So, anyone else write up their setting and realize how bland it it?

[MaxKaladin]

So, has anyone else written up their setting for the WotC call for submissions only to realize how bland it it?

I stared at that question 6 about what's new or different and it ocurred to me that there really wasn't much unique about the whole thing. I have a Roman twist to the empire that dominates the area of the world the players are in , but that's hardly new and only a little different. I have a Monotheism (really a henotheism, I guess) and that's different, but it doesn't really seem to do much to make the setting seem exciting when I put it down on paper. It's really a very generic setting, for the most part.

I suppose I'll have to get to work on a more exciting world one of these days.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

My problem wasn't that I felt my generic fantasy setting was bland, but rather how to convey the intriuge present in the world. There are a lot of worlds that say they have intriuge but it just turns out to be "Kingdom A and Kingdom B don't get along". You can't play various factions off each other.

So, while I had stuff that I felt was unique (or at least a new take on old ideas) it took me a long time to figure out how to convey that sucessfully.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I looked at it from the perspective not so much of "the setting is oh so cool" but rather the setting, because of the way it is set up, provides many, many different ways to adventure and play in it.

The building blocks of adventure, as it were.

 

[Henry]

I considered for a minute or two writing up my homebrew campaign, then quickly realized that

Henry's Homebrew = (Forgotten Realms + Greyhawk) / (Different placenames) x (Different map)

and worked with a friend who had a stellar idea, which we and a third friend developed together. If it succeeds, GREAT! If not, then we had nothing to lose anyway. We may wind up looking for another publisher who is willing to take a chance on this very interesting take on a campaign world.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Henry's Homebrew = (Forgotten Realms + Greyhawk) / (Different placenames) x (Different map)

LOL!

You forgot to account for the square root of house rules.

 

[Psion]

I suppose I'll have to get to work on a more exciting world one of these days.

Why bother.

I look at it this way:

I would MUCH rather play a game in a world like mine than FR or DL seven days a week, and twice on sundays.

Your campaign doesn't need "back cover blurb appeal." It needs to be fun to play in. Worrying about marketing aspects of your game is useless -- unless those aspects translate directly into aspects that are fun for your game.

 

[Psion]

I looked at it from the perspective not so much of "the setting is oh so cool" but rather the setting, because of the way it is set up, provides many, many different ways to adventure and play in it.

The building blocks of adventure, as it were.

That is so hitting the nail on the head, and so much why I prefer my setting to FR or DL or GH.

When my players heard about this contest, they suggested that I submit my world.

I knew better. My world has so many of the same tropes and same types of villains as FR does... on paper, there isn't that much to distinguish it.

What makes it a workhorse for me is that all of the political powers and magical phenomena that I chose interest me, and work together together to produce interesting adventures.

 

[uberkitty]

I submitted one proposal as half of a team, and I feel pretty good about that one. I was also planning to submit one on my own, and it just never got to where I wanted it. It was too general, too vague, so I abandoned it. Figured I'd save the folks at Wizards a little time and effort. My first proposal, though, is not vague, though it runs a serious risk of being politically unpopular.

I found it very difficult on the whole to strike a balance between something that was new & original and something that was acceptable to the larger gaming community.

 

[alsih2o]

i filled my world with boiled, skinless chicken, unflavored jell-o, and flan, but didn't find it bland at all.....

 

[Yuan-Ti]

Question 6 was definitely the toughest. I mean, my world was not like FR or DL in my mind, but conveying that in 1 page is tough, so that when you get to the end... well, they said they want something like DL and FR, but then ask you how your world is different. Not an easy one to answer.

So, I gave them my best back cover blurb.