So, what's next? We've got the standard fantasy, steampunk, and dying earth settings covered. Can we expect a western setting? Cowboys and Indians? Outer space? Stargates? Or something different entirely? Tell me what you think.
I would like to see them just continuing to diversify and showcasing all different kinds of fantasy. From New Weird (like Sigil and Perdido Street Station), Science-Fantasy, Steampunk, etc.
Not quite my thing, can't get my head around sentient robots, and people cutting off body parts to put in mechanical versions.
Well, if I recall (and I'm admittedly an Eberron newcomer), the Warforged are sentient golems. But nitpicking aside...
Personally, I'm enjoying FR immensely, as I've been for the past decade-plus, and I'm starting to get into Eberron. Dark Sun seems interesting as well, though I probably won't play a game in that setting. I'm content with whatever WOTC throws my way for the time being. I don't much care for steampunk, but if they sense a large enough potential target audience, they should go for it.
So, we're getting a new setting every year. Forgotten Realms is your standard Tolkeinish fantasy world. I can't really complain, it's perfect for fantasy roleplaying. Then we got Eberron, which is your more modernized steampunk world. Not quite my thing, can't get my head around sentient robots, and people cutting off body parts to put in mechanical versions. Now we've got Dark Sun coming. Dark Sun fits nicely into the apocalyptic or post apocalypse genre. My only problem with it is psionics. Everyone developed telepethy and telekenisis because it helps them survive in a desert environment how? Would cacti gain psionic powers someday? I guess I just don't get it.
No, everyone developed psionics, because most magic physically or metaphysically destroys or alters the balance of the world. Thus, beings who utilize psionic power (and primal power, later on) became more successful, while beings who utilize other forms of power were selected against. :D
Psionic power is the main power on Athas that doesn't have the vast, profoundly negative repercussions to the world at large through its mere existence. It certainly influences the world, but not on the same scale as arcane and divine power.
Arcane power sucks away or redistributes lifeforce, with the former being more common (and easier to use) than the latter. Thus, overuse of arcane magics destroyed much of the life on the planet, and worse, made it more difficult for life to regain a foothold afterwards. It also likely contributed to the destruction of that which much of life is made of, and which life housed a large portion of: water.
Which brings me to divine magic. Divine magics call upon elemental, primordial powers. Fealty to, and bringing the influence of one element often comes at the expense of other elements. When water was damage virtually irrevocably (it seems), the elemental balance was thrown all out of whack. Thus, now fire, earth and air rule the world, without water to bring balance. Water no longer quenches fire, nor shields the world from the dark sun itself. Water no longer carves earth, drenches it with life-sustaining moisture. Water no longer cools the air, helps create proper seasons, and so on. The three remaining primary elements now wage war with one another for complete dominance. If fire continues to gain, as it has, the dark sun will consume Athas in fire. If air gains, vast, void tracts of blasted desert landscape will continue to scour the world clean of life. Earth seems mostly neutral, yet strong and steady, and thus seems to be on the defensive. Only water, at this point, can reverse the trend. And water is metaphysically in a very, very bad way.
Primal power, ahh, now that one is both different, and newer. Primal power calls upon spirits of the land, ancient being each made from the thoughts and essences of countless druids and other primal beings. Primal power works with what it has. If it works with desert, it'll enhance and protect the desert's natural environs. If it works with forest, likewise. So, as with psionic power, it is less sweeping in its detrimental impact on the planet. However, needing life to progress, primal powers need to encourage more life. Returning vitality to the land is an important endeavor. Thus, primal power has been on the rise, as the spirits of the land progressively gain more power through the ages, yet fights to rebuild the world to its former glory, for the sake of life itself.
I like the pirates and mutants thing it has.
RED STEEL
I like the pirates and mutants thing it has.
This or Hollow World.
Bel
Eberron, which is your more modernized magitek world.
Along with has been mentioned by others, FIXED.
RED STEEL
I like the pirates and mutants thing it has.
This or Hollow World.
Bel
Or both! Bring back Mystara!
So, we're getting a new setting every year. ... Now we've got Dark Sun coming. Dark Sun fits nicely into the apocalyptic or post apocalypse genre. ... Tell me what you think.
i'm looking forward to Dark Sun because i'm thinking of a campaign setting that could be flipped from dying earth/apocolyotic flavor to a, "fresh, lush, and green world," in which the races are all just barely moving from the goo of creation. no one has the technology to use metal, so obsidian, bone, stone, etc. that is common to Dark Sun will be a helpful tick. then, the groups of tribal bands that are often far from each other and separated by large areas of unsettled jungle with huge beasties that like to eat them....yum. plus, the idea that there are not deities largely understood and worshipped, sounds a bit like a prehistoric fit. then, i'd just tell the players that history as a knowledge skill doesn't help much becuase history hasn't been recorded and doesn't go back far anyhow.
well, it's an idea. i'm looking forward to Dark Sun because i've got a homebrew setting and a campaign running right now, so i need to let that play out while i'm thinking of other realms to build. by time DS is on the shelves, it just might be time to make a change for my group.
Whatever it is it should be new!
Something I've been talking about for a while is a sort of Age of Discovery setting. The Points of Light are bigger but farther away, old Empires that make MASSIVE use of Ritual Magic to both keep the King alive, wage wars and make their country generally work.
They explore the vast and 'dark' ocean looking for new continents and islands, pillaging the ancient relics of the primitive tribes to use as fuel for their rituals.
Pirates scour the sea, dark unknowable entities inhabit the abyss (Darkwater or Abyss pact ahoy!), storms that are literal rifts into the elemental chaos wreck ships, giant whirlpools suck you down to the underdark or even deeper into the Shadowfell, mysterious fog bank swallow ships whole and deposit them somewhere in the Feywild... A world of swashbucklers, adventurers, pirates and explorers!
A grand adventure waiting to happen, a fresh new world to visit and loot...if you survive the trip there! If you actually want to... Why bother trekking the jungle when the enemy country did all the work? We can just loot their ship with ours!
New Abyss pact, new Adventurer class/pseudo class, new Primal class (or a new Shaman build or something), new races, ship to ship combat rules, oceanic hazard, ritual warfare...
It would be amazing :D