The Best Campaign-Setting Book You've Ever Read?

[Rosstin]

What's the best Campaign Setting book you've ever read? I'm doing research on world-building and I want to learn from the best. I think my favorite published setting ever has been Eberron, but I bet there are some truly incredible gems out there waiting to be discovered.

I'm designing a world for my next game and I want some inspiration on how to create a unique non-Earth fantasy world. A lot of fantasy worlds I read about are too Middle-Earth for my tastes and I want to build something unique with a different set of rules and inspirations.

One of the things I want to improve on as a game designer, is creating wonderful settings for my games to take place in. My last game, Queen At Arms, took place in an original fantasy world, and me and my team struggled quite a lot developing a fully-fleshed out setting. As we're putting the finishing touches on this project and I'm forced to review the 250,000+ word script, I'm noticing countless tiny inconsistencies. For instance, we made a conscious decision not to invent animals, but because we neglected to build a World Bible, new writers added things like a unique bird called a "Malvea" that is introduced without any explanation.

Anyway, I figured that by studying the best Campaign Settings ever written, I might be able to learn something about how to create a truly incredible and unique world that leaves a lasting impression.

[solidork]

Is there a reason you can't also take inspiration from fantasy worlds that weren't expressly designed for RPG purposes? Like you said, there are tons of people tyring to be as good as Tolkien at what he did. Why not go straight to the source? I think I'm going to make a longer post about all the campaign settings I've read and what I liked about them or thought was interesting about them.

[Fri]

I guess it'd be exalted or legend of the wulin. As much incohempresible mess exalted rules was, and how lotw's rules were spread all over the places, the settings are well crafted and well meshed with the rules.

Also I haven't read it personally yet, but all of my friend who had read/played it swear by Chuubo: The Wish Granting Engine.

[Rosstin]

Is there a reason you can't also take inspiration from fantasy worlds that weren't expressly designed for RPG purposes? Like you said, there are tons of people tyring to be as good as Tolkien at what he did. Why not go straight to the source? I think I'm going to make a longer post about all the campaign settings I've read and what I liked about them or thought was interesting about them.

No, no reason. Except that this is the Role-Playing forum and I figured you guys would be the experts on Tabletop World handbooks, and I'm nostalgic for the good old days when I had time for the tabletop hobby.

And I'd love to curl up in an arm chair with some hot cocoa and a beautifully-illustrated book and pore over the guts of an imaginative world design.

I don't want to crap on Tolkien, because I like Tolkien, but I'm damned sick of sword and sorcery middle earth ripoffs. I want to make something new, like something based on Zoroastrian Persia or set on a truly alien world, or that takes place entirely underground, or something.

[Fri]

then check the three settings I mentioned before then, if you never checked them before

Exalted is... well, exalted.
LotW is fantasy Wuxia.
Chuubo is... well... fantasy something. Can't really explain it, you should check the summary at least.

[Zombimode]

The most impressive setting I've come across so far is Transhuman Space (GURPS). It is speculative fiction set mostly on a futuristic earth with a bit of space exploration within the solar system. One of its main topics is, of course, transhumanism. It is hard scifi enough to be smart an intersseting, but soft enough to be fun.

But it is also the most demanding setting to DM for (and to play in).

[Anderlith]

Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere has the best worldbuilding I have ever seen, & I can bring it up because Mistborn WA turned into an RPG!

[Rosstin]

I really admire Brandon Sanderson's work with magic systems.

[Eldan]

Planescape, for AD&D. If you want specifics, Uncaged: Faces of Sigil is one of the best RPG books ever period, in my opinion. Apart from that, the basic campaign setting, of course, but also Planes of Chaos/Law/Conflict, Faces of Evil and the various planar guides.

[JAL_1138]

The Planescape box set and Spelljammer box set for AD&D 2e. Two of the greatest campaign settings ever.

Pretty fond of the 1e Greyhawk box set, too.

And just about any book West End Games produced for D6 Star Wars while they had the licence.

[Rosstin]

OMG Planescape! Thank you, I will definitely track down one of those!

- Planescape box set
- Spelljammer box set for AD&D 2e
- Uncaged: Faces of Sigil

[Gamgee]

Numenera Core and/or Ninth World Guidebook. Blew me away.

[Crinias]

I'm going to second Fri's suggestion of Chuubo. The setting of Town is deceptively simple - it's like slice of life thrown into a fantasy kitchen sink. There's something for nearly anything, whether that's living a quiet pastoral life, or heroes facing off against eldritch monsters or Death himself. There's a giant School in case anyone wants to play there, with evil teachers and a shady, masked student council. There's a shopping district with supernatural anime shenanigans. There's a giant evil flying island that orbits the sun, and so on. The metaplot is nothing to sneeze at, either.

In short, there's a lot more than you'd expect. My favorite part's definitely Fortitude, the slow community at the shores of Town's lake. It's really comfy and easy to get into. The setting book for it is one of the best thugs I've ever read.

[Khaiel]

This is quite difficult for me...

Midnight, on the one hand, is a great concept, that really gives you the feeling of a world that is falling apart and manages to make you want to play despite knowing that your attempts to stop the Big Bad are futile. It is also a very good setting in the sense that it can be easily described, and you don't have to read a lot to understand the setting and have a coherent character ready for play. You can just say "Imagine Lord of the Rings if Sauron had won." and that's it. Everyone knows how to feel and what to expect.

On the other hand, Gaïa, Anima: Beyond Fantasy's setting, is a quite complex setting, with lots of different layers, lots of possible options for all kinds of adventures (you want high level adventures? There are more than forty possible ways for the world to end, just choose one and throw it at your players), a rich and detailed history and references that players can relate to. Bad thing is, because of the complexity of the setting (I could try to do a summary, but I owe my players some posts first ) it can be difficult for new GMs and players to grasp it and have an idea of what the hell the setting is about. In fact, because the game's creator used to answer questions that hadn't been fully answered in the books at the forums, there is a lot of information that can only be found at the forums, and reading those forums usually changes the perception people have about the setting.

A perfect setting would try to find balance somewhere on the middle of these two, but that's usually very hard. Most of the time, I find settings try to go for one or the other, and it is probably for the best. It all depends on what you want your setting for. You want a specific kind of adventures, or you want to have a lot of people play it? Go for the first. You want a greater variety of adventures and plots? Go for the second.

[BWR]

An introduction to a campaign setting or a supplement? You might get different answers.
A Planescape product would almost certainly top either list in my case.
Nobilis 2e is a strong contender for the former, however.

[Jorren]

For non-traditional fantasy, these settings I've found to be outstanding.

A Red and Pleasant Land (by Zak S).
The setting for the Tribe 8 rpg (my personal favorite).
Skyrealms of Jorune.
Darkspace (by Monte Cook)

[Pex]

I liked the Scarred Lands setting of 3.0 D&D. It neatly organized religion, alignments, and the big sell why the evil monster races are the evil monster races - orcs, goblins, kobolds, etc. 9 gods total, one for each alignment. The neutral god technically isn't one, rather a Titan worshiped by the druids. The evil monsters supported the Evil Titans in their losing war with the gods. The Neutral Titan, the world itself, sided with the gods.

[neonchameleon]

Not the best. But consistently very good and worth talking about - GURPS books. Any GURPS sourcebooks for any given setting (with the arguable exceptions of Supers 3E and Lensman - GURPS doesn't cover some game styles).

[Mr.Moron]

The Iron Kingdoms settings materials have always been great across the board. They always have lots of interesting little details that go a long way to make the setting more "Real".

[Scots Dragon]

For me, since I like being classical and I'm in a pretty classical nostalgia orientated mood, it has to be a tie between the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (D&D 3.0e), the Grey Box Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (AD&D 1e), and the Inner Sea World Guide (Pathfinder). Though I also really, really liked the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide for going about fixing the Forgotten Realms, even if I did feel it could be a bit bigger and more detailed. I've got a gigantically overwhelming weakness for campaign setting books in general and would probably have a list of twenty-five to fifty or so that I really quite enjoyed reading. I could probably list them by genre, in fact.

[Milodiah]

I absolutely love the Delta Green setting/variant/whatever of Call of Cthulhu. It's not so much a "setting" per se, but it's an overhaul of the Call of Cthulhu RPG that in my opinion makes it even greater than it is vanilla. It sets the PCs as members of an informal (and completely illegal) conspiracy within the government to fight the various things of the Mythos, by which I mean use fake IDs, witness intimidation, sabotage, summary executions, etc. etc. It feels so wonderfully desperate and secretive, plus it solves two issues in Call of Cthulhu which, in my opinion (and apparently in the creator's opinion, as voiced in some of the podcasts I've listened to) are somewhat immersion-breaking if you let them mull around in your head.

1. How do these people keep finding Mythos stuff to deal with, considering it's supposedly happening in the shadows and beyond the walls of normality?
In Call of Cthulhu, it's usually "some uncle you never heard of willed you some house, book, artifact", or "some friend you don't remember got killed in suspicious circumstances". Which get old after a while. In Delta Green, it's as simple as saying "A-Cell's sent you a new case file."
2. How do these seemingly-insane nutjobs keep finding new people (cough-cough replacement characters cough) to help them fight the Mythos, when in the setting almost nobody will believe you?
In Call of Cthulhu, it's a stretch. As the creator joked, "In the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign we'd go down to the hotel lobby and ask the bellboy if he wants to go on a campaign to save the world from evil with us!" But in Delta Green, the semi-structured nature of the group means the higher-ups will send a replacement if someone dies or goes insane. They also might send reinforcements if things get too hairy. Might. But on the other hand, those reinforcements might have orders to quietly dispose of you as well if A-Cell thinks things have gone out of control and you've been compromised.

It's a fantastic setup overall, where the PCs still have the freedom to do the stupid stuff they inevitably will do anyway because A-Cell doesn't care how it gets done, just that it does, but at the same time ensures that in most circumstances they have to keep their affiliations a secret, their knowledge under wraps, and their "extracurriculars" away from their ACTUAL bosses in the FBI, CIA, state police, NOAA (yes, I did have a PC in the NOAA once) or whatever.



Also, I find the Shadowrun books put a ton of effort into their little details. It's one of the few games where I can tell my players what brand of cola is available at the restaurant, what clothing label their potential employer is wearing, the quirks of the particular gang that claims this street, etc. etc. all from the actual books without having to invent it on the spot.


Overall, I'm a pretty big fan of sidebars and insets. Instead of D&D (at least 3.5) where they almost exclusively cover optional rules and stuff, Shadowrun tends to make theirs about interesting bits of fluff. I'd recommend trying that- little paragraphs concerning minor things like table manners, famous historical figures, trade routes, etc. Those who aren't interested can skip right over them and continue being a wet blanket unhindered, while those who are can stop and read them before continuing. For example, I've never once been impressed by the GM referencing a sidebar discussing whether or not halberds count as reach weapons, but I have been by the GM including sidebar-material of how the group we're dealing with is supposed to handle a hostage negotiation.

[Rosstin]

The Planescape box set and Spelljammer box set for AD&D 2e. Two of the greatest campaign settings ever.

Pretty fond of the 1e Greyhawk box set, too.

And just about any book West End Games produced for D6 Star Wars while they had the licence.

Here's what I've dug up on Amazon:

Uncaged: Faces of Sigil:
http://www.amazon.com/Uncaged-Faces-...faces+of+sigil

Planescape:
http://www.amazon.com/Planescape-Cam...cape+Boxed+Set

Spelljammer:
http://www.amazon.com/Spelljammer-Ad...mmer+Boxed+Set

[Mongobear]

As far as D&D settings go, I have two favorites but for different reasons.

First, I loved Eberron as a setting and a background for a story to happen. At the time, it was so unique and different from normal D&D settings like Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms, that it was an amazing journey just reading the books and how different it was. However, as an actual DM and/or Player, I disliked Eberron for the mechanical aspects of it. Its hard to exactly describe what irked me, but everytime I started or joined an Eberron campaign, no one could adapt to the differences in the setting from old editions and it quickly just become another High Fantasy dungeon-crawl, but with Robots!

Second, my all time favorite setting for the mechanical aspects of the setting, was Forgotten Realms. That setting was just so massive and well thought out that you could play 2 dozen different campaigns set in the world and never visit the same area twice. It had such well thought out timelines, political atmosphere, and religious/philosophical character that it is on a tier of its own. However, that also caused an issue. Because it had a pre-established timeline, and an entire series of "X leads to Y which leads to Z" world events, that it was next to impossible to invent your own campaign setting around without threatening to rewrite history.


Honorable Mention

Warhammer Fantasy - GrimDark Fantasy of evil shennanigans, imagine LotR if Sauron managed to re-acquire The One Ring. Yeah, thats WH:F in a nut shell.

[Zombimode]

First, I loved Eberron as a setting and a background for a story to happen. At the time, it was so unique and different from normal D&D settings like Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms, that it was an amazing journey just reading the books and how different it was. However, as an actual DM and/or Player, I disliked Eberron for the mechanical aspects of it. Its hard to exactly describe what irked me, but everytime I started or joined an Eberron campaign, no one could adapt to the differences in the setting from old editions and it quickly just become another High Fantasy dungeon-crawl, but with Robots!

Eberron is a setting that needs to be accepted by the players. It is important that the players want to use the setting, to take in its details, its specific tone and style. They need to take it seriously.

In this sense it is more demanding then other fantasy setting. Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk work even if the players don't care about the setting. Both setting conform enough to a standard fantasy mold. Eberron does not. And it falls appart don't recognize that (or if they don't care). If anything they jump at superficial elements of the setting and treat them in the most shallow way (like "Robots!", ignoring the fact that warforged are only related to robots at a very superficial level). This in turn can be incredibly frustrating for the DM.

I love Eberron, but after a very bad experience with players who didn't really care, I've vowed to only ever touch the setting again if I have players who actively want to play in Eberron.

[Steampunkette]

I'm going to second, or fourth... sixth at this point? Planescape. Iron Kingdoms is great, as diesel punk fantasy.

I'm honestly shocked no one suggested Dark Sun. It's a great fantasy setting that turns idyllic Tolkien fantasy with a danger to the status quo on its ear.

Instead of sprawling forests and endless green fields, or fantastic high seas adventure and armies gird in shining steel, it shows a dying world where even basic human decency is a shocking rarity. Where food and water, metal and faith, magic and joy are all more rare and treasured. Evil has long since taken over the world, but everyone believes the evil to be savior, rather than Destroyer.

Desert Conan with remixed fantasy races. Elven Raiders, Halfling Cannibals, Insect PCs, and Magic that destroys the life around its caster, no matter how weak the spell.

Also Psionics. And crashed Spaceships. And gates to other planets seen in the sky. Plus fallen Empires all over Tha place.

It's awesome for something different.

[goto124]

Fantasy post-apocalyptic?

[Rosstin]

What's the best book about the Underdark?

I do really love Dark Sun, I'd love if I had a good Campaign-Setting book of it.

I think that I'm probably going to base my next video game (a roguelike) around The Underdark. I have some fluff I'm working on for it, so I want to steal some good ideas from the Underdark.

Spoiler: Fluff for a Turn-Based Strategy Roguelike I'm Considering

Show

I'm taking the mechanics of a roguelike and baking it into the setting entirely. Roguelikes are about an outsider coming into a sacred space, killing its inhabits, defiling it and stealing its greatest treasure, and I want my game to reflect that. The protagonists will all be villains with selfish motivations, for instance a necromancer who wants to bring her dead wife back to true life. These surface-dwellers delve the Underdark in order to find The Wish, which, if used, brings ruin to the world but grants the wish of the wielder. The Wish is guarded by the denizens of the Underdark, who revere the wish as a goddess. Expending the wish would be like devouring the heart of baby Jesus to gain immortality or something.

[M Placeholder]

The Dark Sun guidebook Valley of Dust and Fire is superb. It details the City of Ur Draxa, the city of the Dragon that has laid waste to the majority of the planet, a city that is surrounded by a huge dust storm and 30 mile wide sea of lava. City by the Silt Sea details the destroyed city of Guistenal and Dregoth the Dragon Kaisharga who has a plan to become the sole god on all of Athas.

The guides to PC races Elves of Athas and Thri-Kreen of Athas are great reads, with so much detail on the culture and the mindset of the races. The artwork in both are outstanding too - Tony D did some of his best work in Elves of Athas (along with City State of Tyr), and John Dollar did great work on the kreen, giving them so much personality and life. Wizards took them further away from the Mantis look to where they are now in 5th, when the ones in the book had so much personality.



Aww.

[JAL_1138]

Here's what I've dug up on Amazon:

Uncaged: Faces of Sigil:
http://www.amazon.com/Uncaged-Faces-...faces+of+sigil

Planescape:
http://www.amazon.com/Planescape-Cam...cape+Boxed+Set

Spelljammer:
http://www.amazon.com/Spelljammer-Ad...mmer+Boxed+Set

That's them. I'd check local used-book shops first, I've gotten better prices at those than Amazon. Box sets crop up on eBay too, sometimes better prices, sometimes worse. And it's important to check that they're complete; I've seen several incomplete sets when buying old box sets online.

Dndclassics may have them in .pdf for relatively cheap--if you're not too attached to dead-tree format and just want a look at the content, that might be a better option.

[Pluto!]

Blue Planetis a hard scifi system about exploring a fresh new planet completely covered in water. Technology isn't unrecognizably futuristic, the game's writer shows huge amounts of discipline laying out this entire planet that skirts its explorers means of understanding, but which just drips loving detail. I never ran the system, but reading the books never fails to give me a jumping-off point for a new game, whether it's a Spirit of the Century game about rogue Oceanographer-Smuggler-Nazis, a horror game about deepsea monsters lurking in the utter darkness or a post-apocalyptic Water World hackfest. Having said that, I usually pass on the Blue Planet's chatty dolphins.

And a shout-out for Continuum's time travel. It's not the setting exactly, and the metaplot is kind of hokey, but the entire system is about taking ideas of how time travel adventures would work once you actually integrate the premise into plot considerations, and turning them into a game. It's a system built to do action games in a Bill & Ted movie - where characters can choose to already have gone to the past to prestage their present, on the condition that they really do eventually do that prestaging - or their individual time streams start unraveling around them. Like Blue Planet, I never actually used the native rule system, but I ripped its fluff for a pretty sweet Cortex storyline.

And Eclipse Phase. Because Eclipse Phase.