Looking for a New Setting to Conquer

[Aeric]

I'm thinking about running an all-evil campaign, in which the PCs all work for the BBEG looking to take over the world. Since the "hook" for this game is that the players will be playing the bad guys for a change, I would like to run it in as vanilla a setting as possible. I would use Greyhawk, but the names in that setting bug the heck out of me. It's very hard to take Furyondy, Flanaess, and the Duchy of Jeff, er, Geoff seriously, and I'd really rather not go through and change all of the names I don't like.

Can anyone recommend to me a D&D setting that doesn't stray too far from the core material, so that my PCs can have a world to conquer?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'd go with a different area of Greyhawk. It's hard to beat working for an evil demigod, if you're running an evil campaign.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I just got the idea that you and your players had already conquered most settings out there and where looking for a new challenge. Indeed, that is an interesting idea; making characters at first level with the sole purpose of the campaign being taking over the world. Against the characters are, of course, the establishment set down by the core setting book.

"Yeah, that Elminster dude was a real doozie but the Red Wizards of Thay was easy enough to control using mind control magic on the management..."

My suggestion is of course the Forgotten Realms for vanilla and support.

 

[Yair]

The Forgotten Realms seems to fit the bill nicely - very detailed, very close to core, and at least in most cases they have reasonable names.

Another option I'd recommend is Birthright - it's a setting very well designed for this as it is all about the feuds over the toppled kingdom's throne, and has a lot of political information. It's for 2nd Edition, but that just means the material is available for cheap as pdfs (I'd recommend going to birthright.net first, though - some great free and new material). The problem with Birthright is that it also has a system of "divine blood" that sets who gets to rule and grants supernatural powers - this can work well for you, but if you don't want to adapt it will be a problem. It also boasts a "board-game" level of play where the players, well, try to take over the world on the political scale - but this is easier to ignore, if you want straight-up D&D world conquest. The setting is also for AD&D not 3e, but I don't consider that a major problem.

As a personal lesson from many nights playing Civilization, though - there is nothing like conquering the real world. Consider simply playing in a high-fantasy version of Earth. If I wanted to set something like that up, I think I'll pick up Northern Crown (describing a mythic America) and play in America just before contact with the Europeans. Once the conquest of America is almost done, I'll introduce the Europeans as a new threat, reversing the course of history - this time the Americas will conquer Europe, not the other way around...

 

[S'mon]

Kingdoms of Kalamar is available & cheap. It has some silly names though - Queendom of Tharggy?

 

[Testament]

Arcanis. Who doesn't want to conquer Rome? Similar to Birthright, the whole place is going to hell in an express elevator too, as kingdoms and empires all over the joint tear themselves to pieces and feud over a fast-crumbling pie.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Bah, vanilla! Get Midnight. Work for Izrador. Of course, the BBEG taking over the world is right on schedule, only a matter of time, but you can get a big bite out of eredane yet. Show the Shadow that you're more useful than those punks calling themselves "Night Kings".

 

[kreynolds]

I throw my vote in for the Forgotten Realms as well. A very short list of those wanting to take over the world...

Red Wizards
Shadovar
Zhentarim
Cult of the Dragon

I'm sure there are more, but these are the most prominent in my FR game at the moment. Quite suitably and deliciously evil, they are.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Red Wizards
Shadovar
Zhentarim
Cult of the Dragon

I'm sure there are more

Only a thousand or so

 

[Falstaff]

You can't get more vanilla and close to the core than:

The World of Áereth.

http://www.goodmangames.com/5034preview.php