D&D 5E Should 5e have a "default setting" and cosmology?

[DEFCON 1]

There are two different things at play here, and most people on either side are not talking about what the other is I think.

4E does have a 'complete history' as it were, as the backdrop for their game. Bael Turath, Arkoshia, the Nerathi Empire etc. Those permeate the entire game in the background. All of the gods are directly tied into that history, the battle between the gods and primordials are tied into that history, the eladrin and the denizens of the feywild are tied into that history. It's a setting. The Points of Light setting. The same way 3E used Greyhawk. And to have the entire game itself (mechanics and fluff) tied into that presumed setting does make things 'less universal', and thus more difficult to extricate. And this is proven by the fact that they recreated the Realms and Eberron to add a lot of this PoL history and background into those settings too.

Now the other side of the coin are the people who (I believe) just want a set of basic gods to start with (rather than generic 'God of Light' / 'God of War'), and a starting town or area in the DMG in which to set their game (like the Nentir Vale was for 4E, or Saltmarsh was in 3.5s DMG2) This way players have a very basic 'campaign setting' at their disposal right at the beginning, rather than having to wait and buy some other setting WotC eventually decides to put out.

And there's no reason why you can't have it both ways. So long as you don't tie everything (fluff, mechanics and otherwise) within the game to this base setting you set up for the players in the DMG (and instead you tell them that this is just a sample area in which you could start a campaign), you can have 'example' gods and 'example' cosmology and an 'example' setting that people can use if they want to... but have no problem ignoring if they don't.

 

[TwinBahamut]

So, like, for example, you could include The Forgotten Realms, Sanctuary, and Eberron?

That's the right idea, but not quite the list I would pick. Partly because I don't know what Sanctuary is... Also, Eberron is fundamentally too similar to the Greyhawk/Realms baseline to really stand out as the crazy alternate. Something with genuine sci-fi robots, rather than Warforged golem-men, would be a possible start.

 

[Sunseeker]

That's the right idea, but not quite the list I would pick. Partly because I don't know what Sanctuary is... Also, Eberron is fundamentally too similar to the Greyhawk/Realms baseline to really stand out as the crazy alternate. Something with genuine sci-fi robots, rather than Warforged golem-men, would be a possible start.

To be honest, I think fluffed warforged could suffice just fine. We don't need Voltrons and Gundams in D&D for the most part, especially not as something "base", even if it's strange.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The Far Realm originated in late 2E, and was in 3E (though not prominently), before it appeared in 4E.

It may have originated back then, but it was never officially part of the Great Wheel. It was something usually regulated to the appendix.

 

[Zaukrie]

You don't see a difference between 3e domains (generic) with some suggested sample gods, and 4e's Channel Divinity feats (specific, with no generic alternative)?

Correct. Because if you want to change the name of Ioun to Zubalier, you can. Still don't see how this is an issue at all.

 

[Zaukrie]

It goes beyond that. Saying that Tieflings come from Bael Turath, and had an empire that spanned the world millenia ago intrudes far more into my campaign setting than the examples you mention.

Then ignore it. I still don't get how that is hard to do, if you want to. I do it all the time. I mean, if you play in DS or the Forgotten Realms, there is no Bael Turath, heck, even WotC wrote that. But if you've never made this stuff up before, that's bleeping hard.

 

[catsclaw227]

So, like, for example, you could include The Forgotten Realms, Sanctuary, and Eberron?

Nice. Buy I'd go Greyhawk (traditional), Humans only Warhammer(? - OK I am reaching here. Sanctuary is a good pick.), Iron Kingdoms.

 

[catsclaw227]

You don't see a difference between 3e domains (generic) with some suggested sample gods, and 4e's Channel Divinity feats (specific, with no generic alternative)?

I refluffed 4e Channel Divinity feats with a simple pen. I created Muir's Justice and Thyr's Justice for a Bard's Gate campaign (3PP Necromancer Games, from the 3.x era) by tweaking an existing ChanDiv power and changing the name. 30 seconds. You can go generic with Channel Divinity easily.

 

[Shemeska]

It may have originated back then, but it was never officially part of the Great Wheel. It was something usually regulated to the appendix.

It appeared in Planescape material, though it wasn't named as "The Far Realm" when it did. That's official enough for me, and I've always used it as such (as one of several different realities tangent to the reality of the Great Wheel which were described or alluded to in various places in 2e and 3e).

 

[Kynn]

There are two different things at play here, and most people on either side are not talking about what the other is I think.

4E does have a 'complete history' as it were, as the backdrop for their game. Bael Turath, Arkoshia, the Nerathi Empire etc. Those permeate the entire game in the background. All of the gods are directly tied into that history, the battle between the gods and primordials are tied into that history, the eladrin and the denizens of the feywild are tied into that history. It's a setting. The Points of Light setting. The same way 3E used Greyhawk. And to have the entire game itself (mechanics and fluff) tied into that presumed setting does make things 'less universal', and thus more difficult to extricate. And this is proven by the fact that they recreated the Realms and Eberron to add a lot of this PoL history and background into those settings too.

Hold on a sec. You defined the "PoL" setting correctly, but then you say that they added PoL history and background into Forgotten Realms and Eberron.

When exactly did they do the latter? Because there's no Arkhosia in 4e Eberron. There's no "battle between the gods and primordials" in 4e Forgotten Realms.

There are dragonborn, yes, but they don't have the PoL background in either setting. There are eladrins, but they don't have the PoL background in either setting. Etc.

WotC didn't force Bael Turath into any other settings. What exactly do you mean when you say they "recreated the Realms and Eberron to add a lot of this PoL history and background into those settings too"?