Do players really care for the campaign setting?

[Turanil]

Many of us, including me, love to create homebrew worlds, and strive to create the perfect one. However, do those who will play in it really care fo all so much work and "brilliant" ideas? Do the players really care for what exact campaign setting they are playing in?

I guess players care for the genre (high fantasy, dark sword & sorcery, pirates, steampunk, etc.), but do they really care for the setting itself? I mean: it history, kingdoms, whatever. Provided it is consistent and features the tropes one likes (i.e.: such as high fantasy with elves, etc., or low-magic with humans only), I suppose most players won't see much different in their gaming experience, whether it is set in this world or that.

Then, another consideration comes to my mind: in a traditional medieval age, most people are ignorant and superstitous, and rarely leave, if ever, the vicinity of their native village. Then, maps of the planets are rarely available, if existing at all. So I guess, one idea would be of taking an already existing world (preferably a homebrew that no player knows about), but not show any map to the players, and not tell them anything beyond their imediate region plus vagu rumors. Then, to make the game more fun to the players, only make sure to make it fit with their preferences (i.e.: like high fantasy with elves, etc., or low-magic with humans only).

 

[Li Shenron]

I'm both a DM and a player.

As a DM, I was too used to put some effort in creating a nice setting, but I have learned that it's not so important for the game. Players do enjoy a nice setting, but typically enjoy a game even without most of the setting being detailed, because anyway the "action" revolves around the PC, which have a "limited access" to time and space.

Meaning that even if they can choose to go anywhere in your world, they simply won't see it all, and what matters is what they see. History can be nice and great to read, but the PC are going to live only THEIR own history, the past without them is not so important.

Most importantly, players will not really care if the setting is original (DM-made) or taken from a published book, or mixed up. Many players won't even notice.

My conclusion is not to stress yourself about the setting, do it only if you like doing that for yourself!

Designing the setting is fun for the DM, doesn't matter if the players won't share much of that fun. Plus, having a setting detailed in your mind (read or written) with the geography, the history, the ecology, will surely help YOU the DM to run the game better: you can create links between adventures, have recurring NPCs, provide some consistency in travel or in climate... These are good things, but we have to understand that it doesn't really need to be all prepared beforehand, and doing that has a disproportionate cost in effort and time compared to how much the players can appreciate at best.

 

[Technomancer]

"I care much for the genre, but the setting is secondary."

I guess players care for the genre (high fantasy, dark sword & sorcery, pirates, steampunk, etc.), but do they really care for the setting itself? I mean: it history, kingdoms, whatever. Provided it is consistent and features the tropes one likes (i.e.: such as high fantasy with elves, etc., or low-magic with humans only), I suppose most players won't see much different in their gaming experience, whether it is set in this world or that.

That describes my preference perfectly. I actually prefer NOT to know too much about the setting up front. Half the enjoyment for me is discovering a new world (although I am a sucker for maps, I love 'em). That's part of the reason I don't like to GM, and when I do, I deliberately leave some things undeveloped so I can "discover" them later along with the players.

Then, another consideration comes to my mind: in a traditional medieval age, most people are ignorant and superstitous, and rarely leave, if ever, the vicinity of their native village. Then, maps of the planets are rarely available, if existing at all. So I guess, one idea would be of taking an already existing world (preferably a homebrew that no player knows about), but not show any map to the players, and not tell them anything beyond their imediate region plus vagu rumors. Then, to make the game more fun to the players, only make sure to make it fit with their preferences (i.e.: like high fantasy with elves, etc., or low-magic with humans only).

I would LOVE a game run in this manner.

 

[Numion]

Setting is like the scenery background on a painting where the characters are in the forefront. What matters is the PCs and their adventures; the dungeon at hand, the NPCs and monsters they meet, the action. Setting is secondary. It is important that a good one exists, but more important is that one exists at all.

 

[diaglo]

as long as there is ale and whores i don't care.

 

[Gold Roger]

It's important to me, but it's not my primary concern. A good system, a good DM and good adventures are (yes, for me a good DM, Adventure Writer and World Creator are three different things for me. That's why there are modules and campaign settings).

That means, I'll be very wary of a game that sacrifices much of a game where the system is changed to much to fit the setting, unless I know the changes and can find them workable.

I like great imersion, but most of that comes imho out of the game, though a good setting can improve it.

So a good setting is pretty much just icing on the cake for me, while a bland or badly put together setting is just a minor inconvenience as long as the "more important" stuff works for me.

 

[Hairfoot]

as long as there is ale and whores i don't care.

The D20 Ale and Whores campaign setting is slated for release in late 2007. Tons of new spells, feats, and prestige classes. No white wine.

 

[mhensley]

I've run and played in games set in Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Blackmoor, Wilderlands, Ptolus, and countless generic ones, but they all feel pretty much the same. Change a few names, add or subtract a couple of races and its a different setting. Change the name of Ptolus to Waterdeep and its a FR game. It just doesn't matter that much.

The only time it does matter is if the setting makes large scale changes to the game. Darksun is a good example of this. There's no way it feels or plays like any of the other settings.

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

I checked the I don't care as long as I am having fun, BUT of the campaign worlds I have played in Greyhawk and Wilderlands are my very favorites and prefer them over others.

 

[Wombat]

I only play about 20% of the time, maybe a bit less, but I feel somehow "cheated" if there isn't a strong setting. I don't just want to run around the valley and level up -- I want to know that my character has a real place in a real world.

If my current players are any indication, they would agree.