So what's YOUR world's 'hook'?

[GoodKingJayIII]

So then is a distinct hook really that important? Or are most players happy with a fairly generic fantasy setting?

Well, with my first foray into world-building I've probably made it a little to complicated for myself. Rather than examining themes I've made into a blender of sorts. If there's a hook, Arcana Unearthed has already given it to me, and the new races, classes, feats, etc. are enough to distract the players from my inexperience.

(because ultimately this is for the players, no?)

True, but not quite. The only thing worse than running a game for a group of uninterested players might be a game run by an uninterested DM.

 

[Insight]

Yes, your world needs a hook. The players need to feel that they're part of something more than just stats and goodies on a piece of paper. Unless you don't care about making the game fun or interesting. The 'generic fantasy world' has run its course for most of us over the age of 15.

And no, it's not just for the players. If you believe that, you obviously haven't GMed for a long period of time, either that or you have very low self-esteem. The GM/world creator needs to have something invested in this process as well, and had better be getting something back from all the hard work he/she has put into the world and setting.

As for 'my' world's hook (my is in quotes because it belongs to more than one person in the group), I will give you the shorter version. There was a great empire and it was devastated in a way left unrecorded by history (given that it was this empire that was doing the recording of things). The center of this empire is now a dangerous wasteland, and its one-time provinces are now sovereign kingdoms, who have just made their first peace treaty after many long years of war. Among the many things for the players to do, they can try to find out what happened to the old empire, and perhaps discover a few forgotten secrets.

 

[The Cardinal]

my campaign world is sewn together from the still steaming corpses of:
Skyrealms of Jorune
CS Friedman's Coldfire trilogy
Steven Erikson's Malazan series
Glen Cook's Black Company series
R Zelazny's Lord of Light
and the Skies of Arcadia DC/NGC console rpg (after it devoured most of the Wizardry CRPG series and several volumes of Froideval's Chroniques de la Lune noire graphic novels...)

- it's gonna be running on a GURPS 4e brain, and it will kick seven different kinds of A§§!

 

[Munin]

In the broadest possible terms, the hook for my campaign is 'larger than life'. Mountains tower into the sky, forests stretch out for thousands of miles in every direction, and puny humans cling to the coasts like ants on a piece of driftwood.

So then is a distinct hook really that important? Or are most players happy with a fairly generic fantasy setting? (because ultimately this is for the players, no?)

Yes. But for me the hook is not for the players, it's for the dm. At least initially. You weave it into your story and gradually the players come to appreciate it (or not).

 

[Ferret]

My hook is no normal races. No elves and dwarves. No gnomes and halflings, or orcs and the halfs of each other.

Goblinoids are barely sentient, and make up most of the baddies. Monsters are fairy tales... as far as any one knows.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Yes, your world needs a hook. The players need to feel that they're part of something more than just stats and goodies on a piece of paper. Unless you don't care about making the game fun or interesting. The 'generic fantasy world' has run its course for most of us over the age of 15.

Generic fantasy is just dandy if the story backs it up. Flying islands and swashbuckling dwarves don't cut it.

I'll take a generic setting with three-dimensional NPCs over a setting with dinosaurs any day. (Although I'd probably cave at "dinosaurs and ninjas")

 

[Dancer]

There are 9 great realms in the known world ruled by 9 immortal beings. The pcs work as "trouble shooters" for one of the Realm lords. Tied to this is the fact that many of the pcs were first brought to work for the Realm lord because they seem to share the ability to regenerate from most forms of injury far, far faster than most normal humans. Well, that and the fact that they also seemed to have stopped aging upon reaching their 20's. Why is a mystery yet to be solved but until they do, they are having a grand time working for the king and getting into all sorts of trouble trying to protect the crown.

 

[Hand of Evil]

To prevent the demon hordes from the waste worlds from entering into the campaign world!

That or burning down every inn or tavern.

 

[curiosity]

I'll take a generic setting with three-dimensional NPCs over a setting with dinosaurs any day. (Although I'd probably cave at "dinosaurs and ninjas")

So I presume you're a starter for my new Dinosaur-riding Ninjas with Katanas campaign?

NB: Gotta work katanas in there somewhere

 

[mythusmage]

Hooks? What part of the world do you want to know about?

In one location: Religious fanatic dwarfs, freedom loving goblins, and elves who think they're manipulating events.

In another location: Japanese/Mongol/Northern Plains Indian orcs ruling late Iron Age humans.

In still another location: Sumerian/Phoenecian/Early Renaissance (human) merchant princes, pirates, and ancient lost cities and legends pertaining thereto.

And watching all this are alien intelligenses, who refrain from invading or anything like that because some God of the Void or another would come down on their squamous rumps if they did.