Encounters in the Forgotten Realms: DMsGuild Review
We get a close encounter of the Faerûn kind in this new collection of D&D maps and materials.
Encounters are an important but often overlooked element of Dungeons & Dragons. Whether they’re random or pre-determined, heavy on combat or steeped in social interaction, they really are what drives D&D. In many campaign books, however, encounters are often little more than rough sketches of action and lack any real depth.
Fortunately, over the years a number of designers have taken a stab at creating truly memorable encounters. Some of the most popular have been developed by third-party publisher CZRPG (the brainchild of game designer Christian Zeuch). Available on DMsGuild as part of the now popular “Encounter” series, these books provide additional enemies, events and materials for both official and unofficial D&D 5e adventures.
Now, CZRPG and a team of other third-party D&D creators has bundled eight of the most popular encounter books into a single collection known as Encounters in the Forgotten Realms. Available exclusively on DMsGuild in both print and digital formats, the book includes a range of new mysteries, monsters, maps and magic items.
So is this an encounter worth experiencing? Read on to find out.
Table of Contents
What are the different taverns?
What’s the art and design like?
Final thoughts and review score
Who is Encounters in the Forgotten Realms for?
While players are likely going to find a lot to love with Encounters in the Forgotten Realms, it’s important to note that the book is designed entirely for Dungeon Masters and includes materials you’ll want to keep away from players.
Half of the encounters in the book are designed specifically for DMs who are running (or planning to run) the official D&D campaigns for Tomb of Annihilation, Rime of the Frostmaiden, Descent into Avernus and Hoard of the Dragon Queen. That being said, while these materials were created to augment official D&D game books, they’re also flexible enough to work on their own. For example, a DM running their own homebrew adventure in Chult could easily repurpose almost any of The Tomb of Annihilation encounters without having to run the campaign itself.
The remaining encounters in the book are thematically linked to specific regions of the Forgotten Realms, but don’t tie into any official campaign. With a little bit of legwork though, an experienced DM could squeeze almost all of the encounters into just about any D&D 5e adventure or campaign setting, whether it’s in the Realms or another world altogether.
What’s included in Encounters in the Forgotten Realms?
Coming in at a hefty 332 pages, the book includes a foreword from the creator of the Forgotten Realms himself, Ed Greenwood (with an introduction from his alter ego, the legendary mage Elminster). From there, it’s broken down into the following components:
- 8 individual “books”: These are reprints of the bestselling books that were previously published as part of CZRPG’s Encounters series on DMsGuild.
- 124 Detailed Encounters: Each encounter is specific to one of the original 8 books and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
- Nearly 100 Maps: Available in full color, the maps include both printable grid and non-grid versions. If you opt for the Book + Maps bundle, you’ll also receive 70 digital maps and nearly 400 map versions that can be used on various virtual tabletops like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.
- 57 Stat blocks: This includes a number of NPCs and monsters (some of which haven’t appeared in previous CZRPG materials).
- 24 New Magic Items: This includes a wide range of items, covering everything from weapons and potions to rarer artifacts.
Overall the encounters presented here are incredibly polished. They’re well written, smartly designed and, in many cases, not only augment existing D&D 5e campaigns, but actually surpass them in terms of ingenuity and gameplay.
What are the Different Encounters?
As noted previously, there are eight individual “books” that make up Encounters in the Forgotten Realms (all of which have previously been published on DMsGuild). Four of these are related to official D&D fifth edition campaigns from Wizards of the Coast, while the other four take place in Faerûn.
Each encounter features a bullet list of important information, including the location, the recommended level range for characters and the encounter type (i.e. combat, social, exploration). There’s then additional information to help the DM set up the encounter and determine potential outcomes and rewards.
The 8 specific books are as follows:
- Encounters in Chult: Features 10 unique encounters and 3 new creatures for use in the Tomb of Annihilation campaign.
- Encounters in the Feywild: Features 10 individual encounters for the Plane of Faerie, with maps that tie in to the Forgotten Realms setting.
- Encounters in Icewind Dale: Features 24 encounters, 14 new creatures and 3 magic items set in and around the Spine of the World.
- Icewind Dale Expanded: Features 15 encounters for use with the Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign.
- Deeper Descent into Avernus: Features 20 encounters for the Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus campaign.
- Encounters in Candlekeep: Features 20 encounters, 15 NPCs and 16 magic items that take place near Candlekeep (notably, these aren’t part of the official Candlekeep Mysteries adventure anthology, but could be dropped in)
- Queen’s Hoard Expanded: Features 21 encounters for Hoard of the Dragon Queen (the first book in the Tyranny of Dragons series).
- Encounters in the Underdark: Features 7 encounters and 5 magic items for use in the Underdark (potentially these could be used in the Out of the Abyss campaign)
What’s the art and design like?
While DMsGuild books can sometimes be hit or miss with their art, Encounters in the Forgotten Realms is absolutely gorgeous. The artwork and overall design are all top notch and on par with any official releases from Wizards of the Coast and major third-party publishers.
The maps are particularly well done, offering a wide range of versatility and options that DMs can integrate into an existing VTT or use with a D&D battlemat. In fact, when you compare these maps to what’s actually included in the official materials, they simply blow Wizards of the Coast out of the water in terms of color, detail and overall visual appeal.
My only quibble is that the cover is a little hum drum (particularly when compared with some of the amazing interior artwork), but that’s not a deal breaker. And really the book is worth owning as a print hardcover (notably, there’s both a standard version and a premium color version, if you do decide to go that route).
Final thoughts and review score
Encounters are an incredibly important but often overlooked part of D&D. Fortunately, Encounters in the Forgotten Realms shows just how vibrant and engaging they can really be.
With almost 120 unique encounters to choose from, they run the gamut from storming a dragon’s lair in the depths of the Underdark, to uncovering the mystery of a mystical spring in the jungles of Chult, to pleading a case in an enchanted courtroom in the heart of the Feywild. And while not every encounter is a critical hit, the vast majority of them are fantastic and well worth exploring. As a collection of existing materials, the book is also a great value if you haven’t already picked up any of CZRPG’s previously published encounter books.
Ultimately, if you’re a DM looking to add a little more depth to your next encounter, then you’ll find fun and Faerûn aplenty in this impressive new collection.
You can purchase Encounters in the Forgotten Realms now from DMsGuild.
Final Review Score: 18/20
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
