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View Full Version : Going to start a 'campaign setting' review blog... recommendations?



EccentricOwl
2013-09-23, 04:02 PM
I want to write a blog about our favorite hobby's many campaign settings. Each entry will consist of a short 'review' of the setting and its adventuring potential, as well as a list of books that support the aforementioned setting. The final result will be about a page long for each entry, giving the absolute basics and trying to explain the very basics of a setting to a prospective GM.

I'm of the opinion that making your own setting is awesome, but I see no reason that a homebrew setting can't use a real one as a launching point. I remember I knew nothing about the venerable Eberron Campaign Setting aside from what I read on the back of the book; and while the results of the campaign were totally butchering the world's established lore and rules, everyone had loads of fun.

I'm curious about what you would like to see, in terms of both analysis and settings seen.




Things I'd like to cover:
Setting release
Support & Adventures
Adventuring Potential
Themes and Tone
Famous NPCs or Places
5 unique things
Metaplot?


I'd love to see your feedback on the above list... and I'd also love to see some settings you'd like to see explained in a page or so!

Kol Korran
2013-09-26, 01:41 AM
Things I'd like to cover:
Setting release
Support & Adventures
Adventuring Potential
Themes and Tone
Famous NPCs or Places
5 unique things
Metaplot?


I'd love to see your feedback on the above list... and I'd also love to see some settings you'd like to see explained in a page or so!
Well, I have little in the terms of settings to cover, but as t othe list:
- You seem to be taking quite a bit of infor to put here. I don't know how big is this "one page" you speak of, but many of these feel to me like hteir own articles. I'd focus first on the Theme and tone and 5 Unique things (These are the things that really set the setting apart fro mother things). The rest to me are.... optional ate best. I want to see if I want to play the setting first, and all of the rest just stems from that decision, isn't that necessary at the stage of a simple review.

Sometimes it's worth it to focus more on the big things then detail on the little things.

I would maybe put the additional support books, but be weary that some of these are quite hard to find, and with some setting this means a LOT of books (FR i'm looking at you! :smalltongue:). I would put up to a sentence about each, mainly if it's worth the purchase or not, and what it's about.

Adventures and NPCs I wouldn't put, just take up space and clutter things, and unnecessary at this stage.

As to setting I'd suggest to go briefly over the big ones, especially in a newbie oriented approach. (FR, Eberron, Greyhawk, Planescape, Golarion for PF I might be forgetting something... :smallconfused:) But what I'd like to see as a veteran player are not the major worlds, rather more niche settings, with original ideas, for specific kind of game and atmosphere and not the general "kitchen sink fantasy" settings. I would direct you had I known where to look. :smallfrown:

Good luck to you, sounds like an interesting project! Be sure to put a link once it's up. :smallsmile:

The Rose Dragon
2013-09-26, 05:40 AM
Settings I would like to see reviewed:

Creation (Exalted)
Freedom City (Mutants & Masterminds)
Blue Rose (Blue Rose)
Rokugan (Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition)