Glade Riven
Adventurer
I have the same issues with Forgotten Realms and Star Wars
What makes a better setting?
- Thread starter Living Legend
- Start date
gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
For the commercial setting I am currently working on, Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting, the soon to be released adventures (3 part mini arc, The Curse of the Golden Spear), the adventures contain enough setting information to run any oddball (for the setting only) rules to play the adventures and just enough detail to whet your appetite for Kaidan.
My plan is to create detailed Gazetteers for each of the three main islands of the archipelago featuring each provinces location within the larger empire map, a detailed provincial map for each area, a list of the local ruler, leading samurai clans, major temples and shrines, local factions with control, a brief on imports and exports to area, local politics, and current events that are shaping activity.
Because I am a professional fantasy cartographer, the products features lots of maps - kingdom/archipelago, major island maps, provincial maps, city/town maps, important location maps: temples, shrines, castles and points of interest.
Our setting includes general weather tables, monsters by region, and other fiddly details.
It follows my thinking that a setting needs lots of details, but every setting needs to have plenty of missing information that each respective DM can put his own information in. I am avoiding 'metaplot' for the setting, as I don't want to dictate what happens in any future - that's up to the DM and PC party on what happens, not me the setting designer. I only state what the world is like right now and in the past, not the future.
GP
My plan is to create detailed Gazetteers for each of the three main islands of the archipelago featuring each provinces location within the larger empire map, a detailed provincial map for each area, a list of the local ruler, leading samurai clans, major temples and shrines, local factions with control, a brief on imports and exports to area, local politics, and current events that are shaping activity.
Because I am a professional fantasy cartographer, the products features lots of maps - kingdom/archipelago, major island maps, provincial maps, city/town maps, important location maps: temples, shrines, castles and points of interest.
Our setting includes general weather tables, monsters by region, and other fiddly details.
It follows my thinking that a setting needs lots of details, but every setting needs to have plenty of missing information that each respective DM can put his own information in. I am avoiding 'metaplot' for the setting, as I don't want to dictate what happens in any future - that's up to the DM and PC party on what happens, not me the setting designer. I only state what the world is like right now and in the past, not the future.
GP
steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
I have a number of thoughts on this thread.
1) "better" is a completely subjective term....it's kinda thread/topic dynamite. Since everyone has their own perception of what is "better", for them. So you will never have a consensus or realistic answer to the original question because...it simply matters on the person.
2) In what context are you looking for a "better" way of doing a setting? If you expect to have something published...well, it is going to be detailed. Who is going to publish something that isn't detailed? A few sentences about a few different kingdoms does not a book make.
3) For those that like a "less detailed" setting, which is generally for the purposes to "drop stuff in as they need/want"...this is great to ask for...but I am inclined to think this is also the people that have the time, experience, or creativity/imagination to make things up and drop them in...hence, more than likely, they already have a setting of their own homebrewing to work in...so whatever you want to publish, they don't need it...cuz they have their own....I'm thinking of the young Ed Greenwood's (and Steel Dragons, for that matter) of the world.
4) For those that do not have the time or experience or inclination to create and detail their own world, a pre-made "detailed" setting is fine...and even great for obvious reasons...but also, even for those that have worlds of their own. So to publish a setting, I would say, the more detail the better...it might not be taken as "canon"...but it can be taken as is AND/OR has the benefit of offering/sparking ideas to the setting/world-builders among us.
So...I guess...my view all boils down to...Yes, more detail, please.
Have fun and happy setting-building.
--Steel Dragons
1) "better" is a completely subjective term....it's kinda thread/topic dynamite. Since everyone has their own perception of what is "better", for them. So you will never have a consensus or realistic answer to the original question because...it simply matters on the person.
2) In what context are you looking for a "better" way of doing a setting? If you expect to have something published...well, it is going to be detailed. Who is going to publish something that isn't detailed? A few sentences about a few different kingdoms does not a book make.
3) For those that like a "less detailed" setting, which is generally for the purposes to "drop stuff in as they need/want"...this is great to ask for...but I am inclined to think this is also the people that have the time, experience, or creativity/imagination to make things up and drop them in...hence, more than likely, they already have a setting of their own homebrewing to work in...so whatever you want to publish, they don't need it...cuz they have their own....I'm thinking of the young Ed Greenwood's (and Steel Dragons, for that matter) of the world.
4) For those that do not have the time or experience or inclination to create and detail their own world, a pre-made "detailed" setting is fine...and even great for obvious reasons...but also, even for those that have worlds of their own. So to publish a setting, I would say, the more detail the better...it might not be taken as "canon"...but it can be taken as is AND/OR has the benefit of offering/sparking ideas to the setting/world-builders among us.
So...I guess...my view all boils down to...Yes, more detail, please.
Have fun and happy setting-building.
--Steel Dragons
Pentius
First Post
I like sparser settings, where things are painted in broad strokes, which leaves the DM and players to fill them in. I mean, detail in a given area up to a certain point(maybe two-three pages for a country) is good, you have to have something to work with. But there should always be room for "new" areas and plot developments.
Really, I think my biggest problem with high detail settings is not really the settings' fault. It's when one player is a diehard fan of the setting, but has to point out every single place you've deviated from the near-holy official lore.
Really, I think my biggest problem with high detail settings is not really the settings' fault. It's when one player is a diehard fan of the setting, but has to point out every single place you've deviated from the near-holy official lore.
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