Back in 'The Day' when I started, (1979) I had to build my own world out of necessity. I didn't get the Greyhawk Gazeteer until '83 but I had Greyhawk modules from the inception of my gaming life. So every module forced me to build on to my land for my players, First it was T1 so I made a valley where Hommlet was, then it was A1-A4 so I built a coast out from the valley where this went on, then G1-G3, the D series, Q1, The S Series and so forth... My homebrewed world was built on fragments of Greyhawk... As I started making my own adventuers they weaved in and my world deviated.. after nearly 27 years My world and Greyhawk don't look a thing alike but I can see the hints of it beneath the layers of my own campaigns..
I voted for Greyhawk because my homebrewed world owes its existence to it.
After Greyhawk and my own world First comes Spelljammer, (which I still use, modified to 3.5) Second comes Birthright (A lovely setting and its mass combat system was just cool. I use the 3.X birthright system now as well), Planescape, Mystara, Dark Sun... I don't have anything against the others just not my favorite places to play or DM.
What's your favorite campaign setting?
Edit: Greyhawk was originally accidentally omitted from the poll options. If you voted for "Other" instead of Greyhawk, you can change your vote.
(It might take awhile for the Greyhawk option to reappear.)
You forgot BIRTHRIGHT/Cerilia, AL-QADIM/Zakhara, and JAKANDOR.
IRON KINGDOMS is neither a TSR nor WotC branded setting.
IRON KINGDOMS is neither a TSR nor WotC branded setting.
Neither is Homebrew, but who's complaining? :P
What is it that makes Greyhawk so attractive to gamers? According to this poll by now, it is the most favorite setting (28%).
Is it the continual support by paizo? or is it the flexibility - is it only a canvas on which every DM can paint his own picture? Or what else?
For me, it is nostalgia (I collect GH since about 1989) and the flexibility - I think you can integrate pretty much everything into the setting. What I like also is that some of the material is fanwork, and not only the product of professional designers - thats the way I see FR, for example. Basically, Erik Mona started out as a fan of the setting, IIRC. And paizo seems to me to be halfway between fan and professional regarding GH.
Just my 2c,
Stefan
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What is it that makes Greyhawk so attractive to gamers? According to this poll by now, it is the most favorite setting (28%).
Is it the continual support by paizo? or is it the flexibility - is it only a canvas on which every DM can paint his own picture? Or what else?For me, it is nostalgia (I collect GH since about 1989) and the flexibility - I think you can integrate pretty much everything into the setting. What I like also is that some of the material is fanwork, and not only the product of professional designers - thats the way I see FR, for example. Basically, Erik Mona started out as a fan of the setting, IIRC. And paizo seems to me to be halfway between fan and professional regarding GH.
Just my 2c,
Stefan
It isn't just the examples you sited, it is familiar. You can read the 3-core books and envision Greyhawk. No supplements needed to run a bare-bones Greyhawk, no setting specific spells (other than by names), no setting specific critters, no specially tailored pantheon, all of core fits in. I actually run Greyhawk campaigns with a touch of homebrew....I despise that every day in Greyhawk for the past 1000+ years is mapped out in terms of history, so I just ignore most of the history and inject my own (and whatever the PCs have accomplished). If I want to overrun Greyhawk city with a Bladeling army, I can, as long as I ignore the timeline and develope my own timeline. Worst thing I hated about Realms and D-Lance was that huge changes were made to the settings over the years and it seems like it was done just make previous sourcebooks obsolete. As long as they don't rip apart Greyhawk with a Cataclysm or a Dragonwar it is always Greyhawk. Never Greyhawk:Post Big Event. That is why I love Greyhawk. Others may have other opinions (which obviously do not matter, as I am Fake Healer and all others shall bow before my will) on what is cool about Greyhawk.
FH
As long as they don't rip apart Greyhawk with a Cataclysm or a Dragonwar it is always Greyhawk. Never Greyhawk:Post Big Event. That is why I love Greyhawk.
Well, there were the Greyhawk Wars, but most people I know ignore them completely. IMO a completely unnecessary attempt to shake things up and look cool for the teenagers just before TSR perished.
Greyhawk is, by far, my favorite, although I prefer to DM in my own homebrewed setting.
Greyhawk. The classics are classic for a reason. Thanks to Paizo for keeping up the support of Greyhawk in their magazines.
Look at that Dark Sun and Mystara showing. Very respectable. I'm quite surprised Eberron didn't score higher. I vote GH.
FR, no setting has the complexity of the Realms. Like one of the Board members on WotC's FR board said: If you scratch the surface of a setting, you see your leg. If you scratch the surface of FR you find more, if you scratch it, you find more, there is no limit of scratching you can do. And as member of the Elven Netbook proyect I can only agree with him, since the begining of the proyect I've learned lots of things about the elves of Faerun I had no idea, even being the elf fan I'm.
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FR, no setting has the complexity of the Realms. Like one of the Board members on WotC's FR board said: If you scratch the surface of a setting, you see your leg. If you scratch the surface of FR you find more, if you scratch it, you find more, there is no limit of scratching you can do. And as member of the Elven Netbook proyect I can only agree with him, since the begining of the proyect I've learned lots of things about the elves of Faerun I had no idea, even being the elf fan I'm.
FR for similar reasons.
If I had started to play D&D earlier, I'd vote for GH in all likelihood.P.S.
I missed "Midnight" as a voting option, it's a close second for me.
It's the main advantage and disadvantage at the same time. Complex settings mean long (if impossible) efforts to get your grip on the setting...
i played homebrew,but i do have to say that forgotten realms is by far the best campaign, from what ive read eberron is a great setting. anyway thats just my two cents
by the way drizzt rules!
So when is Paizo going to buy Greyhawk off WotC? You could even get Gygax and Kuntz to have some input into the setting then.
What is it that makes Greyhawk so attractive to gamers? According to this poll by now, it is the most favorite setting (28%).
Is it the continual support by paizo? or is it the flexibility - is it only a canvas on which every DM can paint his own picture? Or what else?
Partially, it is a skewed poll. Perhaps you have noticed the lack of numbers in the 11-13 year-old demographic? I have. If these boards represent the true face of gaming (that 75% of RPGers are closer to their fifties than their teens) the industry is headed for trouble.
GGG
FR, no setting has the complexity of the Realms. Like one of the Board members on WotC's FR board said: If you scratch the surface of a setting, you see your leg. If you scratch the surface of FR you find more, if you scratch it, you find more, there is no limit of scratching you can do. And as member of the Elven Netbook proyect I can only agree with him, since the begining of the proyect I've learned lots of things about the elves of Faerun I had no idea, even being the elf fan I'm.
You are completely right. However, this is exactly the reason why I don't like FR much. The Realms are so detailed that I have to study it, taking much more of my time, and spoiling me the fun of creating my own stuff. Also, as so much is described there are more things I dislike than any setting (a statistically result). However, I admit that this is all a question of taste. Your values are as good as mine, despite being the opposite.
Dark Sun, no doubt. And Greyhawk is the vice-champion.
Does this poll indicate that Dungeon would actually consider publishing a Dark Sun adventure? I'd imagine it would be too on the margins, eh?
Mystara based adventures seem to fit in nice and easily into a GH and FR campaign.
Hey, alright! Someone gave Birthright some love! I hated seeing a campaign setting get the doughnut vote.
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Yes, and they could rewrite the entire setting so as to do away with all the questionable additions of recent years.
As much as I love GH, what you said underscores the one big problem with that setting. Assuming WotC sold it to a third party publisher (be it Paizo or another), all the GH fans (myself included) who yelled loud enough for GH to return from the dead would immediately start arguing about what is (and isn't) GH "canon".
You'll get the EGG fans, the Sargent lovers, those who swear by LG, the pre-GH Wars crowd, the post-GH Wars crowd, etc...
In short, a mess.
Still, it warms my old heart to see the beloved setting of my first role-playing days get so much love in this poll. Proves that the 'hawk still has what it takes!
Thank you for the funeral eulogy.
There is obviously still great interest(and some money)in the
Greyhawk setting. Buy it Paizo, you're worthy!
I just can't tear myself from developing my own homebrew. Being relatively new to D&D (despite my ardent love for it), I missed out on the height of the Greyhawk days, and have never really seen anything for it (I don't really know about any LFGSs in the region, so I'm left with the selection at Borders and Waldenbooks), so I can't really make an call. I like FR overall, but the complexity is too much for me. I want to create and develop, and there just doesn't feel to be a lot of "room" in FR. The thought of playing in it is appealing, however, because there is a lot of culture to latch onto for a character. I often feel lost in other people's homebrews (I wonder if they feel the same way in mine?), and appreciate having all the info laid out in writing before me, like in FR.
Eberron looks more and more interesting. I've got to borrow my friend's book on it and look over the thing.
However, as I said initially, my urge to create is just too strong to be denied, and I remain dedicated to the crafting of my homebrew. There's just a thrill in getting an idea for a region, and thinking about the people and history, and designing the terrain and getting it just right for your purposes. Then figuring out how to integrate it all, and looking back at the big picture and watching a definite sense of history, style, and depth emerge in the world, all from your own hand. Plus, I have total and absolute free reign without feeling like I'm tripping over some previously established canon. I also have the best understanding and connection possible with the people and organizations, since I made them! I know "what" everything is, and "where" it is.
World building rules; continent of Saern, world of Orbyon all the way!
Greyhawk has everything I look for.
Greyhawk has a near-and-dear place in my heart, but locally it tends to be a case of the few Old School Greyhawkers outvoted/-shouted by the numerous Eberron Kids. The strongest arguement forwarded was the fact that WotC really hadn't produced anything to directly support the setting. After that comment, I traded in a large amount of stuff at the local book and music exchange so everyone in my gaming group would have a copy of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer.
Now, hopefully, that anti-Greyhawk advocate will be sucked in by the depth of the setting (with an extra helping of other Greyhawk information thrown into our STAP campaign, like a more active Scarlet Brotherhood presence in Sasserine).
Forotten Realms by far. While so much life has been detailed in this world, so much still needs to be covered. Keep'em coming!
How is homebrew a cop out answer; I dont understand
Forgotten Realms. I really like high fantasy.
my homebrew is based in all the myths and legends we all know; so if you read any Arthurian or 10000 Arabian Nights or Celtic or Norse or Roman/Greek or whatever myths and stories; they are all in my world at various stages as well as stuff from familiar books that all of us have read. So not sure if my is homebrew if I use that book that has all the stuff layed out for everyone; I guess my settings are homebrew; my maps are not; and the dieties and cultures are from dieties and demigods. Hmm; so am I an Other or a Homebrew; not sure myself; seems Semi-Homebrew heeh.
I know what you mean about being lost in some peeps homebrews; I have a lot of friends who run homebrews and I feel like that because there is no reference for their religions and stuff; so if you play a class that requires a diety; and the GM hasnt anything written or codefied that you can use and all you get is a name and a few months later some garbage about your not following the religion that you still know nothing about; well lost is a pleasent way to express it.
I voted Ravenloft, as it's the setting I have spent the most time running, tho Greyhawk is my second choice.
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FR, no setting has the complexity of the Realms. Like one of the Board members on WotC's FR board said: If you scratch the surface of a setting, you see your leg. If you scratch the surface of FR you find more, if you scratch it, you find more, there is no limit of scratching you can do. And as member of the Elven Netbook proyect I can only agree with him, since the begining of the proyect I've learned lots of things about the elves of Faerun I had no idea, even being the elf fan I'm.
I totally concur and for the same reasons. I love the ever-evolving political landscape and the detail put into the timeline. When I first started playing D&D, I got the Greyhawk boxset and it was cool enough. Then I played in campaign where the DM was using the old 'greybox' FR setting. I remember seeing the maps and being totally bowled over. They were as realistic as any real-world maps that you could find out there. I remember comparing the Realms maps with those from my GH boxset (with the hexs printed on the map). There was no contest; the FR maps were so much cooler. I loved the fact that there was an acetate hex insert that you could overlay over the maps without them being spoiled by a permament overprint.
And remember, it's because of old 'greybox' that we have wyrm and great wyrm dragons. Before that boxset came out, the top age of dragons was ancient!
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I despise that every day in Greyhawk for the past 1000+ years is mapped out in terms of history
Uh?
In the most recent accessory (LGG), Greyhawk's history takes up a grand total of 4 pages.
In comparison, FR's history (as outlined in A Grand History of the Realms) takes up 78 pages and every freakin' year has its own name!
GH never had that level of detail and that's one of the reasons of its success: room to put what you want.
While I love (in no particular order) Dragonlance, Eberron, Dark Sun, Spelljammer (don't worry folks, I'm still working on the savage tide adaptation- I just haven't posted anything new yet), Mystara(if only for the side scrolling beat 'em ups and the fact that it is the first setting), and Greyhawk(a new love thanks to folks like Lilith and Fakey), I voted for my own homebrew. If I don't love myself, who will?
I tend not to vote for the "normal/generic" campaign settings for things like this. I'd rather play in my own than someone else's generic setting--if I had to play in a generic fantasy setting.
So if it's published, I prefer something different than the norm. Something I probably wouldn't have come up with myself on such a large scale.
So Dark Sun got my vote. Ravenloft would be my second. Dragonlance the third as it's somewhat of a borderline generic setting. The storyline there helps move it from the center a bit.
If I don't love myself, who will?
I will, Freehold DM. I will love you.
My vote goes to Greyhawk, just because it's where I play when I DM and it's kind of useless to vote for my unpublished homebrew, even though I've had much fascinating fun creating it.
If I don't love myself, who will?I will, Freehold DM. I will love you.
Thank you, Jade. Thank you.
My vote goes to Greyhawk, just because it's where I play when I DM and it's kind of useless to vote for my unpublished homebrew, even though I've had much fascinating fun creating it.
I must say thee nay, Peruhain! Vote for your setting! Us worldsmiths have to stick together!
Why, Mystara of course!
What's that? Why do I like Mystara best?
Well, since you asked...
- Red Box, Blue Box, Green Box, Black Box & Gold Box
(aka: Basic, Expert, Companion, Masters & Immortals Boxed Sets)
- Known World, Hollow World, Red Steel, Savage Baronies
- Gazetteers and Creature Cruicibles
- B10 Nights Dark Terror -- Best. Module. Ever! (Ever!!)
- B1-9 In Search of Adventure Compilation
- X1 Isle of Dread
- X2 Castle Amber
- X4/X5/X11 Master of the Desert Nomads Trilogy
- The Alphatian Empire vs. The Empire of Thyatis
- Darokin Diplomatic Corps
- Traladarn Gypsies
- Minrothad Merchant Princes
- The Seers of Yavdlom
- Ierendi: the Adventurer's Holiday Getaway
- Shadow Elves not Drow
- Immortals not Gods
- Law vs Chaos not Good vs Evil let's hear it for shades of grey, baby!
- Myoshima, the "invisible moon" and its Japanese-flavoured Rakastan societies
- Bargle the Infamous can't forget Bargle!
- The wreck of the F.S.S. Beagle
- Blackmoor
...
...
I could go on (and on, and on, an on...), but I won't. :-)
:-j
With one answer, I chose Greyhawk without a thinking.
But other settings have different flavor which is just great, because I like diversity.
Ravenloft, Dark Sun have a really different feeling and I can't forget Dragonlance for the original campaign and novels.
Some others are good too.
/me would like to see more Greyhawk material published...
Thanks to Paizo, Dungeon magazine is my official Greyhawkstuff retailer.