Favorite Published Setting?

[Vrock_Summoner]

Can be 3rd party, but it must have been designed for use with D&D 3e and/or Pathfinder. Obviously, 3e/3.5 updates to settings that originated in previous editions are cool.

I personally love the Dragonlance setting to death, though the most popular ones appear to be Forgotten Realms (Faerun) and Eberron (and Planescape, but something in me swears that setting violates the criteria I just established. Can't figure out why).

What are you guys' thoughts? What are your own favorite published settings for these systems, and why, if you feel like sharing?

[MadGreenSon]

My favorite 3.5 setting has to be a toss up between Eberron and Ravenloft. I do a lot of my best work on both settings, customizing them to fit my style.
I've changed up a good bit about Eberron, mostly in how nasty the Last War really was and the lingering effects (worse than canon seems to indicate) and how the Dragonmarked Houses and Dragonmarks work (very differently, too much to go into). I also eliminated the Lightning Rail, because I didn't like it. No deep reason there, just didn't like it.

With Ravenloft, the material put out by White Wolf had more potential than was realized, so I reached back to pull the good stuff from 2nd Ed and kitbashed up the setting a bit, I tend to run it a bit more toward the lower magic, higher tech level, much less crossover with other settings type of game.

Planescape is an old favorite, which did creep into 3.5 canon via the Planar Handbook and Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, as well as some good Dragon articles.

Not a big fan of Forgotten Realms, which to me seems to somehow be even more generic than Greyhawk despite having far more published material, in any edition of the game. It's really kinda just something I pillage for feats and PrCs and use as a setting only when the players really want to (which is distressingly often).


Despite there being virtually no 3.5(or 3.0) support for it, Dragon or otherwise, I will always love Spellammer for being the craziest D&D setting ever.

[Bullet06320]

big fan of the Forgotten Realms, most of my campaigns take place there
Ravenloft gets honorable mention as I use some of it for flavor, same as planescape

R.A.Salvatore's Demon War's Saga ive enjoyed as well

[BWR]

The easy way out would be to say Planescape because all other D&D settings can be found there (if you shove hard enough).

The hard way out it might very well still be Planescape, for sheer imagination, scale, ideas, weirdness and fun. Mystara (including Savage Coast/Red Steel and Hollow World) would be a close second, for reasons of nostalgia and whimsy and detail and out there adventures. Ravenloft would be third, Dark Sun fourth, tying with Dragonstar (FFG's SF D&D in space), and these would barely edge out Spelljammer (I like the weirdness and the whimsy but it never really made a big impression the way the otheres did). Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Eberron all have their good points and their bad points, but are not really interesting enough on their own. Some try too hard, some don't try hard enough, some are cursed with being the original and therefor feeling like a bland copy of generic D&D setting.

[Bearlock]

Definitely Eberron by far. It could be because that was the setting that was first out when i starting getting into D&D in the first place, but its for sure my favorite. Every character i come up with fits first into Eberron.

[Brookshw]

Another for planescape. Personally I'm interested in what they'll do with it and spelljammer in 5e.

[MrNobody]

Eberron, for sure! I'm currently DMing an Eberron campaign in Xendrik, but it's like 2000 years later the events of the Last War.
I had an hard time designing a ruined Stormreach, half flooded by the sea, half twisted by the decaying energy of all the magic items the Houses left behind, but it's giving me an my player a whole lot of fun!

[malonkey1]

Forgotten Realms, because I was introduced to D&D through Neverwinter Nights, and after that, I'd have to say...Planescape.

[Killer Angel]

Eh. Can I say Planescape, or you will cry "copycat"? :smallwink:

[HammeredWharf]

Ravenloft. It's very customizable, has interesting unique mechanics (curses, Dark Lord levels, madness, etc.), discourages going murderhobo, nerfs casters a bit (no easy access to the Planes, unreliable divination, etc.) and lets PCs be heroic without raising questions like "why doesn't Elminster come here and save the world?"

[Togo]

I'm fond of Greyhawk as a setting. I'm also fond of Birthright and Sigil. I like the ideas in Spelljammer, but hate almost everything about the society, culture and setting. If those are unsuitable, I generally make my own world. I'm not very keen on the Realms, or Faerun. I'm okay with Ravenloft and Dragonlance, but they work for me only in a very limited subset of games I'd want to run. For those games, they work fine.

Greyhawk versus Forgotten Realms
Greyhawk is single setting, with a great deal of history, culture and background material. Forgetten realms is a collection of geographically linked settings, each with a different 'feel' with a great deal of immediate detail.

The history of the Forgotten realms is a struggle between good and evil. Both sides are powerful, both sides want to recruit the PCs. Good tends to win. The history of Greyhawk is a struggle between powers who are as bad as eachother, neither side cares much about the PCs, and good and evil are both significantly weaker than neutrality which is both more numerous and often more militant. Most recently, evil is starting to predominate.

The forgotten realms has immensely powerful figures and creatures living in close proximity. In Greyhawk, anything above about 5th level is a significant political player in their own locality.

Gods in the Realms are basically big people. They regularly manifest on earth, spat with eachother, get killed etc. Gods in the Greyhawk setting are more powerful and more distant. While they still manifest on earth, they tend to exercise their will through grand machinations and political plans rather than direct action.

Forgotten Realms is a Points of Light setting. You have a series of highly civilised, wealthy and powerful cities or kingdoms surrounded by hundreds of miles of largely unexplored wilderness, where monsters abound. Greyhawk is more a series of fantasy kingdoms, each has wildnerness or dangerous areas, but they also have trade, geopolitical relations, mutual history, nobles, intermarriage and so on. They don't tend to be nearly as powerful in relation to their surroundings, (With the notable exception of Greyhawk city itself) and may not have the resources to deal with potential threats.

[afroakuma]

Planescape, even without the other settings.

[Big Fau]

Definitely Eberron, but Iron Kingdoms is a close second.

[Zubrowka74]

I haven't actually played Dragonlance but through the novels it is one of the most interresting stories. The whole arc around Lord Soth's demise and of course Raistlin's story, specially the Legends trilogy.

Since in 2nd Ed I had all the material for FR, it's the setting I studied the most. I'M kind of attached to it as it is (or was) my area of expertise. But yeah, it did degenerate and I'm not so fond of all the Mary Sues...

I find Greyhawk doesn't stick as a whole. Too many undefined variables. I guess this makes it an ideal setting because DM's can incorporate anything they like. I do like Vecna though.

And, of course, I pledge for Ravenloft. The curses, the lords, the land that are custom crafted prisons. How can you not like that?

[Cwymbran-San]

Definitely Eberron, because you can play it as high-tech or low-tech as you wish, you have all the locations you could dream about, from jungle to highly industrialized cities. You have an undead threat in the Karrnathi and the Blood of Vol, you can have espionage and diplomacy, a crusade-style campaign centered around the Silver Flame, you could go all LotR by fighting in the demon wastes, play a psionic overlords campaign as rebels in Riedra...

Whatever style of play you prefer, you will find it here.

[Togo]

I find Greyhawk doesn't stick as a whole. Too many undefined variables.
Almost all the variables have been defined by someone, somewhere. Greyhawk as a publication was very loose on detail, relying on subsequent publications to fill in the detail. If you have those publications it's a lot more detailed. Add in the fan material, and Greyhawk as a setting is one of the most detailed of any RPG.

[macdaddy]

I was going to say Greyhawk and write a little section on the reason why, but you aptly have done so, and better than I ever could. :)


I'm fond of Greyhawk as a setting.

Greyhawk versus Forgotten Realms
Greyhawk is single setting, with a great deal of history, culture and background material. Forgetten realms is a collection of geographically linked settings, each with a different 'feel' with a great deal of immediate detail.

The history of the Forgotten realms is a struggle between good and evil. Both sides are powerful, both sides want to recruit the PCs. Good tends to win. The history of Greyhawk is a struggle between powers who are as bad as eachother, neither side cares much about the PCs, and good and evil are both significantly weaker than neutrality which is both more numerous and often more militant. Most recently, evil is starting to predominate.

The forgotten realms has immensely powerful figures and creatures living in close proximity. In Greyhawk, anything above about 5th level is a significant political player in their own locality.

Gods in the Realms are basically big people. They regularly manifest on earth, spat with eachother, get killed etc. Gods in the Greyhawk setting are more powerful and more distant. While they still manifest on earth, they tend to exercise their will through grand machinations and political plans rather than direct action.

Forgotten Realms is a Points of Light setting. You have a series of highly civilised, wealthy and powerful cities or kingdoms surrounded by hundreds of miles of largely unexplored wilderness, where monsters abound. Greyhawk is more a series of fantasy kingdoms, each has wildnerness or dangerous areas, but they also have trade, geopolitical relations, mutual history, nobles, intermarriage and so on. They don't tend to be nearly as powerful in relation to their surroundings, (With the notable exception of Greyhawk city itself) and may not have the resources to deal with potential threats.

[darkelf]

planescape, unless its held in violation of the criteria. then eberron. i've only run one campaign in eberron, but it was one hell of a campaign.

[Keld Denar]

I really cut my teeth on Living Greyhawk. It made me fall in love with the setting. So neat and diverse. I think it was made better by the way the Living games were run. Regional pride added tons of unique flavor. I don't know if it was really that amazing, or if the Living campaign made it such. Regardless, those stories will always have a strong love in my heart.

When Ebberon came out, I'm sad to say I prejudged it. It is now one of my favorite settings because of its diversity. You can play high fantasy, noir, intrigue, wild west, high seas (terrestrial or areal), grimdark, or Big Brother, or any combination there in. I played one game in Ebberon that started with a Soarsled HALO drop from a sky fortress over Karnathi no-fly space on a mission for the "Fury" of which all involvement of us would be disavowed if we were captured or killed. Google "1001 things the crew of the Forgotten Freedom are not allowed to do" for hours of Ebberon laughs.

[RavynsLand]

Pathfinder.

Runner-up: Ravenloft.

[Afgncaap5]

It's a tie between Greyhawk and Eberron for me. Forgotten Realms just seems... generic to me. And I know it's got more to it than Greyhawk, but FR just seems bland whenever I try to learn more about it. Maybe one of these days it'll click for me.

[RavynsLand]

Setting, honestly, can be really tricky. For me I want a balance of medieval and fantastic without going too far in either way.

Eberron is cool but it's... too crazy. Feels more like a steampunk world, with the warforged and trains and whatnot. Greyhawk can stray too far towards being an alternative medieval history, which is not enough fantasy for me. Forgotten Realms tries, but it lacks... something. It has the taste but it doesn't have the mouth-feel.

The way Pathfinder doesn't take the fantasy too far, yet adds an element of the alien and dark, is the combo that's "just right" in my opinion.

[slaydemons]

My favorite is one I don't hear about often "Accordlands" The full name is "warlords of the accordlands", and it has a massive campaign to go from level 1 to 20. I don't have the complete set but I only need one more book.

Edit: not to say people don't like it I just don't see it around.

[Stoneback]

First vote for the Known World (gosh darn it, but I don't like calling it Mystara).

[Aergoth]

While I've never really gotten a chance to play it, I'd jump at a chance to play or run a game in good old Eberron, for a lot of the reasons people have listed, but mostly because it was just so different from the D&D that I was used to.

I enjoy pathfinder to death, if only for all the little name drops and hints it has. (Go look up an artifact called Fork of the Forgotten one and see who it reminds you of) While it can feel a little schizophrenic and it has bits that I'll never want to have anything to do with (I'm looking at you time travel AP) I like Pathfinder for a lot of the same reasons I like Eberron, just that it's different.


And while I've never gotten a chance to play system or setting, Shadowrun and World of Darkness books have reached out and grabbed me just the same way that these other two have. It's nice to see a different way to play, even if you're using the same gear. Though obviously these don't qualify.

[Scowling Dragon]

Spelljammer. Cause its so nuts and so fun.

[NoACWarrior]

Although I love greyhawk for its awesome normal magic setting....

Gotta say the most fun I had was in a survival mode of PF - Troll in the corner's all flesh must be eaten setting.

Zombie Apocalypse, orc rap battles, undead requiring headshots or positive energy damage, relentless waves of undead. Was good fun until we all died haha.

[Ssalarn]

Eberron is probably my hands down favorite, though recently I've been getting into Dreamscarred Press' Third Dawn setting created specifically for psionics. Forgotten Realms is usually good times, though I've found that it's actually harder for me to enjoy the campaign setting being a fan of the novels. I feel like it changes so much every time Wizards wants to revamp their product line that I have trouble getting invested in the campaign world.

Dark Sun and Planescape are my "I want to do something drastically different" settings.

[torrasque666]

Eberron. I love the magitek.

[HolyCouncilMagi]

Hm... I dunno, Dragonlance feels too alignment-y to me. Maybe that's just my experience with the Dragonlance Chronicles talking, though.

[Grayson01]

Eberron is one of my Favorites. I love the versatility the amount of ways you can go with it.

Then there is RavenLoft horror and DnD Fantasy all in one!

[iceman10058]

Athas aka Dark Sun just because it always made play harder for anyone that wants to use magic and makes psionics the primary "magic" source for the setting.

[Zweisteine]

I love Eberron, Evans wit has such great opportunity for intrigue, and has a lot of unique elements to it.

Forgotten Realms is nice, but it simply has too much lore, and the Campaign Settimg is the least fun D&D book to read. It's 200 pages of small, ugly grey-beige text.

[Irk]

Eberron's great for its Indiana Jones-y bits and Noir bits. Plus, I think Magitech is cool, and I like how you can go anywhere with it. For instance, the cataclysm that occurred on the day of Mourning is susceptible to change in every campaign, and can drive an entire story on its own. Plus, magic is used in a logical manner, and it has the greatest example of IC Practical Optimization. It's understandable no one is higher than about level 12, because as soon as a new level of spell is reached, it could mean disaster. Plus, I really like the Xen'drik lore, and I think that symbionts are cool. Flying vessels are neat, Quori are pretty cool, I like the dinosaur riding halflings, shifters are nice, as a re warforged. I also like Artificers and lightning trains, and Sharn is pretty undeniably awesome for intrigue, suspense, and horror.

[Larkas]

In no particular order, Planescape, Greyhawk, Eberron and Rokugan.

Yep, Rokugan d20. It might fail to be the Rokugan from the books, but it's still an awesome setting.

[Soarel]

My favorite published setting for adventure? Greyhawk has always been near and dear to my heart. I like Golarion too but the fact its material universe has thousands of stars and galaxies kinda screws with planar cosmology and makes events feel insignificant. Its cosmology kinda blows too.

Favorite for sheer awesome factor? SPELLJAMMER. You haven't lived till you've impaled a Giant Space Hamster upon your blade my friends.

[137beth]

Eberron is my favorite, followed by Planescape.
I also just like trying out little-known 3rd party campaign settings, even if they don't replace Eberron for me.

[BWR]

In no particular order, Planescape, Greyhawk, Eberron and Rokugan.

Yep, Rokugan d20. It might fail to be the Rokugan from the books, but it's still an awesome setting.

Rokugan d20 does a pretty decent job of introducing the setting. Some of the mechanics are a bit screwy, and there are waaay to many R&K purists who get up in arms whenever the d20 conversion is brought up, but it did a decent job of introducing the setting to new players. And considering the quality of some of those books, failing to be them is actually a point in Rd20's favor (I'm looking at you, Wind of War)

[WrathMage]

See I never got the love for Dragonlance; seemed like a great setting for novels (some of which I have read), less so for running games. That is however just my impression based on limted exposure, I am very happy to be wrong about it.

As for favourites, that's a tough one. I am very much a fan of a lot of campaign settings, but gun to head? I would plump for Eberron due to its incredible variety and noir factor. An honourable mention would go to Ptolus though, I think that is a really cool setting.

[Sewercop]

Most settings has some that appeal to me, and i tend to steal from them with joy and use it in different settings or game.

Forgotton realms for inspiration and ideas. I think it has too many mary sues for it to be playable. That is my personal opinion. But for sites,spells,feats,stories etc fantastic.

Dark sun,idk why. I just like it.

Greyhawk since it was the first setting i bought as a kid on vacation in Netherlands. I loved it.

Birthright, ohh.. the story behind the blood is awesome. And i love politics and building.

Ravenloft, the dark gritty feel.

etc for spell jammer, planescape, mystara... all of them have some i like. I steal from all of them to make a world different for my players. To include more then what they know from before.

for other games
Warhammer frpg setting.. Chaos :D
Shadow World for rolemaster. hundreds of thousand years ago they ruled the galaxy from there. high magic
white wolf.. hell yeah.. crossover playing for wolfs,mages,vampire..very very good settings
Twiligh, post nuclear setting.
Dark conspiracy near future with empathy and aliens
shadowrun, yes please

I steal from them all to make a setting all find fun.
Hard to choose one i like more then others

[Phelix-Mu]

Dark Sun: I rarely played in the actual setting, but I like me some beefy environmental hazards, some lore on the dark and destructive nature of ultimate power (*cough* arcane casting *cough*), and I am totally in love with the races and monsters of Athas. Athasian halflings are my favorite player race bar none, and nine foot-tall elves? What's not to love about that? Add in a dose of coming apocalypse and the gritty nature of the urban settings, and it's pretty much a smorgasbord of great flavor. I imported heavily from Athas for my custom setting, via wandering spelljammers.

Planescape: Because infinity is cool.

Spelljammer: Cause pirate gnomes and space illithids are cool.

Forgotten Realms: While much has been made of the problems with the Realms (especially as the game has moved more toward functional integration of fluff and crunch...back in 2e this was barely a thing), I love the Seven Sisters, Mystra, and the whole Chosen thing. A world with lots of gods that walk the land from time to time sounds pretty awesome. I also love various of the novels from this setting.

[Alleran]

Planescape nowadays.

[nyjastul69]

I usually run my games in Greyhawk. It's the setting I'm most comfortable with.

[Sian]

Forgotten Realms, no question ... although it is better if you move away from the heavily featured areas (away from Sword Coast, Dalelands, Cormyr and the like) ... have a certain fondness of Bloodstone Lands (Damara and Vaasa) and the southern realms, bordering Shaar are rather blank sheet which takes big characters well.

[lightningcat]

My favorite published setting is DragonStar.
A galaxy spanning empire run by dragons, currently under the control of the first red dragon emperor and his drow secret police.

[Asteron]

Forgotten Realms is by far my favorite, if only because I know so much about it. Also, the next person who uses the term "Mary Sue" in front of me IRL may just get a black eye... That term is so overused it has lost all meaning to me (BTW, Drizzt isn't a Mary Sue, he just has +1 million plot armor...) I really enjoy the diversity of the Realms.

I am intrigued by all of the others. I like what I know about Eberron and Dark Sun. PF is well lauded in my gaming circle. Sigil is interesting, but one of my more annoying friends has such a hard-on for the Lady of Pain that I have no interest in it.

I wish I had more time to learn about the other settings, but I have been DMing in the Realms so long that I have little time to dig into the others.

[Big Fau]

That term is so overused it has lost all meaning to me (BTW, Drizzt isn't a Mary Sue, he just has +1 million plot armor...) I really enjoy the diversity of the Realms.

One word: Elminster.

Drizzt isn't a Mary Sue (his novels have decent character development), but his millions of clones are.

[Melcar]

For me its Forgotten Realms. I think the stories, NPC and just the depth of the setting is fantastic!

[OrlockDelesian]

I have a lot of favourite settings in my last campaign we went through all of them. My top three have to be

1) Dragonlace
2) Birthright
3) Ravenloft

[Vaz]

Rokugan. It has a fantastic amount of depth and breadth of it and the trouble it goes into to explain an entirely new culture is outstanding. It helps as well that the typical fantasy tropes are cut: no elves or dwarves etc shoehorned in. Naga and ratmen etc.

[Asteron]

One word: Elminster.

Drizzt isn't a Mary Sue (his novels have decent character development), but his millions of clones are.

Yeah, Elminster is, but I ignore him and the others saying that he can't really do much because he is opposed by evil Mary Sues. He can't always intervene directly because they will move too. So they have to operate through intermediaries... Pretty much anything developed by Greenwood himself is bad (to me anyway... I can't stand to read his novels!) but the other authors and developers have done some great work for the Realms (Paul S. Kemp, Richard Lee Byers, Salvatore...)

[Big Mac]

What are your own favorite published settings for these systems, and why, if you feel like sharing?

I love Spelljammer. I love every kind of Spelljammer. I just want to hug all them, but I can't - can't hug every Spelljammer. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP4NMoJcFd4) :smallbiggrin:

As well as Spelljammer, I like Dragonlance...because it is in Krynnspace, and I like Taladas too, because that is also in Krynnspace.

I like Forgottten Realms too...because that is in Realmspace. And I also like Al-Qadim, Maztica and Kara-Tur.

Another setting I like is Greyhawk, because that is in Greyspace. I like the Sundered Empire too (the 3e Chainmail setting).

I am interested in quite a lot of other campaign settings to, especially if they have some sort of connection to Spelljammer. I really like all the 3e references to Spelljammer (like the connection to Eberron in Monster Manual V). But I do prefer the original 2e SJ universe to the one in Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon.


Favorite for sheer awesome factor? SPELLJAMMER. You haven't lived till you've impaled a Giant Space Hamster upon your blade my friends.

Remind me to ask Ashtagon to change my custom forum rank before you visit The Piazza. :smalleek:

[Annos]

While I really like the forgotten realms setting I have to tip my hat to Hollow World and Dragonlance... too bad material for these two settings are far and few in-between for 3.5