What do YOU look for in a Campaign World

[DragonLancer]

What do I like in a campaign setting...

Full detailed.
I hate settings that don't get the full treatment. I don't want to have to make up most of it, I want it done for me. Are their secrets in the world? Then answer them, and let the me decide if thats right or wrong.

Realistic & Believable.
Now this is tough because you'll never get either from a D&D setting, but its got to be able to support my imagination and can kick my sense of disbelief outta the window.

Low magic.
I don't like worlds where magic is so prevalent that its technology in appearence. I like worlds where magic exists but its not common place. Wizards and clerics cast spells, but not everyone is going to see it cast.

Standard Races.
I don't see a need for new fangled races. Keep the standard ones in the PHB. Maybe (like Dark Sun) if your world needs to modify them a little do it, but don't do a complete overhaul.

Good: Dragonlance, Scarred Lands and Dark Sun.
50/50: Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Ravenloft.
Bad: Eberron, Planescape.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. Going with my own personal tastes, this is how I rank the TSR/WotC settings:

01. Planescape
02. Eberron
03. Dragonlance: Taladas
04. Birthright
05. Mystara (BD&D version)
06. Al-Qadim
07. Dark Sun
08. Kara-Tur
09. Ravenloft
10. Maztica
11. Spelljammer
12. Greyhawk
13. Dragonlance: Ansalon
14. Forgotten Realms

You could make a case for a certain commonality between my bottom three, but my top three are pretty diverse. Maybe thats the answer, I like settings that provide a unique flavor, that you can't get elsewhere.

 

[Crothian]

Could anyone give me a good example of well-written fluff or a good idea they found in a campaign setting? Also, how do you feel about new (relative to 3.5) races or changes to the races (I am bringing in grippli, thri-kreen, myconids, and am changing gnomes +2 Int -2 Str)?

If you want to see some well written fluff, get Valus. It is by far one of the best core setting books I have seen in regards to well written fluff. It also has great ideas like each god having a month they are strengthened in and resurections can only happen during that time. There are lots of good well thought out ideas in that book.

The races are okay, I've never really been interested in lots and lots of races.

 

[GSHamster]

Personally, I like a strong, central thematic conflict. Something that influences every aspect of the setting.

For example:

Dark Sun: defiler vs. preserver
Forgotten Realms: good vs. evil
DragonLance: the struggle for balance
Planescape: the clash of philosophies shaping the multiverse
Midnight: hope vs. the inevitable

It's probably the main reason I don't really like Eberron. It lacks a central conflict (possibly brilliant in most other aspects, though).

 

[Sargon the Kassadian]

I am also searching for a grim-n-gritty, The-Viking-cleaves-your-character-in-half feeling, along with the races and other weirdness, so I'm not really sure how to implement it all.

 

[Arnwyn]

What I want in a campaign setting:

- something that meets my personal likes/flavor/expectations in a campaign world, and does not offend my sensibilities
- lots of detail and continuing support, especially in terms of geography (I have a career and a life, so my creation time is limited)

 

[Doug McCrae]

I am also searching for a grim-n-gritty, The-Viking-cleaves-your-character-in-half feeling, along with the races and other weirdness, so I'm not really sure how to implement it all.

Don't use the D&D rules. You have to modify them a lot to get grim n' gritty. GURPS maybe?

 

[billd91]

What do I like in a campaign setting...

Full detailed.
I hate settings that don't get the full treatment. I don't want to have to make up most of it, I want it done for me. Are their secrets in the world? Then answer them, and let the me decide if thats right or wrong.

Realistic & Believable.
Now this is tough because you'll never get either from a D&D setting, but its got to be able to support my imagination and can kick my sense of disbelief outta the window.

Low magic.
I don't like worlds where magic is so prevalent that its technology in appearence. I like worlds where magic exists but its not common place. Wizards and clerics cast spells, but not everyone is going to see it cast.

Standard Races.
I don't see a need for new fangled races. Keep the standard ones in the PHB. Maybe (like Dark Sun) if your world needs to modify them a little do it, but don't do a complete overhaul.

I agree with and disagree with a couple of DragonLancer's points.
Low to Moderate Detail
I prefer less detail to more in many cases. That's why I generally prefer to play with Greyhawk. I like generalities presented to me and then go off and create stuff on my own to tie the details together. A setting like this means that there's less I have to master about the world before I feel immersed in it. I can then define it as it comes up in my game and can leave it be if it doesn't. This way, I can also tailor the data to fit how my campaign is evolving now and not feel like I have to rewrite a lot of stuff to make it work for me.
But, in the cases where you want to insert particular mysteries, that's fine. And feel free to suggest a couple of different solutions to it for me to pick. I like that too.

Low Magic
I agree here. I like low to middling magic. When it becomes technology, or worse, when it takes on the appearance of cartoonyness, it ceases to be much fun for me. Forgotten Realms hits a certain cartoony level that annoys me.

Realistic & Believable
This is where a lot of people's campaigns tend to fall down, particularly when I think there is too much magic. If you have an awful lot of magic, then like technology, it should blend into the background. Flash and ubiquitous magic makes for a setting that doesn't feel believable or realistic. Simplistic black and white morality also tends to undermine realism since we know that the true world of morality and ethics is a minefield.
I wouldn't be afraid to encourage PCs to be heroes, but I would make it clear that they may have to oppose/do business with people of both generally good/evil natures to meet their goals and not just ally with/smite them on sight.

Standard Races
I'm all for a new twist on a race or two, but I'd rather see races cut out rather than have too many needlessly tweaked.

Have a Theme
I like seeing themes run through a campaign setting. That's one reason I really like Al-Qadim. The overall theme was romanticized Arabian Nights, but there were others like "Fate governs all", "All who accept the Loregiver's enlightenment are, at some level, brothers" and "religions don't all get along even if similarly aligned or even following the same god".
Honestly, even though Al-Qadim is a bit more strictly designed than Greyhawk, I love it because it's just so darn much fun to read and play with.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I feel Eberron is an excellent example of how to go about presenting a campaign world. It's got everything you want - history, races, nations/geography, organisations, trade, good guys, bad guys, mysterious guys, opportunities for adventure by the bucketload and a single unifying theme: in this case Pulp Dungeons & Dragons.

Older D&D settings did a decent job, but they were usually lacking in some area and just not as professional overall. Personally I've got a lot of love for Greyhawk, Spelljammer and Birthright.

I can't think of an official D&D setting that's of low quality. I'm not into the sub-Tolkein story type stuff of Dragonlance and I find Planescape annoying. I really like the concept of the planes but everything about Planescape irritates me for some reason. Especially the dialogue, berk. They all have their fans however so they must be doing something right.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Here's what I look for in a setting:

Interesting history: If nothing worth noting ever happened in the past, it makes it hard to draw on previous conflicts to help fuel the adventures of today.

Interesting locales: Give me something more than the desert filled with mummies, or the "great north" filled with viking-inspired giants and humans. I want to read about places that MAKE me want to stage an adventure there.

Races: I like strange and unusual races. There, I admit it. That said, they need to have a point rather than simply being something to draw attention to the book. For the love of God, no more variants of core races. There are enough dwarves, elves, and gnomes in the various WotC and 3rd party books to last until the end of time. Give me something a little more interesting than maniacal elves or dwarves...BUT IN THE COUNTRY!!!!

Classes: If you feel the need for another core class, cool. Just make sure that they truly serve a purpose. No more Nobles when a Bard or Cleric with enough points in Diplomacy and Sense Motive will suffice. Core Classes should not be based around ideals that can easily be accomplished with the proper skills and a little roleplaying elbow grease.

Finally, make the world interesting. That's why I like the Iron Kingdoms and Eberron (even though it's getting slammed here). It's not the regular old run of the mill setting. There are enough typical D&D fantasy settings out there like FR, Dragonlance, Everquest, and so on. Give me something with some bite to it, but leave it open enough that every little corner of the world is detailed. Give me some room to add my own flavor to the world, so that it feels more like it's mine.

Oh yeah, metaplots suck. I don't like them and don't use them. I hate picking up a new product only to find I have to retool it to remove the background plot from a regional setting book. Give plot hooks and hints, but don't do the work of writing a storyline for me.

Kane