D&D 4E What should the next new official campaign setting for 4e be like?

[Dannyalcatraz]

We have Eberron which have a pseudo-steampunk theme, we have Ravenloft which has a gothic horror theme, and we have Dark Sun which has the feel of sword and sorcery authors like Howard and Moorcock. What kind of new official campaign setting would you like to see WoTC make? I'd like to see a setting that has a prehistoric ice age kind of world, kinda like the movie 10,000 BC.

A technomagical world, possibly even a licensed RIFTS redux.

I think the system could handle it.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Hmm, I for one am going to be first in line to get the New Neverwinter campaign. I like the Forgotten Realms, and stuff for it appeals to me FAR more than anything of the smaller and less popular campaign settings.

Along with the hype a new Computer game will bring, Forgotten Realms is hugely popular, perhaps that's one reason they are releasing Neverwinter.

I get that it's the most popular setting, and I'm sure that's why most of their video games have been set there, but I really don't think that one lone city in FR needs its own box.

I know, that kind of thing has been done before, and if they put out a City of Greyhawk book, I'd probably buy it. So I guess that makes me a hypocrite, but with the vast volume of 'Realms fluff out there, this just seems unnecessary.

I think the rampant popularity of FR as a setting is one of the key reasons why I don't play in or run it. Whether as a DM or player, nothing grates my cheese worse than when another player starts correcting me because I haven't read one of the books set wherever we're adventuring, and I got some piddly detail "wrong."

Star Wars suffers from the same problem. Both have great flavour and potential but are so often ruined by setting canon zealots.

 

[dangerous jack]

I'll echo the want for a nautical campaign setting. Pirates of Dark Water + Sinbad + Pirates of the Caribbean sounds like fun.

Beyond that, recently I've been reading some of the Savage Worlds plot point campaign settings and admire them for their boldness. So I'd be interested in combining super-adventures with new settings. Like the size of a hardback, with some key cool encounters in detail and the rest of one possible campaign loosely described. And by bold, I mean not just ruled by immortal elven kings, but along the lines of a "world" that's collapsing as it's consumed by the Elemental Chaos.

 

[VGmaster9]

Another kind of setting I'd like to see would have either something reminiscent of Dark Crystal or Neverending Story. It certainly sounds better than the old medieval setting.

 

[GameDoc]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'd like Greyhawk and FR to be a dissimilar as possible for more variety. That said, how can Dragonlance be unique from Greyhawk and FR as a 4e setting?

The more Tolkeinesque settings you introduce, the harder it gets to make each of them unique. It may be a thin discinction, but to me, the three settings differ like this:

Greyhawk - gritty, dangerous, somehwat amoral. "Heroes" are just as likely to be neutral/unaligned adventurers (or even evil ones) renowned for their deeds, not their virtues.

Dragonlance - epic, romantic, high fantasy. Heroic actions drive history.

Forgotten Realms - comic book universe. Tons of heries, tons of villains, diverse in background, power source, etc. The world is so big, their actions never change the status quo outside of their "Reamls Shattering Events" (.i.e., the Time of Troubles, the Spellplague) which are analagous to the big Marvel and DC crossover events like Marvel's Civil War, the Skrull Invasion or DC's myriad of Multiversal Crises.

 

[KahnyaGnorc]

A few possible settings:

-A setting based on American Indian culture/mythos (more present-day US/Canada, rather than Meso-American like Maztica). This could go hand-in-hand with the spirits being more manifest suggestion earlier. Perhaps add some very early contact with other societies (Celtic-like people across the frozen Atlantic, Vikings, Siberians across the strait, maybe even east Asian/Chinese type connection)

-Settings that defy the basic assumptions of 4E (Fantastic Place, Ancient, Mysterious, Races Banded Together, Distant gods, etc). For example, a world that the PCs are part of an early expedition into a brand new world, or one where the PCs (and some important NPCs) are the only magic-wielders (maybe magic is a new phenomenon that hadn't existed before), or maybe one where the PC races are hostile to each other.

-Frontier World: PCs are from a distant, civilized land/world, exploring an alien environment. This could either be a new continent, like the real-world Age of Exploration, or a new world/plane of existence.

-Fantasy Old West setting. Cowboys, Indians, Orcs, and Wizards!

-Multi-world setting: Like, say, the Death Gate Cycle, Stargate, Sliders, etc. Some series of portals or such connects these worlds, and many of the various races could be natives to different worlds, with vastly different cultures, architecture, and living in different environments.

-Immortals-based/Super-Hero setting. This could combine traditional D&D with the mutations/powers of Gamma World. The PCs (major NPCs and Villains, too) aren't just exceptional as adventurers, but they are inherently super-human/elf/dwarf/etc. In traditional fantasy, they could be agents of the gods posing as the mortal races. In more historical/gritty/sword-and-sorcery settings, they could be demi-gods (like in Greek mythology). In more modern settings, super heroes. The like.

-Finally, a setting where one or more traditional races are gone (extinct/never existed), radically different (giant dwarf-like race, techie elves, etc.), or hero/villain swapped (good orcs, evil elves, or the like). Athas does have this.

 

[phloog]

None of these ideas, it seems, are going to resonate with our new core target demographic for 2012: Tweens and Teens Who Don't Like Fantasy Roleplaying Games.

I'm just spitballin' here, but that Jersey Shore thing is popular - how about a world where they do those kind of things? - - but of course obviously with teleporting elves and some race that looks like regular human people, but with a different type of head..maybe a snake head or some kind of transforming head. Transforming is big.

I can see those looks you're giving me, but "No Bad Ideas" when we brainstorm, right?

So your totally buff warrior is on a quest..no, an adventure - still too outdated...your warrior is on a "Hook Up" with this teleporting elf as his "Wingman" - and yeah, let's actually give him wings.

He could play his at-will power to Entice and Objectify this hot chick with a head that's a Buick roadster sometimes and other times it's a jet fighter or a snake.

I'm imagining some kind of booster pack of collectible heads here. Probably six head cards in a pack for $11...if people complain put in a stick of crisp, powder-coated chewing gum.

But back on task - - he tries to get her attention, but she draws the Justin Bieber head (Rare card) and suddenly the warrior is conflicted. Does he move on to the next target who is an 18 year-old female with the head of a bulette, or does he use up his daily "Chickenhawk" card? (Sadly Very Common)


(((ALSO: I like that Dark Crystal - like idea)

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

None of these ideas, it seems, are going to resonate with our new core target demographic for 2012: Tweens and Teens Who Don't Like Fantasy Roleplaying Games.

I'm just spitballin' here, but that Jersey Shore thing is popular - how about a world where they do those kind of things? - - but of course obviously with teleporting elves and some race that looks like regular human people, but with a different type of head..maybe a snake head or some kind of transforming head. Transforming is big.

I can see those looks you're giving me, but "No Bad Ideas" when we brainstorm, right?

So your totally buff warrior is on a quest..no, an adventure - still too outdated...your warrior is on a "Hook Up" with this teleporting elf as his "Wingman" - and yeah, let's actually give him wings.

He could play his at-will power to Entice and Objectify this hot chick with a head that's a Buick roadster sometimes and other times it's a jet fighter or a snake.

I'm imagining some kind of booster pack of collectible heads here. Probably six head cards in a pack for $11...if people complain put in a stick of crisp, powder-coated chewing gum.

But back on task - - he tries to get her attention, but she draws the Justin Bieber head (Rare card) and suddenly the warrior is conflicted. Does he move on to the next target who is an 18 year-old female with the head of a bulette, or does he use up his daily "Chickenhawk" card? (Sadly Very Common)

Ugh. Plug me back into the Matrix, please. Actually, just render me down into goo and feed me to the others.

(((ALSO: I like that Dark Crystal - like idea)

Yeah, I could see interest in this one.

 

[Madaxemat]

Would love them to do spelljammer. IMO with 4e lack of focus on rules Spelljammer would be MUCH easier to play, simplifing awful space combat rules down to skil challanges where each memeber must contribute one of his skill to keep the ship going (perhaps with Ships having specail abilities to influence some fo these rolls).

I've attempted to convert a spelljammer campaign set in its own worlds (not realm,kryn, greyspace) but everytime Something major has come up and I've been forced to stop. So if Wizards could do it for me I'd be a very happy customer.

 

[VGmaster9]

The more Tolkeinesque settings you introduce, the harder it gets to make each of them unique. It may be a thin discinction, but to me, the three settings differ like this:

Greyhawk - gritty, dangerous, somehwat amoral. "Heroes" are just as likely to be neutral/unaligned adventurers (or even evil ones) renowned for their deeds, not their virtues.

Dragonlance - epic, romantic, high fantasy. Heroic actions drive history.

Forgotten Realms - comic book universe. Tons of heries, tons of villains, diverse in background, power source, etc. The world is so big, their actions never change the status quo outside of their "Reamls Shattering Events" (.i.e., the Time of Troubles, the Spellplague) which are analagous to the big Marvel and DC crossover events like Marvel's Civil War, the Skrull Invasion or DC's myriad of Multiversal Crises.

Couldn't find a better camparison between the three.

A few possible settings:

-A setting based on American Indian culture/mythos (more present-day US/Canada, rather than Meso-American like Maztica). This could go hand-in-hand with the spirits being more manifest suggestion earlier. Perhaps add some very early contact with other societies (Celtic-like people across the frozen Atlantic, Vikings, Siberians across the strait, maybe even east Asian/Chinese type connection)

-Settings that defy the basic assumptions of 4E (Fantastic Place, Ancient, Mysterious, Races Banded Together, Distant gods, etc). For example, a world that the PCs are part of an early expedition into a brand new world, or one where the PCs (and some important NPCs) are the only magic-wielders (maybe magic is a new phenomenon that hadn't existed before), or maybe one where the PC races are hostile to each other.

-Frontier World: PCs are from a distant, civilized land/world, exploring an alien environment. This could either be a new continent, like the real-world Age of Exploration, or a new world/plane of existence.

-Fantasy Old West setting. Cowboys, Indians, Orcs, and Wizards!

-Multi-world setting: Like, say, the Death Gate Cycle, Stargate, Sliders, etc. Some series of portals or such connects these worlds, and many of the various races could be natives to different worlds, with vastly different cultures, architecture, and living in different environments.

-Immortals-based/Super-Hero setting. This could combine traditional D&D with the mutations/powers of Gamma World. The PCs (major NPCs and Villains, too) aren't just exceptional as adventurers, but they are inherently super-human/elf/dwarf/etc. In traditional fantasy, they could be agents of the gods posing as the mortal races. In more historical/gritty/sword-and-sorcery settings, they could be demi-gods (like in Greek mythology). In more modern settings, super heroes. The like.

-Finally, a setting where one or more traditional races are gone (extinct/never existed), radically different (giant dwarf-like race, techie elves, etc.), or hero/villain swapped (good orcs, evil elves, or the like). Athas does have this.

Pretty good, although the western setting sounds more like a western version of Shadowrun and the multi-world setting sounds alot like Planescape, unless I'm mistaken.