Whould you buy a system-free setting?

[JRRNeiklot]

I already have two systemless settings. The Wilderlands and Scarred Lands.

 

[hong]

And in a very few cases, there's a supplemental book that lays those out with the information you'd need to run it in a game, but for the most part there's not, or it's simply unsuitable for gaming.

Where's the book that gives you the maps of Narnia, the populations, the religious leanings, what sort of money they use, who's in charge of each settlement and what happens if the players violate the law?

What, you actually NEED that kind of stuff for gaming? HAW HAW!

 

[khyron1144]

Maybe

It really depends on the setting.


Back in high school I saw a blurb for an open to any system Pirates of Dark Water RPG setting in the War Games West catalog. I kind of wanted it, but never bought it. I would have wanted it because I like Pirates of Dark water, though.

An original setting would have to be really impressive to get me to buy it rather than another D&D, Palladium, or World of Darkness book. A licensed property though might bring me in.

 

[catsclaw227]

There's already a giant systemless setting in the World of Khas that emperor's choice put out. This was originally the setting for Arduin.

The book is like 700-800 pages of PURE systemless setting, and it's a lot to digest. Then again, there is a lot of gaming history behind it, so much of the setting was fleshed out by actual gaming hours.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Here 'ya go!

LOL, that's not a world, it is a fragment of one.

When I say world, I mean world, not a city-state.

 

[Starglim]

I might buy either the core book or supplements, but due to the amount of work required of me and lack of guidance regarding the author's intended balance of strength between different setting elements, I'd regard this as much lesser value than a product that used a game system. I agree with the comparison to a novel or perhaps a coffee-table fantasy art book.

 

[Aus_Snow]

No, it has to be system-specific. But I don't mean one specific system.

Otherwise, I'd just buy/read a [non-RPG] book, watch a movie, whatever.

Eh, not that I don't do those things anyway. . . but yeah, no system-free settings for me, thanks.

 

[jeffh]

I might buy either the core book or supplements, but due to the amount of work required of me and lack of guidance regarding the author's intended balance of strength between different setting elements, I'd regard this as much lesser value than a product that used a game system. I agree with the comparison to a novel or perhaps a coffee-table fantasy art book.

Why, given that it's intended for gaming use, would it necessarily lack this information? This is something that I, for one, would make sure to include in such a product.

Nevertheless, because of the sheer volume of specific information of this sort that is needed for them, I have the opposite of Thanee's view - I think a system-free overall setting works much better than a systemless single adventure.

I would pick up non-system-specific Dark Sun material in a heartbeat, and it's concievable a new setting could prove equally interesting to me. Whether I'll pick up a given setting is something that already has a degree of system-independance for me, so it's not a big leap to picking up a setting with no attached system at all.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm interested in this as well, as I have been pondering doing something similar.

I am surprised that potential users would want a system to support it. The way the gaming market is going I would have guessed that system-less settings and material might have been a good way to go.

 

[Odhanan]

Yes, a system-free universe may interest me so long as the background triggers my imagination. Of course, I'd appreciate at least some basic comments on how this or that system would affect the overall feel of the campaign using this universe, and since there wouldn't be any stat, all my attention would be focussed on the quality of said background, so I could be much more intransigent regarding any mistakes and lack of taste, originality therein.