I hate homebrewed campaign settings. Thoughts?

[Mikael Sebag]

Cuchulainn wrote:

Part of the Elminster problem is that he is basically a god. There isn't any likelihood of him being killed.

What would make more sense for a campaign world is for the "Elminster" to be a fading star. Retired, weakening, and soon to die. Then it makes sense for the PCs to strive to fill the power vacuum (for the good, presumably, but as the campaign goes) that his demise will cause.

If the same campaign world is used again and again, have each subsequent campaign occur in that transition - the "Elminster" of the day could have been recently assassinated, for example.

I think this is an excellent point. It's almost as if the PCs must "step up to the plate", so to speak, and take on the mantle and responsibilities of the world's most powerful individuals, thus cementing their own place in the setting's history. It also shows what sort of fate the PCs might have themselves if they survive their adventures and makes the powerful NPC still powerful, just not in his/her current incarnation.

I'm so using this at some point.

[Freesword]

Mikael Sebag wrote:

Cuchulainn wrote:

Part of the Elminster problem is that he is basically a god. There isn't any likelihood of him being killed.

What would make more sense for a campaign world is for the "Elminster" to be a fading star. Retired, weakening, and soon to die. Then it makes sense for the PCs to strive to fill the power vacuum (for the good, presumably, but as the campaign goes) that his demise will cause.

I think this is an excellent point. It's almost as if the PCs must "step up to the plate", so to speak, and take on the mantle and responsibilities of the world's most powerful individuals, thus cementing their own place in the setting's history. It also shows what sort of fate the PCs might have themselves if they survive their adventures and makes the powerful NPC still powerful, just not in his/her current incarnation.

I agree and this is along the lines of what I was trying to get at.

If the PCs are perpetually stuck in the shadow of the most powerful NPCs in the setting, it really gets disheartening. People should be looking to the PCs to be heroes, not just somebody helping out until the "real" heroes can show up.

This is not unique to published campaign settings like the Realms, but infests homebrew settings as well in instances of the PCs constantly in the shadow of the DM's pet NPCs.

How the DM handles the setting is more of a make or break point than if the setting is published or homebrew.

[PulpCruciFiction]

I’d recommend listening to the Sons of Kryos interview with Ed Greenwood from Gen Con 2006. They discuss a lot of the problems that people have with the Realms’ uber-NPCs, Elminster in particular. Greenwood explains that he never intended for Elminster to become the face of the setting, and encourages people playing in the setting to really make it their own and dump anything that would get in the way of the PCs taking center stage. For example, Jeff (one of the podcasters) mentions a Forgotten Realms campaign he ran which opened with the PCs finding Elminster crucified on the side of a road, and Greenwood seems to really get into the idea. Not to mention that Greenwood has a great speaking voice.

I think you can find the podcast here:
http://genconlive.dragonslanding.com/?p=40

[NeonParrot]

I knew a Jeff who ran Red Monastery and that was without a doubt the most dangerous dungeon I have ever been in. We fought the hand and foot of a dead god in one room. SCARY like demi-lich scary. He had a great world, albeit a small one but there was lots to do.

Personally, I like the Forgotten Realms. I just think Ed Greenwood is tops. Ed, are you listening? Ed?