Best Campaign Setting????

[EarthsShadow]

yeah, the KoK DM Shield is THE only DM shield worth getting as far as I'm concerned, for any campaign setting. It has charts for everything, even a pizza matrix for your group so they can list their favorite toppings. That can't be topped.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

All right, as a big Hackmaster fan I do have to say that the DM's shield is a real bonus for Kalamar.

The FR advantage is boosted by the number of players in my local area who are fans of the actual novels.

I tend to use Meta instead of demi. Result of shadowrun most likely and a thought that meta has a more general and positive application.

Don't get me wrong, I see Kalamar's virtues, I'm just not sold on them.

To credit Kenzer, and to bring in some not strictly DnD settings, I really love Hackmaster and Garweeze. Makes sense and not least for the delight it takes in its contradictions.

Exalted is another fantasy campaign setting I give a lot of credit too. If only for the fact that it has actual non-planetary cosmology. I'm a sucker for going fantasy whole hog and putting flat-earths in the midst of elemental seas.

Oathbound has a geocentric cosmology with a couple of suns and moons. The game has great tables for light intensity and seasonal variances.

 

[GungHo]

I like Kalamar a lot, for many previously mentioned reasons.

Forgotten Realms... I find myself using a lot of concepts (Zhentarim, Red Wizards, some of the god wars) and the geography, but a lot of it is my own. (I have the Zhent kingdom as much larger and spanning from the Moonsea and taking up Sembia and they're strongly allied with Drow... they also have a much more active military presence, etc. The Red Wizards are in the Vast. The Elves are still in Myth Drannor, though it has fallen from its once-vaunted stature due to the War of Broken Arrows. Cormyr stretches into Anaroch/Shadowdale. The Dragon Reach is a Centaur/Minotaur kingdom... it goes on)

I also like Exalted.

I have yet to purchase Shattered Lands.

I have never seen Oathbound.

 

[Labmonkey-XL]

I say neither Scarred Lands (which is Ok) or Kalamar. Get Iron Kingdoms right away. Start with the witchfire trilogy and then the monsternomicon... and wait patiently.... more will come.

Iron Kingdoms is my favorite Setting, it combines the dark evil setting of scarred lands, makes it a whole lot cooler and adds steampunk & gunpowder elements to boot.

Steamjacks? Steampowered Golems that serve as protectors of the Iron Kingdom is just a cool idea, as well as a WHOLE bunch of cool monsters leaking out of the Monsternomican.

Pistol Wraiths, Iron Liches, Gremlins, I mean c'mon man!

Sorry... just ranting

 

[Simulacrum]

The new FR is BAD ASS. People who can not see can have a seat at the table for the blind. I love the high magic feel, and that FR got away from dorky mediaval crap that goes around.
I play FR more like 16-17th century with lots of technical inventions, vast amounts of advanced (mature) political, economical and warfare concepts. No clueless pseudo heroism and pseudo morals on such a crowded place like Faerun. It's all about vast power and recources.
If set it up that way nothing beats FR and it's kick ass sisters Al Quadim and Kara Tur.
I hate mediaval cliche worlds. Those settings kill fantasy for me.
I love fantasy if it's like the final shortstory from the Heavy Metal film and without any manga and anime influence.
For instance I dig the strange weapons and cyclopic architecture.
That is what makes my gamer heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

[Outlaw]

All right, as a big Hackmaster fan I do have to say that the DM's shield is a real bonus for Kalamar

Which one? There's a Hackmaster GM Shield and there's a Kingdoms of Kalamar DM Shield. The KoK shield is my favorite D&D resource next to the PHB. It is the best screne I've owned (and I've owned a few). It's overwhelming the first few times you use it, but once you get acclimated to all the different panels, it's just fantastic. It has every chart that I wanted that was, for some reason, always left out of my other screnes.

Start with the witchfire trilogy and then the monsternomicon

I was extremely disappointed with the Monsternomicon. When I first saw it, I was excited. Look how much space they give each monster! First person account and more than the paltry submissions that the MM gives. Not just combat, there's substance here. But as I read through the book I started to notice that the entries were bogged down with filler. Big margins, borders all over (including cutting the page in half) and still there was lots of white space. I think, if all that had been cut out and the page count had been economized, it would have shrunk in size by 50%.

 

[Ashy]

I have never seen Oathbound.

Here ya go!

http://www.bastionpress.com/Oathbound.htm

Enjoy!

 

[Nightfall]

*gives points to Oathbound*

Btw Gungu, if you want to learn more about the Scarred Lands, go either here: Info on the Scarred Lands or just pick up Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad. (I don't mean BUY just read through it.)

Btw no offense to the Hackmaster or Kok guys, but I like the SL DM's Screen MUCH better. It's sturdy, and it's useful.

 

[Wil]

Vimary for Tribe 8

One of the best campaign settings I have ever seen (barely beating out Exalted's setting, Heavy Gear's Terra Nova and Jovian Chronicle's solar system). It has everything that any fantasy gamer could need - and with the Tribe 8 Player's Guide that just came out you get OGL guidelines and stats for running Tribe 8 with d20.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Iron Kingdoms is a very nice setting. Great starting adventures and I like the way the religion works. Sad about the lack of Gnomes and telekinetic jellyfish.

I had no idea Tribe 8 was going D20! Can someone send down a Url on that?

I haven't seen the SL dm's screen but Kalamar and Hackmaster get my vote simply for the fact that they transform into combat mode.

One thing I really admire Exalted for and I now look for in other games is how attractive the antagonists are. I don't mean physically, but that was the first setting where I immediately thought that I wanted to DM it as the villains looked far funner than the PCs. On that line they have really great demons. Slightly sympathetic.

Oathbound has that in that I can bring in any kind of character I want to fight the PCs and that the Feathered Fowl freak out PCs a great deal.