Mercurius
Legend
I find taxonomies to be somewhat interesting and useful for understanding a given subject, with the caveat—and ongoing reminder—that all taxonomies are abstractions (ala the famous Korzybski phrase, “the map is not the territory”) and often make categorical choices that don't always work. Meaning, there are always gray areas.
Ongoing discussions about D&D settings, new and old, have inspired me to think about how different worlds can be categorized. In particular, the discussion about Dragonlance, and whether it is closer to kitchen-sink settings like Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms, or if it has more in common with themed settings like Dark Sun, which is what I am suggesting.
Anyhow, what follows is one way (and not the only way) to categorize D&D settings. I’ve mostly included D&D worlds published by TSR or WotC, but have also included a few third parties, and a couple non-D&D worlds. If you have a sense of deja vu while reading this, it may be because I (think I) wrote something similar here some years ago, but am not certain.
Category A - Kitchen-sink Settings: These thematically-broad settings are designed for a wide range of play experiences. There is an “anything goes” feel, even if they vary by tone and flavor. They generally include a number of Earth analogues, although are not necessarily bound to them. They are also based upon the D&D rules-as-written, with only small—if any—variations. The underlying idea is that if you want to play D&D as it is described in the rules, with as many options as possible, these settings are for you. A further commonality is that they all generally arose out of a specific edition of the game, what could be called their “root edition,” even if they were updated in later editions. To some extend you could say that they were designed as showcases for default game as it was when they were published (which sometimes led to awkward adaptions in later editions, e.g. the infamous Spellplague of the Forgotten Realms).
Examples (with root edition): Greyhawk (OD&D), Forgotten Realms (1E-2E), Mystara (BECMI), Golarion (Pathfinder), Exandria (5E/Critical Role), Kingdoms of Kalamar (OGL), Midgard (OGL).
Category B - Thematic Settings (Style/flavor-focused): These settings are more narrowly focused around specific themes and styles. They vary in terms of geographical and thematic feel, but the underlying commonality is that the theme or style is front and center, and they generally don't make an attempt to be all-inclusive of every game element. Imagine, for instance, the difference between a full-color painting (kitchen-sink) and a sepia-toned one (thematic); both could depict the same breadth of landscape, but the latter emphasizes a particular mood or flavor, even at the expense of including "all colors." Unlike the next category, the focus is on theme or style, with rules differences being secondary.
Examples: Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Eberron, Ravenloft, Scarred Lands, most Magic: the Gathering worlds.
Category C - Thematic Settings (Rules-focused): While these settings are somewhat similar to the previous category, there are some notable differences. These settings are focused on different and specific elements of the D&D game ruleset itself, and often on variations, options, or sub-systems from the core rules. Meaning, while both groups are theme-focused and and may have elements of both stylistic and mechanical variance from the default game, it is a matter of whether or not the theme is focused on stylistic and flavor elements (B) or rules and game elements (C). Meaning, a category B world might start with the What If scenario of, "imagine a post-apocalyptic world without water," while category C might start with, "imagine a world built around psionics and alternate approaches to magic use."
Examples (with thematic focus): Planescape (the Planes), Spelljammer (spelljammers and the crystal spheres), Birthright (kingdom-building), Ghostwalk (ghost PCs), Council of Wyrms (dragon PCs).
Category D - Boutique Settings: These are what I would call “art settings” or “world-first” settings, meaning, they were created as imaginary worlds first and foremost, and only secondarily as RPG or novel settings, which may simply have been utilized as the chosen way to express and share the author's creation (and thus, you will note, none of my few examples are actually D&D worlds). The underlying reason behind their creation may vary widely, but they all share this underlying world-building first factor. Meaning, the primary “game” of the designer was the building of the world itself, which may or may not have continued for years. Another important element is that these settings tend to veer towards sole authorship; others may have fleshed out certain elements, but the world itself is the creation of a single author. Of course settings in different categories might share this, but the shared quality tends to be greater. Note: This category doesn't really apply to published D&D worlds, but it may apply to homebrew settings, as some folks (like myself) enjoy world-building for its own sake, so I thought it was important to include.
Examples (with author): Middle-earth (JRR Tolkien), Talislanta (Stephen Michael Sechi), Tekumel (MAR Barker), the Hyborian Age (RE Howard).
Further Thoughts
As with most taxonomies, there is an artificiality that makes some settings debatable, or at least borderline. A good example is Eberron, which is strongly thematic in terms of steampunk, but also somewhat “kitchen-sinky.” But I categorized it in the second group because its focus is on the thematic style, and the Earth analogues are generally more distant than the worlds in group A. For instance, Sarlona has strong elements of East Asian-style Communism, but it is divergent enough not to be as straightforward as, say, Mulhorand-Egypt.
A few settings that I didn’t categorize are Jakandor, Nentir Vale, and Blackmoor. The first because I don’t know enough about it to decide whether it belongs in B or C, and the latter two because they are partial-settings that are presumably part of a larger world, which I would assume is category A, but wasn’t described enough to safely categorize. The Wilderlands of High Fantasy is sort of in a middle-ground: it is a much larger region, but am not sure if it belongs in A or B.
In some cases, a setting may inhabit a different category depending upon vantage point. For instance, Earthdawn could be either B (Barsaive only) and/or A (the wider world), although if I had to pick just one category I’d go with B, for reasons similar to Earthdawn.
Finally, among some of the classic non-D&D worlds, I’d include Glorantha and Harn in category A, and Earthdawn, Warhammer, and Shadow World in B. I am least certain about Glorantha and Warhammer, both of which are close to the line between A and B. Glorantha follows Earth analogues and is kitchen-sinky enough that I think it probably best belongs in A. Warhammer is also tricky as it is basically dark fantasy Europe, but its thematic elements are central enough that I think it slips over into B. Harn is pretty much a very realistic fantasy-version of the Medieval world and I think safely belongs in A. Shadow World, or Kulthea, is strongly themed around certain ideas, and a good example of a large setting that still fits B over A.
Ongoing discussions about D&D settings, new and old, have inspired me to think about how different worlds can be categorized. In particular, the discussion about Dragonlance, and whether it is closer to kitchen-sink settings like Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms, or if it has more in common with themed settings like Dark Sun, which is what I am suggesting.
Anyhow, what follows is one way (and not the only way) to categorize D&D settings. I’ve mostly included D&D worlds published by TSR or WotC, but have also included a few third parties, and a couple non-D&D worlds. If you have a sense of deja vu while reading this, it may be because I (think I) wrote something similar here some years ago, but am not certain.
Category A - Kitchen-sink Settings: These thematically-broad settings are designed for a wide range of play experiences. There is an “anything goes” feel, even if they vary by tone and flavor. They generally include a number of Earth analogues, although are not necessarily bound to them. They are also based upon the D&D rules-as-written, with only small—if any—variations. The underlying idea is that if you want to play D&D as it is described in the rules, with as many options as possible, these settings are for you. A further commonality is that they all generally arose out of a specific edition of the game, what could be called their “root edition,” even if they were updated in later editions. To some extend you could say that they were designed as showcases for default game as it was when they were published (which sometimes led to awkward adaptions in later editions, e.g. the infamous Spellplague of the Forgotten Realms).
Examples (with root edition): Greyhawk (OD&D), Forgotten Realms (1E-2E), Mystara (BECMI), Golarion (Pathfinder), Exandria (5E/Critical Role), Kingdoms of Kalamar (OGL), Midgard (OGL).
Category B - Thematic Settings (Style/flavor-focused): These settings are more narrowly focused around specific themes and styles. They vary in terms of geographical and thematic feel, but the underlying commonality is that the theme or style is front and center, and they generally don't make an attempt to be all-inclusive of every game element. Imagine, for instance, the difference between a full-color painting (kitchen-sink) and a sepia-toned one (thematic); both could depict the same breadth of landscape, but the latter emphasizes a particular mood or flavor, even at the expense of including "all colors." Unlike the next category, the focus is on theme or style, with rules differences being secondary.
Examples: Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Eberron, Ravenloft, Scarred Lands, most Magic: the Gathering worlds.
Category C - Thematic Settings (Rules-focused): While these settings are somewhat similar to the previous category, there are some notable differences. These settings are focused on different and specific elements of the D&D game ruleset itself, and often on variations, options, or sub-systems from the core rules. Meaning, while both groups are theme-focused and and may have elements of both stylistic and mechanical variance from the default game, it is a matter of whether or not the theme is focused on stylistic and flavor elements (B) or rules and game elements (C). Meaning, a category B world might start with the What If scenario of, "imagine a post-apocalyptic world without water," while category C might start with, "imagine a world built around psionics and alternate approaches to magic use."
Examples (with thematic focus): Planescape (the Planes), Spelljammer (spelljammers and the crystal spheres), Birthright (kingdom-building), Ghostwalk (ghost PCs), Council of Wyrms (dragon PCs).
Category D - Boutique Settings: These are what I would call “art settings” or “world-first” settings, meaning, they were created as imaginary worlds first and foremost, and only secondarily as RPG or novel settings, which may simply have been utilized as the chosen way to express and share the author's creation (and thus, you will note, none of my few examples are actually D&D worlds). The underlying reason behind their creation may vary widely, but they all share this underlying world-building first factor. Meaning, the primary “game” of the designer was the building of the world itself, which may or may not have continued for years. Another important element is that these settings tend to veer towards sole authorship; others may have fleshed out certain elements, but the world itself is the creation of a single author. Of course settings in different categories might share this, but the shared quality tends to be greater. Note: This category doesn't really apply to published D&D worlds, but it may apply to homebrew settings, as some folks (like myself) enjoy world-building for its own sake, so I thought it was important to include.
Examples (with author): Middle-earth (JRR Tolkien), Talislanta (Stephen Michael Sechi), Tekumel (MAR Barker), the Hyborian Age (RE Howard).
Further Thoughts
As with most taxonomies, there is an artificiality that makes some settings debatable, or at least borderline. A good example is Eberron, which is strongly thematic in terms of steampunk, but also somewhat “kitchen-sinky.” But I categorized it in the second group because its focus is on the thematic style, and the Earth analogues are generally more distant than the worlds in group A. For instance, Sarlona has strong elements of East Asian-style Communism, but it is divergent enough not to be as straightforward as, say, Mulhorand-Egypt.
A few settings that I didn’t categorize are Jakandor, Nentir Vale, and Blackmoor. The first because I don’t know enough about it to decide whether it belongs in B or C, and the latter two because they are partial-settings that are presumably part of a larger world, which I would assume is category A, but wasn’t described enough to safely categorize. The Wilderlands of High Fantasy is sort of in a middle-ground: it is a much larger region, but am not sure if it belongs in A or B.
In some cases, a setting may inhabit a different category depending upon vantage point. For instance, Earthdawn could be either B (Barsaive only) and/or A (the wider world), although if I had to pick just one category I’d go with B, for reasons similar to Earthdawn.
Finally, among some of the classic non-D&D worlds, I’d include Glorantha and Harn in category A, and Earthdawn, Warhammer, and Shadow World in B. I am least certain about Glorantha and Warhammer, both of which are close to the line between A and B. Glorantha follows Earth analogues and is kitchen-sinky enough that I think it probably best belongs in A. Warhammer is also tricky as it is basically dark fantasy Europe, but its thematic elements are central enough that I think it slips over into B. Harn is pretty much a very realistic fantasy-version of the Medieval world and I think safely belongs in A. Shadow World, or Kulthea, is strongly themed around certain ideas, and a good example of a large setting that still fits B over A.
