I've been using this setting for my campaign but I always had a feeling that it could be improved. I would like your opinions about the matter. You can access the setting here:
The politics and religion aspects have a lot of detail. I just have a few questions and suggestions; some things I would want to know as a player or DM:
Do you have a map? Seeing the topography and the nations' proximity to each other would really help communicate information and inspire the imagination.
How common are monsters(other than orcs)? How do monster populations interact with the nations? You mention fallen empires, so I'm thinking lots of dungeon potential in the world.
How active/real are the gods? Is it deistic (no divine interference - save clerics), activist (gods directly interfere with mortals and each other at least some times) or something else?
Most importantly, Demon Wars(at least 3!)? Dark Lands? Whaaaaaa? These feel like the truly exciting bits that will make your setting stand out. Lead with these.
"Welcome to Imradhon, where we have a rich tapestry of political and religious culture," could be any fantasy world.
"Welcome to Imradhon, where any minute now our rich socio-political tapestry will be ripped to shreds by an army of murderous demons rampaging out of the Dark Lands" lets me know that this is not the Forgotten Realms and makes me want to know more. Has a bit of an GoT vibe.
Suggestion: It seems like you have a lot more in your head than you put on the page. Keep plugging away, and focus on details that will make the world come alive for the players. Consider history (I know you have one, just not spelled out), art and fashion (how do folks dress and entertain themselves from one culture to the next), demographics(how big are populations; how much land is "wild") and cultural biases (who hates whom?).
At the same time, boil it all down to like a paragraph that you use to sell the setting to your players (and yourself).
Remember, most players won't "get into" the setting unless it has a direct effect on their adventure, but filling in lots of details will help you make the adventures and descriptions more lively and memorable.
A buddy of mine and I have been trying to collaborate on a campaign world, and you are way ahead of us, so kudos!
Just skimmed it. You have a large number of religions and political entities. Good chance the players aren't going to encounter most of these until like level 10. And they might be a bit overwhelming.
I would lean more onto depth than breadth. Having a dozen gods is good if you have a cleric, and they want to have a good selection to pick from. And pick one to three gods that are popularly worshipped in the area where the campaign is starting. Flesh those out with more detail. Same with the political groups. Create a lot more details for the one that rules the area where you're starting. Flesh out adjacent areas with slightly less details. Have little more than names for far away places. Once the plot starts to involve those places, you can create more details.
You could actually stand to have more factions, as several factions can be in operation within a single city.
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I've been using this setting for my campaign but I always had a feeling that it could be improved. I would like your opinions about the matter. You can access the setting here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EF_eaKYs6rNiSlTvpdWnywvkyEsH6E4xe9stB_PBXfM/edit?usp=sharing
(If you want to, you can check out the house rules too, but that is the one thing I'm 100% satisfied with).
What's the worst that could happen?
The politics and religion aspects have a lot of detail. I just have a few questions and suggestions; some things I would want to know as a player or DM:
Do you have a map? Seeing the topography and the nations' proximity to each other would really help communicate information and inspire the imagination.
How common are monsters(other than orcs)? How do monster populations interact with the nations? You mention fallen empires, so I'm thinking lots of dungeon potential in the world.
How active/real are the gods? Is it deistic (no divine interference - save clerics), activist (gods directly interfere with mortals and each other at least some times) or something else?
Most importantly, Demon Wars(at least 3!)? Dark Lands? Whaaaaaa? These feel like the truly exciting bits that will make your setting stand out. Lead with these.
"Welcome to Imradhon, where we have a rich tapestry of political and religious culture," could be any fantasy world.
"Welcome to Imradhon, where any minute now our rich socio-political tapestry will be ripped to shreds by an army of murderous demons rampaging out of the Dark Lands" lets me know that this is not the Forgotten Realms and makes me want to know more. Has a bit of an GoT vibe.
Suggestion: It seems like you have a lot more in your head than you put on the page. Keep plugging away, and focus on details that will make the world come alive for the players. Consider history (I know you have one, just not spelled out), art and fashion (how do folks dress and entertain themselves from one culture to the next), demographics(how big are populations; how much land is "wild") and cultural biases (who hates whom?).
At the same time, boil it all down to like a paragraph that you use to sell the setting to your players (and yourself).
Remember, most players won't "get into" the setting unless it has a direct effect on their adventure, but filling in lots of details will help you make the adventures and descriptions more lively and memorable.
A buddy of mine and I have been trying to collaborate on a campaign world, and you are way ahead of us, so kudos!
Just skimmed it. You have a large number of religions and political entities. Good chance the players aren't going to encounter most of these until like level 10. And they might be a bit overwhelming.
I would lean more onto depth than breadth. Having a dozen gods is good if you have a cleric, and they want to have a good selection to pick from. And pick one to three gods that are popularly worshipped in the area where the campaign is starting. Flesh those out with more detail. Same with the political groups. Create a lot more details for the one that rules the area where you're starting. Flesh out adjacent areas with slightly less details. Have little more than names for far away places. Once the plot starts to involve those places, you can create more details.
You could actually stand to have more factions, as several factions can be in operation within a single city.