Joey thinks about settings.

     It's no secret that I'm a big fan of pen and paper RPGs.  I run a weekly game, and I'm always trying to generate interest in my friends.  As you can imagine I end up answering questions quite often.  Not a lot is known by the general public about what RPGs are.  I wrote about how RPGs are a niche hobby and how I think that shouldn't be so in my second blog.  However, I'm often asked something to the extent of "How do you decide where the characters are?  Like is there a certain world all the games take place?"

     The answer is two-fold.  The settings are divided first by game system, and then by group.  First game system.  There are thousands of different RPG game systems out there (This may be an exaggeration, I'm actually not sure how many there are.  Suffice to say a lot.), and, almost without exception, each one has a setting where their game is meant to be played.  I'll talk about a few of my favorites in a bit.

     Second it is decided by the player.  If you listen to the game publishers, you might think that almost every game played is set in an official setting.  They really want to make you feel that investing in a book that details their unique setting is a worthwhile venture.  And to be honest they are.  But it isn't because almost everyone plays in them.  In fact quite the opposite is true.  The vast majority of D&D players never play in the official setting.  No, they play in completely unique settings devised entirely, or stitched together from several settings they like, by their respective GMs (Game Masters).

     These unique settings are called home brew settings and they're quite common, and quite fun.  Its an expression of what the GM thinks is best in fantasy settings.  It is of course limited by the skill and imagination of the GM, but they're generally pretty good.  I've ran three large (By large I mean games lasting more than three months.  I know some of the more established gamers will balk at such measly games, but they're the best I've done so far.  Give me a break here.) campaigns in D&D or pathfinder, and each one of them has been home brew to one extent or another.

Believe it or not, this home brew is actually better than most of my stuff.  Look at the Giant!

     This holds true for D&D and many other Fantasy games with generic settings.  It isn't true for most science fiction games where the cool settings are the main draw, such as Vampire: The Masquerade or Shadowrun.  Also I'd imagine some of the fantasy systems which are inherently tied to their settings are mostly played in official settings, such as Exalted or Mouseguard.  Even with all these games which are mostly played in their official settings, though, the majority of RPG games played are Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder.  So my statement, I think, is still true.

     So, I've described what settings are in relation to the games.  They're where your characters as people live and breathe, where their problems and exploits are, where their treasure is, where their loved ones and enemies are, and where they die.  But I haven't described what RPG settings are like.  Its tough to give a description that will give you a good idea what all these games are like.  But I'm going to try.

     The simplest way to describe RPG settings to liken them to books and book series.  We've all read books, most of us have read fantasy books (I know a few sticks-in-the-mud who have never read any kind of fantasy books.  They and they're parents should be ashamed!), and we know that from one series to another the settings are different.  There are often themes or certain aspects that are the same (For instance, pretty much everything in Lord of The Rings can be found in other works, as it really spawned the fantasy craze) and there are even more things different (at least in good settings, read my first blog post for an example of a setting that was almost good, but in the end sucked).

     So from the setting we know what races are available for PCs and NPCs (PC=player character, or the character the players are playing as.  NPC=Non-player character, or a character controlled by the GM.), as well as enemies and villains.  It also tells us what level of technology is available, what, if any, magic there is. It tells us things like what the world looks like.  Is it covered in water? is it a desert planet? Jungle?  And how they get around, sailing or sand sailing, or tree... sailing?  It tells us how the people in the world get along. Are they war faring, peaceful, insular, friendly?  It tells us how they trade with one another, and indeed if they do any trading at all.  It tells us what the PCs are likely to encounter, what their problems will be.
     In settings like D&D's Forgotten Realms, after a certain point PCs never have to worry about money or living places again, they're too busy battling Demi-Gods in the outer planes, or assaulting Hell to retrieve a lost loved one unjustly taken by Orcus The Prince of Undeath.  In contrast, in the setting of Shadowrun it isn't uncommon PCs to be taking dangerous jobs just to pay rent for one more month on the mean streets of Seattle.  Those are two extreme cases, but they're is everything in between, and quite a few more extreme.

     I promised I'd describe a few of my favorite settings before I go, and I'm going to do just that right now. If you're bored just skip to the last paragraph, otherwise, buckle up.  Here we go.  Coming in at favorite setting #4...
     Mouseguard.  What do I like about Mouseguard?  Well, for one thing you play as mice.  And the stakes are basically saving the lives of a bunch of mice.  I'm already in love with it.  One common criticism I have of fantasy is that the stakes are perpetually too high.  How often do we fight an evil villain on who's defeat rests the fate of the entire galaxy?  Sometimes it goes so far as to threaten every plane of existence ever created, where a villain will destroy past, present and future lives for all eternity, sending existence back to a void of nothingness.  Bringing it down to the level of mice is just nice.  Beyond that, the world is beautifully detailed and well thought out.  Its a wonderful setting.

There's even a comic out for it, which I highly recommend.

     #3  I mentioned Exalted earlier.  The Exalted are spirits of great warriors who exist to defend the world of Creation.  They inhabit the bodies of honorable human beings, giving them powers beyond mortal dreams. They stand up against the forces of evil and entropy.  However, in the past hundred years, the world has turned against their protectors, labeling them as dangerous outlaws.  Now The Exalted must defend themselves from Creation, while defending Creation from the ancient Titans.  One thing I love about Creation (the official setting for Exalted) is how simple it is.  Its land is divided into five distinct areas.  North is the endless tundra which eventually becomes bitter ice fields akin to the antarctic.  East is the Jungle lands which stretch off into infinity.  South is barren deserts and fiery mountains.  West is an endless ocean full of piracy and adventure. The center is the seat of power, the Blessed Isle.  I love how you can have any kind of adventure you want by going to any part of Creation.  Also, the Exalted are just cool.

I have nothing clever to say...

     #2  My second favorite setting would have to be Call of Cthulhu.  For those of you unfamiliar with Cthulhu, he is an ancient being of immense power who sleeps in the pacific ocean, originally imagined by H.P. Lovecraft.  He waits in his sunken island of R'lyeh to be awoken and end the world.  In the meantime, though, countless cults have sprung up in the history of the world to awaken this ancient being (and countless other beings of immense power and knowledge) and gain power for themselves.  Most CoC games take place in the 1920's.  Players are Investigators: normal people caught up in extraordinary circumstances, just trying to survive and do the right thing.  Everything is as it was in the 1920's, except Ancient Ones roam the earth.  Its an amazing game and an amazing setting.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die." -H.P. Lovecraft

     #1  Of course my favorite setting has to go to none other than Shadowrun.  What can be said of Shadowrun?  The year is 2070.  After The Awakening in 2012, the world has gone downhill.  Dragons once again walk the earth.  Huge Mega-Corporations run the world, pulling the strings behind the thrones of power. Magic awakened in 2012 and now we share the world with all the magic bogeymen of ancient lore. Elves and Orc, Trolls and Dwarves.  The undead are once again among us.  And through it all you survive. You're a Shadowrunner, a Corporate Spy, a deniable asset.  You run the shadows, doing the jobs too dangerous or dirty for any normal person.  Some 'Runners run for the money, high rise apartments and expensive toys.  Some for the challenge; its the ultimate thrill.  Some got a personal score to settle, and see 'running as a means to an end.  Most are just trying to survive.  Pay that rent more one month so they got somewhere to lay their head. Shadowrun is amazing.  The attention to detail, in making our world into a believable dystopian future is astounding.  Definitely my favorite setting out there, no real competition.

Shadowrun: 20th Anniversary addition.

     It would be an exaggeration to say that there are as many settings as there are individual games being played.  But it would be accurate to say that their are more completely unique settings created by individual gamers than official settings created by companies.  Whether that's good or bad, I don't know.  I might talk about that one of these days, and probably be completely off base and wrong.  In any case, have a nice night, and go play some RPGs!