D&D 4E Default setting for 4E?
the Jester
Legend
There shouldn't be an implied setting, but if there must be, it should be Greyhawk.
CaptainChaos
First Post
They should keep Greyhawk, but really actually do it this time. The GH content in 3E has been negligible. It's so tied up with the history of D&D, it's the natural choice.
Kae'Yoss
First Post
Masquerade said:
And then every campaign setting would have to have
It's not that Eberron sucks - I hate it, but that's just me - but it has no place as the default setting. Default settings should feel like default. Crazy stuff is for supplements.
Besides, with Eberron, they'd antagonize a great bunch of people. They'd probably antagonize some with the FR, too, that's why the Realms don't make a good default setting, either. GH doesn't offend anyone. So it's golden. Let EB remain a campaign setting like the others.
So they should brownnose your generation, the older generations be damned? That's what would happen if you install EB as the standard. On the other hand, if you keep GH in its current, near-invisible, state, you can always get all your inspiration from the Eberron Campaign Setting 4e. Everyone's happy, noone feels they get the finger from Wizards, noone abandons the game (not buying any 4e books) because some unsuitable world was installed as default campaign setting.
From a financial decision point of view - a default setting would be one where WotC will not publish any other setting style books for.
That is they won't make a setting the default one if they can sell any setting specific products.
That is why FR wasn't the default for 3.x nor will it be in the future. WotC can still sell the product line on its own.
That is they won't make a setting the default one if they can sell any setting specific products.
That is why FR wasn't the default for 3.x nor will it be in the future. WotC can still sell the product line on its own.
I think you need some kind of implied setting in the rules, but not required. I think of the core books as those needed to play the game. Without an implied setting, how would a new DM create one? How would domains work? Who would you worship? What would the planes look like and be organized? Where would you set your hometown?
I'd think that either the core 3 needs that information, or it needs to be available in a cheap, cheap, cheap book so peole can actually start playing the game from the get go. As it stands now, i'm not sure how someone would get started in this game as the rule books, starter sets....are organized unless they joined someone that was already playing.
I'd think that either the core 3 needs that information, or it needs to be available in a cheap, cheap, cheap book so peole can actually start playing the game from the get go. As it stands now, i'm not sure how someone would get started in this game as the rule books, starter sets....are organized unless they joined someone that was already playing.
Drowbane
First Post
Zaukrie said:
1) new DMs would likely scoop up the 4e E, FR, GH, or SL books (or whatever is out then).
2) I could see the domains simply listed, with no mention of specific gods.
3) DM: making a cleric, eh? Let me tell you about my setting's gods...
4) Any DM worried about the planes is likely to have his own ideas for them.
5) DM: so, about (insert starting town name here)...
Drowbane, none of that is easy to do for a new DM. That is why I think it should be in the core books.
I also think that if you want the 3 core books to be all you need, then having that in other books means you actually need other books to play, meaning that the game is more expensive to enter, meaning less will start.....
I want the core books (3 or less) to be all some new person would need to start playing. That's why I voted to have an implied setting. It is easy to sell books later that offer alternatives, or to allow experienced DMs to replace with their stuff, it isn't easy to create that from scratch the first time you sit down to play the game. Certainly others will disagree, but that's what I think from having introduced the game to a bunch of 9, 10, 11 year olds in the last year (my kids and their friends).
I also think that if you want the 3 core books to be all you need, then having that in other books means you actually need other books to play, meaning that the game is more expensive to enter, meaning less will start.....
I want the core books (3 or less) to be all some new person would need to start playing. That's why I voted to have an implied setting. It is easy to sell books later that offer alternatives, or to allow experienced DMs to replace with their stuff, it isn't easy to create that from scratch the first time you sit down to play the game. Certainly others will disagree, but that's what I think from having introduced the game to a bunch of 9, 10, 11 year olds in the last year (my kids and their friends).
jollyninja
First Post
I voted no core setting, that way the assassin prc will not have one guild's entrance exam written into the core requirements, spell names will not be named after a guy who existed in one world and they can feel free to slay whatever sacred cows they see fit. Greyhawk can have all these things, in it's own books. I'm all for supporting the setting, something they have failed to do in 3.x as far as I'm concerned.
in the core, let the cleric's go without gods, I always liked the option they presented of not having one. just have it written as cleric's get two domains, player choice with the allignment based ones requiring that you be that alignment. no pantheon required, saves a few pages of text space for more feats or better rule descriptions. in the fr, greyhawk, ebberon, Enter random setting book here, it can be written that clerics are more confined, needing a god to fuel their power. It adds flavor in fact. leave flavor out of the core.
I want more options and fewer presets. In my opinion this is more easily accomplished without a core setting and allows the writers more creative freedom for the generic suppliments. Knight protector of the great kingdom, eye of grummsh and all the other greyhawk specific prc's never get used in my games and have stopped me from wanting to buy any of the "generic" Wotc suppliments for about three years now. it's not generic if it's 35% greyhawk content.
the less setting info you put in the core, the more likely you are to sell setting books to new players and dm's. in stead of one splatbook that is "generic/greyhawk" you can have one for classes like cavalier, swashbuckler, samurai, and other concepts that are easily worked into any game or left out as you see fit and at some point another one, specific for each setting.
For greyhawk, come out with a campaign setting (for geography, pantheons and power groups, npc stat blocks), players guide (classes, races and cool gear/spells from that setting). If the campaign setting books didn't have to have all that player information in them, they'd be more useful to dm's and more would buy them. players would buy the players guide (at least the ones that currently buy the splatbooks would) for the setting that their gm had purchased. If your campaign setting book was comprehensive enough ie around 400+pages, you don't need setting support other then adventures after that and you can move on to new settings and put out more generic suppliments.
A setting like FR, with it's incredible vastness might require more then a single setting book and any new settings undoubtedly would require some after release tweaking through suppliments but there's no reason a setting atlas for all the older settings couldn't sell if enough usable (ie integratable) content was worked in. planescape as a "atlas of the planes" DM book with the players guide having the planar playable races and faction prc's, Darksun setting being the "how to play in a desert" rules book. the players guide including the psionics rules and having prc's and powers to support those rules. Birthright having rules for political minded campaigns. the players guide covering mass combat. that's what I want
sorry, got off topic, my bad. it's just that I'd rather see settings get integrated into suppliments rather then be tossed to the side. The default setting failed as a concept in my opinion but I hope they do not drop Greyhawk entirely.
edit: clarifiying concepts and trying to correct grammar
, writing in 2 minute chunks at work does not help such things.
in the core, let the cleric's go without gods, I always liked the option they presented of not having one. just have it written as cleric's get two domains, player choice with the allignment based ones requiring that you be that alignment. no pantheon required, saves a few pages of text space for more feats or better rule descriptions. in the fr, greyhawk, ebberon, Enter random setting book here, it can be written that clerics are more confined, needing a god to fuel their power. It adds flavor in fact. leave flavor out of the core.
I want more options and fewer presets. In my opinion this is more easily accomplished without a core setting and allows the writers more creative freedom for the generic suppliments. Knight protector of the great kingdom, eye of grummsh and all the other greyhawk specific prc's never get used in my games and have stopped me from wanting to buy any of the "generic" Wotc suppliments for about three years now. it's not generic if it's 35% greyhawk content.
the less setting info you put in the core, the more likely you are to sell setting books to new players and dm's. in stead of one splatbook that is "generic/greyhawk" you can have one for classes like cavalier, swashbuckler, samurai, and other concepts that are easily worked into any game or left out as you see fit and at some point another one, specific for each setting.
For greyhawk, come out with a campaign setting (for geography, pantheons and power groups, npc stat blocks), players guide (classes, races and cool gear/spells from that setting). If the campaign setting books didn't have to have all that player information in them, they'd be more useful to dm's and more would buy them. players would buy the players guide (at least the ones that currently buy the splatbooks would) for the setting that their gm had purchased. If your campaign setting book was comprehensive enough ie around 400+pages, you don't need setting support other then adventures after that and you can move on to new settings and put out more generic suppliments.
A setting like FR, with it's incredible vastness might require more then a single setting book and any new settings undoubtedly would require some after release tweaking through suppliments but there's no reason a setting atlas for all the older settings couldn't sell if enough usable (ie integratable) content was worked in. planescape as a "atlas of the planes" DM book with the players guide having the planar playable races and faction prc's, Darksun setting being the "how to play in a desert" rules book. the players guide including the psionics rules and having prc's and powers to support those rules. Birthright having rules for political minded campaigns. the players guide covering mass combat. that's what I want
sorry, got off topic, my bad. it's just that I'd rather see settings get integrated into suppliments rather then be tossed to the side. The default setting failed as a concept in my opinion but I hope they do not drop Greyhawk entirely.
edit: clarifiying concepts and trying to correct grammar
, writing in 2 minute chunks at work does not help such things.
Last edited:
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