Looking for a World Like You...

While having the original Campaign set and books for the Forgotten Realms is excellent, what Wizards did to this world is beyond the pale. It feels hard to go back to this world knowing not one but two world-ending apocalypses are coming - one which collapses the entirety of the Underdark and destroys a continent, which makes no sense geologically.

And they are not making terribly much new for this world anyways.

Greyhawk? Same feelings, different world. Yes, it is very cool to have a collection of classic modules and even the original rules (with so many typos, ugh, please care about your books and history, Wizards).

And they are not making much new for this world either. Yes, there is the Ghosts of Saltmarsh adventure, which is nice to see, but I do not feel there is an effort here to build and support a single campaign world. It feels like we are back in the D&D 4 days with, "Here is an adventure; put it anywhere in your world!"

Mystara falls in the same boat, a fantastic world, the one we started in, but really only the home of the B and X series modules and nothing new being made for the setting.

So I boxed up my classic modules for all these words and am looking for new worlds to play in, like these in feeling and spirit. And another requirement is that the new worlds need to come from publishers supporting the worlds with new adventures and experiences.

Why?

I believe those struggling to make a living doing what they love should be paid and rewarded for their hard work and dedication. At this point, buying "classic settings and modules" feeds a dead IP that a parent company sits on, milks profits from, and will never really be committed to supporting. Those new adventures written by those who love the game need to be read and loved by me, and I need to put the past away and stop re-playing the classics.

Nostalgia feels good, but it isn't anything new.

I also use Castles & Crusades as my set of rules of choice. For me, the game is easier to support and run than B/X since it does away with many supporting systems and builds the framework for the rules around the basic six ability scores. The number range is old-school, too, good old B/X hit points and damages, and the AC and the to-hit system are compatible with B/X. I can use small 3x5 character cards for dozens of characters and run them very well without a ton of paperwork.

I could use any OSR flavor, but C&C plays like a modern game while simplifying play on a level where the game is easier to manage than B/X for me. If I find I want an occasional "perception check," I can easily add that via the Siege Engine - or not - as the game plays how you want it to.

The next few articles will lay out my "replacement" worlds for the classics, why, and how you can make them better than the originals with a few tweaks here and there while still retaining the flavor of the original worlds you want to experience again, but support today's creators in doing so.