Setting Book

[warlock1971]

I'd like a Fantasy Setting Book, specific to Legend. Ideally, with tips/pointers on customizing the setting for High Fantasy or Dark Fantasy, firearms, etc. A place the Legend community can embrace and contribute to in various ways.

I would prefer that the Setting not be pseudo-historical but rather, a new Fantasy world. Great maps, of course!

 

[warlock1971]

I have a severe time problem at the moment and would love to see a new setting, officially created and endorsed by Mongoose. A place where the various books can slot in, such as Vikings or Skarr City of Orcs.

 

[Hopeless]

Is Conan available?

 

[warlock1971]

Is Conan available?

Is Conan going to be released as a Legend supplement? If so I'd be "there like a bear", so to speak. The Quality of Mongoose D20 Conan material was superb.

 

[torus]

Conan is a great swords & sorcery setting, but I think Legend needs something further along the Tolkien/'high fantasy' axis. A lot of people want elves, dwarves, orcs and trolls, and wizards who can cast a fire spell without having to engage in dark and arcane rituals. If it seems like 'vanilla' or 'generic' fantasy, that's great: it's more straightforward to personalise such a setting by adding your own ideas, rather than having to buy into someone else's unusual concept from the start.

Mainly, a setting book needs to provide locations, maps, plot hooks and NPCs. These are much more useful than pages discussing cosmology, gods and characteristics of all the races of beast-men the author has invented.

 

[warlock1971]

Conan is a great swords & sorcery setting, but I think Legend needs something further along the Tolkien/'high fantasy' axis. A lot of people want elves, dwarves, orcs and trolls, and wizards who can cast a fire spell without having to engage in dark and arcane rituals. If it seems like 'vanilla' or 'generic' fantasy, that's great: it's more straightforward to personalise such a setting by adding your own ideas, rather than having to buy into someone else's unusual concept from the start.

Mainly, a setting book needs to provide locations, maps, plot hooks and NPCs. These are much more useful than pages discussing cosmology, gods and characteristics of all the races of beast-men the author has invented.

Agree 100%!

 

[GamerDude]

Mainly, a setting book needs to provide locations, maps, plot hooks and NPCs. These are much more useful than pages discussing cosmology, gods and characteristics of all the races of beast-men the author has invented.

Mainly setting book needs to provide what the players and GMs need for a fun game. If all the races of beast-men are central to the story and setting then they go in. If not then they are a supplement.

Again I point to many of the "core setting books/boxed sets" that TSR/WotC released over the years. In those respects a great job was done even if you didn't care for the setting.

Actually torus what you described is more what the GM needs, not the players. Players need to know the basics of the settings, legends, races, territories a little about cosmology/how magic works etc.

THEN the GM has all the really great maps and info on cities and (those not revealed as rumors in the players book) potential plot hooks etc. so they know what is *really* going in.

I love it when people miss/are clueless to the differing informational needs of players and GMs

 

[torus]

Actually torus what you described is more what the GM needs, not the players. Players need to know the basics of the settings, legends, races, territories a little about cosmology/how magic works etc.

THEN the GM has all the really great maps and info on cities and (those not revealed as rumors in the players book) potential plot hooks etc. so they know what is *really* going in.

I love it when people miss/are clueless to the differing informational needs of players and GMs

Yes there should certainly be some material like that, and great if there's also a player's book and GM supplements. Everything in a setting book should be there for two reasons: to fire the imagination of players and GM, and to help the GM come up with enjoyable gaming sessions.

But page counts are finite, and unless it's amazingly well written (which it rarely is) the pages spent describing legends, ancient history and the 'big picture' of each region should not dominate the book. Too many settings books pile that stuff in, and I just don't think having players know a ton of things about the events leading up to when King Ardoglin defeated the Maborians eleven centuries ago is as useful as providing the GM with a layout of a significant town or outpost and details and motives for it's main NPCs (including where they stand in the bigger scheme of things).

And actually I stand by what I said about races. There are a million fantasy races and nearly all of them are variations on the same few themes. If the setting really does revolve around understanding the author's races of turtle men, half-griffons and emo-warriors, then I'm probably not interested.

 

[GamerDude]

Let me give you an example how to *not* do it...

WotC's Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and Players Guide.. for 4th ed.

All the setting info, region descriptions.. what little there is... virtually identical.

Only reason both sold at all is, campaign guide came out right behind the core books, the players guide like 2 or 3 months after.

 

[DamonJynx]

Let me give you an example how to *not* do it...

WotC's Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and Players Guide.. for 4th ed.

All the setting info, region descriptions.. what little there is... virtually identical.

Only reason both sold at all is, campaign guide came out right behind the core books, the players guide like 2 or 3 months after.

100% agree here.

I think boxed sets are the way to go, like old school D&D.

Each should have a players 'gazetteer' with a brief history and geography lesson, details of current political/racial tensions, and a Chapter or two on specific changes to the CRB regarding PC generation, magic and whatever is important for PLAYERS to know.

A GM book with more detailed info on the stuff in the players book, hooks, plots stat blocks of prominent NPC's whether they be potential allies, enemies or patrons. A bestiary can be included if space permits or that could be a 3rd book. Put all that together with some nice poster and reference maps in a box and viola! A complete setting.

If you don't want to do a boxed set, do each in the Legend format but dress it up a bit - more like Pinnacles Savage Worlds and release them individually in print and PDF. The GM book should come with the maps in a format that can be used in a variety of ways.

 

[warlock1971]

Let me give you an example how to *not* do it...

WotC's Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and Players Guide.. for 4th ed.

All the setting info, region descriptions.. what little there is... virtually identical.

Only reason both sold at all is, campaign guide came out right behind the core books, the players guide like 2 or 3 months after.

100% agree here.

I think boxed sets are the way to go, like old school D&D.

Each should have a players 'gazetteer' with a brief history and geography lesson, details of current political/racial tensions, and a Chapter or two on specific changes to the CRB regarding PC generation, magic and whatever is important for PLAYERS to know.

A GM book with more detailed info on the stuff in the players book, hooks, plots stat blocks of prominent NPC's whether they be potential allies, enemies or patrons. A bestiary can be included if space permits or that could be a 3rd book. Put all that together with some nice poster and reference maps in a box and viola! A complete setting.

If you don't want to do a boxed set, do each in the Legend format but dress it up a bit - more like Pinnacles Savage Worlds and release them individually in print and PDF. The GM book should come with the maps in a format that can be used in a variety of ways.

Boxed set would be first prize! I have liked the Vikings, Pirates books as well as Skarr but I'd like a unified world (Sandbox) that isn't a pseudo historical setting to play in. At the moment I have a serious shortage of time and I am also a relative RQ/Legend newbie so would love to see this done professionally.

The setting also provides the springboard for modules, naturally! I'd buy that!