Should Campaign Settings include a metaplot?

[Klaus]

Question says it all.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If it furthers or improves the setting, but IMO, the usual answer is no.

 

[Darkwolf445]

No.

I love Iron Kingdoms, but hate the metaplot (hate that it exists, I like the idea of ongoing war for the setting). I know I can ignore it, but it's just not the same.

That is why I like Greyhawk so much, and may be one of the few who do not want WotC to revive the setting. I have a framework, plus, and that is all I need.

 

[el-remmen]

I am confused by the term metaplot.

Do you mean events that take place in the world that are independent of the PCs' actions?

 

[Erithtotl]

I vote no. Metaplots are just an excuse to push users of the setting to keep buying new material to keep up.

I haven't followed any traditional D&D settings closely, but I do remember back in the day I was a big fan of Battletech. They had a great setting with 5 waring houses and technology that was rapidly becoming harder and harder to maintain. But through a series of novels they changed the entire nature of the setting and for me destroyed the character that made it interesting in the first place.

 

[Turjan]

I don't particularly like the metaplot in the FR, but the worst example that comes to mind would be Dark Sun. The turmoil around its metaplot is probably the reason why we will never see a setting book from WotC about it.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

I dislike the idea of marketing division deciding where my campaign is going.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I would like metaplot if were well done. I voted no, because I've never seen it handled well.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

No, because it's almost never a positive element of the setting.

 

[Darkwolf445]

I am confused by the term metaplot.

Do you mean events that take place in the world that are independent of the PCs' actions?

Game designers specifying, after releasing the core campaign product, where the setting is going. If I want war, that is my decision, or a dying race, or fallen god, etc.. Iron Kingdoms, from my earlier post, produces new product to sell their miniature war game, progressing a plot of war, in order to sell new miniature armies/books, rather than producing plot-independent sourcebooks. This affects the RPG version of said world.

I assume that is what was meant.

I like my settings to be forward-motion neutral, so that I decide what happens in them.

Another example would be Rifts. Good setting, just moved forward way too fast in order to sell books.