| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Marquant Volker |
Posted - 30 Sep 2007 : 12:31:41
Since the question "Whats your favourite D&D campaign setting?" inside the e-Temple of FR would be a joke, i thought a poll about your SECOND favourite setting.
There are only 12 options due to system's restrictions so there is a good chance you wont find your 2nd favourite on the list.Remember there's always the "other" option
You can vote only one but feel free to mention other settings that you like/dislike in your reply.
|
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 29 Aug 2009 : 00:18:55
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
Thanks for the suggestion, I might have to get that book. I've just got the 3rd Edn DragonLance CS. Edit: And, of course, the novels.
I'd recommend Towers of High Sorcery too. It's a particular favourite, and a worthwhile resource on all-things-magical for the world of Krynn.
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 21:05:45
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
It must be said though, that I have never heard of a Greyhawk-fan who actually liked the novels. With the exception of Gary's novels that is.
And then there is the question of the "real" Greyhawk and the editions. The early versions are very sketchily detailed, with details being added as the editions went along.
It was from Gary's novels that I first drew that impression.
I only read the early novels. I've read the ones by Gary and the ones by Rose Estes, and I think the other one was by Robin W. Bailey. The later novels, with the Justiciar and the pixie, I didn't touch. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 20:21:39
It must be said though, that I have never heard of a Greyhawk-fan who actually liked the novels. With the exception of Gary's novels that is.
And then there is the question of the "real" Greyhawk and the editions. The early versions are very sketchily detailed, with details being added as the editions went along. |
| Kiaransalyn |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 19:27:45
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
That said, even when I was reading it for the first time, I felt as if some of the nations and citystates were placed on a map, without any real thought to how they'd interact with and influence their neighbors. I felt as if there was a lack of internal cohesion.
That's my opinion too. It's a bit like 'toss some random stuff up in the air together and hope that it falls in a nice pattern.' There are some nice aspects of Greyhawk (e.g. Vecna) but it lacks verisimilitude for me. |
| Kiaransalyn |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 19:24:02
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
No, no... that's kender. 
*shivers* Kender. Granted they were/are an original take on halflings but they're just so bloody annoying and twee.
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
The 3e War of the Lance sourcebook offers some intriguing possibilities for campaigns which can be set on alternate interpretations of Krynn where history proceeded differently. Like no Cataclysms, for example.
Thanks for the suggestion, I might have to get that book. I've just got the 3rd Edn DragonLance CS. Edit: And, of course, the novels. |
| Edain Shadowstar |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 18:48:43
I see. Well, I can see how you'd get that impression, though if you looked at the setting more thoroughly I think you'd change your opinion to some extent (not that I'm saying you should examine Greyhawk if you don't care to). Certainly, the setting and its various regions and cities has never gotten the same level of detail as the Realms, so even a detailed examination will leave a fair bit up to the DM, though that has historically been one of its advertising points. In any case, thank you for your elaboration. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 18:21:27
quote:
Originally posted by Edain Shadowstar
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert:
I, too, always thought Greyhawk felt cobbled together. It was like all these separate elements were deemed worthy of inclusion, but then tossed together with no thought of how they'd work together.
I'm kind of curious of what you mean by "separate elements" here, as in did you feel the different parts of the campaign world didn't jive or something or is this more to do with Murlynd and his six-shooters or the spaceship in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and that sort of thing? (BTW I'm not spoiler tagging the spaceship, its been almost 30 years since that came out, deal.)
Keep in mind that most of my limited Greyhawk experience comes from reading the novels, and only a couple of the gaming supplements... And it's been many years since I read them, and all that stuff has since been destroyed and not yet replaced.
That said, even when I was reading it for the first time, I felt as if some of the nations and citystates were placed on a map, without any real thought to how they'd interact with and influence their neighbors. I felt as if there was a lack of internal cohesion. |
| Edain Shadowstar |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 17:47:02
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert:
I, too, always thought Greyhawk felt cobbled together. It was like all these separate elements were deemed worthy of inclusion, but then tossed together with no thought of how they'd work together.
I'm kind of curious of what you mean by "separate elements" here, as in did you feel the different parts of the campaign world didn't jive or something or is this more to do with Murlynd and his six-shooters or the spaceship in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and that sort of thing? (BTW I'm not spoiler tagging the spaceship, its been almost 30 years since that came out, deal.) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 16:48:22
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
How many do you need? And some of the Dragon overlords are mini-cataclysms in their own right. 
No, no... that's kender.
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
Well, if you keep to the AD&D days there was only one. The Realms, with the RSE have fared worse.
The 3e War of the Lance sourcebook offers some intriguing possibilities for campaigns which can be set on alternate interpretations of Krynn where history proceeded differently. Like no Cataclysms, for example. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 16:20:32
I, too, always thought Greyhawk felt cobbled together. It was like all these separate elements were deemed worthy of inclusion, but then tossed together with no thought of how they'd work together. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 15:40:40
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
I can't stand Planescape, mostly because I've had too many arguments about alignment with (fellow) players in the past, and they all loved Planescape.
Nice to see I am not the only one.
quote:
Greyhawk never really appealed, the setting has always given me the impression of being cobbled together. I like a setting that feels real - no matter if it's high- or low-magic.
I like many of the Greyhawk products, but there is just something that makes it difficult for me to develop the setting. It just doesn't give me any inspiration, although I never understood why.
quote:
DragonLance - I enjoyed reading Chronicles and Legends, but after picking up the Campaign Setting I found the number of cataclysms off-putting.
Well, if you keep to the AD&D days there was only one. The Realms, with the RSE have fared worse.
|
| Kiaransalyn |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 10:03:02
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
I can't stand Planescape, mostly because I've had too many arguments about alignment with (fellow) players in the past, and they all loved Planescape.
So you're a Clueless?
You enjoyed saying that I can tell. 
But you're right, this is me.
Just don't call me a berk or I'll be forced to say what it means in England.
quote:
Originally posted by The Sagequote:
DragonLance - I enjoyed reading Chronicles and Legends, but after picking up the Campaign Setting I found the number of cataclysms off-putting.
Well, there's only been two cataclysms...
How many do you need? And some of the Dragon overlords are mini-cataclysms in their own right. |
| Kiaransalyn |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 09:52:39
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I liked Ptolus -- there's a lot of really good stuff in there. That said, the idea of doing every bit of adventuring in, under, and around one single city isn't one I can wrap my brain around. To me, the very idea of adventure includes going somewhere else.
I agree, part of the adventure is travelling somewhere new and being confronted by something different. That said, if you were going to be grounded in a city Ptolus keeps you from getting bored. Part of the appeal for me was being used to the city setting anyway, with running so many games in Menzoberranzan. Of course, if your city is filled with pocket dimensions, a criminal underworld, an even more criminal ruling class and lots of caverns it's questionable if you are really based in a city any more.
I love the way the Ptolus book is laid out, with the city guide approach. You can open the book at a random place, follow the sidebar links and enjoy a pleasant paper chase. |
| bladeinAmn |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 06:57:48
1st favourite w/a bullet is 2e combined w/certain parts of 3e FR.
2nd favourite is Planescape b/c like how another poster said, how it ties in w/FR.
3rd favourite is Star Wars.
For the fourth, I actually really liked the old Bard's Tale game for PC, that came out in the 80s! I liked it so much that I made Skara-Brae (the city in the game) a city in Impiltur, in my home campaign!
I also made Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series a magic school in the hills between the bridge and Scardale, along the Ashaba river in Sembia.  |
| The Sage |
Posted - 28 Aug 2009 : 01:49:49
There's a few free PDFs floating around the web for Star*Drive as well. They're composed by some of the best fan-writers I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Truly noble successors to the original SD creative team.
If you've any problems finding them [since the BEST Star*Drive site -- tequilastarrise.net -- has been lost], let me know, and I'll provide you with some links.
|
| Bladewind |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 17:35:28
Thanks for that Alternity link mister Sage. Massive amounts of lore and mechanics
I was always very interested in playing with that advanced netscape they made for Star*Drive. Space exploration has always attracted me, being captian of a massive spaceship, having hand sized fusionguns, cybernetic gadgets, interesting starsystems, compelling races, this setting has it all. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 17:12:34
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
I can't stand Planescape, mostly because I've had too many arguments about alignment with (fellow) players in the past, and they all loved Planescape.
So you're a Clueless?
quote:
DragonLance - I enjoyed reading Chronicles and Legends, but after picking up the Campaign Setting I found the number of cataclysms off-putting.
Well, there's only been two cataclysms...
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 16:58:58
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
Ptolus comes a close second. It's also nicely detailed, and the book is superb.
I liked Ptolus -- there's a lot of really good stuff in there. That said, the idea of doing every bit of adventuring in, under, and around one single city isn't one I can wrap my brain around. To me, the very idea of adventure includes going somewhere else. |
| Adam Rellewyn |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 15:59:25
I always loved Ravenloft, but my players hated it. I mean HATED it, to the point that they refused to play in it anymore. They only wanted the regular dungeon crawl adventures, thus i got burned out, put my stuff up and never picked it up again. |
| Kiaransalyn |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 15:48:49
I voted for Kingdoms of Kalamar - it's a very detailed world which clearly has had a lot of thought put into it. Ptolus comes a close second. It's also nicely detailed, and the book is superb.
I can't stand Planescape, mostly because I've had too many arguments about alignment with (fellow) players in the past, and they all loved Planescape.
Greyhawk never really appealed, the setting has always given me the impression of being cobbled together. I like a setting that feels real - no matter if it's high- or low-magic.
DragonLance - I enjoyed reading Chronicles and Legends, but after picking up the Campaign Setting I found the number of cataclysms off-putting.
Oops, I nearly forgot the Call of Cthulhu and Arcanis, both excellent games. Call of Cthulhu was my first role-playing experience, and it was great fun. Arcanis has some lovely ideas and I love the fact that the deities don't have alignment - a good touch. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 12:54:16
quote:
Originally posted by Bladewind
Was interested in trying out StarDrive but never got to it.
That's a shame. I consider Star*Drive to be among my top favourite sci-fi RPGs. Add to that, the fact that I'm mostly partial to Steven Schend's fantastic contributions to the setting, and it's easy to see why I'd consider it such a favourite. It's an intriguing campaign world that offers plenty of gaming opportunities in a futuristic setting.
If you're interested in learning more, I'd recommend this particular site:- http://alternityrpg.net/ |
| Bladewind |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 12:20:35
Darksun has a special place for me, always been a sucker for psionics in D&D and Athas can be taken as a large part of the reason. Something about clobbering insect riding bandits with obsidian weapons just feels so cool too. The stone age subsistance level is a challenge in it self.
Partial to Birthright aswell, liked the stories and mechanics of the Abominations; corrupted monsters made by asurping the bloodlines of heroes in the past.
Non D&D... oh boy... so many good ones.
Cyberpunk 2020, especially the CorpWars series. Great gritty system...
Was interested in trying out StarDrive but never got to it. Partial to the new Dark Heresy Warhammer 40k RPG. Not tried it yet though.
Really love (first edition) WoD from White Wolf, especially Werewolf the Apocalyps and Mage the Ascension (played a Stargazer for 2 years and a Virtual Adept for some one shot adventures). My Dad(!) has had a longrunning Wraith campaign in which the death of my character was actually the kick off for the Atlanta based campaign |
| Belorin |
Posted - 27 Aug 2009 : 05:27:33
Spelljammer, with some Ravenloft for variety.
Bel |
| Tyr |
Posted - 02 May 2009 : 13:51:42
Aye, and I believe athas.org have just released their final 3.5e rulebook. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 02 May 2009 : 10:42:05
Both spelljammer.org and athas.org offer fan-derived fiction [of sorts] for their respective settings. |
| MrHedgehog |
Posted - 02 May 2009 : 10:14:34
I haven't read very many Spelljammer books : ( I only have the old box set that I found in my basement (which I assume was my parent's or brother's at some point). Is there a lot of material for it?
I wish there had been more (or you know, good) novels for Dark Sun and Planescape.
I would love a Spelljammer novel.
Does anyone know a site that has stories written in these settings? |
| Marc |
Posted - 02 May 2009 : 10:06:53
Agreed.
My other favourite is Planescape.
Honorable mentions are Golarion, Dark Matter, Spelljammer, Oathbound, Eberron, then Mystara. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 01 May 2009 : 08:40:26
quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog
a Planescape/Spelljammer hybrid would be sweet.
Indeed, it is.
Most of my PLANESCAPE campaigns come complete with plenty of SPELLJAMMER influences and source material that I've worked into my own personal cosmology. 'Tis a lot of fun! |
| MrHedgehog |
Posted - 01 May 2009 : 08:21:49
Oh oh!
Spelljammer is a cool idea too.
a Planescape/Spelljammer hybrid would be sweet. |
| skychrome |
Posted - 30 Apr 2009 : 17:43:57
DSA - The Dark Eye is something I have played quite a lot. It is more medieval and not half as thrilling as the Realms, but is nevertheless well developed. Magic is less powerful and less frequent which makes it more mystical than in FR.
Other alternative settings are Planescape and the Titan setting from the Fighting Fantasy books (Steve Jackson & Ian Livingston).
I know little of those two settings but the little I know feels really interesting. |
