"Cool setting, bro. But what's the hook for the PCs?"

[Aldarc]

Aldarc is looking at this from a big picture perspective.

The Blue Planet RPG has one of the best science fiction settings I've ever read and it's absolutely filled to the brim with adventure hooks. But if I were to invite you to make a character for a campaign you'd have no idea where to begin. The campaign could revolve around a wildcat Longjohn operation trying to compete against megacorporations, a criminal gang in New Kingston trying to make their mark, GEO Marshals enforcing the law on the frontiers of a new world, or just about anything else that might strike my fancy. Whereas if I were to invite you to play a game of Shadowrun you'd automatically have a general idea of what the PCs as a group would be doing.

It's more of a design choice than a flaw I think. Blue Planet is a wide open setting allowing you to run a variety of campaigns right out of the box. But the lack of focus has some disadvantages a well. Just trying to narrow down what the PCs do can be a chore.

Most definitely. Or Tekumél. It's an elaborately detailed setting, with its own conlang included, but in many of the TTRPG books it doesn't set out clearly what the PCs are actually doing in this world. Typical discussion of Tekumel often begins on MAR Barker backstory, talk about the non-Euro-American influences on the cultures, and the unique features of the alien world, but it hides what PCs may do in this setting or even how they would go about it.

This is not to say that my grievance is with an abundance of lore. My grievance is with settings without clear play goals or expectations for GMs or PCs.

 

[MGibster]

IME/IMO as a DM, its not my job to develop the overall campaign arc/story line for the group, or tell the players what to play.

I consider developing the overall campaign arc to be one of the most basic functions of a DM. I often change that arc based on the actions of the PCs, but it's still my job to manage the story line.

 

[R_J_K75]

I consider developing the overall campaign arc to be one of the most basic functions of a DM. I often change that arc based on the actions of the PCs, but it's still my job to manage the story line.

Think were are basically on the same page as I said later in the post, "Afterward its my job to translate that premise into game sessions all while being of aware of what the players want to accomplish and give them realistic chances of doing so". But as far as coming to the table at session zero or session 1 with the campaign premise and arc planned out as the DM, Im not going to do that, manage it after the fact, absolutely, but thats mostly driven by the PCs actions and goals.

 

[Contrariwise]

It was detailed and the splat books they added covered good and bad organizations. The gods were in a great place they were greek style and could interfere or not as DM wished. I loved the feel of it. I've honestly never liked anything after 1e. I always hated the Cyric line,bringing in AO was just pointless , and I never liked anything after they blew it up into the Cataclysm.

I may be the only one but I loved Shaundakaul , Tyche, being the CN goddess of luck, I loved the gods only having to answer to consequences for actions. It was like the dumping ground for fantasy there was enough detail you could pick almost any kind of culture you wanted to run your game in and go. It was just a fun Glorius mess, though you could remove all mention of Elminster and i wouldn't object. All the other campaign settings I've ever tried I had multiple people not want to play because they didn't like it. Never had that problem with 1e FR.

I haven't had any mention of AO in any of the FR games I've run because the players have no reason to know of or be interested in AO. Though I understand the dislike for the Avatar series as a whole the gods role in the setting didn't change significantly. Ultimately I feel the setting is still one where you can pick any sort of culture/odd locale, use the countless hooks nearby and craft a campaign. IMO 2e and 3e add alot of solid lore to areas in southern and eastern FR so they just add to the natural strengths of the setting.

 

[Zeromaru X]

Preferring games that lean towards "no myth" settings, the details of MTttNV and Fallcrest in the DMG are more than enough detail for me. But if you're interested in a collection of all bits of lore from across the various 4E product line as they relate to the NV, you can do no better than @Zeromaru X's outstanding fan gazetteer: A Nentir Vale Gazetteer - The Piazza

Thanks for the free publicity

I also think the Nentir Vale would have benefited from a full setting book. But the Vale has a ton of player's hooks at it is. They may be more local than those of the full settings, but they do exist, nonetheless.

 

[Lanefan]

I ran a 30-level 4e D&D campaign using the inside gatefold-cover map from the B/X module Night's Dark Terror. I haven't done a precise comparison but it's probably similar in size to the Nentir Vale.

I once worked out that it's about 400 x 250 miles.

And it ticks all the boxes.

Including having a bunch of built-in adventure sites should one choose to use them, though for some you'd have to fill in some details.

It's far easier to use as the core of (or, as you did, all of) a base setting than it is to insert into a pre-existing setting, which is what I've done with it twice now.

 

[Campbell]

Basically a fair number of RPGs are actually toys and not games. They do not provide an objective of play. Like Blades, Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard, and early D&D are games. You know just by reading what good play and bad play looks like. You know what you are supposed to be shooting for.

 

[Aldarc]

Basically a fair number of RPGs are actually toys and not games. They do not provide an objective of play. Like Blades, Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard, and early D&D are games. You know just by reading what good play and bad play looks like. You know what you are supposed to be shooting for.

You may have succinctly identified one of the the underlying rubs for me. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with playing with toys, but I think that I may prefer that my settings reflect game play rather than toy play.