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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AFGNCAAP" data-source="post: 4525336" data-attributes="member: 871">Well, FWIW...  this is more toward game systems than settings, but in some cases, system & setting go hand in hand.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"Realistic" Games/Game Systems: This is a big pet peeve of mine, because more often than not, when I've encountered arguments for realism, it's primarily when adhering to realism would provide some sort of in-game benefit to the player.  Also, conceived notions of what's "realistic" vs. what's genuinely realistic come into conflict here as well (drawing upon a mix of hard evidence, anecdotal evidence, faulty examples, etc.).  IMO, trying to emphasize "realism" in a game with obviously fantastic/unreal elements in it is laughable at best, and highly irritating at worst.  On a related note, this also includes "grim-n-gritty/grey morality" games as well—IME, quite a few players who've advocated this tended to play technically-not-evil Chaotic Neutral characters who want to cause havok/do whatever they want & not be penalized for it in game based on Alignment reasons.  (And, IME, a fair number of these players liked to play the tough guy loner individualist sorts, as well. IME, this often = "have fun at the expense of others".)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Very Offbeat Settings: Where I can see the appeal of these for a one-night game or something short-term, I really can't stand a lot of the more offbeat settings, IMO (ala Dark Sun, Spelljammer, and Planescape).  I think a multidimensional approach for a D&D setting would've been OK, but I didn't care for the use of the existing Great Wheel cosmology for it: it seemed like trying to shoehorn the D&D cosmology into a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_Adventures" target="_blank">Myth Adventures</a>-like game (the weird slang and other elements from it reeked of the `90's "trenchcoat & katana" style that permeated a lot of `90's gaming products).  Didn't care for the psionic-heavy post-apocalyptic approach of Dark Sun, either.  OTOH, I think that Eberron, which could fall into this category, works quite well.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Pseudo-Earth Settings: Whether it's the Forgotten Realms (esp. pre-4e version) or Warhammer's core setting, the near-Earth-analogs are just as bothersome to me as the very offbeat settings.  I'd rather just go with a Fantasy Earth (literally) setting rather than a Fantasy Earth analog.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Canon-Heavy Settings (with a caveat): I dislike canon-heavy settings (like FR) only for one main reason—the overly-informed fan base, primarily for the potential of conflict/player knowledge that creeps in during the game (so & so wouldn't do that, because in novel X..., etc.).  It's a real pain at times, and something that I've had negative experiences with before.  It's been really problematic when said players want to play something featured in a novel or the like which, for a novel/plot element, works out as intended, but for a game element/mechanic, is ridiculously broken/imbalanced.  Also due to the experience of some players wanting to play a specific character from said setting (or a near-copy of said character) and their inevitable disappointment because things don't pan out in the game as they did in the novel/video game/etc. (because of character level, dice rolls, etc.).</li> </ul>Those are the big pet peeves for me.  FR fell into many of the above categories, IMO.  Star Wars (a game I've played & run) is a big offender in relation to the last point, but I try to preface my games be saying "this is what I work with—take it or leave it".  While drawing upon real-world elements can work in some instances, I prefer a more generic end product than an exacting replica (e.g., a pseudo-Asian style culture that's an amalgam of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, & other such cultures, rather than having a near-exact copy of each nation/culture for a campaign; same goes for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Americas, or other general regions).But, that's just my outlook/opinion on the matter.</blockquote>

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