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<blockquote data-quote="Shiroiken" data-source="post: 8406148" data-attributes="member: 6775477">The primary thing a setting book needs is to explain the style of the world, which helps players and DMs decide if it's what they're looking for. It also helps differentiate it between similar settings (Greyhawk as sword &amp; sorcery, Realms as heroic fantasy, Dragonlance as epic fantasy) and to promote any unique twist (Dark Sun's defiling, Eberron's steampunk, Ravnica's megacity). WotC current setup seems good, balancing character options, DM options, and lore, and while I personally I prefer more DM content and lore than character options, that doesn't sell books.The book needs to strike a balance between utility and inspiration. The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a wonderfully detailed encyclopedia of the Greyhawk setting... that reads exactly like an encyclopedia. Conversely, the original boxed set was filled with all kinds of inspiration for the DM, but was lacking in a lot of detail. It's presumed that the latter was done on purpose to allow DMs to fill in as they see fit, but this isn't useful to a lot of DMs. An overly detailed world, as the Realms had become by the end of 3E, also limits the DM in how much leeway they have in making adventures and locations.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Shiroiken, post: 8406148, member: 6775477"] The primary thing a setting book needs is to explain the style of the world, which helps players and DMs decide if it's what they're looking for. It also helps differentiate it between similar settings (Greyhawk as sword & sorcery, Realms as heroic fantasy, Dragonlance as epic fantasy) and to promote any unique twist (Dark Sun's defiling, Eberron's steampunk, Ravnica's megacity). WotC current setup seems good, balancing character options, DM options, and lore, and while I personally I prefer more DM content and lore than character options, that doesn't sell books. The book needs to strike a balance between utility and inspiration. The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a wonderfully detailed encyclopedia of the Greyhawk setting... that reads exactly like an encyclopedia. Conversely, the original boxed set was filled with all kinds of inspiration for the DM, but was lacking in a lot of detail. It's presumed that the latter was done on purpose to allow DMs to fill in as they see fit, but this isn't useful to a lot of DMs. An overly detailed world, as the Realms had become by the end of 3E, also limits the DM in how much leeway they have in making adventures and locations. [/QUOTE]

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