Literary (and other) settings wishlist

[HalWhitewyrm]

I'd really like to see Green Ronin's Testament setting get a 4E treatment. I really love all that sandals n' swords bronze/iron agey goodness. And the literary pedigree is first class....

FYI, we'll be publishing a True20 version of those settings as True20 Ancients; Rome is coming this year, and Israel early next. As for historical 4e, see below.

I honestly don't know how you could make literary settings jibe with the 4E daily/encounter/at-will powers. The characters are now so power-heavy, they really only fit in one setting: D&D.

I just posted a thread about this same idea but in regards to historical games:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?p=4417171

Meiville's Bas-Lag.
However 4e D&D would not be the system to use with either IMO

You're in luck, then. Adamant has the license for the Bas-Lag setting, and is working on Tales of New Crobuzon.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Seconding Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrel. I wonder if it would work in tandom with Temerraire?

ANd the Drenai saga too for a complete change of pace.

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

Oh, and I love to see Richard A. Knaak's Dragonrealm as an RPG setting.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Butcher's Codex Alera world would be a neat RPG setting, with the elemental-furies-based magic system.

 

[Shalimar]

Butcher's Codex Alera world would be a neat RPG setting, with the elemental-furies-based magic system.

Most of the settings I would add are covered:

Avatar the Last Air Bender
Codex Alera
Harry Potter
Wheel of Time

 

[Alas]

I'll second a nod for Knaak's Dragonrealm-- I used to love those books.

If someone were to do a treatment for the world of the Dark Crystal, I would first decry it as a misuse of Henson's vision... and then get it, for I must have all things Dark Crystal.

Hm... Landover, the realm from Magic Kingdom for Sale: Sold?

 

[StickPerson]

Skarpsey, of Elizabeth Boyer's Wizard War series and associated books. Yes, they're kind of pulp Norse fantasy, but I loved those books when I was a kid and the division between the harsh Norse setting and the world of the fae elves would be fairly simple to emulate in 4E, I think.

Wow, I read these when I was a kid and loved them. The one I remember most involved a fire wizard and boy with a magic sword fighting the machinations of the evil ice wizard Surt. As you said, Norse pulp fantasy, but would make a fun RGP setting.

 

[Gilladian]

And... I have to admit... I wouldn't automatically pass on a Beastmaster book. Not saying I'd buy it, but I can see some potential there. Twin ferret psycho-empathy technique ftw!

Do you mean Andre Norton's original SF story about an amerindian survivor of the earth's destruction (and his animal companions) on a quest for revenge against the alien bad guys, or do you mean the fantasy (fun) nonsense movie?

I'd go for the book version, myself... But I don't see DnD as the system to do it with.

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

I'll second a nod for Knaak's Dragonrealm-- I used to love those books.

Sweet! I always had the feeling I was the only one to have read those books.

 

[Krensky]

Well, I'm not sure either would work in 4e, in fact I'm relatively sure they wouldn't, but:

David Weber's War God series (Oath of Swords, War God's Own, Wind Rider's Oath and Sword Borther pretty much reads like a good RPG setting to start with. The books are a fun read, lots of action, some politics, some discussion of cosmology and metaphysics. It also embraces some of the tropes of high fanatasy, but twists them around at times too. Don't be put off by the novella Sword Brother it's a fun read, reveals some of the backstory, is well set up by some of what the titular diety has told the main character, and helps properly frame the world... even if it does involve a USMC gunny and his LAV-25. Given a choice, I'd probably use 3.5 or SC2.0 this, and not because of the cross universe travel in the novella.

The Heirs of Alexandria series by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer (Shadow of the Lion, This Rough Magic, and A Mankind Witch) would also be nicely playable, I think. I'd probably use True20 here, edging out other d20 choices mainly due to the system's history leaving me reasonably confident it would capture Ms. Lackey's influence on the world properly, but still allow enough combat crunch and action to do theives and priests and knights fighting demons in the alleys of Venice proper justice.

It's been a while, but Eric Flint's Joe's World (The Philosophic Strangler, and Forward the Mage) reminded me of some of the strange, pop culture laden, and just plain weird humorous fantasy games I ran in high school and college.