Looking For A Campaign Setting

[Psion]

We usually try to stick to WotC products for consistency. Some of the third party stuff is just out there and unbalancing.

Well considering you ruled out the two supported WotC books, your choices outside of third party would be pretty limited.

We're looking for a medium to low magic / power campaign setting.I would like for modules / adventures set in the world (I just don't have the time). Serries of adventures would be even better. The PC's would like a setting where psionics is included not something the DM has to add in.

As I see it, you have two ways you could go here. Psionics-friendly or well supported with adventures.

Psionics friendly settings include:
1) Wilderlands
2) Scarred Lands

The aforementioned Kalamar also has some direct reference to psionic, and fits the low powered mold, but it also fits the "wierd and unbalanced" mold as well if you delve into the early supplements. Fortunately, you can ignore most of those... but if you do, I think Wilderlands might be more appealing.

Well supported with adventures... though it is yet to be released, the aforementioned goodman "DCC" setting is being written around the adventures.


But really, I don't see a problem fitting goodman's DCCs or many of Necromancer Games' adventures into the Wilderlands... and many posters on the NG forums have posted suggestions on where they might fit.

If deciding between Kalamar and Wilderlands, it may help to consider the differences in their approach. Wilderlands is very practical. The campaign books detail specific cities and encounters over the wilderlands. Kalamar is more into creating a beleivable world and relies more on the GM to draw adventure from it. It spends a lot of time defining cultures and societies.

 

[The Lost Muse]

What about Green Ronin's Freeport? It's got a series of adventures available in both print and *.pdf, starting with the critically acclaimed trilogy. (Death in Freeport, Terror and Freeport, Madness in Freeport), Vengeance in Freeport, the Tales of Freeport (a book with four adventures), Black Sails over Freeport (a mega-module), the new Crisis in Freeport (resolving a plotline from the first trilogy). Soon they will be updating the Freeport City book; but you should be able to find Freeport: City of Adventure somewhere.

If you don't mind using 3.0 materials, you can also get Hell in Freeport, and Denizens of Freeport which contains a ton of NPC's.

Support material includes: Creatures of Freeport and Treasures of Freeport (by Ronin Arts).

I don't have all of these, but every single book I have has been used at least once, and they are all very good. Most of them can be purchased in *.pdf here.

 

[Akrasia]

The Wilderlands from Judges Guild/Necromancer Games (already mentioned by Psion) is a great setting, and it's very easy to insert premade modules into it. It's most famous location, The City State of the Invincible Overlord, is a great place, which includes lots of potential adventures. It does, however, have a strong 'sword and sorcery' feel to it (which I like, but YMMV).

Goodman Games Gazetteer of the Known Realms (mentioned by EricNoah) also looks interesting, but hasn't come out yet. However, the world has been designed on the basis of the 30+ 'Dungeon Crawl Classics' modules already published by GG, so using those adventures at least should be a snap. Also, the world looks 'generic' enough to insert other adventures easily.

Necromancer Games has also published The Lost City of Barakus and Bard's Gate, both of which can be considered min-campaign settings, and include many adventures.

For prewritten modules, Goodman Games and Necromancer are the two best companies IME.

 

[Treebore]

Kalamar. It also has a BUNCH of modules, and one of the best, if not the best, put together settings ever done.

Other than that Wilderlands and any adventure you want to make fit by changing the names, etc... The only adventure in d20 print for it right now is Caverns of Thracia. If you want to do a campaign where lizardmen are the main antagonist/adversary, this module will give you the plot for it. Plus the lead in to the grand finally and the grand finally itself. There are one or two Goodman DCC's you can link to this and probably other modules I am not even thinking about you could easily modify to fit such a storyline.

 

[seskis281]

I agree that Eberron would probably not be what you want.

I've run Kalamar and used one of its series (The Coin series) and another larger module, as well as my own-designed campaign where the characters started off as escaped slaves at 1st level with defective equipment and unreliable spells copied in secret at night (added a lot of early fun with 20% chance of sword shattering, shield breaking or spell fizziling). It certainly is a setting that fits your criteria - I'd recommend getting the Genavue/Loona city settings as well - they are quite interesting IMO.

Of course I'm currently writing my own world setting called Ilshara that's in the spirit of original Greyhawk pre-WoTC but with less high-magic, so you could always wait till I get it published..... though you probably want something sooner than the 3 to 4 years wait if I'm lucky (it's also written for C&C so that may not be your cup of tea).

Again, I think Kalamar is going to be your best bet - alot of good material published by Kenzer & Co. in support.

John Maddog Wright

 

[Animus]

Considering what you want and what I've experienced, I'd have to say go with Kalamar or wait for that DCC campaign world. If the DCC modules are any indication of what the campaign setting will be like, it should be good. I agree about Eberron being what you make it, but the adventures available for it, both WotC and from Dungeon magazines, may not be the feel that you would enjoy.

Good luck.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

It doesn't fit in with your desire for published adventures - though I guess you could convert the older modules - but have you considered Dark Sun? It's definitely got that low-magic, low-power feel, and psionics is central to the setting.

I hear Athas.org does good work converting the setting for Third Edition, though I've never checked it out myself.

Oh, they have a couple of adventures there too, apparently.

 

[Turjan]

It doesn't fit in with your desire for published adventures - though I guess you could convert the older modules - but have you considered Dark Sun? It's definitely got that low-magic, low-power feel, and psionics is central to the setting.

Are we talking about the same Dark Sun? How many 1st level characters have you run there?

As to the original question: low power, low magic, inbuilt psionics and lots of adventures? No idea.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Low-power inasmuch as it would be exceedingly difficult to get to high-power . . .

I was under the impression that the reason things always started at 3rd level or so was because it was hard to just survive getting around! That says "low power" to me.

 

[Nightfall]

*cheers* YES! Come to the Scarred Lands! We can so do low/medium magic! Just ask my players!

Plus you can pretty much insert any module from Necromancer Games, Green Ronin or anywhere else. Well some times. Anyway it's all good and trust in your Sage. That would be me!