Kingdoms of Kalamar
I'm one of the "ballot stuffers" meaning I'm a KoK fan who doesn't post regularly on this list (don't feel like having to argue whether or not my preference of games is appropriate, it's my preference). So, I'm here to support the setting I know and love, but rather than stuffing the ballot and running, I thought I'd stay a little bit and add my opinion to the mix.
I started in the Forgotten Realms and loved the expansive map and the variety of the world. I got worn out by the high magic and even higher NPCs. I didn't need to adventure, Elminster could fix it all.
I moved to homebrew and that was fun, but entailed a lot more work. Still have the map over on the couch and the pantheon of gods on my harddrive. Of course I submitted it to the competition a few months back.
Found the newest incarnation of Greyhawk through the LG campaign and that was all right, but it's not supported by WotC so what I have is what I get.
Tried a little of the scarred lands, buying the different city sourcebooks along with Relics and Rituals. There were just too many nuances that rubbed me the wrong way so it didn't stick for more than a few sessions.
And so I gave Kalamar a try. I was intrigued by the fact they used multiple human races and after reading through the campaign setting, I was hooked. So much attention was given to the setting, such minute detail, yet it is so open and so flexible. These bits of flavor don't force me to run the campaign in any fashion I don't want to. (I run an extremely low magic campaign, but the setting could just as easily support a high magic campaign if desired). Add in the variant classes, the extrapolation of being part of a church, the gods having different names for each race that refers to them (which I did in my home campaign). Stir in some well conceived historical stories (King Thedorus and the silver dragon coins I found to be pretty cool) and it all makes for a brilliant campaign setting.
The few times I have posted about the setting over here it's been met with animosity, so I usually just keep my comments to the Kenzer boards. But if you want to see exactly what quality is, pick up the Atlas next month. You will be astounded, amazed and totally hooked. The book is a labor of love, a virtue that some companies lost a long time ago. I'm glad to be part of one that still has it in spades.
--Outlaw
