Mercurius
Legend
Meaning, which settings--published by TSR, WotC, or even third party specifically for D&D (e.g. Judge's Guild's Wilderlands of High Fantasy) that are essentially "dead," meaning with no active or ongoing campaigns anywhere? At least beyond the occasional one-off ("Hey, remember Ghostwalk? Let's play that tonight!"). Purely speculative, of course. Or to rephase: which settings would you guess have no active campaigns? Or at least, almost none?
We can use this Wikipedia page as a starting point, but feel free to discuss third parties. My guess would be to put them into the following categories:
I think you could shift some of B and C back and forth, depending upon how "large" and "small" are defined.
Notes on each group:
A: Obviously the FR belongs, as it is the default for most story arcs and the overall best-known and covered D&D setting that spans almost every era, especially if we count Ed Greenwood's first published Dragon article in 1979 (issue #30). Eberron was just re-published, Ravnica is still fresh, and Exandria is the new kid on the block and supported by the Critical Role behemoth.
B: Here's where it starts getting tricky. Greyhawk is a no-brainer: for most old-timers (grognards and quasi-grognards) it is "the" classic D&D setting. I'm guessing that Dark Sun, Planescape, and Ravenloft have enough of a following to qualify, probably Dragonlance too. I am less certain about Nentir Vale and Mystara, but think they belong here more than in C, but could probably be be convinced otherwise.
C: Again, tricky - depending upon where you draw the line between "large" and "small." Blackmoor probably has a very small player base, but both as the first D&D setting and because there's probably a small group of dedicated fans out there, it belongs here rather than as "dead." Spelljammer and Birthright weren't as impactful or as popular as Dark Sun and Planescape among the Golden Age of settings that was 2E, but both have a solid group of fans - at least Spelljammer. I'm not sure how many people are actually still playing Birthright, but it is at least enough in the public consciousness of old-timers that I think it earns its place. Similarly with Al-Qadim. Not so sure about Kara-Tur, but it earns inclusion as being part of the expanded Realms of 3E and later. I never owned or played Council of Wyrms and it doesn't seem like anyone talks about playing it, but it does get mentioned.
D: Pellinore? Exactly. But it existed. Jakandor and Dragon Fist were probably the least known and supported of the 2E settings. Rokugan is likely dead as a D&D setting, but I think it has a solid fan base for Legend of the Five Rings. Ghostwalk was a concept piece, the type of setting that people played once and were done; I highly doubt anyone is actively playing it, except as the occasional lark. Finally, Mahasarpa. I'm not sure it even qualifies as it was only published as a web enhancement, but I'm guessing no one is actively playing in it, except for perhaps James Wyatt and his group (no offense if you're reading this, James).
What do you think?
p.s. This is not meant as an attack on any of these settings! Popularity does not necessarily equate with quality. Just look at, well, music.
We can use this Wikipedia page as a starting point, but feel free to discuss third parties. My guess would be to put them into the following categories:
- A - Significant active campaigning: Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Exandria, Ravnica
- B - Large cult following: Greyhawk, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Planescape, Ravenloft, Nentir Vale, Mystara
- C - Small cult following: Blackmoor, Spelljammer, Birthright, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim, maybe Council of Wyrms
- D - Little or no active following ("Dead settings"): Pellinore, Jakandor, Ghostwalk, Dragon Fist, Mahasarpa, Rokugan, maybe Council of Wyrms
I think you could shift some of B and C back and forth, depending upon how "large" and "small" are defined.
Notes on each group:
A: Obviously the FR belongs, as it is the default for most story arcs and the overall best-known and covered D&D setting that spans almost every era, especially if we count Ed Greenwood's first published Dragon article in 1979 (issue #30). Eberron was just re-published, Ravnica is still fresh, and Exandria is the new kid on the block and supported by the Critical Role behemoth.
B: Here's where it starts getting tricky. Greyhawk is a no-brainer: for most old-timers (grognards and quasi-grognards) it is "the" classic D&D setting. I'm guessing that Dark Sun, Planescape, and Ravenloft have enough of a following to qualify, probably Dragonlance too. I am less certain about Nentir Vale and Mystara, but think they belong here more than in C, but could probably be be convinced otherwise.
C: Again, tricky - depending upon where you draw the line between "large" and "small." Blackmoor probably has a very small player base, but both as the first D&D setting and because there's probably a small group of dedicated fans out there, it belongs here rather than as "dead." Spelljammer and Birthright weren't as impactful or as popular as Dark Sun and Planescape among the Golden Age of settings that was 2E, but both have a solid group of fans - at least Spelljammer. I'm not sure how many people are actually still playing Birthright, but it is at least enough in the public consciousness of old-timers that I think it earns its place. Similarly with Al-Qadim. Not so sure about Kara-Tur, but it earns inclusion as being part of the expanded Realms of 3E and later. I never owned or played Council of Wyrms and it doesn't seem like anyone talks about playing it, but it does get mentioned.
D: Pellinore? Exactly. But it existed. Jakandor and Dragon Fist were probably the least known and supported of the 2E settings. Rokugan is likely dead as a D&D setting, but I think it has a solid fan base for Legend of the Five Rings. Ghostwalk was a concept piece, the type of setting that people played once and were done; I highly doubt anyone is actively playing it, except as the occasional lark. Finally, Mahasarpa. I'm not sure it even qualifies as it was only published as a web enhancement, but I'm guessing no one is actively playing in it, except for perhaps James Wyatt and his group (no offense if you're reading this, James).
What do you think?
p.s. This is not meant as an attack on any of these settings! Popularity does not necessarily equate with quality. Just look at, well, music.
