D&D General How thorough do you like your settings?

[Clint_L]

I think Explorer's Guide to Wildemount hits my sweet spot pretty well. Enough detail and maps that the world is fully understandable and I can conceptualize all of the major settings. Little story hooks for each location in the gazetteer. And four short starter adventures, one set in each of the major regions, to get you started. Some new sub-classes, spells, magic items, and monsters to give it flavour but not so much that you won't still rely on the MM. So plenty to get you started, but not so much that there is no room left to make it your own.

So I guess I like medium detail - more of a focus on the big picture than the specifics. Story prompts, rather than finished campaigns and stories.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I like LOTS of Lore, stupid levels of detail if I can get it. While I have home-brewed a lot in this during the 80s and 90s. In the past, I've run :

• Judge's Guild City State and Wilderness of High Fantasy; great maps, too little detail;
• ICE's Middle Earth: even better maps, detail was pretty good for some, lacking in others;
• Greyhawk: middling maps, details were too low;
• Golarion: Massive number of maps, INSANE level of detail -- my preference and favorite game world;
• F.R.: Massive number of maps, INSANE level of detail, albeit lore from prior editions. I prefer Golarion to F.R., but it's the same kitchen-sink approach;
• Krynn: I have every DragonLance gaming product ever made. The fact that chapter 1 in Shadow of the Dragon Queen is too light on details doesn't trouble me, as I have more DL lore than I know what to do with;

I don't need lore to be updated from edition to edition. It's nice, sure, but it's not a requirement. I have all of the older stuff, so the fact stuff in FR I have from 1st-3.5e (and even 4e) isn't present in 5e to the same degree is of no moment. I have it just the same.

When I homebrew adventures, I do so to make it fit the established setting. If for some reason I need to make a change to "canon"? Then I do so. I never feel constrained.

In addition to the above, I probably have a dozen (or more) other settings. Most of those complete and with similar details. Am I looking for another setting book? No. I'm not. I have more than 30,000 pages alone on Golarion. I'm not buying another setting book for a world I don't already own. I might get it to pilfer from or because there is some feature in it I particularly like -- but not with any intention to use it as yet another setting. Won't happen. Ever. Doesn't matter how wonderful the book is. I have been doing this far too long and have a libarary far too large to bother with setting stuff again. A good adventure? Sure. That's a separate matter.

 

[toucanbuzz]

Makes me think of the AD&D product Rary the Traitor (Greyhawk).

Came with a desert map, dungeons, major NPCs only, and references to some pre-existing modules (e.g. Ghost Tower of Inverness). Everything you needed to run a super-campaign was there EXCEPT a hook. Do we try to ally with Rary, take him out, figure out the curse on the region and end it, go around just excavating stuff and killing that dragon, and so on.

I'm not a fan of products wasting time on stuff I'm never really going to use. Giving me details on the blacksmith's name, family, how many children, sounds great, but unless it's attached to a really cool adventure hook, that's wasted space for my players who aren't going to care. Major NPCs that will lead to adventure hooks, unique buildings that you're only going to find in that city, that's the good stuff.

I also find random encounter tables to be a waste as they're already in multiple D&D products. Rather, a 3rd party sourcebook would be better off providing unique encounters, such as a cursed rusalka (and a mini-adventure to set her at peace), that could be summarized in 1 page and inserted most anywhere. Those kind of unique encounters with unique rewards (e.g. a boon rather than gold pieces) might spur gamers to explore nooks and crannies in hopes of finding good stuff, with random encounters from the D&D books to keep them honest on resource management.

 

[Cruentus]

I would likely purchase a product like you described if it was hitting my sweet spot for the type of campaign I'm running (i.e. low magic, medieval, more 'standard' dndish, etc.).

I can always change an NPC's name, or motivation. I can always change a forest's name. I can always change the stocked dungeon, or replace monsters with others, etc. Likewise, I could always take that NPC and his family's write up and drop it into another town/city/area if the party never interacted with them in this area.

Though saying this, I am also of the same camp as @Snarf Zagyg re: Greyhawk. I really appreciate the large swathes of bare campaign world for me to color in, with not a lot of "lore" that everyone knows and expects to exist. I see what you presented as something that could slot into an area of Greyhawk with a little nipping and tucking.

 

[aco175]

If a book came out from someone I trusted and contained everything I wanted in a campaign and was priced ok, then of course I would buy it.

Imagine never to call a random NPC Bob, the Fighter again. If I knew the village on the other side of the lake the PCs likely will never go has a baker's assistant with the 3rd daughter named Cass and she has a penchant for puppies, fishing off the bridge and keeping used chewing gum on her bedpost to use again the next day, My players would be amazed. Extra points for where she hides her 3 copper pieces.

I could focus on stealing pictures of people online to insert as NPCs and maps PC handouts since I would have dungeons made and each town would have a theme and secrets already. I would know where the PCs go and have things there all done as well. It would be epic.

Seems to echo the 3 rules of business though where it could be cheap (compared to other books of this type), fast (how long it would take to create), or good (how detailed)- pick 2.

 

[R_J_K75]

Would you buy it? Why or why not?

I'd buy that. I can use what I want, change what I want or ignore what I want. The more detail the better, maps, npcs, religions, encounter tables, etc. The less I have to create is what I'd prefer. Hypothetically, if it's a brand-new setting and a one-off book, no further support, no novels and doesn't include any new player races, classes, skills, feats, etc, I can do whatever I want with it as a DM as there is no reason for the players to ever open the book. My only caveat is that I would like the book to cover a small area, similar to the Nentir Vale only in much more depth.

 

[R_J_K75]

Seems to echo the 3 rules of business though where it could be cheap (compared to other books of this type), fast (how long it would take to create), or good (how detailed)- pick 2.

Thanks for making me think I was back in college. Personally, Id select fast and good and pay a premium price.

 

[Voadam]

Let's engage in a hypothetical...

A new product has been announced. It is a guide to a Kingdom setting. It has a beautiful region map, with dozens of points of interest, and the selling point is they are ALL detailed. Every town has a map and is brimming with premade locals. The various mountains, forests and other biomes come with proper random encounter tables and special encounters. Local monsters, tribes and other people are described. There are several fully stocked dungeons ready to use. There is detailed lore on the local history, nobility and religions. Each area comes with potential adventure hooks. Almost no area of this region is undescribed. You could run an entire campaign with what's in it and never have to create a single thing. The book is huge and reasonably priced, from a company you trust

Sounds mostly great. The prestocked dungeons give me a bit of a pause. I generally prefer setting products to be focused on the setting itself and full adventures on their own separately.

Adventures being set in the setting is great, I think Paizo's Adventure paths being part of Golarion works great and enhances them, but I also have adapted them to different settings. I generally use the world as a backdrop for adventures and characters.

If multiple six part adventure paths were included with the Golarion setting book it would give me pause on buying it, as I would expect that to affect the price and would kind of affect the utility of the product as a setting reference.

Would you buy it? Why or why not?

I have bought several well detailed big settings.

World of the Lost Lands is over 500 pages long.

Most kingdom sized setting books I own though are usually smaller. Usually 32-96 page range. The Grand Duchy of Reme is about 150 pages. Hamunaptra is over 200 pages.

A bunch of city books are on the bigger size. The Pirate's Guide to Freeport is 256 pages (including a chapter on the world though). Ptolus is 808 pages (also includes a chapter on its world).

I might buy another really detailed kingdom setting book that caught my interest.

---

The reason I ask is to gauge how much value "blank space" is worth. Areas where the DM can go in and paint their own stamp without contradicting established lore. At what point, if any, does detail get in the way of creation. I get there is no one size fits all answer, but I'm looking for at what point does being through become a liability? Or does it not and there is an untapped market for a product that does all the world-building for the DM. After all, APs and setting guides do sell...

This is going to vary a lot and for different purposes. While I own and use and reference the big Ptolus book I mostly go off the information from the free 32 page Ptolus Player's Guide and have integrated what I like into my homebrew mashup setting. I have no problem contradicting established lore like the closed cosmology setup or the moon stuff but I use a lot of lore from the Holy Lothian Empire.

 

[aco175]

I have bought several well detailed big settings.

World of the Lost Lands is over 500 pages long.

Most kingdom sized setting books I own though are usually smaller. Usually 32-96 page range. The Grand Duchy of Reme is about 150 pages. Hamunaptra is over 200 pages.

A bunch of city books are on the bigger size. The Pirate's Guide to Freeport is 256 pages (including a chapter on the world though). Ptolus is 808 pages (also includes a chapter on its world).

I might buy another really detailed kingdom setting book that caught my interest.

Have you used these big setting books? Have you gotten your money's worth? It is up to everyone to decide if they got their money's worth I guess. Some may read them and never use them in a campaign and still think they got it, while others may think if they did not get three campaigns it was not worth it. Just wondering, thanks

 

[Voadam]

Have you used these big setting books? Have you gotten your money's worth? It is up to everyone to decide if they got their money's worth I guess. Some may read them and never use them in a campaign and still think they got it, while others may think if they did not get three campaigns it was not worth it. Just wondering, thanks

It varies.

I got a lot of Lost Lands stuff in bundles and on big sales, but I have not gone through a lot of the setting stuff as of yet. Mostly a bunch of the Blight and some of Bard's Gate is stuff I have gone through. I would love to run the Northlands Saga though.

Ptolus I read a bunch, I am really glad I got the free player's guide and I am happy I got the Bundle of Holding for the 5e version. I was also satisfied I got my money's worth for me when I bought the big d20 version when it was on a mega sale. It is a big part of my homebrew mashup setting.

Golarion I have used a ton, it is also a big part of my mashup setting with a Ptolus Holy Lothian Empire overlay. I read the 3.5 setting hardcover all the way through. I have run multiple Golarion adventure paths in my homebrew setting.

Freeport I read the pirate's guide cover to cover and ran multiple campaigns in the city and it is part of my mashup setting as well. Very happy with that.

Hamunaptra I have a fantasy Egypt in my setting with elements that have come up in game. It is a bit of a fusion of Golarion's Osirion, Hamunaptra, Lost Lands Necropolis, Mystara Nithia, Ravenloft Har Akir, and FR Mulhorand. I have sourcebooks with stuff from each and more Egyptian stuff to pull from including the Mummy's Mask AP.

There is a lot of stuff I have gotten but have not read yet, but it is there as a reference if my games go that direction or for me to read in the future. A number of lost lands stuff is like that.

I don't have a lot of buyer's remorse, I mostly get PDFs, stay within my hobby/gaming budget, and buy things that interest me that are on sales.