Ratinyourwalls
First Post
I voted Eberron because other than Dark Sun, it's really the only setting specific material I will buy.
Planescape.
With that said, I think a game nowadays needs a default setting. In fact, I don't think it's possible to have a game without one. Even "generic fantasy" is a setting of sorts.
-O
This is how it's done. The DM and the players do whatever they're capable of. No need to the writers of the game to guess what that might be or futilely try to do it for them.If you are not experienced at worldbuilding, great! You don't have to be. Do a silly little adventure. Then do another one. Repeat as necessary. As the adventures happen, narrative cruft will accumulate. During this process, don't be afraid to listen to what your players are saying, and take their suggestions. When a sufficient mass of narrative cruft has accumulated... congratulate yourself, you have built a world.
Umm... this was true in neither 3e (dromites, illumians, catfolk, goliaths, samurai and ninja, oh my!) nor 4e (shardminds, wilden, runepriests and seekers, oh my!).
I think there does need to be an explicit default setting. You can't avoid having a default setting of some kind because just presenting the mechanics says a lot about the world you're going to be playing in.