What do you think is the best campaign setting?

[Zethnar]

Ok, I'm going to be totally honest and say that I'm interested in getting a new campaign setting (as much for reading as for playing).

I have Eberron and Warcraft sitting on my shelf already and I guess I'm looking for something a little different to both of them.

The two I have sort of looked at are Midnight and Dragonstar, Midnight because the setting looks rather nice (even if a little bit of a rip off of LotR) and Dragonstar because I could get the entire set of books (minus 'Races of the Galaxy') for just about the same price as a standard campaign book.

Well, what does everyone else think? What campaign settings captured your attention and why?

I ask mainly because I have no clue whats out there now and what any of them are like.

 

[Starman]

Well, I'd object to Midnight being labeled a Tolkien rip-off. I think it is more fair to say that it took some inspiration from it, but added enough of its own feel to make it different.

As for other campaign settings that are good, there is:

Dawnforge (FFG): Instead of the mythical "Age of Legends" being something in the past, Dawnforge places the PCs smack in the middle of the mythical age. Characters are the heroic prototypes of what would be the later PHB races. The mechanics do a great job of modeling this and the world is just dripping with flavor.

Actually, that's the best one I can think of that I own that you didn't all ready mention. Seriously, check it out. Hopefully, if more people buy the core book, we can convince FFG to do some more books for it.

Starman

 

[Nightcloak]

What kind of game do you like to run?

High powered? High or low magic? Dark Fantasy?

How do you feel about new rules or races or campaigns that deviate from the core rules?

A little info could help narrow down the choices and point you in the right direction

 

[Brennin Magalus]

My favorite campaign setting other than my own is Greyhawk. However, I imagine you are already familiar with Greyhawk so I would recommend Blackmoor (I don't have the book, but it looks interesting based on the preview pdfs). I would recommend you steer clear of the hopelessly lame Forgotten Realms.

 

[reanjr]

It takes a certain kind of player/DM, but Kingdoms of Kalamar for me is gold. The amount of detail is superb, but unlike many campaigns with copious amounts of detail (for instance Forgotten Realms), there is plenty of room for the PCs to fit in and really make a difference in the world.

Their supplements include optional rules and subsystems that really add flavor and opportunity to a game.

I personally really like the organization in the books. I'm not sure how they do it, but I can almost always find something I'm looking for by just flipping through a book real quick. And if that doesn't work, they have EXTENSIVE glossaries in almost every single book they publish.

The world is also generic enough to fit almost anything in. But the campaign really shines when using KoK supported material. For instance, the monster book is amazing. Lots of great monster ideas in there (including the creature I had nightmares about as a kid - the tarantubat). Most of the monsters are also detailed with really extensive history or culture information and a map depicting in shading where the creature can be found. This is just one example; almost all of their books have great little additions like this.

If you like to play the standard dungeon crawl, bash the door in type of play or something akin to it, you might find much of the setting extraneous. But if you like verisimilitude and detail, it's a superb setting.

And they have an official D&D license which allows them to use and reference Wizards material that no other publisher can (including Sword and Sorcery for Ravenloft and Sovereign Press for Dragonlance). This is really nice, for instance, in the Player's Guide where they have feat summaries, etc. that covers the entire Wizards line (including Forgotten Realms) up to the date of publishing.

If you look into the setting, try not to be intimidated by the campaign setting book. There is a lot of information in there and it's in a format that's better for referencing than reading. Also, there are no rules (except a couple of mounts and armor types) in the campaign setting book. None are needed since the campaign can be played just fine with Core D&D. But if you want to add richness to the campaign, the Player's Guide is chock full of rules.

 

[Li Shenron]

Ok, I'm going to be totally honest and say that I'm interested in getting a new campaign setting (as much for reading as for playing).

Would you prefer a setting book with lots of rules-free details or with lots of gaming material (or "crunchy bits")? Because if it's the first, you can also look at older editions settings, for the flavor I'd just suggest Planescape and Al-Qadim. If you instead are looking for 3ed crunch, I still think Forgotten Realms is the best source, and has the largest array of books probably.

It also depends how much you're willing to change the general mechanics of the game. For example, if you play Midnight you're having quite major changes in how spellcasting and magic items work; this means the game is going to be different not just because of the setting but also rules-wise.

 

[Gothmog]

I'd go with either Midnight by FFG or Arcanis by Paradigm Concepts. Midnight is probably the most atmospheric world out there, bar none. It begs to played- so much detail and the chance for PCs to be REAL heroes, unlike the dungeon-looters so common in standard D&D. However to really appreciate a Midnight game, you have to have players that realize that rewards in this game will not be magic items, tons of cash or fame- its knowing you did the right thing and braving the odds, and the thrill of the challenge of having a whole world gone to hell in a handbasket. Its great for players who rely on their wits, not so great for hack-n-slashers.

I also really like Arcanis. Its very well supported with top-notch products oozing great "fluff" that really make the world unique and noteworthy. Basically the main human empire in the world is Roman-esque, rather than typical medieval fantasy. Elves were a created slave race of the serpent men who rose up and overthrew their masters. Dwarves are former giants, cursed by the gods for their pride. There is a large theocracy in the north called Canceri, run by evil types- and there is a detailed model of what an evil society might be run like and actually THRIVE! And thats only the barest details of the coolness of this world. The mechanics in the Arcanis books are very solid too, and the world is well supported with books, and tons of online adventures for download. Arcanis is better than Midnight for a more "typical" D&D experience, while still introducing tons of new concepts that really make the world stand out.

 

[Keoki]

Umber

Check out Andy Collins's Umber Setting at http://andycollins.net. I'd love to be in his gaming group.

 

[Ron]

I like settings that can be played with as little additions to the core rules as possible, which I think are already bloated with rules. Also, I prefer them to be not much detailed as I don't have much time to study a setting and I prefer to improvise freely. Finally, I like them to show some internal consistency avoiding the collage aspect characteristic to Mystara and Forgotten Realms. As such, Greyhawk is my favorite setting, although some of my liking is based in nostalgia. Of the newer settings Kingdoms of Kalamar is much in the point of what I like.

 

[MonsterMash]

Old school

Personally I like Blackmoor and Wilderlands of High Fantasy which are now being rereleased and were around in the old days, I'd like to check out Midnight and liked Al-Qadim for 2e.