Q for the GMs on Campaign Settings

GMs a few questions... 1) Do you like campaign settings? Would you buy them off the Marketplace? 2) If you were going to buy a campaign setting like material on Roll20, what would you want in that? 3) How 'system specific' will you tolerate?

1) yes I like campaign settings, probably not. I don't see what it could have that I would want. 2) Depends on the setting, similar concept to the chapter 3 of Storm Kings Thunder would be nice but more indepth. 3) Well I thought most campaign settings are based on a game core rules somewhere.

1) I like settings but I prefere to build my own. I would probably not pay for one.  2) Attention to the small details, things that make the setting "come alive".  3) If I bought a setting I would prefere it to be system specific and tied to rule set.

1. Most of them are very value-adding. I don't think the marketplace offers any actual 'campaign settings' (i.e. Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Eberron core settings). I think you might mean 'modules'. 2. Set NPCs w/ tokens, maps, dynamic lighting set, music, etc. 3. As Liquid said, most are designed for specific systems. They have to be if you want them to opperate with the correct mechanics.

1) I enjoy many aspects of campaign settings. When I make one or adopt one it can last for many years of game playing (across many adventures, many modules, multiple campaigns), therefore not a frequent purchase. In Roll20 I would like to buy elements that help me build-up / flesh-out / or add to the process of making my own campaign setting. And it would be offerings that would help save the purchaser time in terms of Roll20 set-up for a setting. It would be "plug-and-play" in the sense that purchaser could incorporate any 1 part of the setting without necessarily buying or adapting the entire setting. 2) I would not consider buying a "Complete" campaign setting in Roll20, it would just be too much information to swallow, it could be 100's of pages and 100's of maps at that point.  I would consider buying flexible elements/ modular packs that could be folded into a custom setting of my own, or added to an existing campaign setting to modify it, or combined all together to make World Of Andrew setting; like the building-blocks of a campaign setting without being so specific that it becomes restrictive. I would consider buying: World map pack, includes globe, includes 3-7 continental maps, includes 5+ state/region/county maps from each continent, includes at least 1 city or village from each state/region. There could also be diagrams of the planes, or trade routes, or past wars front-lines in the setting's history. People Pack, detailing all the races/species of a fresh new campaign setting, but can be used as a modular drag-and-drop to add this collection of races to an existing game. For example this might contain Humans plus 5 new races (for example say maybe Frog-People, Minotaurs, Aliens, Talking Caterpillars, and Spirit Reavers), no mechanical rules that would limit to a certain game system, each race would have Description, illustration, background, backstory, homeland, sample city, sample house, many Tokens of males & females in different professions. Monster Pack. Here are 100 monsters unique to this setting and they are all new monsters that you never heard of from D&D games. Token and description for every monster is set up, if there are any stats it would be just enough to describe the strength/power level, nothing specific like exact damage amounts, hit points, or stats from any particular game system. Like the instruction "Just add water", the purchaser would just add stats for the purchaser's game system, keeping the token / appearance / description of the monster from the purchased Setting material. Adventure Pack, contains maps, locations, plot hooks, descriptions, threats, traps, characters to meet, for multiple adventures within a certain region of the setting. 3) I would have 5% or less tolerance for system specific. Probably wouldn't buy it if it was system specific whatsoever.  The most specific that I would accept and still buy it is "This is a fantasy world (high fantasy or low fantasy?) with monsters and setting-flavor that could work with games like D&D or Basic Fantasy or PF or GURPS or anything".

A general thanks guys... @Dustin (and maybe Gold's comments get this reply too) Actually no you were waaaaaay off base. I meant like Kaladaar, FR, Dragonlance, etc.  I literally meant stuff like: Maps from the 'whole world', to nations, to provinces, to possibly some major cities Stuff to 'add your own locations' onto the existing maps (tokens to let you drop in towns or cities onto the existing stuff) Setting specific monsters (this would likely be system specific and D&D 3.5E/Pathfinder since that is the system I am most familiar with) Major social groups (i.e. Secret Society of Bad Guys, Loyal Alliance of Nice People) - If System Specific then it would include religions and similar Socially important NPCs (historical figures, rulers of various lands, etc) Historical Events Summaries (intended to be used as a backdrop for campaigns, or 'launching events') with lots of 'gaps' so that a GM could fill in the blanks.

That is indeed what Dustin and I answered about, if you read the replies, so they are not off base much less any need to say someone is "waaaay" off base, Andrew.

Gold, I did read them. Dustin was talking about Modules, to my mind, a module is more prebuilt than toolkit.

Andrew said: GMs a few questions... 1) Do you like campaign settings? Would you buy them off the Marketplace? Dustin said: 1. Most of them are very value-adding. I don't think the marketplace offers any actual 'campaign settings' (i.e. Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Eberron core settings). Andrew said: Actually no you were waaaaaay off base. I meant like Kaladaar, FR, Dragonlance, etc.   You asked if we like settings. Dustin said that settings like FR and Dragonlance are not in the Marketplace. You said no, that's way off base, you were talking about things like FR and Dragonlance.

Gold... we don't need a debate on this.  I explained my response.

25+ year RPG veteran here, favoring fantasy and DND, but I have played others like Twilight 2000, Vampire, Champion, et al... Yes, I like campaign settings and I would buy them from the Marketplace depending on usefulness of material included and price. What materials do I want included? It depends on portability between the campaign setting and game. I believe it would require another game instance of the Campaign Setting with all of its materials, so that I could selectively transport pieces in via the Transmogrifier. I would find useful: maps (large-scale, regional, and city/town), notable dungeon maps (not necessarily populated), pantheons (gods, avatars, and representative followers as NPCs), guilds (notable members as NPCs), fleshed out notable places of interest (inns, taverns, cities), noted magical items, monsters, spells, races, and classes. Much like previous printed works, a campaign setting would likely involve modular installments. For me to make the purchase of a campaign setting it would have to be system specific. Generic pieces only work with maps. More specific set pieces require character, NPC, and monster sheets filled in to be truly useful and save me time as a GM.

Andrew said: GMs a few questions... 1) Do you like campaign settings? Would you buy them off the Marketplace? 2) If you were going to buy a campaign setting like material on Roll20, what would you want in that? 3) How 'system specific' will you tolerate? 1)I like campaign settings A LOT. Buying them? mhhh.. it could happen if : I LOVE the setting; i would spend good bucks for 2ed Krynn or Spelljammer setting. for those i wouldnt even consider money issue. I like the setting, but not being essential for me i would buy them only if dirty cheap (about 5 $). Why so? Because no way im going to buy a physical book, then a pdf on drivethrurpg then a version with limited usability here on roll20. Well, if maybe i can buy once and get pdf+roll20 stuff i could raise the bar a bit (10-15$). Maybe i'm old fashioned but paper is paper, and stay with you forever. 2) ALL. I mean, i'm buying a setting aka i'm buying a pre-made world, so i want everything about it. 3)System& edition specific. I'm spending money already, I have to spend time to adapt stuff too? No thanks, i'n that case i'll go with my personal inventive.

I have bought settings & modules in the past to read them and perhaps file the serial numbers off of a few ideas, but I have written all of my material for the last 30+ years. I busted a player for buying stuff I was running then and since then have chosen to write my own.