Skip Williams:A one-piece map of Faerûn, scads of brand-new rules and character options, tons of information on clerics, an adventure suitable for starting a campaign, and new spells and magic items. All of this is right in the campaign setting, rather than in extra books you have to buy.
Rich Baker: I already mentioned the prestige classes; another major system players will be able to explore are the more than 50 Realms-specific character feats, plus dozens of Realms-specific spells, magic items, and monsters, all rebuilt on the new D&D system.
Sean Reynolds: We wanted to present the world in such a way that you could run a campaign in just about any part of the Realms just with the information in this book. While we spend more time on the North and the Dales, this book gives a good amount of information on remote regions like Tashalar, Luiren, Mulhorand, Narfell, Damara, and other places on the "fringe" of the Realms.
Rob Heinsoo: You have an opportunity to set up characters from many different regions of the Realms, each with cultural preferences for specific classes, regional feats, and regional equipment choices.
Sean Reynolds: In fact, we encourage people to play characters from these remote places (actually adventuring in whatever area the DM is using as the campaign home). It reinforces the cosmopolitan nature of the Realms, where you can rub elbows with a Red Wizard of Thay and a barbarian savage from Chult on the same day.
Rich Baker: Yes, we've revisited one by one every land and country in Faerûn, asking ourselves, "What's going on here? What might have changed since the last product set in this area?" Some of the changes are logical and conservative extensions of existing storylines. Other changes are more significant, and stand to shake up the staid old power structures of Faerûn. Most importantly, for the first time in more than ten years, we've reexamined the world, the characters, and the game system from the ground up.
Finally, we've decided to shift the spotlight of the game materials toward the player characters by highlighting villains, challenges, and adventure sites. This isn't Elminster's world. This is the world where your player characters are engaged in writing the story of their deeds, their defeats, and their triumphs.
Rob Heinsoo: It also gives you a clearer sense that the PCs' actions matter, that Elminster and the other major characters of the Realms won't solve the world's problems. PC-level adventurers have to do their part -- or watch the bad guys win.
