Story Guidlines

I am not sure of how to say this, but are there any guidelines for D&D RPG games' stories?

I did some reading and am confused. Like the setting/story for NeverWinter Nights? Why does it take place where it does and where did the story come from? Is the Temple of Elemental Evil located on the same map? What about Baldur's Gate? Are these "stories" interrelated? Do they have a common background? I am not particularly asking about the different D&D rules, although I think they have a major influence, and I would be interested in how that works, but I'm mainly wanting to know about a common "story" or storyline or setting. Does Lord of the Rings also figure in any of this?

I think this is probably a lot to ask, so some links (aside from Wikipedia which is where a lot of my confusion came from) would be helpful.

 

Simply put, there are several imagined "worlds" that exist within the D&D rules. They have their own maps and races, and their own stories and characters. ToEE is in the world of Greyhawk, while BG, NWN and Icewind Dale are in Faerun. (With IWD in the north and the others further south.) There are more of these"worlds".

Most of the rules and some of the races are the same, but the differences can be confusing. I generally just grab what I want, but others are very strict with the rules.

Brace yourself, more will soon be said. You can help this along by asking questions about what you specifically are confused about.

 

Just to amuse myself...well actually a ploy to keep my brain focused until I get to sleep, rather than listening to a bunch of stream-of-consciousness garbage...I started working on a D&D "story." This lead me to wonder what sort of guidelines someone who actually was writing a real "story" would have to follow. Which led to some of the above questions.

As some of you know, I don't have a D&D background (so it is arrogant of me to try to do a "story," but - otoh - it's only in my brain, no one else's, so who cares) so thought with all the experienced people who frequent this site, that I could get some background or history.

I tend to get somewhat obsessive about my mental getting to sleep fantasies, so they often last for months. (Once I developed a castle from the basement levels up to the 3rd floor, but was stymied by where the toilets would go and how they might work...and couldn't find any info that I wanted on that problem, thus ending the castle fantasy.) So any input would be useful.

 

NO! This is D&D Thought Police. You must NOT engage in ANY form of creative thought with ANY of the D&D universes. If you fail to heed this warning, you will be torn limb from limb by our Rules Pirannhas!

Actually, you might be better served by reading some of the fiction based on the D&D universe of your choice. Go down to the local discount bookstore, there will be PLENTY of it there. Usually in the tail of the scifi/fantasy section.

OTOH, there are actually campaign guidebooks with names like "Faerun" or "Forgotten Realms" that might be what you need. Come to think of it, I believe BG, IWD and NWN may actually be "Forgotten Realms". As you can tell, I am, myself, a mighty rules god, who knows everything...

 

I'm too much of a gentleman to inquire as to a lady's fantasies. (Waits for hysterical laughter to die down.) Philistines! :roll:

But feel free to tell Gaear. :gotmyatte

(Later: :yikes

 

You'll be bored and verrrry disappointed.

I have this maniac yappy brain that often won't shut up when I want to go to sleep. It does not give me input of any type that is worth remembering, evidently, as next morning I cannot recall a single thing of merit and have to slog through the day due to lack of sleep. It has always been this way, AFAIK. Unless I am otherwise occupied...and we won't go there, hmmm?

I found a way to deal with it. I go to sleep sooner, about 50% of the time, but my maniac brain is focused, at least, and the thinking is interesting (to me, anyway). The obsessiveness is part of the focusing. A way to tie down the thinking. And, most of the time, I remember it. So. Among other adventures, I have survived on a deserted island, built a 5 floor castle (minus toilets), and am now embarking on a D&D journey.

More spontaneous and/or romantic fantasies I leave to my sleeping brain, which does well enough once it gets there....to sleep, that is.

 

????

You're welcome...I guess.

Back to my question: What sort of guidelines does someone who actually was writing a real "story" have to follow?

 

TSR published a lot of Greyhawk stuff and Dragon and Dnungeon magazines have a lot of stuff. TSR use to have a writers guideline for developing modules and such. Try the WotC website and see what you can find. Greyhawk has been my all time favorite and T1-Hommlet was the first module I ever DM'ed back in 1981. I still have all those old books and modules 27 years later. Lot's of fun.

 

If you're not familiar with them already, try the DragonLance series of novels.

There are based in the D&D world of Krynn. Not my favorite RPG setting, per se, but I LOVED the books and story lines. Faerun/Forgotten Realms is where I mostly played. There are still TONS of books/novels out there for good story backgrounds and the like.

Another way to think of the different D&D worlds is to think of them as separate planets in a solar system.

 

I haven't checked out the online references yet, but I will.

I went to a large 2nd hand bookstore that I knew had a room full of sci-fi and fantasy books, mostly paperback. I remembered that they also had a couple of shelves for D&D.

I found a Rules Supplement to the AD&D Player's Handbook titled "The Complete Book of Elves" which - from scanning it - appears to have history, culture, society, branches, etc. There is a list of similar books for Bards, Priests, Dwarves, Rogues, etc.

However, what is the difference between AD&D and D&D? Does it matter?

There were lots of Dragon Lance books and Forgotten Realms books, but most appeared to be too recent for my purpose. Or not? I found one I bought...published in 1985, Volume II of the Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragons of Winter Night. It doesn't appear to be about Never Winter (my first hope) and the map is of the continent of Ansalon. Which means nothing to me. I'm thinking I'm getting the two worlds mixed up, maybe?

I found some tattered over sized pamphlets that might be from early D&D, but I didn't want to spend the money and there wasn't any of the history that I'd like. They were DM handbooks or companions, I think.

Off topic, some: I found an interesting book by Hugh Walker about Magira...an old war game that is currently online but...alas...the online info is in German. The book is a fantasy novel set in Magira and claims that it is the world's longest existing fantasyland and appears to date back to 1967. Anyone familiar with this?

Don't know how I'm going to be able to balance playing ToEE, my new interest and the other things I have to do! Should be interesting!