Fluff only campaign settings? (Now with a comprehensive list!)

[DaveMage]

So if said fluffless world book was released and an additional online PDF was available with all the rules, would that make it have more value for you and make you more likely to purchase it or would you just not care?

That would make the world book nice and "edition proof".

Sounds like a great idea!

As new editions/game systems come and go, all you need to do is update the .pdf.

 

[JoeGKushner]

And yet Harn and the various City Books and other generic sourcebooks aren't #1 sellers.

I loved the Maps books by Flying Buffalo Games too. They had some interesting ideas.

And the Lejentia series. Generic stat blocks that you had to codify for your own game.

And the Town of Baldamar (I think that's what it was) from the company that produced the infamous Cyborg Commados.

 

[prosfilaes]

If I'm not going to use a given system's crunch, it's just in the way. A crunch-free setting book is actually of more use to me than, say, a GURPS book or a Runequest book or what have you.

I don't agree; crunch tends to be an easy way to communicate a lot of detail about NPCs, races and other things that normally have write-ups.

 

[JVisgaitis]

That would make the world book nice and "edition proof". Sounds like a great idea!

That's pretty much the idea. Plus, we've been approached a few times to bring Violet Dawn into other mediums so this will give us a good bible to pitch to other markets if we go that route.

 

[Soel]

So if said fluffless world book was released and an additional online PDF was available with all the rules, would that make it have more value for you and make you more likely to purchase it or would you just not care?

Certainly. Where's the preorder option?

 

[Pramas]

If you'd like to read more about the new Freeport book and our support plans for the setting, check out the first of a series of designer journals here:

http://www.greenronin.com/freeport/2007/02/freeport_designer_journal_1.php

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I think it can be hard to publish totally system-free campaign settings that strongly feature supernatural elements - especially abilities in the hands of the PCs. You usually have to quantify their powers somehow, and that's easiest by linking the setting to a certain rule set. Even Urbis, which is relatively free of rules, needs a framework (in this case, the d20 rules) to build on. Otherwise, it can be hard to explain just how these powers shape society. You can theoretically do so by writing lengthy essays on how these powers work, but this might get lengthier than the actual rules would have been.

It's easier in settings with less powerful or common supernatural abilities. If magic is tightly integrated into the trade network and civil defense system of a city, you need to explain how it all hangs together. But if magic items are scarce and the only powerful wizard around spends most of his time in his tower "pondering arcane matters", then you don't have to worry about the details.

 

[robertsconley]

And yet Harn and the various City Books and other generic sourcebooks aren't #1 sellers.

Yet they keep selling and with Harn new products are still slowly being released.

 

[Turanil]

We are and this is the direction that we are leaning in. Problem that I am worried about is that a fluff only setting for Avadnu might be tough on DMs. I can see sessions going like, "OK, so you want to play a zeidian. I wonder what abilities they would have?" Since our setting is more or less alien, I wonder if that would be a turn off?

So if said fluffless world book was released and an additional online PDF was available with all the rules, would that make it have more value for you and make you more likely to purchase it or would you just not care?

I would be interested in buying your setting only if it was fluff only, but most important, if it also has a nice layout and art (as the one which is shown on your website).

Now, as for the "zeidian" race:
Frankly I don't need racial stats. I prefer the race being described in terms of what they look like, plus their culture. For stats, its okay to have them on a web supplement. Things are, if the culture and appearance are cleverly written, I could made the race whatever I like; for example saying "zeidians" are either humans or elves under another name, or that "for zeidians, use the dwarves' racial traits".

Looking forward to it!!

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Yet they keep selling and with Harn new products are still slowly being released.

Yes... V e r y s l o w l y . . .

You have to understand that most publishers of RPG books do not do so because they like to get a profit. They do so because they really like RPGs. Almost all such people could earn more money if they spent the time they invest in this into other matters. Yet they continue to do this because they enjoy the creative process.

The biggest companies - WotC, SJG, White Wolf and a couple of others - also make good business decisions when it comes to creating game books. And few of these produce systemless books. SJG has tried it with the "Suppressed Transmissions" books, but they didn't sell well enough for further sequels. Now Green Ronin also tries the same with Freeport.

We will see how this works out for them, but I am not holding my breath. Systems sell, and so do books linked to a hot-selling system such as D&D.