Best NonWOTC Campaign setting?

[JoeGKushner]

Has variant classes.

The Hunt having variant classes, like the Witch, Shaman, and Samurai, doesn't really change the core classes thought in and of themselves.

If having variant core classes in the ruleset/main book itself disqualifies a setting, the most settings are going to go by the wayside including Kalamar, and Morninstar.

 

[Black Knight]

For high adventure fantasy I would have to go with the new Blackmoor (coming out at GenCon). It was the very first detailed fantasy RPG world that helped develop DnD into what it is today. One of the original co-creators of DnD is the lead designer on the project as well (Dave Arneson).

For more info about it you can check out Zeitgeist Games' Website or Goodman Games' Website. There is plenty of support, a very active community, and plenty of older sup material out there.

All the classes are still there (with 3 new base classes). Very cool feel to it. And the staff is very helpful in answering any questions you may have.

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

Scarred Lands by far. The core classes are there but the world is sufficently bent to give a great flavor to an "otherness" feel. It provides new parameters that will challenge you as a DM and players alike. Great potential here! Check out Nightfall's thread on the Scarred Lands that runs on these boards. There is a great Scarred Lands website but I can't remember the address off the top of my head. Nightfall will definitely be able to direct you.

I also recommend Judges Guilds soon to be resurrected Widerlands Campaign. The Players handbook is already printed and a massive boxed set is due sometime this year. To access more information go over to the Necromancer forums. I can't wait for the City State of the Invincible Overlord to be done. It was one of the best settings in 1E ever provided and now it will be coming out in 3.5.

 

[Gaiden]

One thing that would help is to know how much money you are willing to spend. If you are going for a non-WOTC world, there is a lot out there. However, some worlds are neatly contained in one book; others in 10. You said you did not drasitcally want a change in classes. IME, you may just want to stick with WOTC stuff and use one of the 2nd ed. settings with the Dragon updates. Again, IME, the real flavor from a non-WOTC product comes from the alternate classes, feats and spells (and sometimes spell systems).

I have not played Midnight, but have looked into the Scarred Lands, Rokugan, and Arcana Unearthed. My personal favorite is Rokugan - it is AEG's d20 version of Legend of the Five Rings and thus has the 13th - 16th century Japan feel to it. I like it because it has so much flavor built into all of the new mechanics it introduces and the majority of all the source books in addition to Rokugan itself are all about settings and people. Of course, there are somewhere around 15 books out for the setting and reading through all of them could be quite labor intensive - especially since it is all new (if you haven't done anything with L5R).

I will second JoeGKushner's philosophy of plundering from the material heavily. Scarred Lands is even a bigger product than Rokugan and has a phenominal amount of material. IIRC, the number one adventure of last year was for that setting (or at least published by SSS).

I have played in an Arcana Unearthed game and found it to be a refreshing change from the standard D&D races. The game followed the published adventure: Plague of Dreams, and the involvement of all of the history of the world by my DM was great. Overall, I like the mechanics less than for the above two systems, but the setting was cool.

Lastly, you might want to look at Ravenloft if you are interested in a gothic horror setting. If done well, you might literally feel chills down your spine while playing (I have).

 

[Kae'Yoss]

As the others said: Midnight.

And I second Rokugan d20 (though it has other classes - but these are great, too): The supplements are really great!

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Another for Midnight...

One huge change I've found is that the game is all about the characters being heroic... not killing monsters and taking their loot. Gold is more or less worthless in the setting, food is far more valuable. Carrying around a magic item makes you more easily tracked by Izrador's servants. Let me clarify a misconception that a lot of people have... Midnight is NOT low magic. Midnight is RARE magic. The magic in the setting is very powerful but there isn't a whole lot of it. A character may have only one magic item by the time the PC makes 10th level. However, it will most likely be a very powerful item to offset the liability that carrying such an item incurs.

The only classes that are the same are Fighters, Rogues, and Barbarians. However, Monks, Druids, Rangers, and Wizards have all been redone to reflect the setting. I actually prefer the Wildlander to the PHB Ranger and the Defender to the PHB Monk.

 

[Gothmog]

Have to go with what others have said- Midnight is phenomenal.

Other than Midnight, Arcanis by Paradigm is a good setting. Its mid-magic level, has all the standard races and classes, but with some new spins on things and a large Roman-esque Empire, and an evil theocracy that actually makes sense. Their published adventures are also VERY good- my group has played them and enjoyed them immensely.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'm going to have to suggest Dawnforge. It's got only a few class changes from the core rules, and it provides many more options, but you don't have to use many of them if you don't want to. It's a fascinating world, an excellent product, and--perhaps most importantly--you only need the single campaign book to play. (Well, plus the three core rules books, of course.) Suppelements exist, but they aren't essential.

Much as I love Scarred Lands, I have to admit that it's harder to get started in that setting, because it's not as self-contained, in terms of number of books, as Dawnforge. If you're willing to buy a handful of books, you can't do much better than SL, but for someone just starting out, Dawnforge is of equal quality, and easier to get into.

(I'm tempted to suggest Ravenloft, since it's not a WotC setting anymore, but I think that would violate the spirit of the request, so I'll refrain. )

If you can wait a few months to start, you might also give Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra from Green Ronin a look-see.

 

[MrCharm]

Midnight, no contest.

Had Kalamar, The Hunt, and several others, and have sold them all.

Midnight got me playing again, after a year off. I really, really like it, and as Calico Jack alluded to, if someone really wants to play a specific character, you can play everything except cleric.

Oh, and look at www.againsttheshadow.org. Best messageboard ever, and just hanging out there for a while will get you to buy the setting.

 

[Emiricol]

I'm going to say Midnight by FFG. Just an opinion, mind you. After that, probably Rokugan by AEG.