Homebrew settings and player appeal

[werk]

As I'm looking for a new group to play in, I'm finding a lot of homebrew settings instead of the WotC settings I'm familiar with.

What is the appeal, for a player, to want to play in a homebrew setting?

I ask this because I feel that there is great appeal for a published setting for a player, largely in that a player will know what to expect, lots of tangibles like deities, regions, politics, lots of things. Going into a homebrew, especially one that is not written up very completely, I just feel a little at the DM's mercy and obligated to acquire as much fuzzy information as possible. I think homebrew is just for the DM to make it up as he goes and as an excuse not to buy or learn a formal setting.

Thoughts?

 

[Storm Raven]

As I'm looking for a new group to play in, I'm finding a lot of homebrew settings instead of the WotC settings I'm familiar with.

What is the appeal, for a player, to want to play in a homebrew setting?

I ask this because I feel that there is great appeal for a published setting for a player, largely in that a player will know what to expect, lots of tangibles like deities, regions, politics, lots of things. Going into a homebrew, especially one that is not written up very completely, I just feel a little at the DM's mercy and obligated to acquire as much fuzzy information as possible. I think homebrew is just for the DM to make it up as he goes and as an excuse not to buy or learn a formal setting.

Thoughts?

Part of the enjoyment, for me, when DMing, is creating a setting. I own books from several published settings (Scarred Lands, Forgotten Realms, Kalamar, Nyambe, Midnight, Oathbound, Eberron, etc.), however no published setting fits exactly what I want to do. There may be elements I like, but nothing ever meshes completely (or even very well in many cases) with what sort of campaign I want to run. In addition, using a published setting means I don't get to create nations, gods, politics, and so on, and I enjoy doing that part of the DMing job.

So, why do I use homebrewed settings? Because it makes DMing more fun for me.

 

[Kularian]

It definitely depends on the DM. My group mainly uses homebrew settings, although we're starting to use one more and more that may become our norm.

Going into a homebrew, especially one that is not written up very completely, I just feel a little at the DM's mercy and obligated to acquire as much fuzzy information as possible.

I know how you feel. I find it difficult to immerse my character in a world that I know little about, and I find it fairly easy, (and this might work for you too,) to make a character that knows next to nothing outside his tribe/town/house/etc. That is, of course, if you choose to play in such a setting.

When I craft my settings, I try to be as detailed as possible. I'll create deities, continents, races (and thus racial tensions), etc. It's still not as complete as some WotC settings, but my friends and I tend to use the word 'rigid' instead of 'complete.'

I think homebrew is just for the DM to make it up as he goes and as an excuse not to buy or learn a formal setting.

Hey now! With some DM's, (I've seen it, I know), this does appear to be the case. But again, using my group as an example, we don't like the confines that are placed on us in using one of these settings. We can tweak it, sure, but it's not 'ours.' I think that's mostly the allure of homebrew, IMO. You have the ability to craft something that no one has ever seen before.

But unless you've a competent DM, who knows how to make a new setting, the games can be quite bland and uninteresting. So overall, as I started, I shall end with: It depends on the DM. Some are lazy, sure. Some are cheap, given. But there are those who want to craft the world that's in their minds and share it with the players. So I'd take it on a game-by-game basis instead of having the mindset that Homebrew = bad.

Kular

 

[Kularian]

In addition, using a published setting means I don't get to create nations, gods, politics, and so on, and I enjoy doing that part of the DMing job.

Hear hear! We should start calling ourselves WM (World Master) We do much more than dungeons, hehe.

 

[Crothian]

Going into a homebrew, especially one that is not written up very completely, I just feel a little at the DM's mercy and obligated to acquire as much fuzzy information as possible. I think homebrew is just for the DM to make it up as he goes and as an excuse not to buy or learn a formal setting.

Thoughts?

Are we talking about DM's that homebrew or are we talking about the ones that have barely a homebrew? Sure, some DM's might have acrappy homebrew and use it as an enxcuse not to buy books. Others though are not that way. It depends on the DM. Remember not all DMs are created equal, some of them should not be homebrewing or even DMing.

 

[an_idol_mind]

I've pondered switching over to a published setting a couple of times, and my players have asked me not to. The appeal to my homebrew for them is that they get to be the ones who decides where the world is going. I've has cities, towns, and historical events pop up from suggestions that the players have given in their character backgrounds.

The other major benefit is that my homebrew doesn't have a lot of uber-level NPCs that even the grittier fantasy settings tend to have. The player characters are the heroes of the world, and they determine the setting's metaplot. Simply put, a homebrew allows them more flexibility and influence over the world than a published setting can offer.

 

[Kormydigar]

As I'm looking for a new group to play in, I'm finding a lot of homebrew settings instead of the WotC settings I'm familiar with.

What is the appeal, for a player, to want to play in a homebrew setting?

I ask this because I feel that there is great appeal for a published setting for a player, largely in that a player will know what to expect, lots of tangibles like deities, regions, politics, lots of things. Going into a homebrew, especially one that is not written up very completely, I just feel a little at the DM's mercy and obligated to acquire as much fuzzy information as possible. I think homebrew is just for the DM to make it up as he goes and as an excuse not to buy or learn a formal setting.

Thoughts?

Speaking as both a DM and a player I couldn't disagree more. From a player's perspective I am extremely grateful to have a DM who is willing to invest all that time and creative energy by developing a unique world for me to play in. I do expect my character to have knowledge of the common facts of the world, such as geography, politics, and deitys, but expect (and hope) that there will be secret knowledge left to uncover. I also expect to have any major differences in the way the D&D universe works explained to avoid incorrect assumptions. ( I played in one homebrewed world long ago where "adventuring" was illegal and "adventurers" were arrested if caught, but was NOT told about this prior to beginning play)

As a DM sometimes it is hard to portray certain concepts, and types of society in established worlds. Sometimes adjusting an existing world can be a lot more work than starting from scratch. Homebrewed worlds, new monsters and magic is a way for us old farts to keep the game fresh and exciting.

 

[werk]

Part of the enjoyment, for me, when DMing, is creating a setting. I own books from several published settings (Scarred Lands, Forgotten Realms, Kalamar, Nyambe, Midnight, Oathbound, Eberron, etc.), however no published setting fits exactly what I want to do. There may be elements I like, but nothing ever meshes completely (or even very well in many cases) with what sort of campaign I want to run. In addition, using a published setting means I don't get to create nations, gods, politics, and so on, and I enjoy doing that part of the DMing job.

So, why do I use homebrewed settings? Because it makes DMing more fun for me.

That's all good, but my question was, why would a player want to play in a homebrew? I understand all the benefits to the DM.

 

[Stormborn]

Perhaps there are DMs out there who use homebrew as an excuse to make it up as they go along, and do so poorly. However here are some reasons I homebrew and what I do when I homebrew (trying not to echo the posters above, all of whom have excelent things to say)

1) I know a homebrew world far better than I will ever know any published campaign setting. This is a boon to a player because I run the game better.
2) I can do things with a homebrew world that do not violate any "canon" setting ideas. This is a boon to a player because they have one view of the world, the one presented at the table and don't experiance any cognative dissonance.
3) I don't have to worry about player knowledge and PC knowledge coming into conflict. See above.
4) I can, and this is important for the OP's question, customize the setting to fit the kinds of characters and adventures that my PCs want.

4 is the big one. I have a player who wants a paladin who worships angels - done. I have a player who wants to play a ninja like PC- done. I have a player who likes fighting fiends/undead/giants/whatevers and wants that to be a central part of the game - done. I have a player who wants to play a goblin/kobold/whatever and not be killed on sight in every city they walk into - done. Basically it means that as a player you could tell me the kinds of things you want and I can have a setting where they make perfect sense and work within the campaign as a world and as a game.

Regardless I always give the player's a "setting guide" that ranges from 2 to 20 pages, and typically write small sections customized for each one's background. This may mean that while they have a good idea of the region where the game starts they may know less and less as their PCs travel, which is appropriate I think.

The OPs experiance may not have been good with homebrews, and thats a shame really. But just because you grew up eating burnt hamburgers on cold buns with weird condiments doesn't mean that McDonald's burgers are better than the ones you can get at Harry's Hamburgers or at your buddy's cook out.

 

[werk]

Are we talking about DM's that homebrew or are we talking about the ones that have barely a homebrew?

Well, I don't know yet as I am searching for a new group. Typical responses are "I run a 3.5 game set in my homebrew world. I don't want to go into it, as it would require a long type to type out the details. Let me know if you're interested!"

I've had three of these so far...