Whould you buy a system-free setting?

[w_earle_wheeler]

It depends on the setting, as well as the quality and professionalism of the book.

 

[Ourph]

I'm not sure I buy the idea that a system-free setting is possible. The "rules" of a specific world (physics, magic, racial divisions, etc.) can't help but translate into some sort of system rules. At best I think you'd have a system "unspecified" setting that's still closer to the rules assumptions of some systems than others. If a setting is based on the rules assumptions of D&D, for example, I'd rather just have it statted out for D&D than left intentionally vague.

 

[Technomancer]

I prefer a setting book without system info/crunch, as I tend to switch back and forth between systems that interest me, and system-specific crunch is space that could have been used to provide more setting details.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Interesting poll and something we have been thinking about for Violet Dawn. Me, I probably wouldn't as I buy settings to mine for ideas both with world fluff and mechanics. I wonder how many people would say yes if the rules were released later as a free PDF?

 

[catsclaw227]

Interesting poll and something we have been thinking about for Violet Dawn. Me, I probably wouldn't as I buy settings to mine for ideas both with world fluff and mechanics. I wonder how many people would say yes if the rules were released later as a free PDF?

I dig your Violet Dawn stuff, Jeff. When will you guys release something else? I was hoping to play something in the Broken Isles, but I felt like I didn't know enough about the rest of the nearby lands to feel comfortable enough (like aggressor nations, nearby theology, tech levels, etc). It's a great setting with an awesome feel.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I've bought quite a few books for games that I dont run (Conspiracy X, Over the Edge, etc) to mine for use in my Unknown Armies games (which I bought initially just because the books are a great read). I dont see how a book without a system is much different.

Theres a huge difference between trying to pull a setting out of a half dozen works of fiction, and having it presented neatly in a gazeteer style format.

 

[Desdichado]

Yes, I'd buy the core book and all/most supplements if it was cool enough

If it was cool enough being the operative phrase there. And because system helps define a setting, it's setting itself up from the get-go with a handicap on getting to that "cool enough" milestone.

I think a better approach would be to assume that a certain system will be used (say, standard D&D), but not devote much (if any) time to mechanics, so it could be ported to the system of choice without much hassle. That's why the Delta Green products are so incredible for my d20 Cthulhu games--while it was written for BRP Cthulhu, it has so little system involved that it can be used with just about any system you can imagine. Heck, I've even done a one-shot of Top Secret S.I. that had some Delta Green in it.

 

[catsclaw227]

Theres a huge difference between trying to pull a setting out of a half dozen works of fiction, and having it presented neatly in a gazeteer style format.

QFT

 

[buzz]

I think that setting fluff is one of the easiest things for individual DM's to create. Good rules, otoh, are not. Part of the reason I'm inclined to pay money for an RPG product is that the author is doing at least some of the heavy lifting for me, rules-wise. Take that away, and not only are you leaving me with all the hard work, but you've also sucked away all of the fun, easy-to-do work. I have to both learn your setting and fit rules to it.

If we were talking about an established property that I'm enough of a fanboy of that I'm happy to do the work, that's one thing. But some fantasy setting I've never heard of?

Ergo, I'd be very dubious of a system-free RPG setting product. I think it's targeting a need that doesn't exist.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

It depends on the setting, as well as the quality and professionalism of the book.

And by "it depends" I meant to say, yes I would. I've bought many RPG books to use for their setting elements only (GURPS Transhuman Space comes to mind). I think it's a great idea, thought it would work better if it included (perhaps in a crunch-only supplement) a variety of rules systems for the setting.

For example, I write a setting called Forgotten Embers of the Dragonloft. I detail the entire setting in one book. Then, in a second book, I give guidelines on how to use a variety of established RPG systems for that setting (a chapter on GURPS, a chapter on Unisystem, a chapter on d20 (True20, C&C, d20 Modern, etc), a chapter on FUDGE). Then maybe after six years, after everyone has tried it out under their favourite systems, I can cherry pick and build an original one.