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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 8705137" data-attributes="member: 20564">I love to create settings.  Think of it as a minigame for me.  I've got documents with setting kernels ready to build out further if I'm going to be running a game.For me, the best settings are flavorful ones, and ones that actively support exploring the stories the table is going to weave together.  In some cases, it enables telling stories that you couldn't tell elsewhere, or at least not in the same way.  Dark Sun, for example, lends itself to stories very different then more generic setting.Talking about generic settings, take a look at the Warforged in Eberron vs. a kitchen sink generic setting like FR.  In Eberron they were created as living weapons, coming from House Canith's monopoly on creation forges but sold to every nation during the Last War.  The Treaty of Thronehold emancipated them - no, more than that, declared them people instead of weapons.  But it also stopped creation of any more.  So how long will they live, will they die out as a race.  Plus they are reminders of the Last War and seen by many as not-people.In the FR, they are metal men.Halflings in Eberron have two different cultures, with one of them being dinosaur-riding Australian-expy bad...butts.  Halflings in Dark Sun are cannibalistic because they don't waste resources.  Halfling in generic worlds are ... well there's a whole thread on "The Problem with Halflings".So coming up with lore an importance for races, cultures, and the like is part of world building.  And thematically not everything always fits.  And even if something isn't barred thematically, with the number of races it's work - where does the haregon fit?  Where do the emerald dragonborn fit?  Where do the shadar-ki fit?  It may be just too much work, or work that dilutes options that are strongly connected to the world and theme.--Okay, that covers most things.  Let me get onto the parts it doesn't.I usually homebrew rules to correct something I feel is wrong in play.  I try to keep them minimal, otherwise I just pick a different system that fits my needs better.  The only three I have in 5e games I'm currently running are:  Inspiration is a reroll (instead of advantage) and players can nominate other players for it.  Drinking a potion yourself is a bonus action.  Milestone XP.But I could do one for a setting - Dark Sun has arcane magic defaulting to despoiling which is fun, and I almost had something similar for necrotic magic (which would include Raise Dead) for a setting.  So that's with the stuff up top.  Theros with their Divine Gift is a good example of official material doing that.As for books, I will disallow books I don't want.  Usual examples are setting books for other settings - sorry, you can't play a dragonmarked character in Theros.  I usually disallow 3PP books as a category and allow specific ones I might want.  And while published by WotC I disallow Acquisitions Inc., it doesn't support the style of game I want.</blockquote>

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