwarves, what does it say about these kin? It's definitely not a cosmopolitan world and I love it. I don't really like the dice pool system, but it doesn't matter because I can use the setting with Dragonbane, for example.

[@jcraigwilliams70]

I am just now getting into Forbidden Lands, after looking at the quickstart. Does Bloodmarch retcon earlier stuff, or does it simply update things, or perhaps reveal previously unknown truths?

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@jcraigwilliams70 bloodmarch just adds to the lore and reveals some things. I don’t think there is any retconning.

[@WookieeRage]

There ate elements of this game that remind me of Symbaroum. I would like to play test this system to find out how much I like the mechanics.

[@robertchmielecki2580]

I am preparing some games in the FL and I am wondering if I am missing something about the Blood Mist. It is pretty important as I want a game where characters explore a post-apocalyptic world that had no contact or travel for hundreds of years. Why didn't people travel in wheeled houses for example? Or built strings of dwellings at appropriate intervals to link communities. I'd think it would be petty high on any local lord's list of priorities. From what I've read so far it seems like everybody accepted that travel longer than half a day was impossible, but why not travel a day at a time hitting Blood Mist-proof safe spots? When faced with such a problem, creative problem-solving suddenly died in the Forbidden Lands? What am I missing?

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@robertchmielecki2580 No one truly understood the exact thing that triggered the Blood Mist attacks. They just felt safe at home. And the Rust Brothers just had enough faith to feel safe in the mist. If you are GMing a game, you can create a lord or merchant who devised a trade route with armored carriages and safe houses if you want. The canon is kinda loose like that. Remember that the map comes with stickers where you define where towns and cities are located. You complete the setting yourself. i.e. just do it.

[@robertchmielecki2580]

@@DaveThaumavore Well, my problem is kind of opposite, though. I want my world to be unknown and communities divided and separated - which is suggested in the description of the setting. So my problem isn't how to explain that communities have been making contact with each other (which you propose) but rather have reasonable, compelling reasons why they haven't - which I find difficult, because it doesn't make that much sense to me that they haven't (for reasons listed).

[@natel7151]

With the latest EA-style revamp of Dungeons & Dragons being a bit controversial at the moment, it's good and timely to bring up things like Forbidden Lands that combines older school feelings with a new/modern game system. If WotC feels like they've compromised on telling a compelling setting, Free League is still a good source for TTRPG goodness... even for die-hard D&Dists, with both Middle Earth and the Symbaroum settings covered by Free League's work in 5e. All that being said... the Forbidden Lands settings ARE great. They haven't forgotten the wonder and the fantasy. They don't have the strange current-era American-isms that ruin so many storytelling outlets these days. "What can be, unburdened by what has been" (but said in a non-cringe-y way).

[@TonyJ1776]

Is it possible to get this campaign in a system agnostic source? I would like to see more settings that are free of a TTRPG system.

[@DaveThaumavore]

The setting is presented without much connection to the ruleset in this case. In fact, Erik Granstrom doesn't even play RPGs anymore. He just writes the setting material!

[@drachehofen]

It's very easy to adapt!

[@dirigoallagash3464]

From your blog "interview" with Tomas last year via Google Docs (what?): "I like the Swedish language. It’s cool. I’ve occasionally tried to say a word or two online, but I’m often met with vociferous pushback from Swedes. On the whole, they seem very protective of their language. Do you know what I’m talking about? If so, do you know where this almost jealous guardian-like mentality stems from?" Asking Tomas to speak for entire country then going full nerd rage speculation when he didn't answer is when I unsubscribed. I see your reaction is no longer on the post, but some of your responses to comments are still there. I'm shocked (and impressed) Tomas commented and finished the "interview". I certainly wouldn't have bothered. Erik got me to come watch today and I liked/agreed with everything you've said in the vid. FbL is criminally underrated. That said, I hope you apologized to Tomas for your initial reaction to him "ending the interview". I'm guessing this will get deleted.🤷‍♂

[@brucegusler5208]

I definitely limit and change up races for my campaigns. My current campaign has 6 races. One that is my own creation. Even my dwarves are vastly different, being based off miner bees

[@Daniel-Strain]

Awesome review! Might the god Huge be pronounced "huoog" with a G as in "Gate" instead of a J sound? Just wondering.

[@BanjoSick]

It’s literally the word huge as in gigantic so he pronounces it correctly.

[@rockistrollis]

The Swedish version of the god is "Stor". As in the Swedish word for big/humongous.

[@Daniel-Strain]

@@BanjoSick Ah ok, didn't know, thanks!

[@pickpocketpressrpgvideos6655]

The setting is great but I love their adventure sites the most!

[@smokeraven]

In case it's not mentioned or needs to rise to the top, around minute 8 in a MAJOR SPOILER for the Red Mist; be aware of that when forwarding or recommending this as the way a GM works the Red Mist into campaign can hinge a lot upon the mystery of why some were not affected by it.

[@misomiso8228]

6:36 is there a link to that big DnD racial chart you scan over? It would be interesting to see! ty

[@jessesierke6264]

This sounds utterly delicious!

[@DaveThaumavore]

It is. It's so tasty.

[@jacobgerhard9525]

Wow adding this to my wish list..... ever growing wish list .... i need more book shelves a viciously cycle i willingly partake in😂😊

[@ocaatgames]

I love this game.

[@drapichrust7]

What level a on the Patron includes your FL solo play?

[@Dom2Wan]

Has Erik Gränstrom ever been interviewed in depth on his process of creating FL's lore? So much of it seems perfect for a creative game that it's hard to imagine Free League did not at least brief him on what they wanted, especially the unreliable narrator aspect and leaving all that space for players not to trip up on lore, as you explain in your most excellent analysis in this video.

[@tomfool23]

I’ve always been so intrigued by this game. I think you’ve confirmed a lot of my perceptions here - though now I’m worried that I’ll actually have to buy it. Always a risk when you find out more about something you’re interested in.

[@corybanticfire]

would halflings and goblins know of their lineage? like you could play siblings, one halfling one goblin

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@corybanticfire they generally wouldn’t know, at least not at first. Both kin of are ashamed of the split heritage.

[@edwardromero3580]

Forbidden Lands is my favorite rpg that I've never actually played. I've read through the box set and the bestiary, but I've never brought it to the table. I absolutely love the setting and the art. It's just too far from "standard" mechanics of d20 systems for my current group of players. Maybe some day...

[@JH-dh2ws]

Gotta ask, are there orcs in this setting (and are they playable?)? Did they do anything new with them?

[@maksim9612]

I'd recommend The Wailer's Hold 3rd party supplement

[@chromeego7903]

I enjoyed playing this system, but found the spell misfire too punishing (I might be misremembering but its like 1:36 to be killed by your own spell!).

[@tjduck85]

I was entirely put off by Forbidden Lands's default setting. The setting and its magic rules kind of dissuaded me from Forbidden Lands. Different strokes for different folks. But thankfully Dragonbane was more to my liking.

[@BanjoSick]

Hard agree, the setting sucks.

[@tjduck85]

@@BanjoSick I wouldn't go that far. It just turned me off. The setting hooks didn't hook me. The antagonism of the races and religions felt shallow.

[@sumsar01]

The lore smells a lot like Earthdawn. (which isnt a bad thing)

[@opscontaylor8195]

Mmm.... Forbidden Lands and Dragonbane are good food. My new Gold Standards for fantasy TTRPGs.

[@MrDigitsu]

I also want to find a veteran FB campaign!

[@DaveThaumavore]

It's like striking gold.

[@NthreeE]

Alderland campaign is in writing still.

[@casperriess6364]

Would be cool with the a second edition that makes it abit better to play. Imo stuff like: Less dice, better/balanced talents and a rework to willpower

[@marxmeesterlijk]

this game is is so cool. I've been playing it as my main game since i got it, and still I feel like i'm scratching the suface