Favourite D&D Setting

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:19 am

What's your guys favourite D&D setting?
Mine's Eberron. For me, this is true fantasy: technology, magic, intrige, exploration, psionics, flashy manouvres...
I also like the artwork and above all else, the fact that everything from D&D can be found in Eberron. So, if there's a new magic system around the corner, in Eberron, you'll be able to play it.
I find Greyhawk to "niched". It seems like too rigid a world. Maybe because it's so classic (for which other people will love it), or maybe because my rigid DM drools on Greyhawk.
Another favourite of mine is (was) Planescape. It was even more total fantasy than Eberron, with Sigil the hub of all the other settings. This was the greatest idea in D&D history, I think.
Well, over to you.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:09 pm

My personal liking is towards Dragonlance. The whole concept of rar, but powerful, magic is attractive to me. It really makes those that pursue magice earn the power they eventually gain.

That, and it allows for a lot of Dragon combat and Aerial combat, when done right is a lot of fun.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:18 pm

I never really liked the idea of premade worlds for games, especially when you have to basically do homework if you're the DM of a game. My favorite DND setting is one I create in my head every time I start a new game, no backstory or history already made, history just creates itself as I continue the game where the characters find out historical events rather than just being able to go to a library in game and read about it.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:48 pm

Siberys wrote:I never really liked the idea of premade worlds for games, especially when you have to basically do homework if you're the DM of a game. My favorite DND setting is one I create in my head every time I start a new game, no backstory or history already made, history just creates itself as I continue the game where the characters find out historical events rather than just being able to go to a library in game and read about it.

I have tinkered with the idea of doing that, but I always seem to frustrate myself unless I have the information I need, when I need it. Maybe that is just poor foresight on my part in the gaming, not sure.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:48 am

I change what I don't like in a setting. Thinking one up takes loads of time and using a set setting has the advantage of players already feeling at home. At least, that's how I experience it. I admire a DM who can come up with a whole setting of himself and keep it intresting.

Faendalimas · Post by **Faendalimas** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:58 am

For me its the Underdark, based initially off the Menzoberranzan Campaign Setting of 1991. We spread it out from there, mixing in content from alot of other settings where it is relevant including some surface stuff but we keep ourselves planted firmly in the Middledark and work out from there with each adventure. Getting into the social settings of each of the cities in the underdark I find full of intrigue and with plenty of places for mischief.

Cheers, Faen

Pellinore · Post by **Pellinore** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:16 pm

I liked the Greyhawk setting, preferring dungeon crawls. I think my favorite quest was the Lendore Isles (Assassin's Knot) and, of course, Castle Ravenloft (the original module starting the Ravenloft campaign setting). Temple of Elemental Evil was great, too.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:24 pm

GawainBS wrote:I change what I don't like in a setting. Thinking one up takes loads of time and using a set setting has the advantage of players already feeling at home. At least, that's how I experience it. I admire a DM who can come up with a whole setting of himself and keep it intresting.

Actually I don't create a whole setting. I only make a portion of it and any campaign I ever do has a very simple idea but a complex adventure. Like, for instance, Necromancy is evil thus it's outlawed. This is the logical simple idea, but there are so many ways you can create a completely unique necromancy based campaign.

Maybe even a slightly more complex idea stemming from a similar one, like the campaign I'm doing now. Chaositech is the mutilation of body parts to fuse in machinery very unnaturally. This is similar to necromancy as necromancers mutilate dead bodies for there purposes as well. Chaositech is thus outlawed just as much as necromancy, and now I have a whole new books worth of material to use.

So, once I have the idea, I pick a setting, a desert merchant city that imports and exports to all other cities across the continent. This type of place you could find a lot of things, metal and steel, along with tools and trade, a primo place where Chaositech could exist for say goblin bandits. So, start the campaign with goblin attacks, a cliche but simple start, then expand into chaositech and organizations and such.

Very simple to do really. And as for traveling, maps, and places and stuff, I just take a video game map, blank out the names of cities, and fill in my own stuff for ease of use. I still have a map and a simple setting, but not all that history and exposition to gods and wars that feel too much like homework.

Ferrick · Post by **Ferrick** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:22 pm

Greyhawk: A lot of fun memories and even though it is pregenerated in political intrigue and history it is still very, very flexible that the DM has tons of room to improvise, modify, and outright jettison if need be.

Wilderlands: Very open, very fun.

The Scarred Lands: Very different in feel.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:47 am

Siberys wrote:Actually I don't create a whole setting. I only make a portion of it and any campaign I ever do has a very simple idea but a complex adventure. Like, for instance, Necromancy is evil thus it's outlawed. This is the logical simple idea, but there are so many ways you can create a completely unique necromancy based campaign.

Maybe even a slightly more complex idea stemming from a similar one, like the campaign I'm doing now. Chaositech is the mutilation of body parts to fuse in machinery very unnaturally. This is similar to necromancy as necromancers mutilate dead bodies for there purposes as well. Chaositech is thus outlawed just as much as necromancy, and now I have a whole new books worth of material to use.

So, once I have the idea, I pick a setting, a desert merchant city that imports and exports to all other cities across the continent. This type of place you could find a lot of things, metal and steel, along with tools and trade, a primo place where Chaositech could exist for say goblin bandits. So, start the campaign with goblin attacks, a cliche but simple start, then expand into chaositech and organizations and such.

Very simple to do really. And as for traveling, maps, and places and stuff, I just take a video game map, blank out the names of cities, and fill in my own stuff for ease of use. I still have a map and a simple setting, but not all that history and exposition to gods and wars that feel too much like homework.

So, don't your players ask "why"? Maybe it's just the buggers at my table, but they would ask "why" constantly. "Why is that temple powerful?" "Where can I find cheap prices?" *starts unraveling economics of city*
Not to degrade your ideas, they sound great, but I know why I want some solid background.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:30 pm

They don't ask often, but when they do I either improvise or already have than as an answer in my campaign notes.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:44 pm

Nice.

May I send my group over to you, for a change?

Give them 99 options, and they choose the hundreth.

ursapine · Post by **ursapine** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:52 am

of the premade settings, i like the ravenloft setting. but as a lot of others i like best to come up with my own settings, and maybe use a setting as inspiration

Philos · Post by **Philos** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:51 pm

I started like many with Greyhawk and still enjoy finding previously unread (by me

) material and adding to the background. But I really started gaming with a great DM who was very creative and had a great campaign world he created. This inspired me to create one as well. I have done two now actually. For created settings though, I favor Krynn from Dragon Lance. Mostly for the same reason Aegis mentioned. I love dragons and with magic & magic items being much scarcer finding an item is something to behold. I admit a great fondness to the Forgotten Realms too though. Most of the groups I have gamed with have been in various parts of it. The one that I though had possibilities but never tried was Harn. I found some old stuff in a discount box in a gaming shop and thought it looked interesting.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:15 am

Harn? Never heard of it. Care to elaborate a bit about it?

Dummy · Post by **Dummy** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 5:47 am

Pellinore wrote:I liked the Greyhawk setting, preferring dungeon crawls. I think my favorite quest was the Lendore Isles (Assassin's Knot) and, of course, Castle Ravenloft (the original module starting the Ravenloft campaign setting). Temple of Elemental Evil was great, too.

i go for greyhawk too

did you finish toee once ?
we made 3 runs but our adventure group went stuck each time ^^
in different places though, but its a great adventure though

but i like dark sun to get things a bit spiced up some times too

but poor me, my dnd group no longer exists
and i recently found information about the great kingdom and the scarlet brotherhood darn

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:41 am

I like Dark Sun as well. Anything that incorporates Psionics to such a degree deserves praise.

Uller · Post by **Uller** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:01 pm

Favourite "Premade" Campaign setting for obvious reasons currently is Forgotten Realms - basically due to its lush history and extreme amount of content and material to draw from.

Favourite "Premade" old Campaign setting Greyhawk - basically loved the old concept of the "Cirlce of Eight" (a very powerful group of wizards e.g. Tenser, Bigby etc) ruling over the lands.

Favourite Current Campaign setting obviously is my own
- which is called "Chaon" (it all evolves around a point of history known as "The Time of Chaos" so basically my time scale on historical events follow a "BC" which is "Before Chaos" and "AC" which is "After Chaos")
Basically I believe in doing the "homework" before running a session as the DM also am a strong believer in constantly building on the same world/campaign setting to create a lush, detailed, engrossing and imaginative experience for players with a stack load of history, background story and detail.

Pellinore · Post by **Pellinore** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 6:30 pm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pellinore
I liked the Greyhawk setting, preferring dungeon crawls. I think my favorite quest was the Lendore Isles (Assassin's Knot) and, of course, Castle Ravenloft (the original module starting the Ravenloft campaign setting). Temple of Elemental Evil was great, too.

i go for greyhawk too
did you finish toee once ?
we made 3 runs but our adventure group went stuck each time ^^
in different places though, but its a great adventure though

but i like dark sun to get things a bit spiced up some times too

but poor me, my dnd group no longer exists
and i recently found information about the great kingdom and the scarlet brotherhood darn

I never got to finish ToEE either as a player or a DM. Always got killed or got the players killed... I mean characters

I thought Dark Sun sucked... but not as bad as Spelljammer. Dark Sun was a good idea that never grew on me, I liked the set up with the Templars and Defilers and the cannibal halflings but thats about it. It was too Mad Max/Dune-ish for me...

I really started liking the Birthright setting but got out of gaming at about the same time it came out so I never got the chance to fully look into it.

Dragonlance was great as a story world but I never got into it much as a gamer. Loved the change in halflings and minotaurs. And the Gully Dwarfs!

Lord_Chaos · Post by **Lord_Chaos** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:09 pm

i agree

Siberys wrote:I never really liked the idea of premade worlds for games, especially when you have to basically do homework if you're the DM of a game. My favorite DND setting is one I create in my head every time I start a new game, no backstory or history already made, history just creates itself as I continue the game where the characters find out historical events rather than just being able to go to a library in game and read about it.

i have to agree with Siberys here i never muched liked premade worlds and love the idea of just going with the flow of my imagination when i write up a campaign, besides i love variety with a good campaign like some woodlands, caverns, dungeons, castles, the underdark, even aquatic i mean it seems aquatic campaigns are in rare supply where it opens up a whole new stratagy of gaming