What does a setting need to be "supported"

[Remathilis]

So all the talk about Ravnica, Eberron, and future campaign settings WotC might be releasing in 2019 has got me thinking; what is the minimum requirements for a setting to be supported? What elements are needed for a setting to be considered “usable”, let alone complete. Maps, races, monsters, geographic info, etc? What does a good setting need before you’d consider running it.
Please vote for the things a setting would need before you would consider using it. That is, any setting guide for a new or classic setting would need the following info for you to consider it “supported” in 5e without referring to outside or older-edition sources; its usable “as is”.
Options Include:

• World Map: A map of the entire world, or at least the entire known world.
• Races: New races plus where any existing races do/don’t fit.
• Classes: New classes or subclasses, plus a guide on the role each class fills in a setting (if any)
• Religion: Info on the Gods, forces, and religions of the setting.
• Nations: A description, in brief of in detail, of the major nations, kingdoms, or politics of the setting
• Culture: Description of different ethnicities, cultural norms, languages, and common info the people know
• Equipment: Info on what items are or aren’t for sale; including new items, weapons, or armors.
• Calendar: A description of time-tracking in the world.
• Starting Region: Detailed description of a starting area (town, region, city, or like) that the DM can start a campaign in.
• Magic: How magic works (or works differently) in the setting. Includes spells and items.
• Monsters: New monsters and info on common monsters (or monsters absent)
• Organizations; Powerful groups of people; guilds, churches, and factions the PCs can join or oppose
• Starting Adventure: A mini adventure to whet the PCs whistle for the setting and sets the tone.
• Variant Rules: What deviations from the normal Core Rules are needed to use the setting.

 

[akr71]

All of the items listed would be "nice to have" but for "need" I went with
-world map, though strictly speaking all that is needed is a map of a large enough area to run a campaign in
-Nations - why is this place different from any other setting?
-culture - why is this place different from any other setting?
-starting adventure - make me want to play in this setting

 

[delericho]

Answering the question as stated (that is, what's needed to use a setting with only 5e books):

• World Map: A map of the entire world, or at least the entire known world. (Though, actually, I don't need even the whole known world - I just need a bit enough area to adventure in, which may only be a subset. For instance, in a "Robin Hood" type setting, I only really need a map of England; it's enough to know that other places are out there somewhere)
• Religion: Info on the Gods, forces, and religions of the setting.
• Nations: A description, in brief of in detail, of the major nations, kingdoms, or politics of the setting
• Culture: Description of different ethnicities, cultural norms, languages, and common info the people know
• Magic: How magic works (or works differently) in the setting. Includes spells and items.
• Monsters: New monsters and info on common monsters (or monsters absent)
• Organizations; Powerful groups of people; guilds, churches, and factions the PCs can join or oppose

However, I'm actually quite happy to make use of fluff for older editions. Therefore, for a classic setting to be supported in 5e, what I really need is conversions of the appropriate rules material. And so the answer is necessarily "it depends":

For Greyhawk, there isn't really anything needed. For Dark Sun, it would need rules for defilers, some sort of guidance on how to model Templars and Elemental Clerics, and of course Psionics (plus a load of monsters). And so on and so forth.

Of course, a dedicated publication would be nice, especially for the more 'out there' settings. And being open on DM's Guild is a definite boon, too. ("The Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron" is an almost perfect example of what I'd like to see - all that's really missing is the Artificer, and maybe something on psionics for Sarlona.)

 

[DEFCON 1]

I voted based upon a new setting, rather than playing in an established setting from a previous edition. My votes went to Religion, Nations, Culture, Starting Region, and Organizations. Basically, all the fluff for the setting. I suppose World Map could also be included, but I took my cue from the Nentir Vale and believed that I didn't need a full map of the entire world to play (although asking for "Nations" kind of belies that belief I guess, LOL.)

What we got in 4E for the Nentir Vale is really all I want and need (and played my 4E campaigns there). And that's pretty much continued, as my first 5E campaign basically just used the Silver Marches sourcebook from 3E, my second one used the Baratok Valley setting found in Curse of Strahd, and my current campaign I've just started is pretty much using the Sharn, City of Towers sourcebook as my campaign hub.

This is why I've never felt like I need a new Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book for 5E, because I have no real use for two paragraphs of information about 75 different city-states or nations-- I find much more use out of 100 pages of one city-state or nation. I've never used it myself, but the Neverwinter campaign book for 4E is what I'd much rather have and find useful.

 

[Yaarel]

‘Support’ also implies (and requires) followup adventures. Maybe at least one campaign from level 1 to 20.

 

[Shiroiken]

Maybe I'm a stickler, but if you're going to do it, you need to do it right. Everything on this list except a starting area and starting adventure are needed for a good campaign setting, especially if it's a completely new setting.

 

[Remathilis]

‘Support’ also implies (and requires) followup adventures. Maybe at least one campaign from level 1 to 20.

I wanted to keep it to just an initial offering, rather than a line of supplements. Eberron and FR recv'd support via Adventurer's League in this this capacity, though Ravenloft (which has a single 1-10 level adventure) and Ravnica (which doesn't have any at the moment beyond the starter adventure) is lacking. I guess that the beauty of releasing all of them to the DMsGuild afterwards; fan adventurers can begin to fill in the gaps...

 

[aco175]

I would 2nd what [MENTION=98938]DeF[/MENTION]con1 said about Netir Vale. I don't need much since I can blend in other setting stuff like religion or classes. I did choose starting area for one of my choices for this reason.

For a new setting to get my money I would want a few places mostly detailed such as nations or city-states and towns. I do not need a whole world, but a region or starting area. I would rather have a great pair of kingdoms than a sporadic world. A starting adventure helps with the feel for the world and where new culture and setting material can be introduced.

 

[Slit518]

So all the talk about Ravnica, Eberron, and future campaign settings WotC might be releasing in 2019 has got me thinking; what is the minimum requirements for a setting to be supported? What elements are needed for a setting to be considered “usable”, let alone complete. Maps, races, monsters, geographic info, etc? What does a good setting need before you’d consider running it.
Please vote for the things a setting would need before you would consider using it. That is, any setting guide for a new or classic setting would need the following info for you to consider it “supported” in 5e without referring to outside or older-edition sources; its usable “as is”.
Options Include:

I actually started a "Setting Creation" stream on Twitch about a month or so back.

I go over the steps on what to consider when creating your own setting, and what scope is hoped to be achieved by it.

Many of these questions are dependent on the setting type.

I have a link to my archived episodes here -
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzq3WiAgxt0lIUrY6OfiwJiIEkgB5jKOd

And a link to my twitch channel here -
https://www.twitch.tv/slit518

I usually stream on Fridays, about 10pm EST/7pm PST, everything willing.
The stream typically runs an hour, though this past episode was nearly 2 hours!

And to answer your question:
A "world" map is important. And by world, I mean the scope in which the setting in encompassed. Whether it is a planet, galaxy, continent, country, town, house, large dragon bones, etc.
Races in my opinion are pseudo important, only because it will differentiate said setting from other settings by the type of beings that inhabit said setting.
Classes equally as important as race choice.
Equipment, is important, how else would the players do things without a hammer? A sword? Spell components? Food? Water?
Starting Region is important because the journey has to begin somewhere, and this is largely dependent on setting size.
Monsters are important, the PCs need something to fight. Even if the monsters are other humans!
A Starting Adventure is a good idea, because it gives the players an idea of what the setting is like.
I find Variant Rules important, because this also helps establish your setting as its own creation. Obviously, most of the core would be D&D 5e related, but enough Variant Rule fluff to also give the game its own identity.

What do I find unimportant, mainly because it depends on the setting size, scope, and type are -
Religion
Nations
Culture
Calendar
Magic
Organizations

I hope you found some good insight on what I said.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

It depends on the setting, so I went with what is needed to support a setting like Eberron, and assumed no old material to cover lore.

So, everything but starting area and starting adventure, basically. You can play Eberron without Changelings, Warforged, Kalashtar, Artificer, and Action Points and Dragonmarks, but it isn’t being supported as a setting without those things.