{Settings Tournament} Round 5 - Finals! Greyhawk vs. Planescape

[Akillion]

Somehow, for me anyway, Greyhawk just has the D&D vibe I'm looking for

 

[Savage Wombat]

I can't begrudge Greyhawk for winning, but it seems to me more like the consensus / compromise position rather than a majority preference.

And I've never seen as much mindless Planescape boosterism as I have anti-Planescape grumbling.

 

[billd91]

I can't begrudge Greyhawk for winning, but it seems to me more like the consensus / compromise position rather than a majority preference.

And I've never seen as much mindless Planescape boosterism as I have anti-Planescape grumbling.

How does dislike for Planescape invalidate that Greyhawk is currently polling a majority in this poll? If they don't like PS, if they're going to vote (not voting is always an option if you don't like either choice) for the alternative. Moreover, is there something about Planescape grumbling that makes it invalid? I don't like the patois Planescape affected and didn't bother buying much of the product line despite liking the DiTerlizzi art a lot. Reading the material was just too much of an irritation. So of course I'm not going to vote for PS against any campaign setting I like better. Is there something wrong with posting that opinion?

 

[Savage Wombat]

How does dislike for Planescape invalidate that Greyhawk is currently polling a majority in this poll? If they don't like PS, if they're going to vote (not voting is always an option if you don't like either choice) for the alternative. Moreover, is there something about Planescape grumbling that makes it invalid? I don't like the patois Planescape affected and didn't bother buying much of the product line despite liking the DiTerlizzi art a lot. Reading the material was just too much of an irritation. So of course I'm not going to vote for PS against any campaign setting I like better. Is there something wrong with posting that opinion?

You quoted my post, but you seem to be responding to a completely different post. Why should stating my opinion suggest that I'm implying your opinion is somehow invalid?

 

[Ahnehnois]

I can't begrudge Greyhawk for winning, but it seems to me more like the consensus / compromise position rather than a majority preference.

That kind of matches the broader reality though. That's why it was chosen as the default for 3e, not because it's the best setting ever dreamed up, but because everyone can live with it.

 

[TarionzCousin]

That kind of matches the broader reality though. That's why it was chosen as the default for 3e, not because it's the best setting ever dreamed up, but because everyone can live with it.

Even cannibal halflings....?

 

[Nagol]

Even cannibal halflings....?

The only setting I recall having cannibal Halflings is Dark Sun. Did something get added to Greyhawk during/after the war arc?

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Wait! If you vote Planescape, I will offer your character the Head of Vecna!

Nice try, but [MENTION=94712]Lindeloef[/MENTION] will be playing in my campaign! But thinking about it ... I could throw in several more body parts of Vecna as well. there might be some unforeseen side effects if one combines them, though.

 

[Savage Wombat]

[NU][/NU]

Nice try, but [MENTION=94712]Lindeloef[/MENTION] will be playing in my campaign! But thinking about it ... I could throw in several more body parts of Vecna as well. there might be some unforeseen side effects if one combines them, though.

It's the "Ship of Theseus" problem all over again.

 

[Shemeska]

I can't begrudge Greyhawk for winning, but it seems to me more like the consensus / compromise position rather than a majority preference.

And I've never seen as much mindless Planescape boosterism as I have anti-Planescape grumbling.

And this is why I'm not surprised that Greyhawk is winning.

Now allow me to generalize and speculate about various groups of people on this issue.

Some campaign settings are more polarizing than others - with Planescape it has a lot of people that like it and it also has a lot of people that just don't care for it. Like Hussar mentioned earlier, anytime the setting comes up it has a vocal contingent that just don't like it. I'm sure some of that is on its own merits, but some of it might just come from a rejection of anything 2e as that edition moved away from 1e in terms of tone, and I've noticed one segment of folks that really like the 4e cosmology and despise the Great Wheel (though the Wheel predates Planescape completely).

For those not liking it on its own merits I'm sure the cant was a turn off for some, as was what some have termed an attempt to go for the White Wolf audience. The setting is distinctly different in tone compared to oftentimes in 1e - it was darker, had lots of muddled grey areas mixed in, and while it did whimsical, it rarely did camp. It really didn't change much from the 1e MotP (though it added a massive amount of detail to what was already established), but the tone was different, the focus on how PCs interacted with the planes was subtly different as well.

Greyhawk on the other hand... it doesn't seem to gather those varied camps that don't like it. It may or may not have high positives (to look at this like a politician's poll numbers), but it sure as heck doesn't have large numbers that don't like it. It does have folks that really enjoy it (some of the Paizo crew adore it), but I would wager that for most people it's the compromise candidate when faced with popular but polarizing choices like Planescape or Forgotten Realms.