to round out the short descriptions of every notable event that has occurred in official products". This book acts as "a last hurrah for the setting before major changes (such as the Spellplague) implemented with 4e". Reception John Baichtal, for Wired, wrote "even if you're not a Realms-head, this book has tons of value. Just as a guide for world creation, it's a great example. It forces you to think, how did this race or that empire become great? What became of it when its time passed? My only complaint about the book is the lack of bibliographical references. If the events of a novel are mentioned, might a footnote not be helpful for readers interested in learning more?" Curtis D. Carbonell, in the book Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic, wrote "The Grand History is important because it represents how a shared imaginary universe becomes realized through the combination of analog/digital tools made available to the public. [...] This reference-designed gametext represents the FR at its most robust, combining a history that stretches across three editions". Kevin Kulp, game designer and admin of EN World, wrote "this book is a must-buy for anyone interested in the Forgotten Realms; there is literally no other publication that comes close to pulling so many disparate threads together into one cohesive, easily understood timeline. It's also extremely useful for DMs who homebrew their campaigns instead of playing in the official campaign setting. Many games lack the weight of history simply because the DM has neither time nor energy enough to build the many events needed to add texture to their world. [...] The Grand History of the Realms is a great example for how a DM can add that sort of detail into a game, and it provides perspective for the massive sweep of a campaign's history. [...] Value has been added over the original free PDF through maps, art, and sidebar commentary". References Forgotten Realms sourcebooks Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2007