Thinking about using a CS

[Aus_Snow]

The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, ver. 3e, is not only quite pretty, but about as much fun as you want to make it, as evidenced here:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=228229

(for example).


Note: The thread contains occasional coarse language, and material that may offend some viewers. But it's text only, IIRC, so should be SFW. I hope.

 

[talien]

What CS do you use?

Arcanis: http://www.livingarcanis.com and http://www.onaraonline.org

Do you recommend it for a new-ish DM?

Yes. Arcanis is, in my opinion, the only legitmate d20 setting that took full advantage of the d20 movement. It openly embraces a variety of other books, including Freeport and many of Green Ronin's products, Nyambe, and others. Lots of settings promise compatibility with other d20 products, few actually put that action into words and incorporate the other settings into their own. Arcanis walks the talk of d20 and thereby gives your third party d20 supplements a boost.

Should I loan out the CS before the campaign starts where the players can learn about it?

If you go with Arcanis, it's worth visiting http://www.onaraonline.org which has a beginner's guide.

Or should they just learn about the world as we go along in the game?

If you're crafting your own world, that's not a big deal. If you're starting with a campaign setting, it depends on the characters.

For example, in my campaign, several of our players (the ones not accustomed to role-playing) were completely unfamiliar with Arcanis. So they ended up playing the following:
* A human farm boy who doesn't know much beyond his homeland.
* An abused lizardfolk who only recently escaped the slave arenas to strike out on his own.
* A catfolk from another world.

All three characters could be excused if they didn't know Arcanis, because their characters were built that way. Conversely, if you think your PCs are able to absorb the info (and in my experience, few really want to do that much work), by all means encourage them to become more knowledgable about the world and let their characters reflect that knowledge.

For more about how we handled things in my campaign, check out the story hour: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=103252&page=1

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yes. Arcanis is, in my opinion, the only legitmate d20 setting that took full advantage of the d20 movement. It openly embraces a variety of other books, including Freeport and many of Green Ronin's products, Nyambe, and others. Lots of settings promise compatibility with other d20 products, few actually put that action into words and incorporate the other settings into their own. Arcanis walks the talk of d20 and thereby gives your third party d20 supplements a boost.

Redhurst Academy of Magic did the same thing.

And are you suggesting there are "illegitimate" D20 settings? What constitutes legitimacy or illegitimacy in a setting?

 

[Treebore]

Redhurst Academy of Magic did the same thing.

And are you suggesting there are "illegitimate" D20 settings? What constitutes legitimacy or illegitimacy in a setting?

I'm pretty sure they mean "legitimate" in the sense its the only setting to actively leave openings for other settings to be used. I own a lot of D20 settings, none of them make much, and usually no, effort to allow for incorporation of other settings in such a pro active manner.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Thought of another one: Goodman Games' Known World incorporates Freeport into it. Granted, it incorporates it in a way that is out of keeping with the Freeport books (apparently it was placed by someone without them, which seems odd, but which obviously can happen), but it explicitly makes Freeport a part of its setting.

Oh, and Northern Crown includes links to Nyambe. Yes, both books are from the same publisher, but they were created years apart and independently.

 

[talien]

I'm pretty sure they mean "legitimate" in the sense its the only setting to actively leave openings for other settings to be used. I own a lot of D20 settings, none of them make much, and usually no, effort to allow for incorporation of other settings in such a pro active manner.

What Treebore said.

Basically, the d20 movement allowed for this sort of thing to happen all over the place. In practice, it happened very rarely -- Redhurst being one of a handful. And Redhurst was one book, compared the considerably larger support of Arcanis overall.

It's a shame, really. My guess is there's simply no financial incentive to do make a world setting inclusive of other d20 supplements from other companies unless you're publishing a living campaign (as Arcanis is) and thus the more mini-settings/supplements you encompass, the more compatible you are with d20 players in general.

 

[Desdichado]

I don't really need any of the supplements for FR do I?

What's the point of setting a game in a CS and not using the supplements? It's easier just to homebrew, because without the supplements, you'll be making most of the stuff up yourself anyway. At least homebrewing, you also have control over the elements and can make them line up sensibly.

 

[Voadam]

I'm starting a new campaign in September, and not too keen on homebrew worldbuilding. I thought using a Campaign Setting would give me inspiration for my new campaign but I have a few questions.

What CS do you use? Do you recommend it for a new-ish DM?
Should I loan out the CS before the campaign starts where the players can learn about it? Or should they just learn about the world as we go along in the game?

I use Oathbound. I would recommend it for DM's who want to use tons of sourcebooks and wierd stuff and have it fit together.

For a new DM I would recommend Scarred Lands with the Ghelspad Gazeteer. 48 pages of PC appropriate description of the world and its nations. Very evocative and inspiring for a DM giving outlines to build from and plenty of world adventure ideas. (no stats or mechanics). Easy to fit in standard D&Disms of classes, magic, churches, etc. Post god war apocalypse setting makes for a dark fun world with lots of room to adventure in. Plenty of supplement material if you want to go more in depth later. Not many modules set there but fairly easy to fit things into the world.

 

[der_kluge]

I like FR well enough (I use the gods from that setting), but the Wilderlands is the setting that gets me all wet and randy. I love it.

 

[SavageRobby]

I too am a big fan of the Wilderlands and of the Scarred Lands, for different reasons.

The Scarred Lands has a great mythology, and as someone mentioned, its nicely internally consistent. The supplements, for the most part, are damn good.

The Wilderlands is simply the best "points of light" (to steal a 4ism) setting ever. If you want lawless lands with lots of hives of scum and villainy, where simply traveling from point A to point B is a serious hazard, then the Wilderlands is the place.