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Palanan
2014-11-29, 05:27 PM
I have a special fondness for the northwestern corner of Faerūn, in particular the Silver Marches and thereabouts. This is partly from nostalgia (my group's first 3.5 campaign was set in that area) and partly because I love the wilderness feel of the region. I also have a soft spot for the Moonshaes, for that Celtic vibe.

So, what's your favorite region in any given campaign setting, and why?

Kol Korran
2014-11-30, 09:49 AM
In Eberron, I really like both Droaam and Darguun.

Both share a similar theme which I find fascinating- a land of "savages" (This is left to debate), which are trying to build themselves into the post war world. They present nations at the very start of their existence, who's future is far from certain, with a lot of forces pulling in different ways, and the theme of savagry vs. "the civilized world" is very powerful there, with no clear cut answer.

They present a fascinating region to explore, just rife with adventuring opportunities, with a frontier feel to them, and the fate of the nation in the balance.

Each has it's own specific characteristics of course:
Droaam is a land of many different species, and is struggling to find a coherent identity, with the rule of the strong and the power of the trio of legendary hags keeping it together... barely. There are two main settlements, with very little info on them, but which show great potential- Grey wall, which is a mixture of everything, and sort of the only place the regular humanoids may visit. A real powder keg, and it's led by a mind flayer non the less! The Crag is the place of power for the hags, a city built into a great crag in the ground, a literal dungeon city, where the powers brew.

Darguun is the land of goblinoids, who have a very long and rich history in Eberron, but have since fallen into decay, and now are trying to rebuild their nation. Lots of political struggle, trying to figure out the nature and self definition of "goblinism", and a dangerous place. More sophisticated than Droaam, the old factions living in the mountain can prove very interesting complications. There were a trio of novels (Starting with "The Doom of Kings") Which explored the volatile situation quite interestingly.

Kelb_Panthera
2014-11-30, 09:55 AM
I'm fond of Eberron's continent of Sarlona. Really dig the "big brother is watching," "viva le resistance," vibe. Great for the cloak and dagger stuff I'm really into.

BWR
2014-11-30, 10:21 AM
The Thunder Rift. It was a Basic module designed as an introduction to adventuring beyond the dungeon, a little micro-cosm stuffed with cultures, monsters, dungeons, mysteries and rumors etc, for new players. Being BECMI it was probably default set in Mystara but it was designed to be set in just about anywhere you pleased. It has just the right combination of history, culture, races, monsters and adventure hooks for any aspiring DM to run wild with. I picked it up when I was pretty new to gaming and for 20 years I sat on it dreaming of the day I could run adventures set there. I finally got the chance and had a blast.

The Hollow World for Mystara is also a lot of fun. Giant floating islands in the center of the planet, used as a reserve for races and cultures that go extinct on the surface. An immense and powerful enchantment keeps culture stagnant and restricts magic.

I could probably add most areas from the Known World of Msytara but I think I'll leave it at that.

Blackhawk748
2014-11-30, 12:01 PM
The Wild Lands in Kingdoms of Kalamar, theres a few kingdoms up there and they all have their own thing going on, and on top of that there is an evil theocracy you want to just punch in the face until it stops twitching.

I just love KoK in general as it is a setting that loves to sandbox.

TheCountAlucard
2014-11-30, 05:21 PM
It'd be shorter to list the places in Exalted I don't like, except even those are more "places I don't presently like the writing for, but optimistically hope will be improved in the upcoming edition."

I love the concept of the churning myth-cauldron that is the Wyld, peopled by the strange Fair Folk courts, who themselves view their race as a husk of its former glory, washed up on the shores of a hostile alien world...

I love the savannahs, wastelands, and volcanoes of the South of Creation, its warrior-nuns and prospector-despots and carnivorous nomads, the city built in the lap of a statue carved from a mountain, the oppressed culture who kowtows to the empire with one face and sharpens its knives with the other...

I love the seas, islands, and archipelagoes of the West of Creation, its tribal societies and necrosurgeons and pirate-cities, a traveling community of a hundred barges lashed together, an empire's toehold in a land that made its own fate, the mortals caught in the middle of a war between spirits of sea and sky...

I love the tundras, plains, and glaciers of the North of Creation, its icewalker barbarians and close-knit farm towns, whalers and miners and skyship captains, a city protected by the blessed white stones of an ancient wonder of the world, a hundred families nestled under a mountain, fearful of the worlds above... and below...

I love the forests, jungles, and rivers of the East of Creation, its petty kingdoms and wild hordes, the seat of the Guild, where can be found the Empty City and lost Rathess where the Dragon Kings once ruled, where river-pirate fights tree-dweller and gods rule a city in defiance of Heaven's Law...

I love the hills, valleys, and mountains of the Center of Creation, its glorious empire that maintains its majesty by stepping on the necks of nations, its privileged dynasts politicking against one another as the Dragon-Blooded elites put their children through the most grueling educational regimen in history, where monks learn esoteric martial arts techniques from elemental bodhisattvas to fight the evils of this world...

I love the strange stars, the pyre-flames, and ornate pagodas of the Underworld, its wicked ghost-kings and passion plays, the specters thought mad for staring too long into the Void, the dark Labyrinth that threads subtly through the whole of the realm, the reflections of the mortal lands and memories, the circles of relic-races that worship the insane dead gods who made this world and the one before it...

I love the alien geometries, the packed streets, and the easy violence of Malfeas, tyranny manifesting as a hateful green star that permits no shadows, the perverse laws of the Endless Desert that mock justice, the silence of the Silent Wind, and the crooning demon-roaches that lurk outside taverns...

I love the brass gears, smoky darkness, and gleaming machine-cities of Autochthonia, driven by the faith and prayer of its fervent citizens, the quiet desperation felt by its Eight Nations as the god-machine that surrounds them slowly dies, and the grinding approach of the Void...

Scots Dragon
2014-11-30, 05:51 PM
Halruaa and Dambrath in the Forgotten Realms. The good-aligned but secretive and slightly-corrupt magocracy always appealed to me, as did the neighbouring region of half-drow raiders. It was a unique and interesting area and several of my more memorable characters came from around there, with one of them technically being from both regions by way of a pregnant drow woman fleeing the judgement of her people and seeking sanctuary in Halruaa.

There are of course certain profound irritations that do not need to be mentioned at this point.

Roxxy
2014-11-30, 05:54 PM
In a published setting? New World of Darkness's approach to Mexico, as outlined in Shadows of Mexico. The flavor is absolutely amazing. I can read it just for the pleasure of reading it, rather than to run it. I am sad that my copy is thousands of miles away in Colorado at my mom's house.

In my homebrew setting? The Republic of Minoka. Take a D&D/PF fantasy world (mages, elves, dragons, you know), and shift to something that looks like Spanish California with a fair number of Chinese immigrants (though a small community of Japanese settlers got there a bit before the Spanish or Chinese), except it is an island (used to be a myth about IRL California). Then a nation kind of like Britain gains control, but most British settlers are immigrating to other colonies. Population growth is mostly Chinese fleeing famine, which the powers that be are tolerating since the colony is kind of a backwater at this time. Then gold rush time comes, lots of European immigrants flock in, so do immigrants from all over East and Southeast Asia and fair number of Arabians and Persians. Largest ethnic groups are now British and Chinese, but neither is a majority of the population. Over time, a creole language develops (An English root heavily modified by Chinese and a fair amounts of Spanish, Japanese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Farsi, Thai, Italian, and Korean. Does not have mutual intelligibility with English, and Minokans learn it as their primary tongue.), and culturally elements get pulled from all over the place. Minokans are neither fully European nor fully Asian, and there are some Native tribes who have historically been stomped on but never eliminated. Ends up declaring independence during a massive pan European war that leaves Britain unable to spare resources to deal with the wayward colony. Massive immigrant nation (East Asian and Southeast Asian immigration is currently decreasing and South Asian, North African, and East African immigration is rising. Mexico is a close ally and superpower, and there is much Mexican influence on culture, but not a massive amount of immigration due to Mexico's wealth.), and if you look you can find people from pretty much anywhere in the world, even if they are a rather small community in Minoka. Technology is a mix of magitech and late Industrial Revolution, and Alchemists are everywhere. A fun culture to build with (Magitech/Steam with lots of Chinese influence and surfboards!), a setting that can fit a wide array of different adventure ideas and is tolerant of whatever cultural flavors I feel like bringing in, and a nation that oozes promise.