D&D 3E/3.5 Popular/Famous D&D/D20 HOMEBREW Fantasy Campaigns (Please Vote)

[Knightfall]

Make sure you read this thread VERY carefully. While similar to Fast Learner's thread, it isn't the same. This thread deals with famous/popular Homebrew campaign settings, not commercial ones.

This needed its own thread so we can distinguish the difference between the offical D&D/D20 campaign settings on the market and those that are famous but not designed by a D20 company or WotC (or Kenzer).

Of course, the campaign setting must have a visible web presence and have been heard of by more than just a few people. Andy Collin's Bloodlines, Monte Cook's Ptolus, James Wyatt's Aquela would all fit in this category.

One could also say that if you've heard of a particular famous game designer or online personality, and they have a homebrew campaign setting online somewhere then those settings would count too. Andy Collin's Umber, James Wyatt's Night, Darrin "Baraendur" Drader's Galovinius, Kevin "Piratecat" Kulp's Spira all fit into this category. [Yes, Spira now has a website (see below).]

Another category are those professionally done campaign settings hosted here on EN World. (They make the grade just by being awsome.) Michael Morris' Dusk and Vincent N. Darlage's Inzeladun fit into this category. EDIT: It has come to my attention that Jagged Edge Games is currently a non-profit organization offering its campaign settings for free. Thus, its Umbragia setting now qualify for this little contest.

Edit: A new category has been included, thanks to the popularity of one setting. A campaign setting with at least 5 votes, multiple EN World threads, including at least one story hour thread and one rules and/or characters thread, now qualifies, even if it doesn't have a website. Sepulchrave II's Wyre fits into this category.

SO... here's the question, what should go on a list of popular/famous D&D/D20 HOMEBREW fantasy campaign settings?

Post your suggestions to be added to the list, but remember that the campaign must have an online presence, be recognizable, and/or be from someone famous. Also note if you would like to see one of these homebrew campaigns in print. (Note: Simply having a story hour on EN World isn't enough of an online presence but it does help.)

Anyone can nominate someone else's campaign to be on the list, but you have to provide a website and state how he or she is famous. (You, or your players, cannot submit your own homebrew campaign setting.)

There will be several phases to this thread (see below). (Phase One is the selection of a four member 'Homebrew Committee' that will be responsible for deciding which campaigns should be included. This committee doesn't have to include me, but I'm willing to keep the thread going and update the list regularly.)

Cheers!

Robert Blezard, a.k.a. Knightfall1972
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

p.s. Perhaps the top three homebrew authors could win something. Unsure, it's all free flowing right now.

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Phase One
I would like three or four other EN Worlders to help me decide what belongs on the list and what doesn't (can you say judges). I'm very serious about this, as I want to put together a detailed list of those campaign setting worthy of being called 'the most popular/famous homebrew worlds out there'!

EDIT: I think it would be best if anyone decides they want to be a judge for this friendly, little contest then that person's Homebrew cannot be included.

Phase one will also be for nominations of particular homebrew campaign settings. (A setting must receive at least three nominations to be considered.)

NOTE: A homebrew that is completely based on a published setting doesn't count (even a heavily modified alternate version). If a particular homebrew is influenced by a published setting, note in your nomination how much so and the judges will decide if it is too much to be considered unique. (Piratecat's Spira campaign setting is good example of a campaign setting that is unique enough, even though it has been influenced by countless sources.)

Phase Two
Phase two will be an online roundtable disscussion by the judges, with input from a homebrew campaign's creator and players. More about phase two later.

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EDIT: I decided it's to arrogant and elitist of me to list my examples as being offical. That would mean anything I put forward is automatically on 'The List', which isn't right. Thus, there is only the Vote List now. And any of the previous official List homebrews that have been voted for are now on the vote list below.

However, I've made a new post to the thread linking to those that still haven't received a vote, so that if you want to check them out, in order to decide if you want to vote for one of them, you can.

The Vote List (or The Nominees Are)

• Acrozatarim: Fire and Ice -- Chris "Carnifex" Allen -- 1 vote
• Aquerra -- Osvaldo Oyola Ortega, Sean Teasdale, Eric Gershik / 2 votes
• Barsoom -- "barsoomcore" -- 2 votes
• Charagan -- "Sagiro" -- 1 vote
• Dusk: The World of Carthasana -- Michael Morris -- 3 votes
• Faded Glory -- "Old One" -- 2 vote (Website seems to be offline.)
• Icemist and Beyond: Small Beginnings -- D'Shai -- 1 vote (Website?)
• Palaestra: A Land of Magic and Intrigue -- Wayne D. Peacock -- 1 vote
• Ptolus: City by the Spire -- Monte Cook -- 1 vote
• Seldarn Empire -- Arwink - 1 vote
• Spira: Defenders of Daybreak -- Kevin "Piratecat" Kulp -- 3 votes
• Theralis -- "seasong" -- 1 vote
• Urbis: A World of Cities -- Jürgen Hubert -- 2 votes
• World of Thandor - "SHARK" -- 2 votes (Website?)
• Wyre -- "Sepulchrave II" -- 5 votes (no website, but has multiple threads, including story hour and 5+ votes)

 

[Desdichado]

* nemmerle's Aquerra is one I've heard quite a bit about.
* SHARK world (not to be confused with Shark World! )
* Barsoom of barsoomcore (not Edgar Rice Burroughs.)
* Palaestra of the old Byzantine on the Shannon story hour was another favorite of mine.

I dunno; those are ones I like anyhow. Probably not the high profile type of thing you're looking for.

 

[Knightfall]

* nemmerle's Aquerra is one I've heard quite a bit about.
* SHARK world (not to be confused with Shark World! )
* Barsoom of barsoomcore (not Edgar Rice Burroughs.)
* Palaestra of the old Byzantine on the Shannon story hour was another favorite of mine.

I dunno; those are ones I like anyhow. Probably not the high profile type of thing you're looking for.

Do these have websites? Or in other words... do you read the whole post JD, or are you just skimming? Heh!

{EDIT}

I'm pretty sure I've heard of all those campaign settings. SHARK's world is pretty well know, I think.

 

[Desdichado]

I did read the post but SHARK world might not qualify. Although very well developed online, it's mostly been through lengthy essays SHARK has posted here, not through any website I know of. The rest of those do, indeed, have pretty good websites, although I haven't looked at most of them in a long time.

 

[Knightfall]

I did read the post but SHARK world might not qualify. Although very well developed online, it's mostly been through lengthy essays SHARK has posted here, not through any website I know of. The rest of those do, indeed, have pretty good websites, although I haven't looked at most of them in a long time.

Hmm, well I put down your votes anyway. They're unofficial votes at this point until some chimes in with the website urls. (I don't have the time to scour the Internet looking for them.)

{EDIT}

Whoops, forgot that I had Palaestra linked on my website.

 

[Desdichado]

Aquerra can be accessed via nemmerle's sig file (available in the membership list) and Barsoom through barsoomcore's sig file. Palaestra was the one that I really hadn't seen in a long time, so I wasn't sure how easy it'd be to find it again. At one point, updates to that site were announced on enworld's homepage, but I think that was a long time ago.

 

[Piratecat]

I'm not sure that most people give a darn about homebrew campaigns. The ones which are most evocative are the ones that inspire us - like Gygax's Greyhawk campaign, back during 1e. I can still remember sitting around with my friends and musing about the "iconic" wizards who had spells named after them. It was a lot of fun.

I was really amused when two years ago, a player of mine was at a con in California, and realized that folks sitting at the next table were talking about his character in my game. Very surreal.

 

[barsoomcore]

Barsoom's URL is in my sig.

Thanks, JD.

 

[dave_o]

Another vote for Barsoom! Man, I love Barsoom.

*pouts about the lack of an online campaign, ever after begging*

What about Carnifex's world? Does he have a website for it? I'd say it'd be a big contender.

 

[Knightfall]

I'm not sure that most people give a darn about homebrew campaigns. The ones which are most evocative are the ones that inspire us - like Gygax's Greyhawk campaign, back during 1e. I can still remember sitting around with my friends and musing about the "iconic" wizards who had spells named after them. It was a lot of fun.

While I agree that campaigns like EGG's Greyhawk and Arneson's Blackmoor originally 'defined' evocative and inspiring, I'm going to have to disagree with the rest of it.

Gamers are always looking for that next big campaign setting to play, because there isn't anything like finding a new campaign setting with new concepts to explore or 'swipe' for one's own homebrew campaign setting. Remember when Dark Sun first cam out... it was fresh, new, and most importantly different.

And now, now the Internet provides gamers a chance to explore not only commercial campaign settings, but those homebrew settings of their peers. EN World is the BEST resource for learning about new campaigns and ideas.

How many people have been inspired by the tales of the Defenders or another great story hour, and added certain elements from what they read or rules and/or background material from the author.

And from another point of view, Darrin Drader's Galovinius campaign is a good example of a homebrew campaign setting that has been well received by the Internet community, WAY before D20 hit. Michael Morris' Dusk setting as well.

Even if a 'Homebrew Fan' never plays a session in someone else homebrew campaign setting they often use elements of such campaigns, adding them to their own settings or use well-designed homebrew world Internet sites and/or documents to help redesign their own work, so it stands out more.

Ask yourself P'Cat, if Monte Cook decided to release Ptolus as a PDF * or book, would you add it to your collection? (And not just because it's Monte!)
* I'm pretty sure this doesn't exist.

Now what if Darrin had such references for his Galovinius campaign? Would you consider it? (Well, guess what, he does.)

I was really amused when two years ago, a player of mine was at a con in California, and realized that folks sitting at the next table were talking about his character in my game. Very surreal.

You just proved my point.