Why Isn't Planescape the Default Setting?

[Jawsh]

It seems to me as if Planescape is the natural core and default setting. For one thing, Planescape leads to all other settings, so if you really wanted One Setting to Rule them All, Planescape would be it.

With all these other default setting worlds, you kind of have to do some maneuvering to shoehorn in all the core races and classes. Ie. if you want eladrin to play a part in the Forgotten Realms, you need to come up with a story about how the Eladrin suddenly became prominent. Planescape is the Mos Eisley of D&D, and you can literally find every race and class in it.

 

[The_Baldman]

Shhhhh I want to do something with Planescape. Don't let them know how valuable it is.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

It isn't sufficiently self-contained to be managable. It's essentially all settings mashed together -- too much to handle.

Plus then we have to deal with cant ...

 

[TarionzCousin]

The Lady of Pain™ won't sign the contract extension.

 

[LurkAway]

The Cant.

 

[ahayford]

Come on, even you know down in your deepest of hearts that Planescape is a little too weird and esoteric to be the classic "Base" or initial setting for DnD. I love me some Planescape, but it is definitely a niche, or advanced setting. But, due to its nature, its something you could easily bring many campaign into if you find your players are so inclined after having started a plain, vanilla campaign.

The base campaign setting really needs to be something the vast majority of people can relate to and get into.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

You'll please almost no one with that tack. Planescape fans are exceeded by few groups (possibly only Dragonlance fans) in their desire for fidelity to Planescape as established in 2E. Diverge from that even a little to make it more useful to a wider audience, and they'll bitterly complain.

And then people who don't like Planescape are often firm in this dislike. Dislike of "cant" is just scratching the surface of the dislike, believe me.

Planescape is loved and hated alike for its specifics, but those specifics are precisely what make it distinct and useful as a setting.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

Because while Planescape is the "anything goes cool as " setting, it's also the "eyes of newb glaze over as you explain the 10th faction and what a Factol is and how belief works AT THE SAME TIME as explaining what an RPG is all about" setting.

 

[Alan Shutko]

And then people who don't like Planescape are often firm in this dislike. Dislike of "cant" is just scratching the surface of the dislike, believe me.

So very true! I loved Planescape:Torment. I HATED actually playing in a Planescape game. To me, Planescape is the epitome of the DM saying "No matter how cool you get, you aren't as cool as everything else here in the setting, which is only not killing you because the Lady of Pain, who is even cooler than they are, won't let them.

 

[Dausuul]

It seems to me as if Planescape is the natural core and default setting. For one thing, Planescape leads to all other settings, so if you really wanted One Setting to Rule them All, Planescape would be it.

Ugh, no. Planescape makes a terrible default setting. It's highly specialized and esoteric, bears little resemblance to familiar fantasy tropes, and is massively confusing to the newbie. Plus a large chunk of gamers, including me, hate it. Let's just keep that thing off in its own sourcebook, thankyouverymuch.