Homebrew vs. Published settings

[Kid Socrates]

When I run games, I run homebrews. The main reason is the freedom.

I've been running one game for about a year and a half now. I've got about five major cities detailed, and another few major locations. I've got a ton of NPCs spread out all over the place, and a lot of plots going as well. I don't have to have them fit in with anything else, except the stuff I come up with. Were I to run it in Greyhawk, or the Forgotten Realms, or Eberron, I've got a barrier to get past -- I have to make my game fit in with how everything's already set up, and sometimes that's too restrictive. I do much better in my universe.

Now, that said, I haven't run a game for anyone but the one group since 1998. Were I running a long game that had a constantly changing cast of characters, I'd most likely have to run it in an existing setting, because importing people to a homebrew can be complicated.

 

[MonsterMash]

I use the Wilderland of High Fantasy from Judges Guild, but I've done what you're encouraged to do with the setting and make it your own by changing things to fit in published adventures, using different races, etc.

 

[fusangite]

I always create my own world; of course I can be influenced by things I read, including history, fiction and, occasionally, published gaming material. But there is never any direct importation of content from other published worlds. Frankly, I cannot imagine GMing without world creation being any fun.

So, if I may, I'd like to pose a question to the other 81% (at current standings) of EN World GMs who rely, to a greater or lesser degree, on published worlds/settings: Where does your main sense of fulfillment and joy come from as a GM if not from creating new worlds?

 

[Psion]

So, if I may, I'd like to pose a question to the other 81% (at current standings) of EN World GMs who rely, to a greater or lesser degree, on published worlds/settings: Where does your main sense of fulfillment and joy come from as a GM if not from creating new worlds?

Who said it doesn't come from creating new worlds? Just because I use a book to add a city or flesh out a region doesn't mean there is not lots to come up with.

I just know I don't have enough time to create all the details myself, and I recongize that other authors out there have good ideas that I wouldn't have thought of that I can add to the Borg Collective that is my setting.

 

[Kilmore]

I'm afraid I cannot respond to Fusangite's question because I'm a pathological homebrewer. I have one world which I use for any of my fantasy campaigns, be it D&D, GURPS, Hero System, whatever. When I played Traveller, I didn't use the Imperium. I've given some thought into creating an alternate "Modern" world for modern adventures.

That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy other settings. I have a number of Forgotten Realms books at the house that I look at for ideas every now and then, but there's nothing that I graft straight over.

 

[The Cardinal]

I use homebrews almost exclusively - except when I'm GMing D&D3.X. It's too much work and not enough fun to build a D&D world from scratch...
My D&D favorites:
Dawnforge
Scarred Lands
Midnight (but this works much better with GURPS!)


(Since the appearance of GURPS4 I've stopped GMing non-GURPS games, but I still would play D&D3.X for the occasional dungeoncrawl.)

 

[NewJeffCTHome]

I would love to be able to invent my own world - and have made a near infinite number of stabs at it over 25 years. However, when i have time to game now, i use something that is off the shelf, flexible & adaptible - Kalamar.
I don't have time to learn a zillion new prestige classes, alternative magic systems, new monsters, other new rules, etc. I prefer something I only need the 3 core books to play.

 

[Arnwyn]

So, if I may, I'd like to pose a question to the other 81% (at current standings) of EN World GMs who rely, to a greater or lesser degree, on published worlds/settings: Where does your main sense of fulfillment and joy come from as a GM if not from creating new worlds?

From everything else? Not a very clear question, IMO.

Generally, though, it comes from DMing the players - watching them interact with the world and different locations. Less so, I also like creating locations within a world... using a published setting certainly does not preclude any DM-creation whatsoever.

 

[barsoomcore]

World-building is tons of fun, no question, but my heart is a story-teller's heart, and while the setting is important, it's not the real source of my joy.

It's WHAT happens, not WHERE it happens, that gets me cranked up. Sorta what arnwyn said, I reckon.

That said, creating cool worlds stuffed with "Gee-Whiz!" goodness is sure fun, but I see a lot of stuff scattered around that makes me go "Cool!" and I stick it in all willy-nilly. Barsoom includes stuff from Al-Qadim, the Iron Kingdoms, Hollow World, assorted Dungeon magazines, Shattered Lands (hi, Nightfall!), Dragon Fist, the Barsoom novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs (go figure), Dune, the Black Company, Dragaera, Ghostwalk, Rokugan...

Well, I could go on. Give me half an excuse and I will, too. Or you can check it out yourself:

http://barsoom.hyboria.net/BarsoomWelcome.html

 

[HeathcliffeSlocumb]

I created and ran a homebrew in high school 15 years ago, but I no longer have time for that with wife, job, etc. Now I use Kalamar or Scarred Lands. SL is significantly different from everything else and gives a unique flavor. I like Kalamar as a standard D&D world. I take any published adventure/module, tweak it to my needs, then drop it into Kalamar. Keeps my prep time to a minimum...