What is your LEAST favorite setting?

[herald]

I voted for Dark Sun.

The whole idea of having a "character tree" didn't sit well with me. It was hard to convice others to play as well.

Over all, existance on such a world seemed miserable, with nothing left to fight over.

Plus the mix of psionics and magic together was to much to get used to. Mixing and match psionics and magic at the same time just seemed like a headache.

 

[Tiberius]

Huh? PS has them. Are we talking about different quasi-elemental planes? I never played 1e, so I dunno.

As I understood it (my memory of the setting is a bit hazy right now), they kept the paraelemental planes which sat between the standard elemental planes, but discarded the quasi-planes which sat between the elemental and energy planes. Is this not the case?

-Tiberius

 

[Desdichado]

Planescape retained both the para and quasi elemental planes.

 

[qstor]

Nightfall - Pretty much the same reason others voted for Mystra and Dark Sun. Wierd Creatures. I don't really like the tone of the world. White Wolf games and products have new been my cup of tea. Call me conversative too...but I think the classic 3 settings of Greyhawk, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms are my all time favorites.

For new d20 fantasy settings I did pick up Sovereign Stone. Probably because I'm a Weis and Hickmand and Elmore fan. I enjoyed the archer class and the background. I didn't like the new bestiary however, I flipped through it at my FLGS over the weekend. More wierd creatures! )

I will get the Vinnegard (sp) sourcebook and the magic book when more gaming funds become available. I have the first and second novel of the set on my to read list.

Mike

 

[bramadan]

Forgotten Realms

One reason because the suspension of disbelief needed to swallow that world is just too much in anything from climate to cultures to demographics, economics, politics. If you ask even the most benign "how could this ever work ?" question after the minute or two the DM will have to restore to either "well... it is magic" or "chill out man, it is just a game..." both of which I find sadly unsatisfactory.

Second reason becomes clear when I ask what have they done with this most fantastic and magical of all settings. Are there titanic battles among the choosen of diferent gods. Are there villains that would make land itself weep if not confornted. Are there wonders without measure dotting the landscape.
No.
The main villains are penny-pinchers who are doing it all to secure this trade-route or the other and whose villany you would be hard pressed to ascertain if they were not forced to wear the distinctive "I am Evil" outfits.
For all the magic shops and powerfull wizards landscape/economy is still largley medieval/feudal with less wonders to behold then in comparatively magic poor Greyhawk. 10th+ level characters who are dime a dozen are content with being barkeeps, guard captains and librarians. When Gods Walked the Earth they did it as a third-rate adventuring company.

In other words the FR combines the worst parts of ridiculous and the mundane, mixes unbelievable with uninteresting. Other setting fail on one or the other of these two counts but the FR does seemingly impossible and fails on both.

 

[Warchild]

Re: Forgotten Realms

One reason because the suspension of disbelief needed to swallow that world is just too much in anything from climate to cultures to demographics, economics, politics. If you ask even the most benign "how could this ever work ?" question after the minute or two the DM will have to restore to either "well... it is magic" or "chill out man, it is just a game..." both of which I find sadly unsatisfactory.

I haven't seen one setting yet that didn't suffer from this problem.

Second reason becomes clear when I ask what have they done with this most fantastic and magical of all settings. Are there titanic battles among the choosen of diferent gods. Are there villains that would make land itself weep if not confornted. Are there wonders without measure dotting the landscape.
The main villains are penny-pinchers who are doing it all to secure this trade-route or the other and whose villany you would be hard pressed to ascertain if they were not forced to wear the distinctive "I am Evil" outfits.

Godswar had some gods killing gods, mortals killing gods, Fiend lords stealing gods......
Karsus make the world quake, Zentarum would have, if they hadn't torn themselves apart (how dare the good guys win!!!).
The Red Wizards are not nearly the only bad guys, though they have been particularly geared down. (they make a whole hell of a lot more sense in 3e, iffin you ask me). There are at least 8 or 10 bad guys now, most of them far more frightening and dangerous than the Red Wizards (who are still pretty insidious depsite their new found PR machine!! LOL)
Its funny that this is usually the part of FR that gets bashed!! LOL.
Having powerful npc's clashing with one another, especially Elminster, is the time honored bashing stick that most FR-detractors use.

For all the magic shops and powerfull wizards landscape/economy is still largley medieval/feudal with less wonders to behold then in comparatively magic poor Greyhawk. 10th+ level characters who are dime a dozen are content with being barkeeps, guard captains and librarians. When Gods Walked the Earth they did it as a third-rate adventuring company.

The places that don't have many wizards(or any) or shy away from magic are still pretty rustic, yes. Pretty much the same in our world, those without technology are called 3rd world countries i believe.
I'm not so sure Greyhawk was EVER magic poor, but it certaintly isn't in 3rd edition. In fact its not any less magic poor than FR now.
I don't know about you, but i know 2 separate cops who opened bars after they retired. I dare say that both of them are much higher than 1st level and i would pity the players who tried to make trouble in their bars!!!

In other words the FR combines the worst parts of ridiculous and the mundane, mixes unbelievable with uninteresting. Other setting fail on one or the other of these two counts but the FR does seemingly impossible and fails on both.

And you are completely and totally entitled to have that opinion!!

 

[Renshai]

Last I checked the Greyhawk setting is the official setting of 3e.

Official? I think you mean Core. There is a difference. Greyhawk was treated as the default setting for examples in the core books and was given one book to support the Living RPGA version of the setting. Forgotten Realms is given the full support of the company, thus we see new and expanded material.

And no, the designers do not see FRCS as the "way D&D is." Again I believe that would be Greyhawk.

I disagree, yes they do. If Greyhawk were the “way D&D is”, it would be fully supported.

Ren

 

[bramadan]

Actually when I was talking about the penny-pinchers with trade-routes I had Zhentarim in mind:
"...Zhentarim desire to control the most economical trade routes between the established lands of the Sword Coast and the rich young kingdoms of Moonsea eventualy extending into political influence in this regoin as well..."
The quote is from the Old Grey Box entry on Zhentarim. The book goes on to tell us of suh nefarious schemes as trading in slaves and "...sending their wares south into ancient lands of Condath, Uther..." and "...brave[ing] the depths of Anauroch desert to discover the safe trade route through...".
Such despicable acts of villany.
Search as you might in the 1st and 2nd edittion material on Zhents (I have no 3rd ed FR material) picture that forms is that of a more kind and gentle version of East-India company or "Hudson's Bay" company rather then the power-crazed clique of lunatics bent on world domination fitting for the world filled with magical wonders.
If there were not for the spiky outfit you could not tell a Fzoul from an average company CFO.
Thay Wizards were once somewhat more appropriate villians for FR but now they have joined the ranks of penny-pinchers.
Sic transit gloria mundi (such as it was...)

 

[Warchild]

Actually when I was talking about the penny-pinchers with trade-routes I had Zhentarim in mind:
"...Zhentarim desire to control the most economical trade routes between the established lands of the Sword Coast and the rich young kingdoms of Moonsea eventualy extending into political influence in this regoin as well..."
The quote is from the Old Grey Box entry on Zhentarim. The book goes on to tell us of suh nefarious schemes as trading in slaves and "...sending their wares south into ancient lands of Condath, Uther..." and "...brave[ing] the depths of Anauroch desert to discover the safe trade route through...".
Such despicable acts of villany.
Search as you might in the 1st and 2nd edittion material on Zhents (I have no 3rd ed FR material) picture that forms is that of a more kind and gentle version of East-India company or "Hudson's Bay" company rather then the power-crazed clique of lunatics bent on world domination fitting for the world filled with magical wonders.
If there were not for the spiky outfit you could not tell a Fzoul from an average company CFO.
Thay Wizards were once somewhat more appropriate villians for FR but now they have joined the ranks of penny-pinchers.
Sic transit gloria mundi (such as it was...)

Actually Fzoul fits the CEO tag perfecly!!
Of course he pretty much was happy the way things were going. He was plotting to off Manshoon because he wanted full control of the comp..er the Zhentarum. In all though, his god was booming, the Zhents were doing darn well....he was just trying to maintain status control (while maneuvering to consolidate the entire group under his leadership). Manshoon was the one gearing up to control the universe! He wasn't on a 10 year plan though, he was in it for the long haul. He was building caches, alliances, clone armies (doh!!), but he was a pretty cool customer.
Frankly i think the Realms most dangerous threat is Khelbun Blackstaff. Mark my words!!

 

[NexusMarc]

Spelljammer