What are the pros and cons of the different campaign settings?

[MerakSpielman]

What are the benefits and disadvantages of the different published settings? I'm thinking of getting ONE. I know that none of them can be considered "best," but I want to figure out which is "best" for me personally. I'm almost wanting Kalamar, but only 'cause of the cool atlas (I love maps) - I have no idea if I'd like the setting or not.

 

[Nightfall]

Scarred Lands:

Pros: On-call Sage to give his insights on the setting
Druids that aren't just nature clerics
Titans
Sutak
Ratmen (and with the release of Chaositech, you can do more Warhammer stuff)
True Rituals
Ritual Magic system (the very first for d20 I might add)



Con: You have to deal with me.
Some issues with 3.0/3.5 stuff and occasional balance stuff

 

[hrafnagud]

You like maps? Try HârnWorld.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Which one is best has a lot to do with what you are looking for in a setting. I don't know much about Kalamar, but it seems pretty detailed, which can be good and bad, and if you are looking for pre-gen modules specific for the setting, there are some available.

Personally I run the Scarred Lands. I love the setting for the strong presence of the gods in everyday life. The setting has a lot of information available (if you are willing to spend the money, there are a lot of setting books) but does not seem to get so specific as to force you down a certain path for creating your own adventures. There are only three published modules so far and none on the horizon I know of, so if that is important to you, its not good.

Of course Forgotten Realms has a ridiculous amount of material available for it if that is where you want to go, but IMO with all the info and novels etc. you lose some ability to control the setting ("I remember from the books that Drizzt travelled to this town, there was a temple to Mystra down by the river and...").

Ravenloft can be tough. I personally as a player hated 2nd edition Ravenloft. I like some of the changes made for 3rd edition in that it seems more gothic, less horror, but our DM has had trouble getting the feel right and we keep ending up in a strong horror setting which we do not enjoy.

Maybe if you say more about what you are looking for in a setting people can give you their opinion about the ones they know and how they might fit your needs.

 

[Nightfall]

Slight thread Hijack Thorn,

There was a rumor of another trilogy of modules...but not until probably late 2004/2005.

We now return to you previous pimage for the Scarred Lands.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Link to information on the Scarred Lands? (You should add one to your sig, Nightfall!)

I'm thinking not-FR. Just because it's something everybody knows something about.

 

[PowerWordDumb]

Disclaimer: My opinions only. Worth nothing more than the electrons they're printed with.

The Forgotten Realms: highly detailed (possibly too much for some), high magic blow-stuff-up-good feeling to it, supplements out the wazoo. I don't enjoy the "there's always someone tougher behind every tree" feel, but others do.

Greyhawk: If you loved it before, it's sitting right there for you to breathe life into again. And if you don't do it, nobody will.

Dragonlance: No fun to play in someone else's sandbox that has all the sandcastles built for you ahead of time and the sand removed so you don't hurt yourself by accidentally eating some.

The Scarred Lands: Flavour flavour flavour. Wierdness you may or may not like. Some balance issues, but not critical. Plot hooks just jump out of every nook & cranny. Unfortunately you have to constantly listen to Nightfall telling you how great it is. Lots of addons to read.

Kingdoms of Kalamar: Absolutely gorgeous atlas. Nice historical background. As flavorful as a mouth full of sawdust, but maybe that's been enhanced with later add-on products I do not yet own.

It all depends on what you're wanting. I think that Kalamar is the closest to old Greyhawk type blank-slate worldbuilding with hints of greater things lying under the surface, but I'll be damned if I can pick up on clear mental images of any of those things in my few aborted attempts to plow through the books. Maybe I'm just getting old, but the KoK books put me to sleep every time I try to make a concerted effort to plow through them. I desperately want to like it... I just haven't twigged yet to whatever breathes life into Kalamar.

Ultimately I yearn for what IKCS promises to deliver, and am interested in what Eberron might surprise us with.

 

[Voadam]

Ravenloft

Pros:

Good player info base in the campaign setting book. Lots of sourcebooks support. 2e products available as $5 pdfs (including a ton of modules).

No detect evil and limited divination.

No contact with gods.

D&D meets Cthulhu (sort of).

Variety of cultures and tech levels.

allows input from other settings.

curses.

Cons:

Horror games can be very grim.

Some sourcebooks are subpar.

Fear and horror mechanics.

evil characters become unusable NPCs.

 

[Mystery Man]

Realms Pros:
You have a large amount of organisations fighting for power, lots of political intrigue

The vast detailed history that spans centuries.

The scope in geography and detail adds to the richness, and there's always more room for a DM to make his own mark.

The many different talents that continue to breath life into it.

Great mix of races

Large Pantheon to pull from

Ed Greenwood

Cons:
The burden of knowing you're playing in the best dang setting ever created can weigh heavy at times....

 

[johnsemlak]

One plus about Scarred Lands Nightfall fails to mention is that many 3e concepts are well integrated into the setting, and not just 'built in', unlike many settings which were designed for 1e or 2e and (like FR and Kalamar) and have been refitted for 3e.

FOr example, Sorcerors have an interesting role in the Scarred Lands, (Druids and Rangers btw). Sorcerors didn't just 'appear' in the 3e update of the setting, they are well integrated into the settings history and magic-system.