general "you"
Is he in any way related to Admiral Him?
For a very long time it was Forgotten Realms for me... I had one of my longest running campaigns in that setting. (This would be 2e FR up to and including 3.5 FR).
Then I learned about Eberron... and I really liked this setting as well. A somewhat long-lived campaign was running along (stopped somewhere around 12th - 13th level... group just sort of disbanded for a variety of reasons... jobs, moving out of the area, and other "real-life" complications).
Of course... then I discovered Paizo's Adventure Path (with Rise of the Runelords), and their world of Golarion... and that's been my campaign setting of choice ever since.
(Occasionally get nostalgic for FR or Eberron... somethings in both settings I'd like to attempt or complete).
But I'm gonna sound "parent-like" in that I enjoy all three equally (but for different reasons). I don't "love" one setting more than another. :)
~Dean
Of the three big D20 sword and sorcery campaign settings, which do you guys think is the best? I personally am partial to Eberron, because it's very weird and inventive, and I like that. Steampunk and halflings riding dinosaurs in my medieval fantasy? Sure. Why not. I'm not saying Golarion and Forgotten Realms are bad, but they just don't have Eberron's charm.
Hmmm Scottish Elves?
I like FR for a variety of reasons . . .I like high magic. I put the Highlanders west of Zentil Keep and north of Shadowdale.
Oh, and two votes for Greyhawk for kibbitzers!
As an aside, the scarist world was Arduin Grimmoire. Gotta love them whimseys!
|
My very favorite setting is certainly Forgotten Realms...I've played so many great games in it, and it is so richly detailed and varying. I never felt constrained by the numerous high level NPCs...they have better things to do than bother with some guys somewhere...it probably also had to do with a strict no-no to canon lawyers, about canon lawyering. I am, of course, referring to the pre 4th edition FR, because the travesty that came after that is FR only in name.
Then comes Golarion, which is quickly rising through the ranks, for it's kitchen sink quality and the enormous amounts of insanely good fluff, and interesting places to run games...i am an avid hater of guns in any form in a fantasy, yet i find myself accepting that they work in golarion...i am actually thinking of allowing them in my next game.
Eberron has always been my silent love, because for some reason nobody never wanted to play in it. So, there they sit, beautiful Eberron books, on my shelves, waiting to be used...[Que sad music]
Never liked Dragonlance, mostly because of Kender and Gully dwarves which i loathe.
Played Ravenloft, but it never left an impact on me.
Dark sun i have never played.
Warforged. Conversation de fin.
Warforged are hardly setting-specific. It's just that all of the other settings didn't see the need to rename or let players play as Iron Golems.
|
|
Warforged. Conversation de fin.Warforged are hardly setting-specific. It's just that all of the other settings didn't see the need to rename or let players play as Iron Golems.
Not really. Warforged are far far more then simple iron golems, their amazing fluff is something that made me love Eberron in the first place. I love the idea of such a creature. I am using warforged in my games, albeit different then the Eberron ones.
|
I actually hated their fluff, (and existance mechanically), and that's one of the major strikes against Eberron in my opinion. They rank about the same as having cat-people for that guy/gal types of players (the one you are honestly not sure if that comment was a joke or a hint), I think.
I may have liked them a little with a more DragonLance or Ravenloft spin, but then again, maybe not. I do think Eberron's was probably the worst version, though.
|
Warforged. Conversation de fin.Warforged are hardly setting-specific. It's just that all of the other settings didn't see the need to rename or let players play as Iron Golems.
Personally I don't like warforged, and for that matter, Eberron doesn't do much for me either.
However, sentient Iron Golems I could get behind allowing a player to make.
What I dont like about warforged is that they get all sorts of exceptions to being constructs, and if you want spells to affect them reasonably then you need to include all the construct attacking spells from Eberron.
I like the wayne reynolds art for Eberron, but the rest of the setting came across as either unimpressive or irritating (warforged irritated me, and everything else I read just didnt seem terribly interesting to me as a setting).
I lurve me some planescape. and I played in a spelljammer game once, that was a lot of fun.
Of the (A)D&D settings: Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Birthright, Planescape, Dark Sun, Ravenloft in its 3.0/3.5 White Wolf incarnation, Golarion, Scarred Lands, Mystara, Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved, Midnight, Dragonlance (I like the novels, however), Iron Kingdoms, some minor settings witch names elude me at the moment, Greyhawk (which never appealed to me).
Depending upon my mood the exact order may change a bit, especially in the middle.
Probably important part is that I read only a few FR novels and stories so they hadn't soured Faerun to me - instead I am old fan of Golden Box series and Eye Of The Beholder series (running through EotB I from memory in 5 or 6 hours just to get decently skilled, well geared party 'ported to EotB II was fun... learning that EotB II cut out stoneskin much less).
Ok here is my run down on some D&D published campaign settings I know...
FR: I love the FR. Will always play there.
Ebberon: I like the world have not got any chance to play there much though.
Golarion: I like what they are doing with it so far...the regular support, the currently non-advancing timeline, the novels not being made canon...you know the big mistakes they did with FR...
Dark Sun: Really want to play in a campaign set there...never got the chance too though.
Dragonlance: Is interesting save for the Kender and the feel of it being the 1 story line kinda of place which was already told.
Greyhawk: I always find it rather bland and very generic. Some interesting things though.
Birthright: The one campaign setting I really did not like. Unlike the others which I thought meh of...I don't even think a good GM and a good group could make this world interesting.
Ravenloft: Is not a campaign setting...it is a adventure(or a seris of adventurers) that the idea is to escape from. It is like a tourist trap...a very fun tourist trap.
Mystra: Never got much into the setting.
Spelljammer: Was awesome...never got why people hated it soo much.
Planescape: I love this setting...hopefuly one day I'll get to play in it instead of running it.
Midnight and Iron Kingdoms...are both great setting I hope to get to play in one day.
|
|
I'm bored and inspired a bit by John K above to post about all the settings.
Golarion - Don't think it is perfect but like most of it and like the pulpy fantasy fell to it.
Forgotten Realms - Loved it when it first came out, thought it started to slip as time went on and thought it really started to go down hill when they did the Time of Troubles.
Iron Kingdoms - Good setting that had the best magic/science mix yet done to date. Biggest issue is the setting is way to small and not enough variety but otherwise great.
Greyhawk - Had some very cool parts and to me had some very bland parts.
Birthright - see Greyhawk above.
Ravenloft - fantastic idea, great fluff but I just thought it was poorly implemented. It did work as well as it should have.
Ebberon - Somewhat like IK, with a mix of magic and tech. I thought the magic/tech was not done nearly as well but the setting had a lot more variety. All and all I didn't care for it.
Al-Qadim - To date the best Arabian/Persian style campaign yet done, when I am in the mood for that style of play it is second to none.
Scarred Lands - All and all i thought a pretty good setting but a bit to emo in parts for my taste.
Dragonlance - Great novels, ok setting. The setting and adventures just always felt a bit forced to me.
Dark Sun - Just never liked really anything at all about the setting.
Planescape - never got to read or have much to do with. Seemed like it might be ok.
Midnight - Looked like it had a lot of appeal but also like it might suffer from the same problems as Dragonlance and Ravenloft.
Mystra - Never really got into it.
Spelljammer - *shudder* I can't actually think of anything good to say... other than it had flying ships.
|
|
Ravenloft - fantastic idea, great fluff but I just thought it was poorly implemented. It didn't work as well as it should have.
Scarred Lands - All and all i thought a pretty good setting but a bit to emo in parts for my taste.
Dragonlance - Great novels, ok setting. The setting and adventures just always felt a bit forced to me.
I was just curios if you could explain these comments a bit.
Scarred Lands =Emo? That would likely be one of the absolute last words I would attribute to this setting. What am I missing?
Ravenloft: What didn't work in your opinion? I could see a thousand ways this could go.
DragonLance: If you mean what I think you mean, that was almost completely WotC and FR's fault and a misunderstanding that nearly everyone had of the early 3E system. If not, what do you mean? What was forced?
|
|
Ravenloft - fantastic idea, great fluff but I just thought it was poorly implemented. It didn't work as well as it should have.
Scarred Lands - All and all i thought a pretty good setting but a bit to emo in parts for my taste.
Dragonlance - Great novels, ok setting. The setting and adventures just always felt a bit forced to me.
I was just curios if you could explain these comments a bit.
Scarred Lands =Emo? That would likely be one of the absolute last words I would attribute to this setting. What am I missing?
Ravenloft: What didn't work in your opinion? I could see a thousand ways this could go.
DragonLance: If you mean what I think you mean, that was almost completely WotC and FR's fault and a misunderstanding that nearly everyone had of the early 3E system. If not, what do you mean? What was forced?
For Scarred Lands what I mean by Emo is, there just seemed a bit to much Woe is me aspects to the stuff I read. It had some World of Darkness aspects to it which worked in WoD but for me didn't work as well in a fantasy setting.
For Ravenloft it was said above. It was more of a adventure of trying to escape and not a setting of just where people lived. I actually didn't like the whole snatching people from other worlds aspects to it. The gothic world setting I liked a lot, just not the mist and some of the other aspects. If that makes sense.
Dragonlance, it just felt like the story was already told and you was living in the shadows of it. It is the same reasons I didn't like Middle Earth setting. In both the settings are pretty tied to the novels which where good stories but ... hmm honestly not sure how to explain it. The best way i can think of is... the world didn't feel very sandboxy. It felt pretty linear for a world setting if that make sense.
IMO:
1st Ed.: Greyhawk-Nothing like the classics.
2nd Ed.: Ravenloft-Busted out the old books to add to my Carrion Crown game.
3rd Ed.: Eberron-Enjoyed the techmage aspects and the evocative art.
Pathfinder: Golarion-I love the fact that Golarion has areas that cover pretty much everything, and they blended it in a way that makes sense. Plus all Paizo's products that I purchase fit extremely well into the setting...just sayin'
|
|
For Scarred Lands what I mean by Emo is, there just seemed a bit to much Woe is me aspects to the stuff I read. It had some World of Darkness aspects to it which worked in WoD but for me didn't work as well in a fantasy setting.
Ok, I guess I just define emo a little differently. :) For Scarred Lands, I always viewed it as a mix of absolute survival and post-apocalyptic, in a sense. Pure grit. <it is written by the same company that did 3E ravenloft and WoD, by the way.>
For Ravenloft it was said above. It was more of a adventure of trying to escape and not a setting of just where people lived. I actually didn't like the whole snatching people from other worlds aspects to it. The gothic world setting I liked a lot, just not the mist and some of the other aspects. If that makes sense.
I can see that, but that's also playstyle. Not everyone knows that there is something beyond Ravenloft, but I can see your point.
Dragonlance, it just felt like the story was already told and you was living in the shadows of it. It is the same reasons I didn't like Middle Earth setting. In both the settings are pretty tied to the novels which where good stories but ... hmm honestly not sure how to explain it. The best way i can think of is... the world didn't feel very sandboxy. It felt pretty linear for a world setting if that make sense.
I see what you mean here to, I just want to say that there is so, so much to Krynn beyond the War of the Lance story, or any of the major storylines. I'm not trying to argue, just maybe saying it is worth a second look, perhaps. :)
|
|
Yeah I know White Wolf did Ravenloft and Scarred Lands. I was a DM briefly on the Fangs Fall chat for them.
Yeah I know not everyone knew there was more to Ravenloft, but it was written so that eventually the PC's would find out, most times it was written as if they came from elsewhere. Since it was not a complete setting, but more a collection of mini settings pushed up against each other. If you know what I mean.
I am sure there was, just saying the books. Least the early ones tend to focus on those aspects which I found off putting.
Keep in mind part of this is from memory. For Dragonlance it has been since the mid 90's are so forget exactly when. Since I read any of the books. For Scarred Lands it was mostly in the first 2 years it came out and for Ravenloft, well i actually like the setting. I just wish they had made it a complete world on it's own. So one could more easily ignore the mist stuff if one wanted to.
Also I didn't think you was arguing, more discussing.
|
|
Ravenloft is a complete setting, but also a collection of minisettings at the same time. In Golarion, for example, you could walk (or whatever) from Osirion to Cheliax. You can't do that in Ravenloft, because each of the regions is actually a completely different plane. They are physically connected, but at the same time blocked by a wall that usually forbids acess either way. I'll admit, most of the adventures people know are the "weekend in hell" style, where people are dropped in Ravenloft from another setting and the goal is to find a way out. But there is so much more.
The idea of <not> becomming a Dark Lord yourself, a being so powerful, evil, and dramatic that the Land itself creates another plane (region) around you as your personal prison (forever) is a huge one. Another is that all the regions are actually connected (much more than anyone knows). The default is an entire campaign in a single region.
Like Golarion, the regions span everything from cave-man days to near modern, it just has a much more realistic, lower magic feel. :)
|
You can't do that in Ravenloft, because each of the regions is actually a completely different plane. They are physically connected, but at the same time blocked by a wall that usually forbids acess either way.
You could absolutely travel freely between the domains of the Core. Even with the early stuff (before TSR put out the "Domains of Dread" hardbound) it was done because the maps had roads, some of which led to the other domains...
Most of the Dark Lords do have the power to close the borders of their domains at will, with a small, small few being completely unable to close them at all. However, the Dark Lords tended to keep their domains open unless they had reason to close them (like wishing to trap those pesky adventurers)...
The island and cluster domains were harder to get to, but there were a few well known mist-ways that allowed direct travel to and from most of them (even without the help from the Vistani)...
|
|
You could absolutely travel freely between the domains of the Core. Even with the early stuff (before TSR put out the "Domains of Dread" hardbound) it was done because the maps had roads, some of which led to the other domains...
Most of the Dark Lords do have the power to close the borders of their domains at will, with a small, small few being completely unable to close them at all. However, the Dark Lords tended to keep their domains open unless they had reason to close them (like wishing to trap those pesky adventurers)...
I think its a large part on the GM interpritation. Some books seem to imply it is fairly easy, and some imply it is extremely rare (outside the Vistani and other little tricks) For the most part, most of the Dark Lords that can't close their boarders can't do so because usually they actually are not the true Dark Lord, or it is part of their curse/nature.
But I was also mostly talking to Dark Mistress from what I think his/her perspective on Ravenloft was, not necessarily how it may actually works.
|
Dragonlance always felt a bit small and too dominated by the various wars. Still I have great feelings of nostalgia for the setting.
For me, Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk are my favourites. However, I am finding Golarion as enjoyable as the Realms and have started to get into the lore a bit more now.
Spelljammer was always fun and all the campaigns I participated in were great! Planescape also had a lot of crazy fun.
Above all though, the original version of the Forgotten Realms in the Old Grey Box was all!
|
|
I think its a large part on the GM interpritation. Some books seem to imply it is fairly easy, and some imply it is extremely rare
The original boxed set (the 1st edition boxed set) outright says: "Natives and visitors to this demiplane can travel across the borders between domains. The lords cannot."
The map in the original boxed set showed roads; roads that led from one domain to another. They connected the various cities of the Core; so one could reasonably extrapolate that there was travel and possibly trade going on between the domains of the Core...
The boxed set goes on to say (when talking about the borders of domains in general) that: "Usually, the borders are left open and are indistinguishable to the average traveler."
That seems to suggest that people do cross the borders freely...
Further, the original boxed set said: "Although lords cannot leave their domain, their minions are under no such restriction."
Yes, some lords used special minions, but many, such as Vlad Drakov of Falkovnia conscripted and enslaved normal humans from within his domain AND frequently had them leave the domain to wage war upon the other nearby domains...
The write-up of Gondegal says that after spending time in Folkovnia, he left to wander the demi-plane...
I can site many more examples from the original boxed set alone...
Digitalelf is correct here. In all versions of ravenloft, you can walk from one domain to another. They even have trade roads. The Domain lords can close the boarders at will and the mist do roam the land sometimes making a road not go where you think it does. However roads for the most part work and you can cross boarders.
Keep in mind part of this is from memory. For Dragonlance it has been since the mid 90's are so forget exactly when. Since I read any of the books. For Scarred Lands it was mostly in the first 2 years it came out and for Ravenloft, well i actually like the setting. I just wish they had made it a complete world on it's own. So one could more easily ignore the mist stuff if one wanted to.
You seem to be referring to 2nd edition Ravenloft. Third edition Ravenloft, done by White Wolf was intended as a complete setting focusing on characters being born and living their whole life in the Raveloft, usually spending their life prior to adventuring in single domain, but it wasn't absolute requirement.
More specifically about settings to follow in the footsteps of John and Dark Mistress:
Forgotten Realms: I love the cultural diversity of the Forgotten Realms, maybe except for the most blatant RL proxies: Mulhorand and Unther. One of the few changes of 4th edition I like is destruction of those and return of Imaskari. I don't mind some other realms returning/being transported from Abeir (like the dragonborn lands and tiefling lands) but I miss Halruaa. I don't mind deities being earthy, living breathing entities that can be killed (however 4th edition killed them off-screen without serious reason for killing them other than there is too much deities to handle... WTF?! seriously, how could be a few hundred deities too much?! it's just the beginning of divine fun)
Eberron: Magitech (which I prefer to IK steam-tech), mixed flavor of late colonialism, pulp feel of 20s and 30s and post-war noir. Tasty. I am fan of Glen Cook's Garret P.I. series and I envisioned Eberron similarly - lots and lots of war veterans, non-humans living as second-class citizens amongst the humans and fully accepted demihumans, passing familiarity with things arcane but without specific knowledge.
Damn, I have to gather some party to GM it. One think that I don't like is draconic prophecy as it, as strange it might sound, makes dragons too human for me. Dragons should be rare creatures of primal fury and elemental power not scheming politicians playing behind the scenes conspiracies (exception granted for Shadowrun and my own short story about Wawel Dragon). One thing this setting is lacking are decent number of deities close to the world.
Birthright: Ok, I am sucker for 4X strategy games and I am sucker for nice maps. I'm still thinking from time to time on creating some interesting kingdom rules - I am thinking of adapting things from Eden Odysseys Fields Of Blood. Also the colorful map from the setting... I have seen it and regret that I never had chance to get it. I would minimize the role of Gorgon if I ever get the chance to GM some realm on Cerilia.
Planescape: Multiculutral, multiracial melting pot. Lots and lots of common magics, exotic entities, exotic cultures.
Dark Sun: Another setting that appeals to me by being exotic instead of trying to be another pseudo-middle-to-high-medieval Europe. Bonus points for magical postapocalypse, psychic powers, thri-kreens, antrophagic halflings and lack of standarized color-coded dragons.
Ravenloft: Domain borders explain serious cultural differences between neighboring realms. I like victorian elements without too much obvious real-world pararels (*cough-cough* Paridon).
Golarion: Not bad, not bad. I could live without some RL proxies (mostly Osirion - as I like antiquity ancient Egypt is seriously overdone while ancient Rome is too much ignored in rpg settings). However, primary appeal of that settings lies in it's creators hard working for gamers and with gamers and their constant communication and feedback with the fans.
Scarred Lands: Emo? Actually I felt it always almost completely reverse - it's young world that just got freed from the shackles of primordial entities that were shaping and reshaping, world that just finally coalesced after divine war of creation. Yes, there are thousands of thousands of years of history, but that was just the history of the very process of extended creation, making order from chaos that wasn't ended until just a 150 years ago (or what the time from end of war with Titans was, it was some time since I had contact with that setting, regretfully).
Mystara: Tower Of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara. What to say more? I sacrificed hundreds of icecreams for change to play it in arcade games.
Arcana Undearthed/Evolved: Another exotic world. Bonus point for getting rid of arcane/divine magic division. Of those on this list the closest to actual Sword and Sorcery, I think (it's arguable, of course, but for me anything with pseudo-tolkienesque* elves, halflings and gnomes is hardly S&S).
*may the good professor forgive me that neologism
Midnight: Another setting that has certain post-apocalyptic tone. The evil already won. Now try to survive. Having my name written down in Polish edition in "thank you for participating in forum discussion concerning translation" section together with nine other people strikes my ego and helps like that setting more ;)
Dragonlance: I was fan of novels but like some of the other here I feel that the main stories were already told. Yes, there could be other stories told but for such freedom I prefer many other settings.
Iron Kingdoms: Steamjacks, interesting take on dragons, great trollkin and pygmy trolls (which I intend to steal for Eberron in the future), wonderful bestiaries (monsternomicon I & II) but somewhat lacking something that would really take me into it as such - I'd rather plunder it for ideas to use with other settings.
Spelljammer: One of settings I would love to play. How one can not enjoy swashbuckling ride for Treasure Planet between worlds full of exotic creatures? Ok, some goofines could be cut off: I have no problem with giant space hamsters but tinker-gnomes using them to provide power to 'jammers is too much for me.
Al-Quadim, Kara-Tur and Maztica: Two first were interesting additions to Forgotten Realms - Kara-Turn with it's multiple variants of China and Japan existing next to each other saving the trouble of "which time period in Chine/Japan history to focus as there is too many of them that are interesting". Maztica I can live without and never had problems with its replacement in 4th edition by part of Abeir.
Greyhawk: I understand it's appeal to old-timers as a reminder for good old times but I got in contact with D&D only in late nineties and Greyhawk wasn't exactly fresh world then. Other settings were much more interesting, while Greyhawk was offering little that would spark my interest. Also, the very AD&D wasn't of real interest to me then (except for Dragonlance novels) - as European who started to play in middle of 90s it wasn't and still is not synonymous with rpg as such - only in begining of the current millenium I got more interested with D&D settings.
Huh, I am still feeling that I should voice my opinion about few others minor third party settings that names and themes elude me.
Mystara: Tower Of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara. What to say more? I sacrificed hundreds of icecreams for change to play it in arcade games.
I'll tell you what to say more. I once thought of Mystara as just another setting. I used it, but never thought it a particularly fascinating place... until I read Night's Dark Terror. Wow! Suddenly, the Grand Duchy of Karameikos seemed like a real, living place!
Greyhawk:I understand it's appeal to old-timers as a reminder for good old times but I got in contact with D&D only in late nineties and Greyhawk wasn't exactly fresh world then. Other settings were much more interesting, while Greyhawk was offering little that would spark my interest. Also, the very AD&D wasn't of real interest to me then (except for Dragonlance novels) - as European who started to play in middle of 90s it wasn't and still is not synonymous with rpg as such - only in begining of the current millenium I got more interested with D&D settings.
Only in the beginning of the current millennium did I get more interested with D&D settings... and when I did, I got the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, and became thoroughly hooked.
Also, about Al-Qadim, when I first saw 3.0 conversions of the Hakima and Sha'ir, that was what finally made me think of 3.X as the D&D. To this day, I love those two classes, and still think of 3.X as the D&D.
I'll tell you what to say more. I once thought of Mystara as just another setting. I used it, but never thought it a particularly fascinating place... until I read Night's Dark Terror. Wow! Suddenly, the Grand Duchy of Karameikos seemed like a real, living place!Mystara: Tower Of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara. What to say more? I sacrificed hundreds of icecreams for change to play it in arcade games.
I prefer Glantri myself. But Darokin will always have place in my hart due to aforelinked Tower Of Doom game.
Looks like I started a trend here....
forgot one....
The Red Masque setting: I think that is the name....anyway it was 2nd edtion of Gothic horror set in Victorian Earth. WW updated it to 3rd ed. But this was a very awesome setting that neve ever getts attention. Even the WW update of it did not annoy me like the other things they do.
|
|
Most of the settings I found appealed to different tastes, and I found many of them very tasty indeed.
My favorites would be;
Al-Qadim
the Scarred Lands
After that, some combination of Golarion, the pre-Time of Troubles Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, with mini-settings like Kara-Tur, Freeport and Hamunaptra right up there, too.
I also had plenty of fun with Eberron and Spelljammer, despite them not being my 'first picks.'
The Scarred Lands may or may not be emo, depending on where emo fits on your own personal preferences list, but it did seem that the former vampire writers working on it had a strong preference for the words 'blood' and 'shadow.' :) I sarcastically made up a monster called a 'bloodshadow' for the setting and used it on my first group.
Every time we get a settings thread/debate, there is one thing that keeps surprising me.
Beyond the "big settings", Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, the most beloved settings that people associate with D&D are the 2nd edition AD&D ones. Planescape, Dark Sun, Al-Qadim, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Birthright... All these are settings with more of a gimmick. Nobody could call Spelljammer run-of-the-mill. Decades after their demise, these settings inspire people. Why them? And do people play in them today?
Beyond the "big settings", Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, the most beloved settings that people associate with D&D are the 2nd edition AD&D ones. Planescape, Dark Sun, Al-Qadim, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Birthright... All these are settings with more of a gimmick. Nobody could call Spelljammer run-of-the-mill. Decades after their demise, these settings inspire people. Why them? And do people play in them today?
We still play our FR mega-campaign to this day.
It's the combo of Forgotten Realms, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim, Maztica, Spelljammer, and Planescape. All converted to 3e.
Huh, I am still feeling that I should voice my opinion about few others minor third party settings that names and themes elude me.
I know it is not D&D, but how do folks feel about Talislanta? Whatever it was lacking in mechanics, it certainly was original and imaginative. Years and years ago, my regular D&D players loved a short lived campaign I ran there.
Scarred Lands rule!
I never noticed the shadow thing, but, yeah, there was tons o' blood.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
In order of preference for me:
1. Aviona
2. Other homebrew
3. Modern earth or near-future (Shadowrun, etc.)
4. Greyhawk
5. Eberron or Blackmoor
6. Golarion or Scarred Lands
7. Any of the "gimmick-y" settings: Dark Sun, Al Qadira, Ravenloft, etc.
100. Forgotten Realms of the Mary-Sues.
|
** spoiler omitted **
That's it! A Setting is what you make of it.
But yes, one has preferences...
I'm a GM and use Golarion. Mostly, because I was there when it started and somehow grew up with it. Probably that's the reason why my Golarion has many stuff from Eberron (which I also like as a Setting).
I experienced the "birth" of both of those settings.
I used to play a lot in FR (also mostly GMing) in the '90ies..
But FR, Greyhawk and all the other have kind of alway been there for me.
** spoiler omitted **
Not necessariy true, unfortunately.
What if the game you're in sucks?
Nevermind.
|
|
Oh boy, everybody failed. :-)
Nobody mentioned "Kingdoms of Kalamar". Granted, it was put out by a different company (Kenzer and Company) but I thought they did an excellent job with the setting. I especially liked some (but not all) of the things that they did with languages and thought that their breaking up "Elven" into two different languages made sense.
High Elven - only used by adult "pure blood" elves, because nobody else is going to want to/be able to spend 40 plus years just getting all the appropriate verb conjugations and tenses down.
Low Elven - a "baby talk"/pidgin version of High Elven. This is taught to Elven children first and is the only Elven that half-elves and others who learn "Elven" speak. Used as a trade language by those who wish to do business with Elves for obvious reasons.
As for other settings, there were things that I like about Eberron, though it was a setting that took a while to grow on me.
Golarion is ok. I'll largely end up playing in it simply because it is the Pathfinder setting, but beyond that it doesn't float my boat that well.
I'm working on my own homebrew, but whether or not that will end up getting anywhere remains to be seen.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Eberron. By far.
I started playing AD&D in Greyhawk, a nice and simple setting. But when 3rd Edition was released I fell in love with the Forgotten Realms, which I previously knew thanks to the Baldur's Gate Saga and was thriving to play. I bought every FR book, from any edition, I could find. I read some R.A. Salvatore's novels and my fanaticism for the Realms reached it's maximum. I read some other authors and, despite that, kept being a fan. :P
But then I met Eberron.
At first I was "meh". After all, it didn't have the history and prestige of the Realms and I could just play "magi-tech" in the Shining South. But during the D&D 30th Aniversary I was handled the introductory adventure, "The Forgotten Forge", to GM during the Buenos Aires event. It is an incredible introductory adventure (since then, I played it 5 more times) and when I read it I got instantly hooked by Eberron. I bought the CS and had a totally different experience reading it than with Greyhawk or Forgotten or any other CS.
It was a well thought setting. It had a complete different personality. It addressed some of the problems other settings had and made a lot of twists to the same old fantasy cliches. Eberron has lots of good qualities, but for me, the most important two are these:
1- It is centered in the players. Al RPGs are centered in players, but Eberron put a lot of emphasis in the idea of players being the center of attention. In other settings, specially FR, PCs tend to be overshadowed by the 30th level NPCs who have the most interesting adventures. Of course any reasonable GM can change that fact, but that problem is fixed in the setting's core design.
2- It's a modern fantasy setting. People always say the distinctive aspect of the setting is the "magi-tech", but I don't agree with that. Yeah, magical technology is interesting and special, but the main difference is a cultural difference. Eberron is not a setting of kings, dragons and magical kingdoms. It is a setting about multinational enterprises, ambiguous churches, race problems, post-war societies, knowledge and scientific advancement, cultural clashes, progress, exploration of the unknown, politics and personal rights, and well, of course, dragons and magical kingdoms.
I realized that difference during a game in which a character got severely injured. What did the players do? They took him to the hospital. In traditional D&D, society is kind of a romantic semi-medieval one where injured people is taken, of course, to the magical healer. Where else would you take him? When the answer to that traditional D&D problem became "the House Jorasco Hospital", is started to see all those little differences. Eberron has magic, swords, wizards and a lot of traditional stuff, but is inhabited by modern people. People who are not ignorant peasants but educated city dwellers. People who read newspapers, keep frozen goods in a magical fridges, study in universities and work in corporations. People who lived a terrible war. Not an epic holly war against evil Sauron, but a gritty and dirty war against their neighbors.
Eberron has a lot of topics that in other settings can't be even imagined. Topics that resonate with more strength in us because we live in a very similar world, (magic and dragons left aside) with very similar problems, customs and opportunities for adventure. That's why is my favorite setting.
As a color note, I've been GMing a Rise of the Runelords campaign since 2010 set in the Forgotten Realms' Unapproachable East and I'm playing the Carrion Crown adventure path set in Golarion. I like both settings (specially Golarion) but to me, Eberron is the best one. Also, Planescape is my second favorite setting of all time.
Thanks for reading and excuse my English.
Rhada.