What's your favourite D&D setting?

Chow

As you can see from the poll, there are plenty, and all of them are most certainly a lot of fun, because D&D with friends around your table is always fun. But you can only have one real favorite, the one that's got its place in your heart as the best D&D setting of them all. You can like the others too, but they can't quite hold the candle, for a reason or another: make sure to tell us why you like what you like.

Chow

Personally, my vote goeth for Forgotten Realms, for the most part because I was raised on the setting: Baldur's Gate was set there, Eye of the Beholder was there, as were most of the fantasy novels I read at the time. And as I later found, when I actually managed to play there, the setting is also tons of fun, with plenty of interesting places and cultures to hang out with. And when you had explored all of Faerun, you could head south to Zakhara, to have a thousand and one adventures with genies and magic carpets and whatever... or west, to the new world of Maztica, exploring the jungles and strange cultures and find the hidden cities of gold - or instead east to the old world of Kara-Tur, where you got to have a katana and all that honor stuff. (This is largely why I counted the four settings as one, which I guess is a bit of a cheat, but I couldn't have fit in those others to this silly 10-option poll thing anyway.)

Lately I've also started to rediscover Dragonlance, which was the other thing I read about as a kid, but since I can only pick one option on the poll, it doesn't count. (My second answer would've still been Planescape, anyway.)

Riolathel

Forgotten Realms all the way baby!

Although planescape would be my second choice because it's so cool seeing all the crazy crap

ZanathKariashi

Overall, probably Forgotten Realms, though I also love Ravenloft, Planescape, Darksun, and Spell Jammer, in that order. Greyhawk has always just seemed to bland and generic for my tastes.

hzf

I voted Forgotten Realms. I do also like Birthright and Ravenloft. Planescape has the potential to be a great setting, but I think it is also the most difficult to do well.

ajwz

I wanted to vote for both forgotten realms and planescape but I could only pick one

Nukenin

Since Kara-Tur was originally intended to belong to western Oerik, I demand and submit that the Forgotten Realms stole their eastern realms from what should have been the rightful owner, Greyhawk.

As punishment I decree that all votes for the Forgotten Realms also be counted for Greyhawk, thus making Greyhawk the (current) winner.

[Venn Fairweather] We are victorious!

*cut to a shot of the Circle of Eight as they jump into the air, exchanging high-fives and such, freezing mid-scene; cue credits and closing theme*

Kamigoroshi

You can connect every single AD&D campaign setting through Planescape, which makes it massive beyond measure. Not to mention all the fun things one can get in the Lower Planes. I'm sure Hear'Dalis and Dorn know what I'm talking about! =D

My second vote would go to Dark Sun. It's a much better post-apocalyptic setting than Fallout ever will imho. And the Halfling cannibals there are just too cute to resist.


Forgotten Realms (Faerun) ain't bad, but truth be told I grew somewhat tired of it. cRPG's used FR over and over again to no end, leaving all the other campaign settings in the dust.

Venerate1

Ravenloft, I find the mix of fantasy and gothic horror matches my storytelling technique! I used to love the Realms but I now find it hard to ignore all the horrible things that have done to it in recent incarnations

Kurumi

Forgotten Realms.. by far!!

imajasjam

I voted forgotten realms.

honourable mention to Dragonlance due to the novels written by Weis and Hickman.

imajasjam

Venerate1 said:

Ravenloft, I find the mix of fantasy and gothic horror matches my storytelling technique! I used to love the Realms but I now find it hard to ignore all the horrible things that have done to it in recent incarnations

What things? 4th edition doesn't exist.

IT DOESN'T EXIST.

Silverstar

I only have experience with Forgotten Realms, Planescape and Greyhawk. Forgotten Realms for me. Planescape has a bit much steampunk for my taste (though my only Planescaping has been in Torment, so I may be wrong) though it's still a good setting and Greyhawk I've only seen in ToEE; seemed similar to FR but with different dieties.

Pantalion

Forgotten Realms is a bit of a high fantasy Monty Haul, Dragonlance is perhaps the inverse, Dark Sun is great, as is Ravenloft (though D&D doesn't lend itself well to horror), Planescape is neat, though I've had little contact with the setting.

Eberron is almost Mage-Punk in style, a very interesting new take on the genre. Plus Changeling is my favourite race despite being terribly suboptimal.

MedullaOblongata

Im most familiar with FR, but I've wanted to try Eberron for a long time now. I first encountered it while playing DDO, and felt it was pretty interesting. Then I read only a little of the campaign setting. For some reason, no one wants to run it. It's like steampunk D&D n_n

atcDave

Actually I'd say my favorite is the one I designed and have run myself for 30+ years. And in actual PNP games I've played more Greyhawk than anything, and I like that setting a lot. I also like Dragonlance quite a bit (and I'm surprised it gets no love here!).
But I did choose the Forgotten Realms for the poll. Going back to the original Pool of Radiance it's been used for all my favorite computer games. And I have A LOT of good memories of many excellent games.

gabilturgh

Forgotten Realms had to be first place to me because of the deepness of the scenery, I've read all Drizzt Books (including secondary characters Cleric Quintet and Sellswords), I've also read all Elminster pre-Avatar series, the Avatar and Shadows of Avatar, the Szass Tam series (unclean, undeath unholly) and know I went back in time to the Netheril Saga, this only demonstrates the history, background that this world has, so many iconic characters and Deity, it must be my first choice.

Second choice would be Eberron, because of its political intrigue game, you have many organizations, religions and even dragons, plotting against each other and, if you read any of the novels, like the Dreaming Dark Series, Thorn of Breland Series, Legacy of Dhakaan Series and the Dragon Below Series, you will see those organizations fighting each other, many times behind the curtains and even sometimes you have a character connected to more than one organization.

Allbrother

I voted Planescape but it's pretty much a coin toss between it and FR (pre-4ed)

Djimmy

I choose FR because of the Sword Coast, Icewind Dale... because of Candlekeep, Baldur's Gate, Amn, Luskan, Waterdeep, Neverwinter, the ten towns of Icewind Dale, Kuldahar, Calimshan... because of Gorion, Elminster, Khelben, Orrick. Minsc, Imoen, Neera, Aerie, Valygar, Cernd, Jaheira, Keldorn, Dynaheir, Drizzt...

As you can see, my reasons are mostly santimental. I cannot simply forget how Me(CHARNAME) and Minsc were battling/butt-kicking spiders in the Graveyard District in Athkatla, or how Aerie stood beside me in Hell itself despite her gentle spirit, or how Valygar used to say "I'm still here" when times were growing darker and darker, or how Gorion gave his life to protect me, knowing what I might have become... I simply cannot forget these memories.

Forgotten Realms forever!

Calmar

I would have voted Forgotten Realms it it was more like it is depicted in BG and IWD and less like big mess full of high-level novel characters and a generic-alised setting where every class, race, prestige class etc. can be put in everywhere.

Planescape is exciting, full of atmosphere and philosophical themes. I think it also might be the best D&D setting for campaigns that rely little on actual fighting.

Macona

Golarion :-D

LordRumfish

I'm all about the Planescape setting. How incredibly alien, yet interconnected to all the other settings! I love the weirdness of a planar setting in campaigns, it makes for all types of storytelling.

lunar

Forgotten Realms feel like home. I know a lot of important people, places, customs, ethos, legends, stories about it thanks to all the games and novels. Planescape or any other setting sounds alien, so foreign and weird. Not that it means it is bad, though. Dragon Lance is a close second but I find its rules about the mages in general disheartening and all.. My heart belongs to FR.

revaar

Home brew! I like to make my own, it gives more freedom that I don't feel like I have in a premade setting. However, tend to use the forgotten realms and grey hawk deities in my pantheons.

WebShaman

The FR is the better setting, hands down. I grew up on Greyhawk, and while I have fond memories of it, it was really just a fertile playground for Gary Gygax's imagination. The FR, on the other hand, rapidly outgrew Greenwood and became a thing unto it's own.

I detest Planescape. I understand the genius behind the idea, and the implementation is brilliant and well-done, but I just...dislike it. It is like TRHPS version of D&D, with elements of S&M mixed in - whatever. Very polarizing IMHO - either you love it or you hate it. Like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, only an RPG setting. Let's do the Planescape again! Ermmm...no. BTW - I do like TRHPS. Just not as an RPG setting.

I really like Darksun. I probably like it more than the FR, really, just...it got sooo abandoned. A great idea, a great setting, poorly utilized.

Beastman

Mystara. That's what i grow up with.

toanwrath

In almost every PnP game I have played in, the DM makes his/her own world, filled with their own Pantheon(s), countries, antagonistic factions, etc. I feel more into the world and I feel more like I can affect the world than i some of the other settings.

That said, I have never played in a PnP Forgotten Realms game, and I would still very much like to. Greyhawk too perhaps, but I would really like to play just ONE FR game apart from the norm.

ZulthicPaladin0

Forgotten Realms. I absolutely loved the Cleric quintet!

Poputt

FR is dead to me. I'll only look at it through the lens of the BG games. I have a bad taste in my mouth from the FR PnP games I've been a part of (the last one took place in fucking Kara-Tur BLLLEEEEEEHHH), and the spellplague just makes it worse because now no-one knows the lore.

Rant aside, I like Planescape because it's a cool mix of anything goes and strict guidelines. Also, it's just fun to read the game books.

Usually I play games with an original (I use that lightly) universe. It really makes it easier as a DM when you can just make up the macguffin's name and not get called out on it.

LadyEibhilinRhett

It's actually very close between FR and Planescape. Planescape won out because 4th edition.

UnknownQuantity

Forgotten Ralms and Dragonlance were my favorites