Campaign Settings: metaplot or frozen?

[Kae'Yoss]

Depends on the setting. I like some of them static, some living. Unless, of course, someone thinks that change must be radical and completely disfigures the setting.

 

[Nifft]

I like it when Waldorf kills everyone and enslaves the gods.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I like it when Waldorf kills everyone and enslaves the gods.

Waldorf: "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven!"
Statler: "Anything's better than this!"
Both: "AH HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Those are two scary evil gods ...

 

[Jedi_Solo]

I heavily prefer Frozen. It can advance during an edition change but that's it. No adding in cannon in the middle of an edition.

 

[Klaus]

Frozen, "Zero Hour" settings.

If some "metaplot" is offered, it should be in a standalone book, preferrably with the tools to put the PCs in the middle of it. But future books should not take those events in account, leaving it to the DM to decide if he wants to adapt his campaign to incorporate those events.

For instance, an Eberron sourcebook called "The Return of Vol", describing the events that lead up to the rebirth of the Mark of Death, and the effects of that return upon the world, would be quite cool. But for future supplements, the line of Vol hasn't returned.

Essentially, turn the "metaplot" into "toolbox" supplements and let the DM cobble his own timeline out of them.

 

[Nikosandros]

Frozen for me, thanks.

Good meta-plot is fun to read, but it forces me to adapt my campaign or ignore the new material. Also, sometimes you are also forced to read novels to keep up with the meta-plot and this is even more annoying.

 

[Nifft]

For instance, an Eberron sourcebook called "The Return of Vol", describing the events that lead up to the rebirth of the Mark of Death, and the effects of that return upon the world, would be quite cool. But for future supplements, the line of Vol hasn't returned.

Essentially, turn the "metaplot" into "toolbox" supplements and let the DM cobble his own timeline out of them.

This, I like.

Each "metaplot" would become effectively a modular module / event book.

Cool idea. -- N

 

[evildmguy]

I have a tough time with this. For me, any setting is how things happened, if nothing else interferes. I have no problem doing my own thing and I don't care if it doesn't follow canon. I like reading about change, so I like it when new books come out and advance the "plot" by telling us things have happened to give us ideas. What I prefer is a timeline where I can get ideas and then start somewhere and go forward from there, doing what I want and letting the players influence things.

What I don't like about metaplot is more that the designers don't like to share their ideas or notes for some reason. So, since I know FR, back in Cloak and Dagger (2E), they had Khelbun suddenly resign from the Lords of Waterdeep, was kicked out of the Harpers and start his own group. That's fine. What's not is WHY? Why did he do it? We weren't told the reasons behind it, where it would continue or given a timeline of it so we could do our own thing. No modules based on it to give us their ideas on how it would play out.

(OOP game settings seem perfect for this because of the design philosophy they have, of not telling us much. An OOP setting is all done and laid out for me and I get to do what I want with it.)

That's what annoys me. I don't know why designers do that. Why keep everything close and not share it? What purpose does that serve? (It could be that's a good business decision to keep people coming back and if so I don't like it.) It's too bad they can't lay it all out for us and let us use it as we think we should.

"Hey, our plan was King X would do this." "This country is invaded and here is the prelude."

That would then tell us what to expect in later supplements. We might not be able to be surprised, and that's a good thing, imo. Of course, this also fits with my style. I have stopped trying to surprise my *players* and instead work with them to surprise their *characters*. That's me.

edg

 

[jdrakeh]

This, I like.

Each "metaplot" would become effectively a modular module / event book.

Cool idea. -- N

Very cool, indeed. I'd go so far as to suggest that metaplots could become their own product lines, presenting developed alternate futures for a setting (i.e., they could expand the static core setting into multiple alternate realities).

 

[Li Shenron]

Essentially, turn the "metaplot" into "toolbox" supplements and let the DM cobble his own timeline out of them.

Great idea indeed