When I talk with some of the grognards in our group about the 'way things used to be', they very fondly recall what I like to call the "Mystery of the Absolute Setting." The reason for these whisps of nostalgia generally fall into one of two categories: the search for the Unknown (the mystery) and a single Known World (an Absolute Setting).
Today there are many different campaign settings, but 'back in the day' there was really only one set of popular published canon and it all took place in the known world. Reading the Monster Manual, there were assumptions about the world the creatures lived in. This is still true today in 3E and 4E, but back then there was no legacy. The closest thing you had to 'tradition' and 'roots' was a hodgepodge collection of myths from dozens of real-world and fictional cultures. As adventures were published, names of cities and heroes and backstories were revealed slowly. There was only one assumed world, and it was presented like the inside out method in the DMG.
Like original D&D, Golarion and the new Points of Light setting are also doing this:
"Start with a small area and build outward. Don't even worry about what the whole world looks like, or even the kingdom. Concentrate first on a single village or town, preferably with a dungeon or other adventure site nearby."
Other settings, like Eberron and the 3rd edition 'Default World' of Greyhawk, have been presented outside in.
"Start with a big picture - [view] a map of an entire continent or portion thereof....you could start with a grand [understanding of] how a number of kingdoms and nations interact..."
By drawing new players and DMs into a default world that is already filled out (like Greyhawk, or even FR or Eberron), you are not presenting D&D as it was originally.
What do you think? Do you like Golarion's presentation? So far there have been TWELVE adventures, nearly a thousand pages of material between what's been printed and snippets of dialog from the developers online. It's a 'slow reveal', presented almost exactly as Greyhawk was originally.
If you enjoy this, what is your opinion of using a new 'Points of Light' Known World as the default assumption for D&D?
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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What do you think? Do you like Golarion's presentation? So far there have been TWELVE adventures, nearly a thousand pages of material between what's been printed and snippets of dialog from the developers online. It's a 'slow...
I think you've hit upon one of the reasons Golarion is so exciting. It is still very much a mystery and we are finding ourselves in it and experiencing it as it grows.
I know that the Golarion chronicles is going to provide other options but I'm sure many will feel as I do that the Pathfinder series, no matter where you start it, is the way to first experience Golarion.
Has anyone done anything like this before? A monthly magazine that built a world, one adventure at a time? It just seems so right!!
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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I really like your distinction and terminology.
It depends on the kinds of characters and adventures you want to run. In Eberron, the Mourning and its aftermath really change the feel of the world. It would be possible to give little dribbles of information here and there (imagine the "Player's Guide to Eberron" entries, all scattered through different products.)
But then you'd have people running Eberron for a while and then realizing, "Whoa! I'm playing a 200-year-old Warforged Artificer, and I suddenly read that Warforged have come from the Last War!" "Hey! I created 21 dragonmark houses for my campaign, and now I see that there are only twelve!"
By presenting Golarion in small pieces, the Paizoids are tacitly promising that there won't be any major, character-altering secrets they let out of the bag later on. There won't be any "Wait a sec! Halflings can fly??" revelations.
You'll notice, by the way, that so far very few people have been running homebrew campaigns in Golarion. I knew people who satarted to do so immediately after Eberron's core book came out.
If you enjoy this, what is your opinion of using a new 'Points of Light' Known World as the default assumption for D&D?
Frankly the default PoL setting of 4E was one of the biggest selling points for 4E for me, if not the biggest selling point. A base setting with no assumptions except what I, the DM, put in there. Players discover the world's main parts after the Characters do, not the other way around. Characters and players encountering unknown monsters or ruins for the first time together.
The problem is is that they shoehorned it onto the Forgotten Realms. They got rid of the generic fantasy races of gnomes and half-orcs from the PHB and introduced the specific fantasy races of tieflings and Dragonborn.
IMO, They took a great campaign setting idea and then s*** on it because their ideas are "cool."
HALFLINGS CAN FLY!?! Wait until I tell my DM. Lyle's gonna get a new trick.
I really like your distinction and terminology.
Thanks!
You'll notice, by the way, that so far very few people have been running homebrew campaigns in Golarion. I knew people who satarted to do so immediately after Eberron's core book came out.
I've written a few mini-mods and posted them on the Pathfinder boards and I've ran a few others as Side Treks. Setting Scope is what makes that possible. You can run a dozens of sessions in a city or 'vale' (seems to be more commonly used lately).
You're right about Eberron. It was intentionally designed as a 'small world'; people can quickly travel from one side of the continent to the other, and all of the factions seem to be everywhere. Because of this, I think it isn't the best choice as the default setting for a new edition of D&D. (Yes, even I can't believe I said that...)
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When I talk with some of the grognards in our group about the 'way things used to be', they very fondly recall what I like to call the "Mystery of the Absolute Setting." The reason for these whisps of nostalgia generally fall into one of two categories: the search for the Unknown (the mystery) and a single Known World (an Absolute Setting).
I think that will be my new catch phrase, Mystery of the Absolute Setting . That's just brilliant. Everytime I use it I will make sure I give you credit.
I started gaming in Greyhawk but by that time the Greyhawk boxed set was released and there was a clear overview of the world. Even then the setting was left indistinct and vague. It was a good model of what world building should be like, in my opinion.
For some reason I got it in my head that a more complete setting is better. I assume this came from changing trends. As a GM I have found myself obesessing over details because that is what I thought my players wanted. Recently I realized, as it applies to my GMing style, I was wrong. Ptolus really helped with that revelation.
Players want an intriguing setting but they don't necessarily want a vast one. An engaging environment can be small and grow from there. To reflect this changing view I started a new homebrew that will develop in this way.
As this applies to Golarion, I think the approach has been exciting and fascinating. I like exploring the world little by little. Even as the GM I feel like I am learning something everytime I read a new release. And, if I ever get around to running these adventures, I will get the opportunity to explore the world with the players. I like that idea because I am an explorer at heart.
This design tenet is one of the things that appeals to me about 4e. I don't think they should force such a philosophy on existing worlds but for a new default setting the idea really works. I feel like Wizards started to deviate from the "default" Greyhawk assumption with adventures like Scourge of the Howling Horde, the Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde, and the Red Hand of Doom. I liked those adventures and the mini-settings they provided. I hope that is what we will see in the future as well.
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HALFLINGS CAN FLY!?! Wait until I tell my DM. Lyle's gonna get a new trick.
Your DM here...no they can't...well, not without the fly spell that's for sure...you have been misinformed. ;-)
And buy the way to the OP: this is exactly why I like Golarion so much, it's like I'm explorreing it a litte at a time and DON'T know everything about it at once!
-DM Jeff