Kalamar losing popularity?

[BiggusGeekus]

Never could understand this proliferation in campaign settings...

They're always fun to mine for ideas. You get background, NPCs, spells, races, PrCs & magic items. If I were to re-boot our game, I'd be using the channeler base class from Midnight, the ressurection rules from Twin Crowns, and the ritual feats from Arcana Unearthed.

 

[Wombat]

I'd say its a draw on Kalamar, based strictly on what I've seen in the local-ish game stores. Some carry it, some did and stop, some never started.

I don't run in it myself, and I don't know anyone who does, but it doesn't seem to have fallen off the face of the planet.

Only "objective" answer you would get to this question is to go to the company and ask for sales figures...

 

[Numion]

They're always fun to mine for ideas. You get background, NPCs, spells, races, PrCs & magic items.

I guess thats part of the problem with Kalamar. According to its fans the main draw of the setting seems to be that it makes sense, is logical and realistic. If you just mine it for ideas you're sidelining the settings main attraction.

 

[Iron_Chef]

I guess thats part of the problem with Kalamar. According to its fans the main draw of the setting seems to be that it makes sense, is logical and realistic. If you just mine it for ideas you're sidelining the settings main attraction.

My problems with the Kalamar setting is that:

1) I is too generic, and

2) It doesn't seem logical to me, in the same way that FR doesn't seem logical.

Therefore, if I already have one illogical, high magic setting (FR), what do I need with another? Maybe Kalamar is slightly better in some ways than FR, but I've already invested over a decade in FR gaming and FR products, so switching to an FR-like setting isn't really an option. I'd want to switch to something that feels different, like Conan, Cthulhu Dark Ages, Lankhmar, Thieves' World, Ars Magica, etc., maybe Iron Kingdoms.

However, *mining* Kalamar for crunch has yielded a lot of great rules.

 

[Nightfall]

Hello! Scarred Lands here folks! We have stuff you want you know too! Heathens that you all are. Bunch of homebrewing bums...

 

[Kichwas]

I always saw Scarred Lands as the 'other Forgotten Realms' and Kalamar as the 'other Greyhawk'.

Meaning that if you liked the tone of those two TSR settings, but not the implimentation, then the two 'others' would make for better choices for you.

Comparing Kalamar to Forgotten Realms is like comparing oil to water.

I've noticed that Kalamar has poor distribution, and long wondered why. As a setting though, it seems to do well - though I have no inside track on KenzerCo's finances, they're ramping up and not down on production.


I don't how anybody could say Kalamar is not logical, it's the most logical option on the market - everything is researched to match what we know about the natural sciences, anthropology, and sociology. Even the theology matches established norms rather than pop-fantasy. Added to this, magic and non humans are then blended in with a smooth rational-integration.

Kalamar is hardly high-magic. I have to wonder if Iron Chef even knows which setting it is.

And it's tone is anything but 'generic' - though a lot of people make this particular mistake.

 

[Apocalyptic Kitty]

Kalamar is a travesty with the D&D logo slapped on the cover. Eliminating it is my first priority in my larger goal of destroying the world! I'll start by destroying unpopular things and then I'll turn those successes into the Apocalypse!

Bwuhahahaha!

 

[Crothian]

Wow, I wish my store would sell the Kalamar books at 30% off, that's a good deal!!

Kalamar was never my cup of tea but the books are good. I know more then a few people who play in that world, and all of them really like it. Also, the people who make it have always been nice. I remeber when they used to give away copies of the books here on EN World. But I really haven't heard much new about it, so it might be loosing steam.

 

[Harlock]

One hopes though you might stick with your character's current setting...I mean you already heard what happened to last dozen or so clerics...

No worries, Pimp-Daddy, my Scarred Lands career is alive in well as a player in your game and as a DM every other week in my home game. Still, I have heard some complaints from folks that perhaps Kalamar is too generic and a bit bland.

 

[GrimJesta]

I know three AU campaigns in the Kalamar world, at least one Gurps, 2 hero system, 1 Fudge, several Hackmaster campaigns...

Yea, Im one of those Hackmaster and Hero system ones. Heh.

Im tired of this "my setting is better" bullsh-t. Every setting has its ups and downs. EVERY. ONE. Every setting has its fans, and who cares what yours is? I like Kalamar. Some of you like Realms. Others AU. Others, whichever... I coulda swore we were all gamers, and thus one crowd, but I guess gamers are too petty for my tastes and like to whine to each other about nothing...

-=Grim=-