The
Forgotten Realms is a
campaign setting for the
Dungeons & Dragons (
D&D)
fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer
Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, Greenwood brought the setting to the
D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, as have various licensed products including
sword and sorcery novels,
role-playing video game adaptations (including the first
massively multiplayer online role-playing game to use graphics), and comic books. The Forgotten Realms is one of the most popular
D&D settings, largely due to the success of novels by authors such as
R. A. Salvatore and numerous role-playing video games, including
Pool of Radiance (1988),
Baldur's Gate (1998),
Icewind Dale (2000) and
Neverwinter Nights (2002).