Paul_Klein
Explorer
LOL
Favorite Setting of All Time?
- Thread starter Paul_Klein
- Start date
Favorite Campaign Setting
I got so tired of playing in settings like Forgotten Realms that for years we just made up our own worlds. We Planescaped for awhile, but it wasn't as gratifying as watching the world grow about you, realizing that your character was part of history.
It was also nice knowing that someone like Elminster didn't exist. So it was home brewed planes for years.
Then I discovered the Kingdoms of Kalamar. A place where the creators took into account social development, racial relations, geographical evolution. It wasn't the campaign creator's favorite character and all those other people. The world had history. It had unity. It had purpose.
Basically the Kalamar creators took the time to look at what they did and make a setting, not a bunch of kingdoms and empires thrust together because they sound cool.
I no longer have a need for home brewed worlds. Kenzer & Co. has done all my work for me.
I got so tired of playing in settings like Forgotten Realms that for years we just made up our own worlds. We Planescaped for awhile, but it wasn't as gratifying as watching the world grow about you, realizing that your character was part of history.
It was also nice knowing that someone like Elminster didn't exist. So it was home brewed planes for years.
Then I discovered the Kingdoms of Kalamar. A place where the creators took into account social development, racial relations, geographical evolution. It wasn't the campaign creator's favorite character and all those other people. The world had history. It had unity. It had purpose.
Basically the Kalamar creators took the time to look at what they did and make a setting, not a bunch of kingdoms and empires thrust together because they sound cool.
I no longer have a need for home brewed worlds. Kenzer & Co. has done all my work for me.
gamecat
Explorer
SPELLJAMMER
The Play-by-Play:
Dark Sun: Halfling Cannibal Psions never did it for me. Kinda Mad Max in the Middle Ages...
Dragonlance: Good because Spelljammer's first novel was set there. Really, though, I admire Krynn as a world, despite those irritating Tinker Gnomes that f*cked Spelljammer.
Forgotten Realms: Excellent! I love the realms, especially Thay. Those bald tattooed --->RED<--- wearing wizards are the best mage-mafia i have ever seen. Our most commonly visited sphere.
Greyhawk: Splendid, but a little too underpublished... I know not barely anything of Greyhawk's geography, but adore it's pantheon, especially Zagyg.
Iron Kingdoms: What is Iron Kingdoms?
Kingdoms of Kala-what?: It looks kinda I-wannna-be-the-realms-but-I'm-not...
Mystara: Seen it once or twice on the Dungeon Master's Decks from 2e, but nowhere else.
Planescape: *Yawn*... Spelljammer Light...
Ravenloft: Don't like it nor Call of Cthulhu. That whole "roll a character --> He goes insane in 2 sessions --> Reroll a character --> Repeat ad infinitum" kills me.
Rokugan: Excellent. I dropped Rokugan, plus a Tiger Clan that focuses on Psionics, as the "mysterious orient cliche" in Neer, my homebrew sphere.
Scarred Lands: Very. Cool. Hollowfaust was one of the best books i've seen made.
Spelljammer: Why do we have this thread when we can Spelljam from sphere to sphere? Given that the setting got really stupid with the Dowar (Space Penguins) and the Tinker Gnomes, otherwise Spelljammer is the best there is.
But that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.
The Play-by-Play:
Dark Sun: Halfling Cannibal Psions never did it for me. Kinda Mad Max in the Middle Ages...
Dragonlance: Good because Spelljammer's first novel was set there. Really, though, I admire Krynn as a world, despite those irritating Tinker Gnomes that f*cked Spelljammer.
Forgotten Realms: Excellent! I love the realms, especially Thay. Those bald tattooed --->RED<--- wearing wizards are the best mage-mafia i have ever seen. Our most commonly visited sphere.
Greyhawk: Splendid, but a little too underpublished... I know not barely anything of Greyhawk's geography, but adore it's pantheon, especially Zagyg.
Iron Kingdoms: What is Iron Kingdoms?
Kingdoms of Kala-what?: It looks kinda I-wannna-be-the-realms-but-I'm-not...
Mystara: Seen it once or twice on the Dungeon Master's Decks from 2e, but nowhere else.
Planescape: *Yawn*... Spelljammer Light...
Ravenloft: Don't like it nor Call of Cthulhu. That whole "roll a character --> He goes insane in 2 sessions --> Reroll a character --> Repeat ad infinitum" kills me.
Rokugan: Excellent. I dropped Rokugan, plus a Tiger Clan that focuses on Psionics, as the "mysterious orient cliche" in Neer, my homebrew sphere.
Scarred Lands: Very. Cool. Hollowfaust was one of the best books i've seen made.
Spelljammer: Why do we have this thread when we can Spelljam from sphere to sphere? Given that the setting got really stupid with the Dowar (Space Penguins) and the Tinker Gnomes, otherwise Spelljammer is the best there is.
But that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.
Tyler Do'Urden
Soap Maker
Planescape is SPELLJAMMER LITE? You got that backwards, my man, you've got it backwards....
But I agree with you on Kalamar. It's a damn Realms wannabe with some serious vote inflation in this poll...
But I agree with you on Kalamar. It's a damn Realms wannabe with some serious vote inflation in this poll...
Desdichado
Hero
Realms Lite?!? WTF?
How exactly is Kalamar a Realms wannabe? It seems to me that Kalamar purposely isn't the Realms: it takes away the things about the Realms that suck and replaces them with something good.
Not that it doesn't probably have vote inflation. I just don't see it as the top setting here.
How exactly is Kalamar a Realms wannabe? It seems to me that Kalamar purposely isn't the Realms: it takes away the things about the Realms that suck and replaces them with something good.
Not that it doesn't probably have vote inflation. I just don't see it as the top setting here.
Desdichado
Hero
I was never impressed with Spelljammer. It is more than jumping from one campaign world to another (although I suspect it often devolved into that) but it also had some supremely silly elements. Despite my defense of Kalamar here lately (which I didn't vote for, BTW -- I don't know much about it other than it sounds like the kind of campaign setting I would really like) I voted for Planescape.
That's another one that could occasionally devolve into something not much different than hopping from one campaign setting to another. And I hated the cant.
That's another one that could occasionally devolve into something not much different than hopping from one campaign setting to another. And I hated the cant.
Intermagus
First Post
So it appears unclear still....
Hmm.....I suppose between Planescape and KOK, it looks like they both hit the top as favorites.
(Albeit I think KOK got some extra strength....what would have happened if everybody went posting on the other settings' boards to gain votes, HMMMM?)
LOL...anyway, I still like how it turned out. Looks like the "shovel award" went to Iron Kingdoms, Rokugen, and Spelljammer. ROFL.
And also it seems that while FR gets a good fanbase, most I see here are sick to death of hearing about anything to do with ol' Elminster. (I have to wonder how many of you went and campaigned in alternate Realms realities to kill that poor "SOD!" LMAO...sorry I could not resist the jibe for that "I hated the cant" rant.
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Hmm.....I suppose between Planescape and KOK, it looks like they both hit the top as favorites.
(Albeit I think KOK got some extra strength....what would have happened if everybody went posting on the other settings' boards to gain votes, HMMMM?)
LOL...anyway, I still like how it turned out. Looks like the "shovel award" went to Iron Kingdoms, Rokugen, and Spelljammer. ROFL.
And also it seems that while FR gets a good fanbase, most I see here are sick to death of hearing about anything to do with ol' Elminster. (I have to wonder how many of you went and campaigned in alternate Realms realities to kill that poor "SOD!" LMAO...sorry I could not resist the jibe for that "I hated the cant" rant.
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Tratyn Runewind
First Post
Hello again!
Thanks for the list, RogueJK. I kinda suspected that the Karameikos boxed set must have had an associated module, but I didn't know what it was. And I've heard of those survival kits, but didn't realize they were Mystara-specific.
This is supposedly a pretty widely held opinion. The TV-parody stuff was kind of corny and could easily destroy suspension of disbelief if handled badly, and there were none of the cool rules add-ons you usually got in Gazetteers like the Seven Secret Crafts (Glantri), Rune Magics (the Northern Reaches), Merchant Princes (Minrothad and Darokin), and new demihuman options (Alfheim, Rockhome, and the Five Shires). Still, Mystara in general is less serious and more lighthearted than most other game-worlds I've seen, and DMs who want to throw players for a loop can easily hide sinister doings behind the islands' cheery facade (The Shadow Over Innsmouth might provide some appropriate inspiration...
"Hmm, so that's why those Honor Island mages are so secretive..."). And the isles are also right on the roof of all the undersea action presented in PC3, The Sea People. Incidentally, there were similar theme-park and TV-parody elements in one area of Alphatia, but they were perhaps slightly more believable there because of the highly magical and highly eccentric nature of Alphatia.
And finally, thanks to those who posted the kind words - nice to know people are enjoying the discussion despite Mystara's lowly standing in the poll.
Thanks for the list, RogueJK. I kinda suspected that the Karameikos boxed set must have had an associated module, but I didn't know what it was. And I've heard of those survival kits, but didn't realize they were Mystara-specific.
This is supposedly a pretty widely held opinion. The TV-parody stuff was kind of corny and could easily destroy suspension of disbelief if handled badly, and there were none of the cool rules add-ons you usually got in Gazetteers like the Seven Secret Crafts (Glantri), Rune Magics (the Northern Reaches), Merchant Princes (Minrothad and Darokin), and new demihuman options (Alfheim, Rockhome, and the Five Shires). Still, Mystara in general is less serious and more lighthearted than most other game-worlds I've seen, and DMs who want to throw players for a loop can easily hide sinister doings behind the islands' cheery facade (The Shadow Over Innsmouth might provide some appropriate inspiration...
"Hmm, so that's why those Honor Island mages are so secretive..."). And the isles are also right on the roof of all the undersea action presented in PC3, The Sea People. Incidentally, there were similar theme-park and TV-parody elements in one area of Alphatia, but they were perhaps slightly more believable there because of the highly magical and highly eccentric nature of Alphatia.And finally, thanks to those who posted the kind words - nice to know people are enjoying the discussion despite Mystara's lowly standing in the poll.
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