D&D 5E Human-only campaign setting?

aramis erak

Legend
Can anyone recommend a good human-only fantasy campaign setting?

I sometimes grow tired of the pseudo-Tolkienish default settings of D&D, and wouldn't mind exploring 5e in a more Sword & Sorcery, Hyborean-type setting.

Conan's Hyborea... there are 3 prior good game engines with lots of info that you can crib to make it into your setting. It's one of the few settings that even Mongoose couldn't screw up. Plus a retroclone I'm less knowledgable about.

TSR: Conan adventures for AD&D 1E
TSR: Conan RPG (non-D&D, but excellent capsule writeups, and a great map)
MGP: Conan RPG (d20 OGL) much more detailed
NWA: Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers Of Hyperborea.

If you're willing to convert them, that is.

Barbarians of Lemuria is Hyperborea with the serial numbers filed off.

The Dying Earth... it's ripe for D&D use. Just delete the non-humans except for certain monstrous ones, and you're there. The DE RPG isn't my cuppa, but its got excellent writeups, and is an inspirational read.

And then there's Arthurian England...
Pendragon is de rigueur for the setting. It blends Mallory, Nennius, TH White, and the Mabinogion into one continuous narrative. Converting the setting? Not hard at all. Converting the campaign mechanics and prices? Yeah, it gets odd there.
Closer to home, Avalanche Press' I, Mordred is an excellent d20 setting description. Use the Pendragon maps you can find online, and IM for the general gist of what's happening, and you've got a great Dark Arthuriana. Note also: the relatively recent Tristan & Isolde (staring James Franco) is an excellent visual for Arthurian England...
 

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