Poll: Favorite D&D campaign settings

Pots

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Homebrew has always been what I prefer. The Hollow World setting is really fun though too.
 

Sneaky Paladin

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Never played in a pre-made world yet but so far ours is awesome and let me tell everyone never EVER EVER cut any ropes. trust me on this you will be a lot happier.
 

ntomlin63

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I am wondering why Mystara and Greyhawk were left off of your polling sample list?
 

NeutralDrow

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iron codpiece said:
I like how you specifically explain you wanted the more flavorful campaigns then everyone whines that Greyhawk isn't there which while large was about the most basic campaign setting. Dark Sun really rules; oh my Pterran Fighter, How I miss you.
Some of us like vanilla. Greyhawk had little besides essentials, granted, but I happened to like those essentials. It made it easier to impose the DM's will on the world without having to build one from scratch or deal with pre-detailed settings. I mean, I liked Forgotten Realms, as well, but there was kind of a feeling of being smothered by the history, at times.

To make a literary reference, Greyhawk was the Little Prince's sheep-in-a-box.
 

Alex_P

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iron codpiece said:
I still don't think strictly speaking that planescape was D&D so much as it used the d20 system.
Planescape was a "campaign setting" for AD&D 2nd Edition. It didn't use the D20 system.

The setting for Planescape is based very directly on D&D's cosmology. This cosmology was first brought together in detail in the 1st Edition AD&D's Manual of the Planes, but it was based on bits that long preceded that, such as Queen of the Demonweb Pits. The major change introduced by Planescape wasn't so much the physical setting as the attitude -- instead of being a playground for high-level adventurers from the Prime, the planes became home to their own mortal inhabitants, who tended to be snarky bastards that didn't think there was anything special about living in a place created by belief and divine power and laughed at all of those high-powered magic-item-covered visitors behind their backs. It was sort of a punked-up take on D&D.

-- Alex
 

DracoSuave

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ace_of_something said:
ThaBenMan said:
Where the hell is Planescape?!
Planescape existed almost exclusively out of dragon magazine; thus it didn't meet the 'lot of source material' requirement stated in the OP.

Tell the informed about Planescape.
S'right ol barmy to rattle yer bonebox about dark a green's not knowin' the cant of. Addle-coved, and the mazes'll have ya for less, knight. Let a cutter tell the way of it, while you pay the music.

Planescape was introduced in second edition in a boxed set (like all campaigns at the time) and included four other -boxed sets- to describe the various worlds that made up the outer ring of the setting. It was designed from moment 1 with a unique tone and voice, a place where everything is over the top, awesome, and people just don't care about your little prime material problems.

Philosophy and ideas were the battlefield, with constant and eternal wars over the hearts and minds over others. The art style was done by Tony DiTerlizzi in a very exotic line drawn fashion that sold the 'really, you're NOT in elf-and-dorf-land' mentality of the place.

There was more source material for Planescape than printed for Dark Sun. And that Planetouched you thought was 'SO COOL AND FORGOTTEN REALMS'? Planescape did it years before.

And better.
 

iron codpiece

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Alex_P said:
iron codpiece said:
I still don't think strictly speaking that planescape was D&D so much as it used the d20 system.
Planescape was a "campaign setting" for AD&D 2nd Edition. It didn't use the D20 system.

The setting for Planescape is based very directly on D&D's cosmology. This cosmology was first brought together in detail in the 1st Edition AD&D's Manual of the Planes, but it was based on bits that long preceded that, such as Queen of the Demonweb Pits. The major change introduced by Planescape wasn't so much the physical setting as the attitude -- instead of being a playground for high-level adventurers from the Prime, the planes became home to their own mortal inhabitants, who tended to be snarky bastards that didn't think there was anything special about living in a place created by belief and divine power and laughed at all of those high-powered magic-item-covered visitors behind their backs. It was sort of a punked-up take on D&D.

-- Alex
Never played PScape after reading that it doesn't sound like it was D&D so much as loosely D&D based.
 

Jaythulhu

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ace_of_something said:
Planescape existed almost exclusively out of dragon magazine; thus it didn't meet the 'lot of source material' requirement stated in the OP.

Tell the informed about Planescape.
Que? It had 9 box sets. Not to mention about 20-odd supplements, campaigns, and several more adventure modules. I've still got all of them. All up my Planescape collection occupies 2 shelves on my bookcase.
 

Alex_P

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iron codpiece said:
Never played PScape after reading that it doesn't sound like it was D&D so much as loosely D&D based.
Well, it was written to be D&D. The rules are pure D&D. The setting, for all its spark and charm, is still chock-full of D&D-isms: you are living in a world of fighters, clerics, mages, and thieves; you can find artifacts and gonzo magic items; you prepare spells, drink potions, and get resurrected when you die; you live in a world that worships Thor and Ilmater and Bahamut and the illithid brain-god thing; you can fight Demogorgon and wield Blackrazor and cast wish and stuff.

Is it a departure from vanilla D&D? Yes, but no more so than gothic-romance-mixed-with-survival-horror D&D or magic-spaceship D&D or mish-mash-New-World-adventure D&D were. I think it was just more effective at capturing and communicating its new tone than those other settings were.

-- Alex
 

MasterSqueak

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May 10, 2009
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Do unofficial settings count? Zemelac's setting he's reusing for The Unknown is quite interesting.
 

Woem

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Alex_P said:
iron codpiece said:
Never played PScape after reading that it doesn't sound like it was D&D so much as loosely D&D based.
Well, it was written to be D&D. The rules are pure D&D. The setting, for all its spark and charm, is still chock-full of D&D-isms: you are living in a world of fighters, clerics, mages, and thieves; you can find artifacts and gonzo magic items; you prepare spells, drink potions, and get resurrected when you die; you live in a world that worships Thor and Ilmater and Bahamut and the illithid brain-god thing; you can fight Demogorgon and wield Blackrazor and cast wish and stuff.

Is it a departure from vanilla D&D? Yes, but no more so than gothic-romance-mixed-with-survival-horror D&D or magic-spaceship D&D or mish-mash-New-World-adventure D&D were. I think it was just more effective at capturing and communicating its new tone than those other settings were.

-- Alex
In se, there are no rules for Planescape. Above all it is a campaign setting that can be adapted to any ruleset.
 

CouchCommando

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Sorry only D&D I ever played was the darksun module thought it was pretty cool. D&D was never really my thing though, warhammer fantasy role play hand book was just too awesome.
 

UltraParanoia

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I don't know that I've ever played any of those, we always did hombrew stuff.

Used the FR monsters and dietys though, so I guess it counts. Damnit, this thread is really making want to play.
 

Artemis923

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I detest just about everything that has to do with 4th Edition, including what they've done to the Forgotten Realms.

As a side note...the lack of a Greyhawk option is just wrong. Poor ol' Gygax must be rolling in his grave right now.
 

Mortars

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I actually played a pretty long game based on UNforgotten Realms, and it was AWESOME!!! We all played as Kobolds.
I´ve only played homebrew D&D, so I don´t really know how the different settings posted here would be.
 

Woem

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Artemis923 said:
I detest just about everything that has to do with 4th Edition, including what they've done to the Forgotten Realms.

As a side note...the lack of a Greyhawk option is just wrong. Poor ol' Gygax must be rolling in his grave right now.
I completely agree. It's been the default setting for a very long time, with its deities (Vecna!) and spells (Tenser's floating disc, Bigby's crushing hand, Mordenkainen's disjunction, ...) all finding a place in the Player's Handbook. Not to mention the global Living Greyhawk campaign that lasted for 8 years.
 

Dancingman

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Well, the few settings I have played I've noticed that I only like a select few.

Dragonlance- Not really much considering I've already played FR, I get a feeling from that universe that it's really trying to ride in on FR's coattails.

Spelljammer- Not interested, never played.

Eberron- Call me conservative and rooted in traditional, but I'm just not a big fan of robots and dungeon punk, especially in DnD.

Ravenloft- I always liked the idea of this setting, never tried it though.

Dark Sun- Also liked the idea here, but I have yet to try it as well.

Rokugan- Always liked Asian settings, I want to try this one.

Forgotten Realms (old version)- Ah old FR, now there's a land of adventure and excitement, a perfect DnD world.

Forgotten Realms (new version)- Meh, Wizards made it weird and cut out a lot of stuff that I liked, and now the setting feels boring. I thought the idea of a spellplague, or a death of magic, to be cool, but I could've done without the glowing spellscars and whatnot.
 

eatenbyagrue

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Ravenloft, especially if your DM is an excellent writer. And knows how to do stuff like "build tension" and "create suspense" and "narrate worth a damn".