Crusader Kings II: Faerun - Forgotten Realms Mod is a free video game utility that brings in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, Forgotten Realms, into the game of Crusader Kings II. Developed by the Faerun Team, this total conversion mod pretty much changes CK2’s world into Forgotten Realm’s. It tries to stay faithful to the setting but there will always be limitations to the available gameplay mechanics, so some things had to be changed.

Not so lost at all

Crusader Kings II is a 2012 grand strategy game developed by Paradox Development. It is the sequel to Crusader Kings and is similarly set in the Middle Ages. A popular dynasty simulator, you get to control a Medieval dynasty from 1066 to 1337. Due to the game’s success, various mods aimed to use other settings while building those on top of the game mechanics. One of these is the Faerun - Forgotten Realms mod.

This mod introduces you to the fantastical world of Forgotten Realms, a highly-popular D&D campaign setting. Commonly known as “The Realms”, this setting features strange lands filled with dangerous supernatural creatures. The whole campaign is primarily set in the fictional continent of Faerûn and has various species sharing its lands. As such, this can easily be used as the new world story for CK2’s gameplay. 

The mod adds new playable fantasy races aside from humans, and there are new graphics for these new species. Some parts of the world map that are habitable are up for grabs. There are also various classes available, just like in RPGs. To accommodate the new races, there are also custom governments and religions. For combat, the mod also implements a basic magic system—although this is mostly limited to what the game engine can handle.

Needs more unique elements

Overall, Crusader Kings II: Faerun - Forgotten Realms Mod is an impressive total conversion mod. While it doesn’t add a lot of game mechanics for the setting and it sacrifices some canon lore just to fit everything into the game nicely, the level of detail and dedication to The Realms’ lore is still astounding. Much of what it lacks is mostly on the visuals side.