How do you like mixing different settings?

[Li Shenron]

There are things from different source settings which I'd like to use. For example, I think the Faerunian pantheon is still my favourite as it provides a large range of faiths to worship, but I am not willing to play Forgotten Realms in its entirety. I have nice 2ed adventures I'd like to run which are from settings such as Ravenloft, Dark Sun or Dragonlance (I have been ransacking WotC free old edition downloads page ). I have good maps found on different websites, which are from other settings as well.

I'm thinking about using this material, eventually adapting it so that is makes something consistent, but I think most of it would be very recognizable. Probably not the adventures, but for example if I use a map of Faerun, no doubt that some players will think that we're playing in FR and may expect to find the Zentharim of Elminster somewhere. I could change the names of the Faerunian deities to try to disguise them, but then I can't show Faith & Pantheons to the players, and definintely I cannot change the names on the map.

What is your opinion on using spare material from different settings. Do you think it's horrible? Would you hate to find elements of your favored setting used outside of the setting itself? A lot of things are adaptable and I'm willing to do that; for example a Ravenloft adventure doesn't have to take place on the Ravenloft plane itself, it could just be in a specific region on our homebrew world, and changing names is very easy, but at the same time there are those few things which I cannot easily change if I want to use the F&P book and maps.

Just doing a little survey here, so that I can know what to expect from my players...

 

[Zappo]

I've DMed a Planescape/Dragonlance campaign for several years before converting to 3E, and while we did have fun, frankly I'm not at all satisfied with it. Probably, those two settings are way too different; they have virtually nothing in common. I don't know if other crossovers could work better.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I often use things from one campaign setting in another, but these will tend to be (renamed) cities, adventure sites, NPCs, organizations, monsters and other ideas from supplements. For example, I used the concept of crossroads and backroads from Magic of Faerun in my Greyhawk game and used monsters from the Monsternomicon (Iron Kingdoms) and locations from Bluffside in my FR game.

The problem with the FR pantheon and the FR map is that many, many D&D players are very familiar with it. You will need to explain it's an alternate and very different Realms and be prepared to tell them what the differences are. Alternatively, how about using the Forgotten Realms as a base and travelling to the other adventure sites and worlds via portals?

Cheers


Richard

 

[Buttercup]

The problem with the FR pantheon and the FR map is that many, many D&D players are very familiar with it.

Exactly. The general idea of cutting and pasting parts from different campaign settings is good, and I suspect that's why most DMs buy campaign settings. But FR is a special kind of animal.

3E FR is really well done, so that's not the problem. The problem is that, as Rich says, too many players know too much about it. I think if you used the FR pantheon and/or map, you might run into problems with metagaming players.

 

[Li Shenron]

Yeah, those are my worries as well. I can probably forget about the map (it's from "The North" free download) and try to find online some other. If I can catch a good map from a less-known setting it's more likely that they don't recognize the places and names at all.

But the deities are more haunting... the pantheon is too good not to use it I don't want another book for that, and making a new pantheon myself is just a waste of time. Do you have any suggestion about how to use the deities without automatically being in Faerun?

I could also just let the players be free in choosing deities from other settings as well. Since we'll never meet the deities themselves, it doesn't really matter which ones truly exist and which are just in the mind of the people, as long as every cleric gets her spells of course (one way or the other)

As a player, would you feel bad if you played in a homebrew settings with apparently everything "new", except the deities?

 

[Li Shenron]

BTW, I have already used the FR deities in the past for a non-FR generic short series of adventures, but the players were totally new to D&D so they didn't know anything, but this time it's not going to be so.

Also, in another occasion I have used the "total freedom" for deities as well, that I mentioned in the previous post: basically a cleric player was able to write up her own god/goddess quite freely. But this was possible because it was a standalone adventure with no long-term plans. The reason why I'd like to use the FR pantheon is that there are a lot of story hooks from the relationship between faiths, and allowing external deities may not fit at all (in fact, I'd probably even take the Mulhorandi pantheon out of the game).

 

[Joël of the FoS]

Given the large variety of domains found there, Ravenloft can be mixed with nearly any setting (except DS and planescape perhaps). You can make a weekend-in-hell type adventure i.e. the mist take you for an adventure in RL then bring you back after it / or the PCs find the way to escape.

In fact, in the beginning, RL was planned that way. It is only later that they designed campaigns for RL natives.

Joël

 

[Ibram]

I've always liked mixing different settings, its how my homebrew got started (Ravenloft rules with Warhammer fluff). As long as your players know whats going on then it should be alright. Tell them right off the bat that things may be familiar to settings they know, but that they sould assume nothing.

 

[Arnwyn]

I mix different settings fairly heavily. I run a large FR/AQ/SJ/PS/KT multiverse campaign, and most of the time I insert modules from different campaign settings (Ravenloft and Dragonlance most notably) into my game all the time.

I also add things from NG/JG Wilderlands into my FR game (such as the City State of the Invincible Overlord) and even things from Eberron (such as the city of Sharn and the warforged race).

 

[mythusmage]

You're willing to go beyond d20 material you could try GURPS material. Say a Napoleon/Cabal/Trans-human Space campaign.

Old Europe has fallen under the sway of a despot, and bids fair to conquer the world. Can America and Asia forget their squabbles and unite against the menace? Will Mars become involved as trade is disrupted? And who has the Spear of Longinus?

Versailles Remade, a d20/GURPS campaign setting of the early 22nd century.