Favourite Fantasy Settings

[Snoweel]

I'm interested to know peoples' favourite fantasy setting.

This can be from books, movies, computer games or TTRPGs. Obviously a lot of the more popular ones cover some or all of these media. I'm even keen to know if your favourite setting is somebody's homebrew.

Don't forget to share what you like about it.

 

[Quantum]

My favorite setting for D&D is Forgotten Realms.

It's kind of weird though, I've never really been a fan of swords and sorcery fantasy novels except for rpgs.

 

[jdrakeh]

I'm currently really keen on Call of Cthulhu's Dreamlands, which I someday plan to run using a CoC/Runequest hybrid. I also have soft spots for Shadow World and HarnWorld.

 

[Snoweel]

My favorite setting for D&D is Forgotten Realms.

Is there a period in the Realms' development that you like best? How do you feel about the 4e take on the setting?

I understand a lot of FR fans aren't too happy with the Realms in its current state, but I personally like it. I find it far more suitable for running the type of game I'm interested in (points-of-light settings feel the most like D&D to me).

What exactly do you love about the Realms?

 

[Snoweel]

I'm currently really keen on Call of Cthulhu's Dreamlands, which I someday plan to run using a CoC/Runequest hybrid.

I've recently acquired an interest in CoC myself. I've downloaded some podcasts that I've just started listening to and the abstract nature of the system appeals to me, even though I'm not a fan of games set in 'the real world'.

What's so cool about Dreamlands?

I also have soft spots for Shadow World and HarnWorld.

Tell a ninja why?

I've heard so much about Harnworld over the years, but I'm not sure I've ever heard of Shadow World (though it is a fairly generic name).

 

[jdrakeh]

What's so cool about Dreamlands?

The Dreamlands is a totally alien setting, characterized by shapeless horrors, unfathomable eldritch god things, and surreal wonders only possible in the land of dreams. It's even further removed from the traditional tropes of High Fantasy than settings like Talislanta are. I think that its closest kin may be found in Tekumel, though even Tekumel obeys normal Earth physics for the most part, whilst almost anything is possible beyond the wall of sleep.

I've heard so much about Harnworld over the years, but I'm not sure I've ever heard of Shadow World (though it is a fairly generic name).

Well, I like HarnWorld specifically because it pays attention to things that pretty much every other fantasy RPG setting I've ever read ignores or glosses over greatly — things like weather patterns, the impact of geography on trade routes, the impact of trade routes on economies, economies, social structure, legal systems, etc. Now, granted, I may never use half that stuff in any given HarnWorld game that I run — but if I want to, it's there. That is a huge benefit.

Shadow World is the official Rolemaster setting (it started off as a series of three modules way back in the day). I like the setting because it took all of the rules from Rolemaster and integrated them in much the same way that Ptolus integrated all of the D&D 3x rules. If a rule exists in Rolemaster, it's represented in Shadow World somewhere, somehow.

 

[Hussar]

Favorite DnD setting: Scarred Lands by Sword and Sorcery Press.

Favourite Fantasy Setting: The Malazan world by Stephen Erikson is just fantastic. Also, gotta give mad love to China Mieville's Bas Lag world.

Favourite SF setting: Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space setting is as good as it gets. Although Stephen Baxter's Xeelee/Ring series comes in at a VERY close second.

 

[deadsmurf]

My favourite worlds are: Eberron - a great fantastic world for gaming and I really enjoy a bunch of Novels set there (Dreaming Dark & Thorn of Breland trilogies by Keith Baker; the two Geth starring trilogies by Don Basingwaithe)
I also enjoy the Wheel of Time earth, as well as middle earth as fantasy literature settings, but they aren't especially well suited for gaming.

 

[Herobizkit]

Game setting I love and have never used:

Eberron. The potential political intrige, coupled with some non-traditional D&D perks (such as the lightning rail and Warforged), makes me smile.

Etherscope. Basically Shadowrun in the Victorian age, with all the cool trinkets and gadgets. Including computers and their version of "the Maxtrix". And clockwork limbs. Awesomesauce.

Iron Kingdoms. Steam power. Giant mecha. Goblins as a standard PC race. And they're mechanics. Sort of.

Deadlands. The Wild West. With magic. and Demons. Yee-haw!

Arcana Unearthed/Evolved. Changing up the traditional Elves and Dwarves for (essentially) brownies and Giants... and Lion-people. Noice.

Spira (from Final Fantasy X): Fantasy adventure in the Carribean with heavy death and spiritual overtones. Plus, like all FF titles, it has airships.

Spelljammer: Speaking of airships... airships. In space.

 

[Pig Champion]

My favourite game settings are:

Spira - I like how everything is designed in spirals, a nice nod to intelligent design. The South Pacific influence threaded through a European needle is really something that has impacted how I look at world building in general.

Westeros - Really captures my imagination in terms of what's possible with simple ideas. Not that the story isn't complex but Westeros itself is pretty simple compared to most fantasy worlds and yet so vividly alive and ripe with adventure and intrigue.

Greyhawk - I like Greyhawk mainly because in DnD, it just feels like home. During the years I didn't homebrew, nearly all our games were here. It's comfortable, like an old fuzzy slipper.