Unique and Original Campaign Settings

[Mach2.5]

Well, I must say that I've always been a fan of campaign settings that were cut from a different mold than your typical fantasy fare. What I would like from those in the community who are willing to post, is a list of settings that you feel are certainly different than what would be considered generic or stereotypical, but also list why you feel that way about it; what elements in the setting make it unique and stand out amongst the crowd.

Now, the reason I'm asking this is that I'm going to finally sit down soon and nail together my own setting, and I do have a few interesting ideas and inspirations to draw from that I've not seen in any other setting to date. Not only do I want to fill another bookshelf with cool settings (whether or not I'll get around to running any of them is moot, I'll find the time to if its good enough), but I want to see just how left field the industry has been willing to go at this point. Once a boundary is established, I'm going to see how far it can be pushed .

 

[Dirigible]

Are we talking D&D settings only?

The only campaign settings I can think of that are actually 'generic' are the Realms and Greyhawk; possibly Kalamar, though I don't know enough about it to be sure. Every setting has it's twists, although I don't count the 'every man, his dog, and the kitchen sink' approach of the Realms and, to an extent, Eberron, as twists.

I've always had kind of a soft spot for the 2nd Ed mini-setting Jakandor: One island, two cultures, no survivors. Neither of them good or evil, just different.

 

[Mach2.5]

Are we talking D&D settings only?

No, that would certainly make for a short list

I mean any setting that you feel is different (but please explain why, in order to avoid minor rants about differing opinions). Not limited to fantasy either. Sci-Fi settings can also come from some rather over used molds as well, so lets not neglect the original futuristic settings out there either.

 

[csi]

I dig them too. For their time I think Planescape, Dark Sun and Shadowrun were all innovative and provided a fresh perspective. But everyone knows them so there isn't any point explaining but they were the three I thought of.

 

[Mach2.5]

Okay, those are all good so far. Never really knew much about Jakandor except from reading the back of the book (which never really gave me much interest). I'm a big time Dark Sun fanboy (constantly annoying the DS boards over at WOTC with off topic posts), and also fond of Planescape and Shadowrun.

Here's one of my own personal favorites:

Skyrealms of Jorune
Simply put, perhaps my favorite sci-fi setting to date. The rules were simply horrible, but the setting was very interesting. Diverting from the typical space opera and post apocalypse genres of the time, Jorune presented a unique single world in the depths of space where humanity had settled a few thousand years before. It realistically portrayed the interactions of no less than 5 distinct species groups that had all either colonised the planet, or had been bred or altered there over time (of which, only one was native). It was original in the presentation of the various sentient races, all of which were quite different from one another, and more importantly, all were very different from just cosmetically altered humans (as is often a failing in many sci-fi settings that deal with alien races). Even when presenting anthropomorphic (sp?) races such as humanoid bears, cougers, wolves, and lions, it showed them in a realistic light rather than the 'furry' versions of such races that would come later. So, all in all, this is certainly a setting that I would nominate for uniqueness and originality.

So, I'm sure there are others, hopefully this gets the ball rolling a little.

 

[JackhammerJohn]

I use Greyhawk as the main world and placed Iron Kingdoms in an area above the Scarlet Brotherhood lands. Iron Kingdoms has worked out quite well as a secluded area where mana lines are weaker so that native IK spellcasters can function as per their own spell books. When a Heronious Paladin was struck down and Heronious tried to intervene, he found that Morrow and Thamar had final say over the matter. They had to work out a compromise, since resurrection is a big problem in IK. I do believe that the players like this added danger to their current campaign which in currently in ACT 2 of the third book.

 

[Acid_crash]

For Fantasy, I would list Talislanta as a very different fantasy world. The 4e book described the continent of Talislanta in as much detail as was possible for such an undertaking (the book is huge) and it detailed probably 40 cultures, distinct and each fitting the region they evolved in. It was probably one of the best fantasy worlds I had ever read, despite not being able to find anybody who would want to play it.

Give it a look, it is very well done, and the dice system is very similar to D&D today.

 

[barsoomcore]

Barsoom

Knock yourself out.

 

[Khayman]

Of games I've played...

1. Jorune (from Skyrealms of Jorune). Cool and weird.
2. Tekumel (from Empire of the Petal Throne). While perhaps detailed enough to choke a horse, this setting benefits from both a malign pantheon of demon-gods and a stifling social order. Throw in some strange fusions of Mayan and South-east Asian culture for good measure.
3. The Old World (from Warhammer Fantasy Role Play). While basically a carbon-copy of Earth during the days of the Holy Roman Empire, no other campaign setting is so... so... grotty. I feel like a toilet in Manchester just picking up the rulebook. Every D&D game I've run since then steals liberally from its atmosphere (well, that and Call of Cthulhu).


Of those I haven't... Midnight sure sounds interesting.

 

[Mach2.5]

I use Greyhawk as the main world and placed Iron Kingdoms in an area above the Scarlet Brotherhood lands.

I've scanned through a fairly rough version of Iron Kingdoms, but I certainly never thought of plopping sections of it into GH. Still, the Greyhawk setting, as great as it is, is a standard bit of fare today. It remains as a marker with which to weigh out other fantasy settings, many of which fall quite short of GH's acheivements.

For Fantasy, I would list Talislanta as a very different fantasy world.

If the book's setting holds up as well as its artwork does, then this is truly a damn fine setting. Alas, I've been trying since the 80's to get a copy, failing to do so for various reasons. One day I'll get off my duff and order the version in stock.

Barsoom

Knock yourself out.

It most certainly did, especially after learning that Burroughs' Carter series was the inspiration for Dark Sun, though it took someone pointing that out to me before I made the connections. BTW, great job in converting the novels into a worthy game structure (I've had your site bookmarked for some time now ). But still, in all fairness, what do you feel is particularly original about Burroughs' setting (I'd rather let you answer that than fill in my own as I'm fairly sure that your the more knowledgeable one here).

The Old World [snip] no other campaign setting is so... so... grotty.

Grotty? Is grotty really a word? Even if it isn't, it certainly applies. Never thought I would hear someone using a toilet analogy for an RPG in a good way, but it fits the dirty, ruined feel of the Warhammer setting.

Anyhow, here's another from me (I think my brain is just on a sci-fi kick lately):

Blue Planet
While water worlds have existed in fiction for some time (Clark's The Songs of Distant Earth comming to mind, although even that was only the mid 80's), I'm fairly sure that this is the first RPG to dive under the waves. The science presented in the book is quite sound, without being overwhelming to those who don't have a college degree in oceanography. The interactions with now sentient whales, dolphins, and other marine life is done with taste, and not comical by any means. The history and current politics are very tightly woven and require very little suspension of desibelief. All in all, a damn wet game that is, I think, original in its presentation.

Here's another, less serious one:

Paranoia.
I hate comical RPGs. I love Paranoia. I hate taking time away from role-playing out another overly melodramatic character in a grim, dark, and serious game. I love playing Paranoia. I thought of comical RPGs as silly and childish, but Paranoia's unique quarks made me laugh till I ached all over the first time I played it, and still does. Originality (and absurdity) are mainstays of the setting, even when it borrows heavily from films, novels, and even other RPGs. The whole idea of clones itself is a riot; wondering how your current character is going to get blown to smithereens by his (your) own incompetence, yet not caring one bit. Any other humorous RPGs out there stand on a single hook, or basic premise, which of course makes the laughter grow very stale very quick. I still try and sqeeze in an all night Paranoia game (preferably late at night, when delirium and sleep deprevation start to kick in).

(edited because quotes never appear where I put them!! Grrrrr!)