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Message: <blockquote data-quote="an_idol_mind" data-source="post: 3781299" data-attributes="member: 43749">Technically, there is a default setting. Greyhawk is the default setting of 3rd edition, while 4th edition looks like it will have at least the beginnings of a default setting of its own.I think, though, that a lot of D&D's success is tied to the fact that it's not intrinsically linked to one specific setting. Sure, there have always been references to Greyhawk and Blackmoor, but those links are tenuous at best. (For much of my gaming life, for example, I had no idea who Mordenkainen, Tenser, et al were. When I first read a Greyhawk setting book, I was amazed that those guys were actually part of the world and not just obscure references to great mages of the past.)Without a detailed default setting, D&D is free to allow for two things: 1) selling setting books for many different campaign settings, and 2) allowing DMs to create their own settings. Both options show of the flexibility of the system, and also allow people to toss out parts of the game they don't like. If you prefer a magic-poor, desolate world, there's Dark Sun. If you want pulp adventure and weird magic everywhere, there's Eberron. If you want something totally different, you can do your own thing.Not having a default setting also allows for a broader appeal to gamers who like the rules but don't like the available campaign settings. As an example of what I mean, some of my friends have suggested that I look into the Exalted RPG. One of the big stumbling points for me and the reason I haven't bought the game yet is because the rules seem very tied to a setting -- a setting that I'm not sure I want to use. If I could get the rules without the setting, I'd be more likely to have an interest in Exalted.I'd start small. Present something like Karameikos (one of the first pieces of the Mystara setting) or Thunder Rift (an isolated valley ideal for low-level adventuring) in the DM's Guide. That would give beginners a base, while allowing for experienced players and DMs to take things in their own direction. One of the great appeals of D&D is its flexibility and wide range, and I wouldn't want to do anything at all to impede that.</blockquote>

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