What is the best "generic" setting?

[Remathilis]

If you were looking for a good place to set a fairly generic, RAW-style game with elves, dwarves, knights, monks and sorcerers, where would you set it? Nothing too sinister (Scarred Lands), Odd (Eberron), or involving a lot of rule-changes (Midnight).

So far, I'm polling on a few options I know of. I'll try to explain my madness.

Greyhawk/Oerth (LGG): To settle cannon/Edition flames, I'm choosing the last available printing of Greyhawk.
Aereth (GotKR) Goodman's "Greyhawkish" setting, connected with DCCs.
Forgotten Realms/Toril (FRCS): WotC's "other" generic setting.
Kingdom's of Kalamar (KoK): The semi-official setting created by Kenzer.
Wilderlands (WoHF): Never really looked into this Product. However, it has history.
Mystara (NA) A great Old setting, but long out of print. Available in PDF format though.
Other (I'm sure there are)

Which would/do/did you use, and which would you recommend to someone who wants a fairly generic setting that has all of the core options available to him?

 

[jdrakeh]

I like the Kingdoms of Kalamar, as it pays attention to much detail that the other settings on your list ignore entirely (for example, KoK has maps of trade routes and an economy that actually informs those routes). It's kind of like the HarnWorld of d20 settings -- it contains a wealth of detail, though the manner in which it is presented means that you don't have to use it if you don't want to.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If I were in the market for such a setting, I'd either grab the Kalamar books or DCC World, depending on how much detail I wanted.

 

[Hussar]

Scarred Lands is sinister? It could be I suppose, but, it doesn't have to play that way. It is certainly as generic as any of the other settings you list.

 

[ivocaliban]

Normally, I would vote Greyhawk. I love Greyhawk and it was tough voting against it in favor of Wilderlands of High Fantasy, but it had to be done. Why? Because of this statement from the original post: "To settle cannon/Edition flames, I'm choosing the last available printing of Greyhawk."

That means the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, which is good, but it only leaves you wanting more. Whereas the Wilderlands boxed set from Necromancer Games focuses on a geographically smaller area than the Flanaess of Greyhawk and gives a lot more detail. Along with the Player's Guide to the Wilderlands and the City State of the Invincible Overlord sourcebook (for use in a detailed urban campaign), you've got a far more complete product than the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer alone.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Scarred Lands is sinister? It could be I suppose, but, it doesn't have to play that way. It is certainly as generic as any of the other settings you list.

People always say that, but aren't cities built beneath giant inert golems and cities full of necromancers kind of atypical?

 

[Mouseferatu]

People always say that, but aren't cities built beneath giant inert golems and cities full of necromancers kind of atypical?

Sure, they're atypical.

There's also only one of each--maybe two cities of necromancers, depending on how you define "city"--in the setting.

And I can certainly see possibilities for a city beneath a giant golem, or a city of necromancers, in Greyhawk or Mystara. If they were common in SL, I'd agree with you, but as it stands...

 

[Arkhandus]

Eyros!

.....just kidding, that's a bit different from some core assumptions.

Greyhawk.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Eyros!

.....just kidding, that's a bit different from some core assumptions.

Oh, sure, bring that up and make me feel all guilty again.

Greyhawk.

Yep, that's how I voted, too.

 

[jdrakeh]

Sure, they're atypical.

They're more common than you'd think -- witness the Red Wizards of FR (not all Necromancers, granted, but city states for Wizards, nonetheless) or Skull City in Greyhawk (from Return to the Tomb of Horrors). Or even further back, what about cities of Thieves? Cities dedicated to bad folks is a pretty old idea in fantasy.

The giant golem is a bit different, though I'd argue that it's no more unusual than the giant golems of Shadow World, sky galleons of Mystara, or multi-dimensional castles of Greyhawk. Most of that stuff appears atypical at first glance, as well