Garnfellow said:
I've seen suggests that the best base setting for a new edition of D&D would be . . .
Eberron, because it was actually built with the D&D game in mind.
When I think of D&D, I don't think of magical trains and robots that are alive.
It seems like every other setting is either actively running away from D&D (We're nothing like the D&D game, see, because our elves are EVIL, and can FLY! And our halflings are GREEN and CANNIBALS!) or at least suppressing many of major tropes of D&D. Both Greyhawk and the Forgotten realms have this weird tension between the D&D rules and a low-magic, ye olde medieval/Tolkeinesque ideal.
You talk about low-magic and yo olde medieval/Tolkienesque idea, and suggest to use as default setting a world where there are trains, flying ships (the way it sounds rather common) and frikkin' robots? Not to mention shapeshifters and other weird stuff as standard races.
Greyhawk might have some weird tension between the rules and low-magic, but Eberron has a big freakin' weird tension between itself and classical fantasy. I don't remember them discussing how to get into mordor, and merry pipin' up suggesting they take the sub.
I think Eberron's embracing of D&D "reality," along with its emphasis on wild and wooly pulp-style exploration, makes it a great candidate for being the default setting for D&D.
It might embrace everything that's in 3e, but it puts a lot of stuff in a lot of people don't want. Better to use Greyhawk. There won't be that much of the setting in the book, anyway, and that way they don't have to leave races out of the PHB.
You must realize this: If they're going to make Eberron the default, a lot of people will not move over to 4e.
Roleplaying isn't exactly as widespread as computer games, anyway, and they're losing some people with each new edition, but if they should deliberately peter off large numbers of loyal fans, they shoot themselves in the foot.
The Realms would not be a great Idea, either. Too many people hate that, too.
But GH: Some like it, most don't mind it, since you have to point out that it even exists. The way they describe it, it's so bland that it hides in plain sight.
Crothian said:
Greyhawk isn't for everyone either. I'd perfer they have a default setting that people actually play and there is support for. One that actually reflects the rules as a world and not just a bunch of meaningless names.
The way it is introduced right now, it's not supposed to be more in the core rules: Just some names and examples for things so people can pach them for their own game. If they decide to buy a ready-to-serve campaign world, you can pull out the rich, detailed stuff with lots of weird cool things and whateveryouwant.
