User:Ir'revrykal/Canon

The Canon policy outlines what lore and sources are acceptable on the the Forgotten Realms Wiki, and how to resolve contradictions or discrepancies between them.

What is canon?
Canon is the material that is accepted as an official part of the story of the Forgotten Realms. This generally means material officially published by Wizards of the Coast, TSR, Inc., and/or any licensed partner(s).

Wizards of the Coast places a high value on keeping their settings internally consistent. That being said, they do not slavishly follow previously established lore, especially when it negatively impacts their current or future storytelling. This allows Wizards of the Coast a certain creative freedom, but does occasionally lead to discrepancies, especially between different editions of Dungeons & Dragons.

The Forgotten Realms Wiki strives to be valid for all editions of Dungeons & Dragons. This means we require a framework to deal with inconsistencies and discrepancies between different sources, especially considering the sheer volume of official information pertaining to the Forgotten Realms.

'''This policy should not be taken as an indication of what is officially canon. Wizards of the Coast is the sole authority on what is canon or not.''' This policy exists only to keep the Forgotten Realms Wiki consistent through decades' worth of relevant content. That being said, this policy is heavily informed by what Wizards of the Coast considers canon; the difference lies in the Wiki's scope being larger than just the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

Canon conflicts
When two (or more) official sources contradict each other, the Forgotten Realms Wiki uses three canon principles to establish which information is given primacy: Type, Setting, and Date. These are detailed in a separate section.

Where possible, seemingly conflicting information should be reconciled. If this is not possible, the canon principles should be applied, and the discrepancy should be noted down to inform future readers and editors.

Canon principles
The relative canon value of any given work is determined through three principles, in descending order of importance:

Forgotten Realms → Core → Other settings
 * Setting

Sourcebook → Novel → Magazine/online → Licensed material → Shadow canon → Non-canon
 * Type

Newer → Older
 * Date


 * Notes


 * Examples

TBD

 * Images/maps
 * Nature of conflict: different valid solutions
 * Branching narratives