Do you use 4e's default setting?

FriarRosing · Jan 2, 2009

I was reading through my copy of Martial Power the other day, and I was noticing that almost all of the fighter paragon paths have detailed introductions that cement them firmly in 4th edition's default setting. I haven't gotten to the paragon paths past the fighter chapter, but all of the ones I've seen so far have talked about the history of the various kingdoms and empires and so forth and how the paths fit in with them. While I think it's kind of cool to have stuff in your game fit in directly with lore, I personally would like it to be more generic--I don't like having various kingdoms and even people named in my class descriptions.

That's just personal opinion, of course.

But I was wondering how many people actually use the gods, setting and history that is mentioned in the books. I don't really use any of it. I've used a couple gods as inspiration for some minor deities, but that's about as far as I go. For me, world building is one of the most rewarding parts of roleplaying games.

Blizzardb · Jan 2, 2009

I don't use anything of the default setting. For the record, I also didn't use anything from the Grayhawk-ish 3.0/3.5 setting. As little of them is described in the core books, both seem too shallow and underdeveloped to me.

Vyvyan Basterd · Jan 2, 2009

I use the default setting expressly because I find it generic enough to meet my needs. I like having some shared basis with my players while still having the openness to create my own vision.

Rechan · Jan 2, 2009

I use the default setting. Well, the cosmology, the primordial/god business, etc. The Gods I could care little about, and stuff like Bael Turath and such, I don't pay any attention to unless it was useful for a campaign.

Halivar · Jan 2, 2009

I use the pantheon, the Feywild, and the Shadowfell. Everything else (cosmology, default setting history) I leave on the table.

Lord Xtheth · Jan 2, 2009

Yeah, I use parts of the default setting. My favorite setting has always been Forgotten Realms though so I just layer whats in the PHB over that and there's my setting.

Obryn · Jan 2, 2009

I'm using Nentir Vale at the moment. I rather like the default setting... it's generic enough for me to throw anything into it. The most I've done outside this is create a world map.

-O

Maltese Changeling · Jan 2, 2009

The cosmology (gods, planes, primordials, etc.) I'm using as is. When it comes to the implicit setting, I drop the specific nomenclatures (e.g., Arkhosia, Bael Turath, Nerath) in favor of the broad strokes (long-ago dragonborn and tiefling empires that are now fallen, a currently fragmenting human empire). I've found that the broad strokes map nicely onto the pre-1066 British history that I'm using as a model for my campaign (the dragonborn are the Celt/Briton analogs pushed back into the borderlands first by the tiefling Roman analogs and then by the human Anglo-Saxon analogs). Even here I play around with nomenclature (e.g., while the dragonborn politically and geographically play the role of the Welsh, their names are based on Old Norse).

darjr · Jan 2, 2009

I've used the default setting. I'm one that is intrigued by it. Mostly though I use the Forgotten Realms setting.

fba827 · Jan 2, 2009

i use a homebrew setting. i may look at the fluff for possible inspiriation on how it might fit in to my homebrew, but do i use the default setting as presented? no.