Favorite Third-Party Settings

[Teflon Billy]

In order of descending favor...

• Dawnforge
• Warlords of the Accordlands
• Xcrawl

So awesome.

I've only got to play Dawnforge for a proper campaign, but it is by far one of my favorite settings ever. Tons of character options, very high-powered play (that somehow doesn't seem all munchkin), and a world filled to the brim with adventure possibilities.

Xcrawl I've played a few one-offs of, and it;s a scream. We played it as essentially a pro-wrestling analog, but the beauty of the game is that it can be a silly or as serious, as simple or as complex as you like...straight out othe box.

Warlords of the Accordlands is one I have yet to play, but it reads so cool that it has inspired me like mad.

Edit: and now that I think of it, my near-forgotten love for Scarred Lands is still a burning ember

 

[Geoffrey]

I'm looking for some different settings, just for kicks. None of the standard D&D settings* like Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms. Share your favorite lesser known non-WotC settings. Vanilla fantasy is fine (actually my favorite), just want something new. Even a website only setting is ok.



*not that there's anything wrong with these settings, just looking for something different to read.

I recommend Tekumel, the world of the Petal Throne. Here is a good website for it: http://www.tekumel.com/

If you get just one Tekumel book, make it Swords & Glory Vol. 1, Tékumel Source Book: The World of the Petal Throne ( http://www.tekumel.com/tita/swords.html --it's the first item listed). It is completely systemless, and it is by far the finest RPG product ever published. It is written by M. A. R. Barker, a professor of Central Asian languages, who has been creating Tekumel for most of his life. In this respect it is similar to Tolkien's Middle-earth, but in terms of flavor it is completely different. If Middle-earth has a western European feel to it, Tekumel has the feel of India/Egypt/Mesoamerica. Tekumel is beautiful and intricate.

Another setting that is completely non-traditional but not as "heavy" as Tekumel is Talislanta ( http://www.talislanta.com/ ). If you buy just one Talislanta book, buy this one: http://www.talislanta.com/products/Tal4.htm

It is 500 pages of Talislantan goodness, with probably about 75% of those pages devoted to describing the setting (with the other pages devoted to describing the game system). Talislanta is a bright, psychedelic setting.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Third Party Settings I like (in order of prefrence [yes I own all settings listed]):

Ptolus
Arcana Evolved
Kalamar
Ravenloft
Scarred Lands
Northern Crown
Dragon Star
Oathbound
A Game of Thrones
Everquest
Nyambe
Blackmoor
Warcraft
Demon Wars
Broncosaurus Rex
Morningstar

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

3rd party settings? Must they be D20 compatible? Must they be fantasy? Here're my tops off the top of my head...

Black Company
Old World (of Warhammer fame)
Iron Kingdoms
Harn
Fading Suns
Blackmoor (since it's technically 3rd party now)

 

[Nightfall]

Well a few more SL fans. Thanks Fru!

 

[talien]

Seconding Arcanis! See my story hour for more details: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=103252

More to the point, Arcanis is connected to several other settings that are considered part of the world, including:
* Nyambe
* Freeport
* Redhurst

to name three.

 

[Nightfall]

Yeah well some people can also connect it to the Scarred Lands...

But nice mentions.

 

[El Bob]

Put me down for Ptolus. I like the Barsaive (the Earthdawn) setting as well, although I had to convert it to D20 myself.

 

[Skyman]

I'll second Arcana Evolved and Game of Thrones - the first is great for high magic, over the top fantasy, the second for gritty, dark, and realistic (and the books it's based on are in my opinion the best since Tolkien). I'll also add in the Lone Wolf RPG from Mongoose publishing - the setting (originally used for some choose-your-own-adventure style gamebooks) was originally created for DnD but it's changed a lot, so it might fit your desire for standard fantasy that's still different from DnD.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Xcrawl I've played a few one-offs of, and it;s a scream. We played it as essentially a pro-wrestling analog, but the beauty of the game is that it can be a silly or as serious, as simple or as complex as you like...straight out othe box.

I had forgotten all about X-Crawl. I don't follow pro-wrestling but the concept of the game sounded quite interesting to me. I've never actually ran or played it but from reading the main book it looks like a lot of fun.

Olaf the Stout