Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Anbr Dec 27, 2014 10:21:24	Hi all,  I'm a novice DM and I'd like to hear (read) your thoughts about this subject. From going over some DMing articles, I somehow feel that if I want a campaign to be trully mine (and of my players), a heavily detailed setting might be tricky. In a way, in order to fulfill the the true feeling of such setting (they alwas have a "feel") I'd be needing to "play it out" the right way, rather than my way. Of course, I can do what ever I like; but then, my player's might be disappointed. Furthermore, why invest in a product if I'm only going to "half-use" it, or less?   On the other hand, I don't like to use so-called campaign setting resources that just give me bare bones. I want inspiration, fluff...    Is there any, somewhat tradiotional, fantasy settings out there you think might be a reasonable middle ground?   Also, I've yet to receive my DMG - is there any tips there regarding a similar issue?   Thanks...
#2 Dave_son_of_Dave Dec 27, 2014 13:00:59	What I like to do is think of video games I've played in the past, and tried to think of what settings I happened to really like, or dislike for that matter. It helps to not only think about why it was fun to play, but what it was about the environment that made it so immersive. I'm not recommending straight up cloning a pre-existing game, but you can take bits and pieces from it and try to weave them into something that is distinctly your own.    Once you sort of have a skeleton of what you want your world to be like developed, you can start adding some layers onto it and making it more complicated and in depth that way.
#3 Ath-kethin Dec 27, 2014 13:07:53	I use the BECMI Thunder Rift area for the campaign I run for my neighbor and her husband. I jettisoned most of the NPC information and political structure, because the area has some feasibility issues and I had already set up a different idea in my head. The old Gazetteer series is great for inspirational reading; they describe various cultures that are thinly-veiled real world analogues, and consiat almost entirely of cultural information with very little mechanics included. Should my players move out of the Thunder Rift, I will use the world the Gazetteer series describes (which is called Mystara, in case you didn't know). Unless they go Spelljamming instead.
#4 ankiyavon Dec 27, 2014 13:25:28	It sounds like what you're looking for is basically any setting product from pre-2E TSR.  Almost everything they put out before 2E was designed for players and DMs to fill in the blanks.   If you could give a little more detail of what you're looking for, or what kinds of settings you've enjoyed in the past (books, video games, whatever, anywhere you think is a cool place and would be fun to play D&D in; real places work too!), we could probably give you more specific recommendations.     Alternately, of course, if you want to make your own from scratch or nearly so, you could check out the AD&D World Builder's Guidebook.
#5 pauldanielj2 Dec 27, 2014 14:34:51	I was just noticing that D&D Classics has the original World of Greyhawk setting for $9.99. You probably can't go wrong with that.
#6 sleypy Dec 27, 2014 15:06:43	I think the first thing you should do is make sure your solid on what the mood and the tone your after for in the campaign. Then figure out any major themes that you want to incorperate. Once you establish that you look for material that either fits those things or that has ideas that you can use with a little bit of a tweak. I wouldn't worry about being barebones.   Do you have any examples of what you think is barebones? I ask because a setting by its nature is pretty much all fluff.   There is plenty of information in the DMG on creating a campaign world, but there isn't any fully fleshed out setting in it.