Single-nation Fantasy settings?

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Waaaay back TSR produced a product that just was a single kingdom, that was history, social structure, cities and such. Wish I could remember what they were called, Gazette of ..... they could be used stand-alone are used to build a world.

It was a series of products, set in the Known World (Mystara) of the BECMI/Cyclopedia rules. Each Gazetteer detailed a single nation.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Tribe 8's Vimary
Duskvol from Blades in the Dark
The Spire from Spire
Brinkwood

The Empire of the Shattered Isles in which Blades in the Dark is set is  almost a single-nation setting, except that the distant demi-human nation of Tycheros does exist and has some interactions with the Empire (and in my campaign, a short war). But since player characters are confined to Duskvol, it counts as a single-nation setting in all the ways that really matter...

 

[Bohandas]

OG Planescape, sort of. Although the setting technically contains hundreds of different independent locations, everything focuses unduly on just a single one of them that's treated as if it's the only thing in the entire infinite multiverse that really matters (even though it's actually just the multiversal equivalent of the city that contains the airport where you're picking up your connecting flight; and it really doesn't matter what city because you're just there to pick up the connecting flight)

 

[Vaslov]

Accursed had a "not Europe" where a cabal of evil witches had defeated the armies of light. The game is set in a time where each witch owns their own domain. The witches now give lip service to the cabal as they scheme against each other. There is no dark overlord as the senior witch that brought the witches together for the war was [maybe] lost near it's end so doesn't match your "one nation" concept exactly. Still might be some good fodder for evil factions. The core rule book was light on maps, but had interesting cultures and how each witch twisted their own lands towards their own nature.

It's a savage world setting and the twist was the PCs would play classic hollywood horror monsters who fight for the resistance against the Witches. The PCs also generally had to fight to reclaim their humanity against the curse that turned them into a monster. You can go as gonzo or dark and gritty as desired in how you play it. There is a built in option to play as human PC heroes as well, though that missed the key of the setting (the player is accursed...). Gave my table many moments that continue to be brought up to this day.

Accursed RPG

www.accursedrpg.com

 

[Bohandas]

Seconding Exalted. The setting's entire is ruled by a single empire plus a handful of minor satellite nations

 

[GreyLord]

Late to the party, but

If you do a campaign, many of Paizo's APs take place in a Single nation.