D&D 4E 4E Worlds: what are my options? What are you going to do?

[Emirikol]

I really want to play 4E, but have played-out FR, GH, & Ebb. Are there going to be some good 4E worlds out there by WOtC or 3rd party producers? I'm not talking about converting a current 3E product by myself into 4E, but an acutal 4E printed world. What will my options be? What's looking to be really popular for 4E?

Next, what do you folks plan to do?

Thanks,

Jay H

 

[Xethreau]

You could always just run a generic setting. Or homebrew a world. Both are generally popular options.

I personally want to get into FR and Eberron in 4e, but I plan to carry over my homebrew world to 4e fluff (mostly.)

 

[mearls]

This is what I'm doing, after a few false starts:

http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/dnd/dungeoncraft/

I've started with Ray Winninger's first Dungeoncraft article, and going through one or two a week to slowly build a campaign world from scratch. It's been a lot of fun. Even as an experienced DM, I find Winninger's approach a useful perspective and a good framework for campaign building.

(There's nothing inherent to 4e that's making me start over. I simply decided that, after using Greyhawk, Eberron, and Mystara for years, I want to build my own world. I'd like to start an at-work Keep on the Borderlands game once our current deadline crush passes.)

 

[ruleslawyer]

While I'd love to use the new 4e FR, I positively will not simply because I've detested every actual change (as opposed to publication of new setting material detailing existing facts) made to the setting pretty much since FR gray box Day One. if they release a book for it, and I can get over the silly names, I'll go with Greyhawk and start the campaign with T1 Village of Hommlet just for nostalgia value.

Eberron in 4e sounds like fun, but I'd really have to rethink my gaming style (I tend to beat D&D into conforming to high fantasy and S&S archetypes rather than taking the game's underlying assumptions and running with them).

My guess is that for an experienced DM (which I believe you probably are, given your posts about the Hyborian APs you've run), it'd be easiest just to build a setting out of the 4e "implied setting" they're already giving us. All this stuff with Points of Light, a sample starting town, dragonborn, human, and tiefling imperial legacies, the eladrin-Feywild connection, and the new planes actually pretty much constitutes the bare bones of a brand new setting on its own.

As for me: I'll probably do what I've done with every new edition from 2e on: Reboot with the FR gray box at the end of 1356 DR (the beginning of the 1e setting timeline), incorporating any useful new FR material that would adds to the setting without generating a proliferation of new high-level NPCs, a severe retcon, or an RSE (Lost Empires of Faerun, Serpent Kingdoms, and Power of Faerun are my 3e favorites in this regard). FR is a huge enough world that I don't see any problems making the game radically different simply by choosing a different starting point. If I want "points of light," I'll go with the Savage North, the Western Heartlands, the Moonsea, the Vast, or the Bloodstone Lands. Maybe kick the game off in Neverwinter or Baldur's Gate for the benefit of new gamers who are transferring from those wonderful gateway drug CRPGs.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Biggest problem so far is lack of SRD.

Privateer already noted in the new mag that they're sticking with 3.5 for 2008.

Wolfgang has mentioned that it's likely he'll stick with 3.5 due to the whole SRD bit.

Paizo and others are also waiting from what I understand.

About the only 3rd part ysetting 'good to go' so to speak might be Freeport if you don't mind doing the mechanical bits yourself since it's stat free.

 

[Gold Roger]

I'll homebrew, using some of the setting building blocks provided with 4th edition (definitely Shadowfell and Fairy, propably astral and elemental as well) and including the races and classes in 4th PHB as central.

Right now, I feel after going for an animist, high powered and high fantasy PoL world that doesn't take itself to serious at all times. But who knows what I'll fancy come June.

 

[Destil]

I'm personally looking froward to spending countless hours upon hours making house rules to get everything I had ready to go for 3.5 Eberron working in 4E. I live for tinkering with the rules, though...

 

[TwinBahamut]

I'll probably just homebrew, a lot. I still have countless ideas for different settings I want to run.

Also, I might just pick up the new Eberron, if it looks good. I like that setting a lot. If Wizards of the Coast releases any other settings from the Setting Search, I might try those out too.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Whoa...you got Mike on here....AND he is developing a homebrew Cool. And regarding Ray Winniger's Dungeoncraft articles = BEST EVER. I have a PDF of those I am sure.

I actually expanded immensely upon his 'Countrycraft' article to develop a realms system that can be used to generate small hamlets to tracts of forest to empires. I love to use randomness to create new ideas.

Oh, sorry, as to your initial Q, I doubt there will be much choice for your 4e setting if you are not willing to convert I also wish WotC would confirm whether or not there really will be setting books each year.

 

[Emirikol]

Does world design depend on the system? I mean, we know what the races are now right? What else really matters in a "world book?" How long does it take to put that stuff to print once you stick the stat blocks in there?

I'll probably buy the first non-WotC world put out in 4E..and I imagine that there are a huge number of people who are looking that direction too.

jh