Greyhawk vs Dragonlance vs Forgotten Realms vs Mystara vs Birthright

[VGmaster9]

Which out of these five generic campaign settings do you think is the best? Which do you think offers the most variety? What are some that can do that others can't? What makes some so unique as opposed to others?

 

[Alexander123]

One that's not on your list: Eberron.

I don't know much about Mystara, Birthright or Greyhawk so I'll speak of the three I know: FR, Dragonlance and Eberron.

I think Eberron offers something unique not offered by other campaigns, it has a realism which is missing in other campaign settings like FR and Dragonlance. The realism is evident by the fact that priests can be corrupt and will not be punished by their gods and will retain class abilities.

I also like the way Eberron has gotten away from the race determines alignment mentality which is characteristic of other campaign settings.

I also like FR and Dragonlance although I would not play in either, one of the basic reasons being that those camaign settings are cursed with gods that walk the earth.

I also like the integration of science and magic which Eberron has been able to pull off which adds a certain flavor to it which is absent in other campaign settings.

Great thread by the way!

 

[cleverkobold]

I think that Eberron was not included on the list because it wasnt considered a 'generic' campaign setting.

 

[Alexander123]

Do you know why it isn't considered generic?

 

[cleverkobold]

Do you know why it isn't considered generic?

I admit that I have never played an Eberron game, however your description and many others that I have seen make it abundantly clear; because of the combo of science and magic, and the overall steampunky feel of the setting, that it is not generic at all.

 

[Alexander123]

I have always like the steampunk style and feel of Eberron, I think that is one of its virtues. That is one of the things which makes it unique.

 

[cleverkobold]

I would really like to play Eberron, but for now I'll stick to Dark Sun.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I'm not a big FR guy. Never read the books. Never played a D&D game in that setting. That said, I identify with it because of the Baldur's Gate Series, and it has a lot of merits and many good books.

Grayhawk never made much of an impact to me. I've had mediocre experiences with Dragonlance, though I'm sure it's a fine setting. Don't know anything about the other two.

If I had to use a published setting, I'd probably use Kingdoms of Kalamar. If I had to use one of *these* settings, I'd use FR.

Specifically, what I like about FR is the cultural diversity and the great campaign setting book. I also like that it embraces the tropes of D&D (i.e. magic is king at higher levels and the world economy is based on it). I don't like the amount of canon one has to wade through or the recent gutting of the setting, but those are both easily ignored by a capable DM.

 

[cleverkobold]

Im not a very big fan of Dragonlance, perhaps it was my personal experiances with it though. It seems like all Dragonlance games I have played had too grand a scope and an overly epic plotline. I perfer starting small.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Which out of these five generic campaign settings do you think is the best?

That's like asking whether chocolate or strawberry ice cream is best. They're different, and serve (slightly) different needs.

If there's something you are looking for from a kitchen sink setting, you'd be better off saying what it is, and finding out which of these would best serve your needs.

And if you're willing to look at OOP kitchen sink settings (several of those you've listed are, after all), I'd also put Harn, Golalron, the Goodman Games world, various versions of Blackmoor and Castlemourn on your list as well.