What campaign settings are in print and what is good about them?

[00Machado]

For a change of pace, while still being D&D, I'd seriously consider a campaign module like
*An adventure path from Dungeon (Levels 1 - 20 or customize to end where you want it to)
*Red Hand of Doom or the upcoming Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (5 or 6 levels only, so it takes less time to finish)

If you are after a setting, a lot of good ones have been recommended.

If you want a big change in flavor your might go for something like Hamunaptra or Testament from Green Ronin

If you like to build your own, then rather than buy a setting, I'd consider one of the genre series from Wizards of the Coast - probably Heroes of Battle for a War Game, but maybe Heroes of Horror if your group would go for it. Red Hand of Doom and Expedition to Castle Ravenloft seem to almost be the pre-packaged versions of the adveture themes these two products suggest. Home grown vs off the shelf, as it were.

 

[Nightfall]

And Nightfall..how can I come back to a setting I never played?

Funny I thought you ran a session or two of Scarred Lands.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Wilderlands seems like it would probably be your best bet, based on what you've said so far. It's the inverse of my cup of tea, but then, my cup of tea looks to be the inverse of yours!

You might also want to check out Blackmoor. It's similarly old school, what with being based on the original campaign world.

Also, you can actually get a ton of use out of the Arcana Evolved setting without going away from core D&D. The two are 100% compatible. If nothing else, AE is a great splatbook of classes and such, more efficiently priced than the Complete series if you want more base than prestige classes. The setting itself is pretty cool and in no way precludes core D&D elements.

 

[rounser]

There's always Thunder Rift:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_reviews_info.php?mid=4&reviews_id=13732&

It's a microcosm, so easy to keep track of if you're players like to move around, and unashamedly embraces D&D tropes more than perhaps any other setting.

 

[airwalkrr]

Greyhawk is the best campaign setting ever. It is the setting D&D was built on. It has a powerful backstory and is incredibly adaptable to almost any kind of campaign you want: heroic, dark, prophecy, high fantasy, low-magic, all depending on the part of the world you play in and the groups you involve.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

I have been stealing from Harn for decades. Didn't do it while I was using 3E, but now that I have moved to C&C I am back to stealing as much as I can. Those fan dowloads at lythia are AWESOME!! Great steals, even for 3E. The background details are just fantastic. They even work out economics and many other such "details". Great stuff. For excellent fluff you cannot go wrong with Harn material, even the fan material is great.

You might want to check it out again today. There's a new download, a city block, tenements, street gangs & lowkifes, it's the unsavoury end of town.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Greyhawk ....... has a powerful backstory and is incredibly adaptable to almost any kind of campaign you want: heroic, dark, prophecy, high fantasy, low-magic, all depending on the part of the world you play in and the groups you involve.

Yep - just like Kalamar.

 

[froggie]

Wilderlands

after 30 years...I still use it. Take a look at our website, and download the freebie to see if this works for you...links are:

http://www.necromancergames.com/freestuff.html

http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/lenap/lenap.pdf

http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/lenap/lenap_map.jpg

 

[Treebore]

You might want to check it out again today. There's a new download, a city block, tenements, street gangs & lowkifes, it's the unsavoury end of town.

Thanks! I'll go check it out.

 

[Captain Howdy]

after 30 years...I still use it. Take a look at our website, and download the freebie to see if this works for you...links are:

http://www.necromancergames.com/freestuff.html

http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/lenap/lenap.pdf

http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/lenap/lenap_map.jpg

I second this, and all the other votes for Wilderlands. I haven't played a lot of the settings that have been mentioned here, but Wilderlands is my favorite from the ones that I have used. From the sound of your post, I think you should go with it. The boxed set is the actual setting, and the players guide is a really great book for an overview of everything that's in the boxed set, plus more players stuff.
Even if you get the setting and decide to play something else, you can very easily rip chunks out and use them in your game, Wilderlands is perfect for that.