Just got Wilderlands 3.5 boxed set...

[DaveMage]

The Wilderlands beauty for me is that as a base setting, you can put *anything* in there without worrying about how it will affect the rest of the world since it's such an adaptable place.

 

[der_kluge]

It was der kluge that sold me on the Wilderlands to start! He's my hero, so I stole his idea and used the FR gods...mostly. ( I had to use Set from the PG, just because one of my gang is a Conan nut.)

Wow, I guess I made my Diplomacy checks...

My Wilderlands campaign was great. Too bad I had to move, but the players were into it so much, that one of the players took over my reigns, and continued the game. He doesn't own the Wilderlands, but I suspect he'll maintain the flavor.


The only major flaw is that it's not easy to tell what is immediately surrounding a hex. So, if you're reading the entry for 1101, 1001 and 12001 neighbor it, but their entries might be a page away. What they really need is an online program with a database of all the entries, and a mouse-over where I can, at a glance just look at an area to see what's there, with the option of creating my own entries. And maybe even a zoom-in feature where you can zoom into a specific Hex.

Make it an online program where approved people could contribute entries to the world, and you'd have the most ridiculously fleshed out campaign setting in a year's time.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

The only major flaw is that it's not easy to tell what is immediately surrounding a hex. So, if you're reading the entry for 1101, 1001 and 12001 neighbor it, but their entries might be a page away. What they really need is an online program with a database of all the entries, and a mouse-over where I can, at a glance just look at an area to see what's there, with the option of creating my own entries. And maybe even a zoom-in feature where you can zoom into a specific Hex.

Make it an online program where approved people could contribute entries to the world, and you'd have the most ridiculously fleshed out campaign setting in a year's time.

This is also doable to a degree with existing map programs that provide hot-link capability to other files. It will never be done BY Judges Guild (VASTLY too much effort for no hope whatsoever of profit in selling it or providing it online by a subscription at any insane price) but it CAN be done and would be more fun than should be legal.

 

[The Shaman]

After flipping through the setting again a week or so ago and revelling in its scope, I decided to use the Wilderlands as a 'lost world' in my Traveller game - "magic" in the setting becomes a mix of psionics and advanced technology.

Because classic Traveller stats are so much easier to generate than d20, I plan to "dual-stat" entries as I convert, so that I can run the Wilderlands using The Fantasy Trip system as well, in case I ever get the jones to run a fantasy game at some point.

 

[DaveMage]

What's also been talked about on the Necromancer Boards is making the Wilderlands bigger simply by increasing the scale of each Hex. So instead of a 5 mile hex, each hex is 12 miles or 20 miles.

 

[ssampier]

You can increase the size, sure, but I like the current scale the way it is. It is about the size of the Mediterrean, meaning you can reasonably explore the whole thing, if you wanted.

Instead, I'm increasing the population figures by double, except for the cities. The towns and villages that get a bump have these people living in the surrounding hexes (usually in nameless hamlets and thorps).

 

[Melan]

In my experiences, the Wilderlands is a very good setting for DMs (Judges! ) who like improvisation in their adventures. For that kind of thing, the boxed set provides just enough structure; random idea "seeds" which may stay as small, colourful encounters or germinate into full-fledged adventures. It is also very easy to alter the world without "ruining" the macrostructures, since there is precious little of that to start with.

On the other hand, if you prefer "deep" settings, you are probably better served by other products. The Wilderlands is what it is: a world built on 1974 OD&D sensibilities and design principles, although with some modern garnish to make it more appetizing for some players.

 

[Melan]

By the way, I encourage everyone who is interested to visit the aforementioned URL and download the freely available "Lenap" chapter and the associated map. It is a fairly accurate glimpse of what you are getting with the box... only more!

 

[JoeGKushner]

i.e. Stuff the players can actually interact with. What a novel concept for a campaign world...

If the GM puts the material in there, certainly. There is little for the players to interact with off the base. A GM is not going to pick this up and marvel at the maps of cities like the World Overlord or the city of Tantris.

instead, he'll have to find inspiration to come up with his own material to flesh out the campaign setting's bare bones.

A different, and valid, tactic that is not the same as say, the City State of the Invicible Overlord, a great city product for Wilderlands (also 3.5 by the same folks at Necromancer.)

 

[ColonelHardisson]

i.e. Stuff the players can actually interact with. What a novel concept for a campaign world...

Depends on how you look at it. The adventure seeds and odd encounters are often things the players can directly interact with. I know, because I did some of them (along with a number of others), and that was what was foremost in my mind.