Arelith

Been a while since we did one of these.

Personaly i was torn between Darksun, Birthright and Forgotten Realms.

While dull, I'd be tempted to say the Forgotten Realms. Even though I've spent so much of my life designing content for it, I'd put it in second place here. One of the biggest attractions of doing lead level design on Tyrants of the Moonsea was the opportunity to make a fully official rendition of the cities of the Moonsea (even if only for NWN).

I'm attracted to the Forgotten Realms for two reasons; first and foremost has to be the Underdark - I adore the setting, and its one of very few aspects of FR which isn't totally ripped off from elsewhere. The second reason is precisely that so much of it elsewhere is ripped off, it makes it very accessible, and ultimately extremely adaptable as a game setting, even though (I would argue) it has very little literary merit, or indeed continuity.

I've an extremely soft spot from Greyhawk, and for Dragonlance, both are kind of gloriously shameless in using fantasy tropes, and don't try to disguise the fact they're all about classic D&D. In many respects Greyhawk IS D&D, while the early Dragonlance books are just extremely kid friendly, and I relished them at a very young age.

The best on this list though? For me it has to be Planescape, it has a quality of madness and imaginative flair that I still find intoxicating.

For me this is an interesting poll, because I think there's a slight difference between 'what do I enjoy playing in' and 'what do I think is the best setting?'

Story wise - I like Dragonlance a lot.

Setting wise - Planescape is phenominal and really interesting. So nuanced and imaginative!

But role play wise? Forgotten Realms all the way for all the reasons IG just said and a few more.
The setting is well fleshed out. It's a big generic, but that isn't always a bad thing. It means almost any trope you come up with will have a home there.

Also there is a lot going on there. with Dragonlance it always felt like, for the most part, there was one big Story, and the entire world was about that Story and so anything you did would be centralized on that Story.

FR it feels like there are thousands of little stories, so there's room to meet lots of different things to do.

I don't know enough about most of the other settings to comment.

Forgotten Realms, I wasn't really exposed to other settings. I always considered FR = DnD

Birthright for me was the greatest setting, the idea of managing a realm and fighting wars mingled with political RP while still engaging in your classic D&D scenarios was just truely mindblowing for me. So much so I eventually went on to DMing a PBeM based on it, which amassed 100+ players, with some of the best Forum RP ive ever seen. Though it was almost like having a full time job and almost finished me off with everything that goes on behind the scenes.

Dragonlance had a massive impact on me, the story was just excellent. Really got my young mind racing with ideas for scenarios.

Darksun... probabaly the longest campaign of P&P i was ever involved in, at least as a player (which was rare). The darkness and low mortality rate of that setting if done right could easily match the Ravenloft setting. The variety and step away from standard D&D settings of knights and wizards was also refreshing. Got to say i almost picked this one.

The other settings i never really toyed with, maybe a little Mystara in the early days and some Ravenloft. although my groups never liked that setting, too dark for them.

Homegrown

Bunny wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 09, 2019 2:50 pm

Homegrown

wanted to add that to the poll but it only allows 10 options.

Did not even know there are so many of them.

My favorite is Greyhawk, followed by Forgotten Realms.

I find the absence of Pathfinder on this list most disturbing.

Batrachophrenoboocosmomachia wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 2:53 am

I find the absence of Pathfinder on this list most disturbing.

tbf all of these are official WotC settings, right?

either way my answer is also pathfinder.

Homebrew.

missing Golarion its my favorite.

The correct answer is "Glorantha", you hacks.

Kuma wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:08 am

tbf all of these are official WotC settings, right?

TSR

Dragonlance. (Though I'm not sure, Iron, how you get kid-friendly from lover-murder, cross-species romance, and hideous corruption of infants?!?)

Yes, I know Greyhawk is up there too.

Forgotten Realms is a late comer, and really just seemed like a fantasy rip off of earth to me. It was also the "catch-all" setting where you just crammed everything in. It reminds me a lot of a fantasy version of Palladium's Rifts setting in that way. Alter-earth crammed with so much crap you have to roll a random encounter to cross the street.

I just dated myself.

Curve wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 13, 2019 4:13 am

Kuma wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:08 am

tbf all of these are official WotC settings, right?

TSR

ah yes, eberron, that well known TSR property

Kuma wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:11 am

Curve wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 13, 2019 4:13 am

Kuma wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:08 am

tbf all of these are official WotC settings, right?

TSR

ah yes, eberron, that well known TSR property

nice win bro

Ebberon, biggest waste of effort that im glad skimming over it before it came out, made me put it right back into the trash can.

Greyhawk is classic, had all the action figures as a kid

Krynn and Dragonlance is where everything was just perfect, save the princess, get betrayed by the ex the classic knight with great flaws, and Tas

but with all that.

The Realms are home always truly have been, our homebrew was set in an uncharted region on the main maps that covered the wall.
Even before Drizzt captivated the world, it is the setting that everyone can find their spot.

I primarily play World of Darkness, but Ravenloft is pretty up there on my favorites.

1. Planescape. i know little of it, a mysterious and Thought-Provoking
setting in an unexplored Steampunk world that screams 'Adventure'.

2. Forgotten Realms was going to be my first choice since i was
introduced to Fantasy settings with Neverwinter Nights.

3.Cthulhu Mythos
Full of Tentacle p^@% stuff i've always been afraid of,
i've listened to the AudioBook on Youtube and
played Quake 1 wich was based off Cthulhu's art style.

Having consumed countless FR novels, and to this day still reading the new ones when I find the time, I have to with certainty say it's the Forgotten Realms for me as well.

NWN aside, there is something beautiful in seeing the world shape and change after your actions at the D&D table, which our stories take place in 5th edition Forgotten Realms =)

Forgotten Realms just feels to me like a breathing world, moreso than any of the others, which while they might have some attractiveness for being different or more exciting, I just keep coming back to the Realms. It's a favorite old book, or a comfy blanket on a rainy night.

I learned D&D on 3rd Edition, and the old 3e books had Grayhawk Deities in them. I didn't pay much attention to settings growing up, as my friends and I would just make up our own settings, using the resources in the books to fill in gaps. From what I've read since then, Grayhawk is intended for that sort of play: All the background stuff has been taken care of for you, so you can fill in the rest with your own adventures.

I definitely prefer that to FR, which generally feels like it's so chock-full of grand heroes and mages that your own personal adventures seem less important.

death gate cycle