Planescape now that other settings have their own cosmology

[mhacdebhandia]

To the slim extent that I'm interested in using Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance personalities in a Planescape campaign, they would be as present as ever.

I think that if I played a Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance game, though (not likely!), I'd use their native cosmologies.

I guess I'm more comfortable with the awesome Planescape exploiting the resources of lamer settings than I am with lamer settings exploiting Planescape's coolness.

 

[Baron Opal]

I can't say I care as I use a custom cosmology. It is heavily informed by the Planescape line, however, as some of the ideas are just too darn cool. Also, I don't use the other IP prime properties resorting to making my own worlds populated by mortals. Countless Doorways is another heavily used product, along with Mr. Reed's pdf.

 

[Voadam]

There are connections to Oathbound in my current great wheel game as well as spelljamming, Krynn, Faerun, Ravenloft, Greyhawk, Ptolus, and a couple of homebrews. I have no problem including disparate stuff into a big multiverse.

 

[Shemeska]

I use them all, plus a large number of other prime material worlds that have been named in the source material (Ortho, Threnody, etc). I've used FR quite heavily, more so than any other specific world on the prime. I had three PCs from Toril last campaign, and one PC from there in my current game. I've had some plot arcs across Faerun everywhere from Calimshan, Iron Fang Keep, the Lake of Steam, the High Forest, and the current plot arc in my 2nd Storyhour takes place in the Great Dale. I adore FR and so it sees heavy use even in a planar campaign, and I see no reason to hamstring my players' enjoyment by switching to a cosmology that I see as floating somewhere south of awkward and lame (my players have an even dimmer view of the retroactive cosmology shift than I do, both in substance and in implimentation. If I ever tried to use it, the words 'railing kill' might be invoked).

I've used lots of stuff from Grayhawk, but never the world itself as a destination. But that's largely from my own unfamiliarity with some of the 1e/2e material (though Mona has succeeded in getting me interested in learning more).

That said, while Krynn is still out there, they tended to unfortunately come off as planar retards pre-3e (because the novels tended to ignore the fact that they were in a shared world, and the planar source material seemed to return the antipathy by presenting them as a backwater). I can't say that I've ever used Krynn itself, though I've used a few NPCs from there from time to time.

I've only used Athas (and Dregoth...) once, but largely because it was already so difficult to get out of that using it much presents logistical issues on getting the PCs back out of the place.

And of course, Ravenloft is still out there drifting in the depths of the ethereal. Woe be to anyone intentionally looking for it.

 

[dead]

Yes, I think FR is suited to the Great Wheel - even more so than Greyhawk. But the designers definitely seemed to want to make it "different" and made a concerted effort to make it less "generic" D&D.

 

[Shemeska]

I think in 1E DL was set in the Dome of Creation and then put into the Great Wheel during 2E. Then with 3E, it was returned to the Dome of Creation.

Krynn was included in the Great Wheel in 1e*, and the 1e Manual of the Planes was pretty firm about that. 2e only continued a trend that was already present in mid/late 1e. Whether DL was integrated enough into the planar material is iffy given the way the DL novels ignored anything beyond Krynn, and it certainly never fit anywhere near as well as FR which slid in like a tailor-made part. I know that Spelljammer material did some stuff with Krynn, but I'm woefully ignorant about a lot of that product line so I can't really comment on it one way or the other.

*I think it's up for debate if DL Adventures actually had enough to qualify as describing a 'dome of creation' cosmology for itself.

 

[Psion]

I never particularly cared for the notion of using Planescape as a "grand crossover" setting for other D&D properites, and could always happily do without Dragonlance, Dark Sun, etc in my Planescape. Planescape has more than enough distinctive material of its own to get by without needing those, and plot necessities of those other properties did nothing but drag Planescape down.

 

[dead]

I think it's up for debate if DL Adventures actually had enough to qualify as describing a 'dome of creation' cosmology for itself.

Yeah, I'll have to read my copy of DL Adventures again but I've heard from some that this book marked the first reference to the Dome of Creation cosmology.

 

[Thunderfoot]

I never liked Planescape - they screwed with my 1E demons list, and renamed them all; and what the heck is a berk or a tanarii? (Don't answer' I don't really want to know.)
While it was great for those that enjoyed it, I thought it was - meh? I frankly like the fact that each world is separated and that the MotP makes it clear that whatever you decide is peachy keen.

 

[Ripzerai]

I never liked Planescape - they screwed with my 1E demons list, and renamed them all;

No, that was the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix, three years before Planescape. And given the management at the time, it was that or no demons at all.

They didn't rename them all, anyway. Manes, dretches, succubi, bar-lgura, babaus, abishai, imps, quasits, cambions, goristroi, Graz'zt, Demogorgon, Dispater, Baphomet, Yeenoghu, Juiblex, pit fiends, erinyes, vrocks, hezrou, and glabrezu all kept their old names.