World ideas that you think are lame

[DragonLancer]

Nightfall, give it a rest. We all know you love Scarred Lands. But not everyone else does, and that doesn't mean that they suck.

I understand how Nightfall feels. I love Dragonlance and it really winds me up when others diss that setting because they don't (or won't) understand it.

 

[Chain Lightning]

----I do like tech and magic....but only if that is indeed the part of the main flavor of a setting. To me, it doesn't belong in Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. But, if there was a detailed rpg in the world that Masumune Shirow created for his comic "Orion", I'd totally play that. Orion has a great way of integrating magic and technology that I've yet to see matched. No rpg has come close to making that combo cool like that. If it did, perhaps not so many of you would be against that flavor. I think its just been done wrong so far and that's why we hate it mostly.

Plus, when I'm in the mood for good 'ol D&D type stuff, I don't want steamtech, guns, clockwork/gear golems, etc. I want exaggerated landscapes, old ruins, old castles, mysterious towers, axes, swords, cloaks, horses, ogres, orcs, etc.

A reason why I don't like how sometimes (in the current 3rd edition & 3.5 edition D&D) I see aviator goggles or the one lens optic on one side look. Not appropriate for my usual version of fantasy.

-----Here's another thing I don't like: Earth gods crossing over into another fantasy realm. Like if Odin showed up on Greyhawk maybe. Or....when I was totally turned off by Forgotten Realms when I heard Egyptian gods had visited at one time.

The only time I find that okay is if I am in the mood to play something that was about being multi-dimensional. Like "Rifts" maybe.But again, I don't want that in my usual D&D fantasy setting.

 

[Will]

I'm not much into 'doom' settings. Though I have a fondness for Call of Cthulhu... go figure.

I don't mind magic mixed with technology, but I prefer the technology relatively modest. Some mixtures have a bit of anime-like shape to them, which leaves me a little cold.

Not fond of anime elements in games, typically. And by that I mean the over-the-top stuff... I realize anime is a medium that has loosely attached subgenres. I mean the common subgenres, like big-ass swords or squirrelcats or catgirls, etc. Anime-like art I can just ignore.

High fantasy leaves me a little cold, but if its used I like it to be consistently and 'realistically' presented. That is, in a game based on default D&D, I expect floating castles are not unheard of. And many cities have teleport or scry blocking, continual flame in the better parts of the city (50 gp for a light being a bit expensive otherwise), magical sources of water (decanter of water, or whatever it's named) particularly in desert regions. Etc.

A lot of default-D&D settings annoy me. It doesn't make sense, given normal populations of wizards and others, for a normal medieval look to things.

 

[Aeolius]

One-Terrain Worlds: I like campaign settings to have a variety of terrain (& thus allow for a variety of adventures)--thus, I didn't enjoy the desert-dominated Dark Sun, nor could I really get into an all-aquatic campaign (sorry, Aeolius).

Not a problem. In the interest of improving my undersea campaign, I am always open to constructive criticism.

To me, an aquatic campaign is no more a "one terrain world" than one based in air. Under the surface of the sea, there are a variety of terrains. While the stereotypical shipwrecks and coral reefs are to be expected, envision a floating "swamp" of sargassum seaweed cloaking the waters below while providing shelter to those within. Imagine a massive forest of mangrove trees, their roots dropping into the depths in a tangle of slime-encrusted spikes. Perhaps a gentle plain of sea grass is more to your liking, or in contrast the despoiled flats of an urchin barren or desert of dead coral.

Have you ever seen a forest of kelp, rising from the depths to entangle the unwary? Can you visualize a bramble of brittle stars, a living terrain of writhing spider-like sea stars? Or perhaps it is the darkness of the depths that lure you, home to mountainous hydrothermal vents and salt-rich undersea lakes known as cold seeps.

Yes, you might consider an undersea campaign to be limited. After all, the standard races in the PH are all but useless without magical assistance. I know how difficult the concept of abandoning a human-centric campaign can be. Instead of humans, dwarves, and halflings, one has to investigate alternatives such as locathah, merfolk, and tritons.

And then there is the matter of treasure. Gold pieces are to be encountered sparingly, near the ruins of a sunken settlement or within a lost treasure fleet. Instead, wealth may be measured with varicolored pearls, living stalks of golden coral, or the rarest of seashells. If you wish for more mundane items, consider that diamonds are often mined underwater.

Or is it the complexity of movement, which dissuades DMs from attempting an adventure beneath the waves. In essence, all of the NPCs and PCs can fly, as a world of water is one of three dimensions. Battlemats don't take into account an adversary that can be ten fathoms above or below you, in addition to five squares northwest.

 

[Deadguy]

I actually like that there are so many settings around! They showcase ideas of the possible, hopefully with the consequences of those possibilities.

However therea re a few things I am not fond of in a world (it's too much to say 'lame' or 'hate'):

1. Wworlds based on D&D that still try and recreate the Middle Ages of Europe. The magic of D&D is, without a lot of work, potent enough that the feel of a setting should be different. I suppose I feel this way because I play (and have played for many years) Ars Magica, which goes to some lengths to set up a situation where there are many supernatural powers but the world emulates the mediaeval period as its people imagined it to be!
2. The arbitrary addition of technology to a setting. I never like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks for just that reason: it was a gimmick with no thought of all the consequences of that choice. But when the effects or technology on society and magic are thought through, that I have no problem about. It's one reason I am excited about the potential of Eberron.
3. Worlds that feel like "...and the kitchen sink", i.e. that add in as many elements as possible culled from all over, in a bid to bring diversity. Instead of feeling diverse they just feel ill thought out and patchwork.

Still, in contravention of point 3, I like to think I can find something in most settings that are clever ideas.

 

[Turjan]

A reason why I don't like how sometimes (in the current 3rd edition & 3.5 edition D&D) I see aviator goggles or the one lens optic on one side look. Not appropriate for my usual version of fantasy.

Yeah, this only depicts how different personal tastes are. Although I'm with you in the "no steam and tech in fantasy" camp, I never understood why people who are able to build awe-inspiring towers shood not be able to wear a simple pair of goggles or glasses. That's simply a necessity at flying speed - otherwise you don't see anything. In my campaign, elves cannot stand bright daylight. As they use glass for other things, they also had the obvious idea to wear big hats and sun glasses when forced to be out in the sunshine; that may not fit your bill but seemed logical to me .

 

[tetsujin28]

Middle Earth. Seriously, it's always bored me to tears. The further a world is from it, the happier I am. Look at all the worlds people think are boring: FR, Greyhawk, Kalamar...these are the ones most influenced by Tolkein. And why the hell does Ravenloft (an otherwise great setting) bother with elves, halflings, and gnomes? Bah! Bring on Tekumel! ;-)

 

[caudor]

A reason why I don't like how sometimes (in the current 3rd edition & 3.5 edition D&D) I see aviator goggles or the one lens optic on one side look. Not appropriate for my usual version of fantasy.

Hum, I'll definately have to agree with you on this one. I can't put my finger on it why, but it just bothers me. Those pointy motorcycle boots bug me too. What's next, a iconic gnome on a Harley named Spike?

 

[Elf Witch]

Agreed, if there is one setting that should have never seen the light of day due to its blandness, it is Kalamar. I could care less about realistic geography.

I see it is that time of the month lets knock Kalamar. I happen to love Kalamar and play in it ever week. I find it far from bland. I really don't know how you can say that. You have a world with a rich history with believable geography and with layers and layers of intrigue.

Maybe you don't have high powered magic users running everywhere and it does not have the high magic feel of Forgotten Realms but Kalamar supports a different kind of game one I think is a little more real world historical feel to it.

 

[caudor]

Oops sorry, double post. Sorry.