D&D 5E Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Official Campaign Settings

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I am often asking inconvenient questions of myself. Things like, "What is the one part of your body that disappears when you stand up?

Your lap?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Your lap?

There's the story of the college professor who gives his final out; the final has five pages of dense instructions. Within those instructions, every year, there is a single sentence- "If you read this, turn in your exam immediately without marking it for an 'A'." And every year, no one turns it in.

 

[AtomicPope]

I can think of psychological reasons why people want an official setting:

• Canon: provides a sense of stability and gives you bearing, a starting point from which every player and DM can deviate from or go back to.
• Official Setting: assurance that your world is supported and your part of an active world.

 

[turnip_farmer]

Before joining a game, for official settings, there is a large chance they have heard of it before and know the themes of the setting. A published, but non-official setting has less audience so they won't be immediately familiar (I know nothing of Mystara, for example, and I don't know if it would click with me). If it's a homebrew... you have to trust the GM. If you want "high fantasy" and the GM is putting you in a gritty world, you'll be disappointed. Leaving at session 0 would be bad form..

Just as a small aside, leaving at session zero is fine! This is much preferred to the standard approach of 'well, this doesn't sound like the game I wanted, but I guess I'll give it a go anyway' and then leaving at session three.

 

[pnewman]

It's a network effect. People want an official campaign setting because they know that other people are more likely to be willing to play in an official setting, and this increases their chances of having a gaming group that does not fall apart.

 

[Charlaquin]

It's a network effect. People want an official campaign setting because they know that other people are more likely to be willing to play in an official setting, and this increases their chances of having a gaming group that does not fall apart.

This is true, but also kinda just kicks the can down the road. Why are those other people more likely to be willing to play in an official setting? See the opening post for a lot of possible reasons.

 

[overgeeked]

Convenience. This one is easy. Making stuff? TOO HARD. Finding stuff? TOO HARD. Having the official maker create things for you? THAT'S JUST GOLDILOCKS RIGHT! Convenience also means availability. Official product is usually more likely to be available as well, and you don't have to sort through other products.

For me, it's mostly this one. In my experience, modern players grumble about homebrew (which is still really weird to me), so having an official product you can point to as the starting line then tweak is a way easier sell than homebrewing something whole cloth.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

For me, it's mostly this one. In my experience, modern players grumble about homebrew (which is still really weird to me), so having an official product you can point to as the starting line then tweak is a way easier sell than homebrewing something whole cloth.

Do you think it's an issue of time or validation?

In other words, do people today want the official campaign setting because home-brew takes too much time (that they don't have), or because having an official product validates the setting, and (weirdly) their interest in it?

 

[Mind of tempest]

Do you think it's an issue of time or validation?

In other words, do people today want the official campaign setting because home-brew takes too much time (that they don't have), or because having an official product validates the setting, and (weirdly) their interest in it?

or because of so much busted homebrew?

but I say a mix of all the above.

 

[Campbell]

I like seeing different takes on the things I am fan of. Worst case I still have the old thing. Best case like in Exalted Third Edition or 4e Darksun I have something I like much better. Almost as good as liking a new version for different reasons like with 5e's Ravenloft compared to the original adventure or like I'm fan of Classic Vampire - The Masquerade, Vampire - The Requiem, and Vampire 5th Edition all at the same time. Sometimes just having a new take can be exciting!