Neo-Noir Victorian Fantasy or High General Fantasy

[Waterbottle]

Hey Folks,

Like the title says I need to pick one of these for the setting of campaign that I´m writing, which one do you like and why?
The first one would be something similar to the show like Carnival Row while the second would be just a general setting.

Thanks

[Sexyshoeless]

What sort of themes are you playing with as you write this?
Which setting do you have more specific ideas for?

Personally I like the Neo-Noir Victorian idea but that's more because there's too many High general, Eurocentric kitchen sink fantasy settings out there. The higher level of tech also allows for new looks and interpretations of the classes.

The most important thing is which setting will best lend itself to exploring the kinds of stories you want told in that setting!

[Catullus64]

One of these is a lot more specific than the other. The former is a fairly specific range of years and associated cultural and political trends, while the other is an immensely broad melange of hundreds of years of history with modern literature and popular culture.

Something to be said in favor of the "general" setting is that you can often comfortably assume a higher level of familiarity with its tropes and conventions among your average player base, which in turn makes it easier for D&D player characters, who were probably conceived independently of your world building, to feel like a living part of the setting.

Another note: the "Neo-Noir Victorian" setting implies by its name that the setting has a period of its history that was more distinctly pre-modern and medieval in character. So in the event that you choose that aesthetic for your campaign, you kind of have to do the work of coming up with the fundamental historical and cultural dynamics of both.

[Lockwolfe]

I don’t think a bunch of internet strangers are going to be helpful in this situation. I will say, judging by your title, it’s pretty obvious which one you really want to do.

[Bigmouth]

Neo-Noir Victorian Fantasy obviously sounds much much more interesting. As Lockwolfe suggests, it does indeed sound like you have already decided the one you are more interested in yourself. And it is pretty unlikely that anyone would be voting for the other with the elevator pitch you've put forward. It is theoretically possible you could come up with an absolutely amazing High General Fantasy that would blow the socks off your Neo-Noir Victorian Fantasy concept...but that title gives us the choice between "Cool Interesting Concept" and "Nothing Noteworthy Concept".

Lots of magic but kind of generic? Is that the second pitch? Personally I don't think the world needs any more generic settings. High fantasy where you play "Fantasy Superheroes". High Fantasy Wild West Fantasy. High Fantasy James Bond. Etc. You need specifics to get people to hate and love your setting. Probably if nobody hates a setting, it isn't a good setting.

[Aaron Underhand]

Neo-Noir Victorian Fantasy

I always enjoyed the background reading that accompanied "Forgotten Futures" - you might like to check that out...