NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aberzanzorax" data-source="post: 5647305" data-attributes="member: 64209">This post made my heart sing. (I am not being sarcastic, if that's not clear on messageboards). It really did.  On the one hand, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the great wheel. I like the idea of balance and extremeism (sp), and I love that it's done on multiple levels (inner versus outer planes, astral verses ethereal). What I don't love is how it's a "draft" version. I feel like TSR had some totally kickass ideas that were faulty in some ways, flawed in others, and revolutionary in yet more possible ways. So...I loves it..I hateses it...but, in the end, I find it imperfectly inspiring.   In some distant ways, that's how I feel about Golarion. However, I think it has more details that fit nicely, but less overall cosmology that blends in a solid way.  But, in either/both cases.... I always feel that the more info provided, the more I can use...and the more I can ignore (as a DM). Give me a dozen ideas and let me cherry pick the 2 best for my campaign. Do that 100 times and I have 200 fantastic ideas (and 1000 ideas I won't use currently). But the thing is, I might very well use 200 of those ideas for my futurespace or steampunk or hardcore conanesque fantasy or lovecraftian campaign. Give me 1200 good ideas, and I'll likely enjoy having read them. I like reading rpg books...but, and this is very important for me anyway....I REALLY LIKE RE-READING THEM TO PILFER IDEAS FOR NEW GENRES AND SETTINGS. I own hundreds of rpg books. I'll say this...no book (dragonlance, golarion, dark sun --2nd or 4th ed, ptolus, etc) gets only one read or consideration.   I love the IDEA of worlds. For me they transcend rules.  I like several (and hate several) of the D&D worlds (in particular, I'm somewhat damning about the current forgotten realms...what were they thinking?!?). But, and on the other hand, I LOVE the revitalization of worlds like Dark Sun.  A world, to me, is a story. The OP question is akin to "is narnia better or worse than middle earth?" I can't answer that. But I can say that my gaming reflects consistent, realistic worlds that don't mess around. If you know your "worlds" then you know where I stand. It is sad to categorize a gaming world as one that is "inconsistent, unrealistic, and messed around with"....but I think we might just be able to find that.  There are great D&D worlds.  There is a great (and may be multiple great) pathfinder worlds (if we look to 3pps).   My advice to any company who has created (or inherited) a world is to treat it with respect...even if it is overbloated and in need of a revision.   I'm looking forward to see where Oathbound goes next.  (EDIT: to be completely clear, and minimize any passive aggressiveness: I'm dismayed at WotC's treatment of Forgotten Realms, OK with their treatment of Eberron, Impressed with their treatment of Dark Sun) I'm also wondering/concerned where other worlds/realms like Dragonlance and Ravenloft are headed. Simultaneously, I'm excited about elements of Golarion but also not feeling a nice synergy or completeness to that world. It has some lovely elements, in particular thoste that are based upon underutilied cultures. I don't claim one or anothe is better at this point...BUT I think we may be close to a breaking point.  If WotC doesn't retain the importance of worlds (e.g. everything is core) then I think they'll be missing something big. If Paizo doesn't solidify/integrate their world, then I thin they'll be missing out on a real setting over a hodgepodge of separate interesting (but very clearly separate) settings.) I think both companies have room to improve. I also think that they could learn a bit from one another (in som e cases not currently, but overall) in HOW to improve.  I'd love to see a really coherent and kick-ass setting from either company.</blockquote>

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