Which D&D Settings Do You Play In?

Over on the right of the news page is a new poll which asks which D&D setting you currently play in. Obviously WotC has its own survey data, and we know from that that 55% of people use home-brew settings, 35% play in the Realms, 5% in Greyhawk, and the remaining 5% is divided between the rest. I figured it would be fun to see how closely EN World's members track to that overall survey; how closely to we represent the official data? To that end, I've listed a number of settings. The question is what you PLAY in? It's not "what would you LIKE to play in", or "what would you like to see more support for?" -- it's what are you PLAYING in right now? I know some folks have more than one game going and they may be different settings. That's why I've allowed a choice of three in the poll. If you have four or more games in multiple settings -- well, I'm envious. I took the list from the Wikipedia page of 25 settings, so if you're mad and incensed about the list or its ordering or whatever (because Internet) blame Wikipedia! Some settings incorporate others (Kara-Tur is in the Realms, for example), but I"m keeping it simple with the top level list.

Here's what WotC's survey says we play (that data comes from Chris Perkin's panel at Gamehole Con). Let's see how closely we match it. The survey is on the right hand side of the news page, or it's at the top of the discussion thread, depending where/how you're viewing this.

 

[DEFCON 1]

For all the people who want other settings redone for 5E... I'm pretty sure WotC also has the numbers for what gets sold on dndclassics. If you really want them to know you support a different setting... go buy the books available to you already over there. If they saw there was a mad rush for Eberron material, they might be more inclined to publish new Eberron material.

But then again... if you're willing to buy previous edition campaign material, you probably also would then realize you don't need a complete re-write of that material with a 5E logo on the front. All that campaign material works just fine, because it's all story and fluff... two things that the mechanics of 5E don't actually affect.

Would it be nice at some point to get a Khorvaire Adventurer's Guide that gives the mechanics for the shifter, changeling, warforged, and kalashtar, plus the Artificer and Dragonmarks (basically the completed and fully playtest Eberron UA article?) Sure. But NOTHING else needs to be re-written since ALL the 3E books (Five Nations, Faiths of Eberron, Forge of War, City of Stormreach etc. etc. etc.) are all correct, valid, and usable.

And let's be honest here... all of them are a lot freaking cheaper individually than any 5E campaign setting re-write would be, so it's really a waste of their time and money to produce one, and a waste of our time and money to wait for and finally buy one.

 

[Ath-kethin]

The problem with any of the poles is what homebrew means. So technically you are either playing FR officially through 5E, or a homebrew. I am guessing most DMs just get buy with a good map and make the rest up, including a story arch that makes references to cities and/or places on the map.

I agree completely here. In a sense, all campaigns are homebrew, since even in a published adventure there tend to be dramatic differences between different groups experiencing it, and even the same group experiencing it multiple times.

Is my campaign homebrew? I started it in the Thunder Rift, ran through several of the TR adventures, decided to locate the Rift in the Primeval Thule campaign setting, and I've used the 3.x "Barrow of the Forgotten King" adventure series, adventures and concepts from The Spider-God's Bride, and material from the 3.5 Mesopotamia sourcebook from Necromancer.

What setting am I running?

 

[Corpsetaker]

I agree completely here. In a sense, all campaigns are homebrew, since even in a published adventure there tend to be dramatic differences between different groups experiencing it, and even the same group experiencing it multiple times.

Is my campaign homebrew? I started it in the Thunder Rift, ran through several of the TR adventures, decided to locate the Rift in the Primeval Thule campaign setting, and I've used the 3.x "Barrow of the Forgotten King" adventure series, adventures and concepts from The Spider-God's Bride, and material from the 3.5 Mesopotamia sourcebook from Necromancer.

What setting am I running?

Exactly!

I'm running a Dragonlance game pre-War of the Lance where I have made a few changes and the PC's actions could change the future. I'm in Dragonlance but it's homebrew.

 

[Dhaylen]

I only recently started playing D&D.
My introduction was through playing DDO, (Dungeons & Dragons Online),
which is a, small scale, Eberron setting.

The rest is history, bought the D&D 5e books for the family, and was ready for an Eberron campaign - only to find Realms 'specific' campaigns.

Mind you, I purchased PoTA and looked at how to convert it to Eberron, but with no campaign setting guide, etc., as well as the release of SCAG, to make things a bit easier, I went Realms.

I was tempted, to say the least, to 'Homebrew' it - put in some manifestation of Dragon Marks, have the lightning rail system and airships put in... but have not done so yet.

As for the pdf Eberron campaign material, I would prefer hardback copies, (in addition to the pdfs), which are not available for shipping to my country.

It figures, as others have pointed out, that there is not enough money to be made out of reprinting material already in print, or rather owned, by the majority who would purchase it.

Again, as a new player, fresh books that don't feel like, 'most of it is great, but this - and, oh, psionics isnt worked out yet,' etc., would be nice.

Truth be told, I wish it was more like the DMG kept repeating, 'its your world' - and here are supplements for the key worlds... Look at SCAG, it talks of the winged-elfs, sorry my book is not in front of me, but if its mentioned, throw some art at me!

Realms is cool, yet Eberron is my preferred setting.

 

[cmad1977]

Forgotten Realms for two reasons.
1: using tyranny of dragons. Granted I could easily plop TOD into any home brew or other setting with little to no real work. Lazy I guess.
2: Maps and cartography. The skeleton of the world is there. Fleshing it out we do in game.

I have zero interest in the realms as a property and don't care about canon or books or Drizzt or elminster. None of that stuff is in or has happened in our realms. It's just not relevant to myself or my players.

 

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

A interesting sub pole might be asking the people who play forgotten realms in what are they play did they advance the time line untill after the sundering ?

 

[DarkplaneDM]

I was going to do a follow up to see what people would prefer to be playing so the two could be compared to each other.

Great idea. Thanks for that! I'll be very interested to see those results too.

 

[Shasarak]

Then you just invalidated the poll with your answer. Now explain why you can't play 5E Eberron? They've released materials for warforged and artificers. There's piles of 3e and 4e sourcebooks that still work. And trolls and ogres in Eberron are exactly the same as trolls and ogres in any other D&D campaign. There's even info in the DMG on how to create monsters, races, spells, etc.

No offense, but the material they released for Warforged and Artificers single handedly made me not want to play 5e Eberron.

Although there is still the vague hope that could have been because the really good designer was doing Jury duty at the time.

 

[dracomilan]

At the table I'm finishing the 4e story arc, which is set in the Nentir Vale world (Arkosia and Bael Turath play a big role in the story). On a forum I'm dming a campign set in the Alfeimur setting (dark fantasy).

 

[Miladoon]

I am part of the big blue slice on the left.

Homebrew for the win!

When I am not in Mystara, that is.