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Preferred choice of campaign setting?

Discussion in 'Dungeons & Dragons + Other RPGs' started by Beren, Aug 1, 2011.

?

Which campaign setting would you prefer?

  1. Forgotten Realms

    7 vote(s)
    41.2%
  2. Eberron

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Planescape

    4 vote(s)
    23.5%
  4. Ravenloft

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Dragonlance

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. Dark Sun

    1 vote(s)
    5.9%
  7. Greyhawk

    2 vote(s)
    11.8%
  8. Other

    3 vote(s)
    17.6%
  1. Beren

    Beren Lovesick and Lonely Wanderer Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    If you were to sit down for some D&D tabletop, whichever edition, which campaign setting would you prefer?

    1) Forgotten Realms

    2) Eberron

    3) Planescape

    4) Ravenloft

    5) Dragonlance

    6) Dark Sun

    7) Greyhawk

    8) Other
     
  2. Deathmage

    Deathmage Arrr! Veteran

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    Planescape all the way.

    My RP group (me, Aik, Loreseker) has ran about 5 games using it, with varying systems and results, and we're still madly keen about it. It just allows for such varied, wild, and unique adventures and characters - often with an intellectual bend. Love it.

    EDIT: OTOH, I don't know much about many of the other settings. Greyhawk sounds like generic fantasy. FR is generic - although quite accessible through Planescape. Eberron sounds pretty fun, I would love to play it sometime. D&D + Postapocalyptic doesn't rub my buttons so Dark Sun is out (I would just play regular postapoc thank you very much). Don't know anything about Dragonlance (generic again?)

    However, right now, I would be quite happy if someone were to offer me a Spelljammer game. It has British elves! Space orcs! And illithid!
     
  3. 8people

    8people 8 is just another way of looking at infinite ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran

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    [​IMG] Forgotten Realms, I am most comfortable with the gods, races and such from that setting and I find it enjoyable. The Planescape is nice but more as a visit through particularly hectic travels, it has too much wonder and alien nature that playing a resident of the extraordinary has risks of colouring some of the magic.

    Eberron I'm not a fan of, have played a short campaign in the place and it felt lacklustre. Ravenloft I've not had a chance to really explore but it has merit from what I've heard and in Lokkens' game we used a varient of the sanity rules for a while.

    Dragonlance, Dark Sun and Greyhawk I've never vested much interest in, to be honest, I know some people who will swear Dragonlance is amazing but some of the descriptions seem contradictory.

    Running a D&D game I'll usually use FR themes in the rules, such as subraces and deities, sometimes with my own geography and culture though. Would like to play in more D&D games but it's finding the right crowd.
     
  4. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    What didn't you like about Eberron? Seems like a pretty cool setting on paper...
     
  5. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


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    Forgotten Realms for me. Its the one I have played the most, I guess. I suspect I would have gone for dragonlance, dark sun or ravenloft though, if I had had the chance to play those more. As for Eberron, it just sucks. Plain and simple. It did seem ok on paper though, but after I tried it, I figured otherwise.
     
  6. 8people

    8people 8 is just another way of looking at infinite ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran

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    [​IMG] Eberron feels like it tried to go for high-tech fantasy and high-magic fantasy simultaneously, leaving both relatively bland in an attempt to ensure the overlap doesn't cause friction amongst the player base.

    From a con-world perspective in the magic-technology axis of development the simplest drive towards an end is the most explored, majority of fantasy has magic supplementing mundane invention - candles are used widescale but there are spells that produce light and can be made permanent with relatively simple magics. Worlds where magic is scarce or dangerous will have an emphasis on technology where candles may still be widespread but the rich may have alternatives using chemical or electrical components that produce light (or at least a glow)

    Eberron had a sense that technology did one thing whilst magic did another leaving it feel frictitious and false, in an essence it was like a dating ad that looks really good, then you meet the person and realise the sqaure inch of 7-point text wasn't enough to give a full picture.
     
  7. LKD Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


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    I've always played homebrew. I like FR in that it seems straightforward. Greyhawk too, and to be honest it seems a little grittier than FR, which I find attractive. Dragonlance seems too regimented and has some weird rules. I'm not a fan of horror stuff so no Ravenloft for me. Dark Sun has some interesting mechanics but meh. Planscape / spelljammer could be fun. I'd go for an eberron campaign -- it looks like it could be fun, particularly the questionable nature of the deities.
     
  8. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    For table top planescape, dark sun and ravenloft are great places to visit but not so good for a campaign. I prefer basing my campaigns out of Greyhawk (but it's been years...).
     
  9. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I've rather become a fan of Pathfinder as of late. Simple, and adds some nice improvements to the DnD 3.5 system. I think of it as DnD 3.6.

    As for a setting to tack on that... Forgotten Realms most likely. Lot's of nostalgia there.

    Not that I really have time for PnP anymore.
     
  10. The Shaman Gems: 28/31
    Latest gem: Star Sapphire


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    Hmm, I'd say it's a tie between FR, Planescape, and Golarion (the Pathfinder setting), and I've mostly been playing Golarion lately. I guess it edges out the other two slightly.

    FR was a clear leader before the 4E... changes to it. I haven't played in the new version, but it somehow ruined it for me, even when I play the "classic" Realms. The magic is gone, in a way... at least until I get a good story or DM to kindle it back.
     
  11. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    FR, because I think it has the most to offer, though Eberron and Greyhawk are close seconds. Though I have played campaings of them all and some others as well. The DM and players make the game. A great DM makes a setting come alive though. I ahve played a Dark Sun campaign that lasted almost 4 years. The DM was fantastic and kept you wanting more.
     
  12. Aikanaro Gems: 31/31
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    Was linked here by DM and instinctively voted for Planescape ... but when I consider it, I don't think I'd want to play Planescape with D&D as the system. IMO, the system and setting there don't suit each other at all. It's the only D&D based setting that I have any real interest in though ... FR would be okay just because there's so much background material that I know about it and it suits the hacking-and-slaying focus.
     
  13. dogsoldier Gems: 7/31
    Latest gem: Tchazar


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    Greyhawk is my #1. As long as it's relatively "medium" or "low" magic setting. (I think it was supposed to be that way. But it has dangerously high ability to go the other direction, especially when, with 3.0, it became the "default" setting again).

    Golarian (Pathfinder) is basically "Greyhawk Lite," in my opinion. Not that I'm trying to be critical at all. I really like Pathfinder and consider it a superior version of DnD 3.5, which is my favorite DnD format. So I like that setting a lot, even though it's not an option.

    Played one Dragonlance campaign, a long time ago. Not sure if I didn't like the campaign or the DMing, but I eventually tired of it and quit. When I think about it now, it was probably more the DMing. (One of those DMs who seemed like he was always in competition against the party, if you know what I mean).

    Played a few campaigns in Forgotten Realms. It's a good setting, with a lot of thought and work put into it, and a big fan-base. It's often a little too "high-magic" for me, though. I think Myth Drannor is a really really cool idea and had a fun adventure set there once (Edit: even though Myth Drannor is like the epitome of "high magic"!).

    Played Ravenloft once and I liked it. I wouldn't mind playing in that setting again.

    Never played in Dark Sun but I always wanted to.

    Never played Planescape but I don't think I'd like it. Seems a little overly outlandish, and far more sci-fi in flavor than fantasy.

    Bought some Eberon products when it first came out. I didn't really like them; kinda hokey, like it was aiming to do a lot of things but in the end I didn't think it did any of them very well. Eberon is more techy than normal DnD, too--golems and trains, kinda steampunky--none of which I really like in "my DnD" so to speak. Never actually played an Eberon campaign, though.

    Sometimes I think there are too many game-worlds for DnD. I guess it's a sign that Gygax, TSR, et al, came up with a superior gaming system, but I think some of these worlds would make better stand-alone game systems than they do DnD game worlds. Of course, that's just the opinion of an old "purist."
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2013
  14. Darion

    Darion Resident Dissident Veteran BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Forgotten Realms for me.
    And Dark Eye for a low fantasy setting.
     
  15. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I've always run my own campaign setting...Vanatar. :)

    I am a collector of the FR series. Great reading if nothing else. I have enjoyed playing in most settings, depends on the DM and other players for a good experience. I really like the Dark Sun setting. Ravenloft is a close second with Planescape rounding out the top three.
     
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