Sword of Spirit
Legend
Hi all,
My new mega-campaign is quickly approaching, and the idea is to have each character come from a different campaign setting. I decided it might be best to present the various settings to my players in the form of brief and concise "advertisements." Each setting should be presented in its best light so they can really get a feel for which one they prefer for their character.
I'm not as familiar as I'd like to be with some of them, so I could use some help from any of you who are excited about various campaign worlds. I'm particularly in need of ads for Eberron, Mystara, and Birthright, but feel free to write up ads for any settings (including the ones I'm giving in the examples!)
Here are some examples of the sort of presentation format I'm looking for.
The Forgotten Realms
More D&D than you can shake a wand at
D&D’s most popular and fleshed-out setting, the heroic fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms includes many of the standard assumptions of D&D. But along with your elves and dwarves, knights and wizards, you will also find a variety of other elements, from samurai to gunpowder to centaur like lion-people who roam hot savannahs.
Highlights
Richly Detailed World. The Realms have been filled with detailed published descriptions of lands and places, cities and villages, organizations and NPCs, and just about anything else you might want. If you want to jump into a well-developed world where the inns are already named, this is your place.
Multicultural Menu. Whether you are interested in Asian (take your pick of type), Middle-Eastern (ditto), Mesoamerican, Turkic, or African, many Forgotten Realms lands are modeled (loosely or not so loosely) off of real earth cultures. Pick one, and there’s a really good chance it’s already here for you.
“I feel like I’ve been here before.” If you’ve played any D&D video games, chances are you’re already familiar with the Forgotten Realms, as most of them are set there. Novels that tell the stories of Drizzt Do’Urden and others are set in the Forgotten Realms. The core rulebooks of 5e have also put special emphasis on the Forgotten Realms, and most of the world-specific 5e material is set in there.
Metagame Options. I hesitate to mention it, but because of the popularity of the Forgotten Realms they have put some things in it that might not make a lot of sense but provide opportunities for adventure. For instance, the city of Raven’s Bluff is a “City of Adventurers” that caters to an unusually large number of adventurers.
The World of Greyhawk
Classic D&D done right
The sword and sorcery World of Greyhawk was the original D&D setting, and it still has a more authentic D&D flavor than any other. If you want to see your elves and dwarves as originally envisioned, this is the place for you. Lands and kingdoms both good and evil dot the land, and technology is at a fairly consistent medieval level.
Highlights
Room for Expansion. Despite it being the oldest D&D setting, much of the world is only formally described in broad strokes. This means that you have plenty of room to make it your own. Whether you’d like to design your own hometown, insert an interesting terrain feature, or ask to be part of a business consortium of your own specifications, the kingdoms and wildernesses of the World of Greyhawk are ready to give it a home.
Morally “complex”. While there is plenty of room for pure-hearted knights in shining armor in Greyhawk, there is also a strand of moral ambiguity as an option. Adventurers are more often treasure-seekers than heroes, entire swaths of the map are overrun with orcs and other monstrous peoples, and in some places your choice is between an evil-government or no government. And sometimes even a hero might find it more advantageous to work with a “lesser evil.”
Traditional Fantasy is Here. Even other traditional D&D settings often fail to give you much in the way of certain expected options, or they replaced standard D&D assumptions in the core rulebooks with their own spin. In the Forgotten Realms, for instance, there is a paucity of actual kingdoms, and the afterlife departs from standard D&D. Not so here. You have a number of kingdoms and lands of all styles, and the unique Greyhawk flavor is unobstrusive and doesn’t overwrite any core assumptions. In short, if you go Greyhawk you aren’t likely to find anything missing from your traditional D&D needs.
Dragonlance
Heroes, Dragons, and More
The epic fantasy world of Dragonlance focuses D&D into a ongoing struggle between the forces of good and evil. Dragons and unusual dragonborn all join in wars for the fate Krynn, guided by the hands of the Immortals. Its history is an ongoing saga of world-spanning changes, with heroes and villains playing as notable a role in its shaping as the clashes of armies. Most of the standard D&D expectations are present, with some interesting twists.
Highlights
Be a Part of Something. It’s easy to tie yourself into an important faction in Dragonlance, whether noble groups such as the Knights of Solamnia, compulsory class organizations such as the Wizards of High Sorcery, or affiliation with one kingdom or another. If you want to be a part of a knighthood, order of wizards, or another group with major influence in most of the world, or a hero who changes that world, Dragonlance is for you.
Everything You Need; Nothing You Don’t. The world of Krynn is a bit smaller than most D&D worlds, which makes it easier to traverse the primary continent from coast to coast. Within that world, however, are all sorts of fantasy lands with both classic and unique flavors. If you want to be able to be reasonably familiar with the geography of your world and still have there be plenty of it to cover most bases, Krynn is a great place.
Bonus Races. Warlike, seafaring minotaurs are a standard race. The noble, elegant, and magically-inclined Irda—ancestors of the brutish ogres—still hide in isolated lands. The tinker gnomes of Krynn are mad scientists, while the kender are similar to child-like halfling kleptomaniacs, and the filthy gully dwarves are a shame to the dwarven race—and all help provide comic relief. Who wouldn’t find those more interesting that half-orcs?
Dragons, You Said? Dragons are the first race in the world, and maintain an important role. Unlike in many other settings, they interact and fight alongside the other races, and their influence has had a major impact on history. If you want to come from a world where dragons are a present force rather than rare monsters, this may be the world for you.
Ravenloft
You can never leave
The dark fantasy world of Ravenloft, the Demi-plane of Dread, lurks in the shadowy places of the multiverse, its mists reaching out to draw in characters against their will. Gothic horror is the name of the game in this world, the surface imagery of scenic landscapes and prosperous villages hiding the evils that threaten the lives of helpless villagers.
Highlights
Creatures of the Night. Vampires. Werewolves. Ghosts. Zombies. If you want to play a character who slays lots and lots of these, Ravenloft can provide them. Of course, they may be more of a challenge than you are expecting...
Madness and Horror. “I wade through the pit filled with crawling disembodied hands.” In Ravenloft, horror is heightened, and even adventurers may not have that level of control over their responses. If you like the idea of struggling against dread, panic, or sanity shattering experiences, Ravenloft’s mists can make you wish you didn’t.
Suspense and Doom. It’s not all monsters and madness. Ravenloft also projects a more subtle experience of suspense and terror—an unease designed to evoke the gothic horror of old stories. And sometimes, that subtlety is what really draws you in.
Variety in Your Horror. While the most iconic realm of Ravenloft is modeled after certain parts of Eastern Europe, there are a variety of other cultural areas to meet any desires you may have.
Dark Sun
Mad Max with Elves*
The sword and sorcery Dark Sun setting presents a fantasy world transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Psionics is ubiquitous, while magic has destroyed life and turned the world into a dying place of strange creatures. All of your standard races are present, albeit in altered form. Metal is scarce, life is hard, water is precious...and there aren’t any Immortals to hear your dying gasp.
Highlights
Born to be Bad. Heroes are few and far between in this desperate world of survival. While I expect the PCs to be heroic, you come from a world where evil adventurers are the norm. If you want to stand out as the good guy in a world where survival is the primary ideal, this is a great choice.
Psionics vs. Magic. Arcane casters have a tough choice—do you go the easy route and destroy the waning life-force of the world with your magic, or do you take the more difficult noble path and avoid doing so? People will generally assume you do the former, and hate you for it. Then there is psionics—a talent more common than gourmet cooking. If you aren’t primarily a psionicist, you probably still have a wild talent.
Alien Creatures. The half-dwarf/half-human mul. The insect-like thri-kreen. The hulking half-giant. All of these are standard races in this world. Few normal animals are present in this world, with various giant insects and reptiles being the most common form of wildlife, and plant-life likewise being unusual. If you fancy a bit of sci-fi in your fantasy, here it be.
“Two men enter; one man leaves.” Cities tend to be ruled over by evil sorcerer kings served by their own police-like priesthoods. Many cities also feature gladiatorial arenas as a staple. Do you feel lucky? Well do you, punk?
* I haven’t seen the new Mad Max, so apologies if it is different than the old ones—no false advertising intended.
EDIT: I should add that the timeframe I'm setting most of these worlds in is either their original incarnation (Dark Sun), or right at the end of the 2e play era or beginning of the 3e era. (Dragonlance is set around 369 AC). So no 4e influence, and minimal 3e influence.
My new mega-campaign is quickly approaching, and the idea is to have each character come from a different campaign setting. I decided it might be best to present the various settings to my players in the form of brief and concise "advertisements." Each setting should be presented in its best light so they can really get a feel for which one they prefer for their character.
I'm not as familiar as I'd like to be with some of them, so I could use some help from any of you who are excited about various campaign worlds. I'm particularly in need of ads for Eberron, Mystara, and Birthright, but feel free to write up ads for any settings (including the ones I'm giving in the examples!)
Here are some examples of the sort of presentation format I'm looking for.
The Forgotten Realms
More D&D than you can shake a wand at
D&D’s most popular and fleshed-out setting, the heroic fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms includes many of the standard assumptions of D&D. But along with your elves and dwarves, knights and wizards, you will also find a variety of other elements, from samurai to gunpowder to centaur like lion-people who roam hot savannahs.
Highlights
Richly Detailed World. The Realms have been filled with detailed published descriptions of lands and places, cities and villages, organizations and NPCs, and just about anything else you might want. If you want to jump into a well-developed world where the inns are already named, this is your place.
Multicultural Menu. Whether you are interested in Asian (take your pick of type), Middle-Eastern (ditto), Mesoamerican, Turkic, or African, many Forgotten Realms lands are modeled (loosely or not so loosely) off of real earth cultures. Pick one, and there’s a really good chance it’s already here for you.
“I feel like I’ve been here before.” If you’ve played any D&D video games, chances are you’re already familiar with the Forgotten Realms, as most of them are set there. Novels that tell the stories of Drizzt Do’Urden and others are set in the Forgotten Realms. The core rulebooks of 5e have also put special emphasis on the Forgotten Realms, and most of the world-specific 5e material is set in there.
Metagame Options. I hesitate to mention it, but because of the popularity of the Forgotten Realms they have put some things in it that might not make a lot of sense but provide opportunities for adventure. For instance, the city of Raven’s Bluff is a “City of Adventurers” that caters to an unusually large number of adventurers.
The World of Greyhawk
Classic D&D done right
The sword and sorcery World of Greyhawk was the original D&D setting, and it still has a more authentic D&D flavor than any other. If you want to see your elves and dwarves as originally envisioned, this is the place for you. Lands and kingdoms both good and evil dot the land, and technology is at a fairly consistent medieval level.
Highlights
Room for Expansion. Despite it being the oldest D&D setting, much of the world is only formally described in broad strokes. This means that you have plenty of room to make it your own. Whether you’d like to design your own hometown, insert an interesting terrain feature, or ask to be part of a business consortium of your own specifications, the kingdoms and wildernesses of the World of Greyhawk are ready to give it a home.
Morally “complex”. While there is plenty of room for pure-hearted knights in shining armor in Greyhawk, there is also a strand of moral ambiguity as an option. Adventurers are more often treasure-seekers than heroes, entire swaths of the map are overrun with orcs and other monstrous peoples, and in some places your choice is between an evil-government or no government. And sometimes even a hero might find it more advantageous to work with a “lesser evil.”
Traditional Fantasy is Here. Even other traditional D&D settings often fail to give you much in the way of certain expected options, or they replaced standard D&D assumptions in the core rulebooks with their own spin. In the Forgotten Realms, for instance, there is a paucity of actual kingdoms, and the afterlife departs from standard D&D. Not so here. You have a number of kingdoms and lands of all styles, and the unique Greyhawk flavor is unobstrusive and doesn’t overwrite any core assumptions. In short, if you go Greyhawk you aren’t likely to find anything missing from your traditional D&D needs.
Dragonlance
Heroes, Dragons, and More
The epic fantasy world of Dragonlance focuses D&D into a ongoing struggle between the forces of good and evil. Dragons and unusual dragonborn all join in wars for the fate Krynn, guided by the hands of the Immortals. Its history is an ongoing saga of world-spanning changes, with heroes and villains playing as notable a role in its shaping as the clashes of armies. Most of the standard D&D expectations are present, with some interesting twists.
Highlights
Be a Part of Something. It’s easy to tie yourself into an important faction in Dragonlance, whether noble groups such as the Knights of Solamnia, compulsory class organizations such as the Wizards of High Sorcery, or affiliation with one kingdom or another. If you want to be a part of a knighthood, order of wizards, or another group with major influence in most of the world, or a hero who changes that world, Dragonlance is for you.
Everything You Need; Nothing You Don’t. The world of Krynn is a bit smaller than most D&D worlds, which makes it easier to traverse the primary continent from coast to coast. Within that world, however, are all sorts of fantasy lands with both classic and unique flavors. If you want to be able to be reasonably familiar with the geography of your world and still have there be plenty of it to cover most bases, Krynn is a great place.
Bonus Races. Warlike, seafaring minotaurs are a standard race. The noble, elegant, and magically-inclined Irda—ancestors of the brutish ogres—still hide in isolated lands. The tinker gnomes of Krynn are mad scientists, while the kender are similar to child-like halfling kleptomaniacs, and the filthy gully dwarves are a shame to the dwarven race—and all help provide comic relief. Who wouldn’t find those more interesting that half-orcs?
Dragons, You Said? Dragons are the first race in the world, and maintain an important role. Unlike in many other settings, they interact and fight alongside the other races, and their influence has had a major impact on history. If you want to come from a world where dragons are a present force rather than rare monsters, this may be the world for you.
Ravenloft
You can never leave
The dark fantasy world of Ravenloft, the Demi-plane of Dread, lurks in the shadowy places of the multiverse, its mists reaching out to draw in characters against their will. Gothic horror is the name of the game in this world, the surface imagery of scenic landscapes and prosperous villages hiding the evils that threaten the lives of helpless villagers.
Highlights
Creatures of the Night. Vampires. Werewolves. Ghosts. Zombies. If you want to play a character who slays lots and lots of these, Ravenloft can provide them. Of course, they may be more of a challenge than you are expecting...
Madness and Horror. “I wade through the pit filled with crawling disembodied hands.” In Ravenloft, horror is heightened, and even adventurers may not have that level of control over their responses. If you like the idea of struggling against dread, panic, or sanity shattering experiences, Ravenloft’s mists can make you wish you didn’t.
Suspense and Doom. It’s not all monsters and madness. Ravenloft also projects a more subtle experience of suspense and terror—an unease designed to evoke the gothic horror of old stories. And sometimes, that subtlety is what really draws you in.
Variety in Your Horror. While the most iconic realm of Ravenloft is modeled after certain parts of Eastern Europe, there are a variety of other cultural areas to meet any desires you may have.
Dark Sun
Mad Max with Elves*
The sword and sorcery Dark Sun setting presents a fantasy world transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Psionics is ubiquitous, while magic has destroyed life and turned the world into a dying place of strange creatures. All of your standard races are present, albeit in altered form. Metal is scarce, life is hard, water is precious...and there aren’t any Immortals to hear your dying gasp.
Highlights
Born to be Bad. Heroes are few and far between in this desperate world of survival. While I expect the PCs to be heroic, you come from a world where evil adventurers are the norm. If you want to stand out as the good guy in a world where survival is the primary ideal, this is a great choice.
Psionics vs. Magic. Arcane casters have a tough choice—do you go the easy route and destroy the waning life-force of the world with your magic, or do you take the more difficult noble path and avoid doing so? People will generally assume you do the former, and hate you for it. Then there is psionics—a talent more common than gourmet cooking. If you aren’t primarily a psionicist, you probably still have a wild talent.
Alien Creatures. The half-dwarf/half-human mul. The insect-like thri-kreen. The hulking half-giant. All of these are standard races in this world. Few normal animals are present in this world, with various giant insects and reptiles being the most common form of wildlife, and plant-life likewise being unusual. If you fancy a bit of sci-fi in your fantasy, here it be.
“Two men enter; one man leaves.” Cities tend to be ruled over by evil sorcerer kings served by their own police-like priesthoods. Many cities also feature gladiatorial arenas as a staple. Do you feel lucky? Well do you, punk?
* I haven’t seen the new Mad Max, so apologies if it is different than the old ones—no false advertising intended.
EDIT: I should add that the timeframe I'm setting most of these worlds in is either their original incarnation (Dark Sun), or right at the end of the 2e play era or beginning of the 3e era. (Dragonlance is set around 369 AC). So no 4e influence, and minimal 3e influence.
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