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Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings | HearLore
Common questions
When was the Blackmoor campaign setting created by Dave Arneson?
Dave Arneson created the Blackmoor campaign setting in 1971. The Blackmoor supplement was not published until 1975, and Arneson and Zeitgeist Games officially republished the setting in 2004.
What is the Dark Sun campaign setting and when did it release?
The Dark Sun campaign setting released by TSR in 1991 is set on the harsh desert world of Athas. This world was once lush before uncontrolled defiling magic stripped it of its fertility, leaving a desolate place controlled by god-like Sorcerer-Kings.
What is the Ghostwalk campaign setting and what is its central location?
The Ghostwalk setting consists of a single campaign book centered on the city of Manifest. This city is a mausoleum built atop a geological feature known as the Well of Souls, serving as a gathering place for ghosts to cross over to the realm of the living.
When was the Ravenloft gothic horror setting released and who created it?
Tracy and Laura Hickman created the Ravenloft gothic horror setting, which was released as Module I6: Ravenloft in 1983 by TSR. The setting was further expanded into a campaign setting for the AD&D 2nd edition beginning in 1990 with the Realm of Terror boxed set.
When was the Eberron campaign setting released and what is its primary theme?
The Eberron campaign setting was released in 2004 after winning a contest held by Wizards of the Coast in 2003. This setting takes place in a world of pulp action and fantasy noir with steampunk influences where inhabitants make extensive use of magic in place of technology.
Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings
In 1971, a man named Dave Arneson created a campaign setting called Blackmoor that would eventually birth the entire genre of tabletop role-playing games. Before Dungeons & Dragons existed as a published product, Arneson used the Chainmail wargaming rules to run personal games in this world, establishing the template for what would become a global phenomenon. The Blackmoor supplement was not published until 1975, five years after the initial creation, and it was not until 2004 that Arneson and Zeitgeist Games officially republished the setting. This original campaign was not merely a backdrop for adventure; it was the first instance of a Dungeon Master guiding players through a persistent, evolving world where the rules of reality could be bent by magic and imagination. Blackmoor also saw a second life as a massively multiplayer role-playing game, proving that the concept of a living campaign could survive decades after its inception.
The Desert of Defilers
Released by TSR in 1991, the Dark Sun campaign setting diverged sharply from the conventional medieval fantasy that defined most of Dungeons & Dragons. Set on the harsh desert world of Athas, this planet was once lush and teeming with life before uncontrolled defiling magic stripped it of its fertility, leaving a desolate and savage place where civilization retreated to city-states controlled by god-like Sorcerer-Kings. In this world, psionics were as common as magic in other settings, with native or latent abilities found in individuals of all humanoid races. Religion was based on the worship of elemental forces, spirits, or the Sorcerer-Kings themselves, as the old gods had long abandoned the world. Wizards and arcane spellcasters were rare and often discriminated against because most were defilers who drained life force from the environment to power their magic. A small underground minority of magicians called preservers worked to maintain life and restore the primeval lushness. Playable humanoid races included the Thri-Kreen, who were mantis people, and Half-Giants, alongside warped variants of conventional fantasy races. Humans appeared tougher than in other worlds, elves were nomadic desert dwellers and long-distance runners, and halflings were depicted as savage jungle cannibals. These elements combined with a post-apocalyptic desert setting and the alien feel of Athas' native cultures gave Dark Sun a unique flavor among the various D&D worlds.
The City of Ghosts
The Ghostwalk setting consists of a single campaign book centered on a city called Manifest, a mausoleum city built atop a geological feature known as the Well of Souls. This unique location serves as a gathering place for ghosts, making it a place in which ghosts can cross over to the realm of the living. The setting was designed to explore themes of death and the afterlife in a way that few other fantasy worlds had attempted. While the Ghostwalk setting was a standalone product, it offered a distinct narrative experience that focused on the intersection of the living and the dead. The city itself was a hub of activity where the boundaries between life and death were blurred, allowing for stories that dealt with the consequences of mortality and the lingering presence of the past. The setting provided a rich backdrop for adventures that required players to navigate a world where death was not the end, but a new beginning for many of its inhabitants.
When did the Malatra campaign setting start and what is its geographical basis?
The Malatra campaign setting started during second edition in 1995 and continued to release adventures through 2003. This setting is a massive plateau located south of Shou Lung in Kara-Tur that is loosely based on pre-colonial Indochina.
Planescape was a setting that crossed the numerous planes of existence, originally developed in the Manual of the Planes. It combined Victorian era trappings with a pseudo-steampunk design and attitude, winning acclaim for its unique visual aspects, which were the product of artist Tony DiTerlizzi. The city of Sigil, the central hub of Planescape, has appeared in the 3rd edition in the Planar Handbook and the Epic Level Handbook, in the 4th edition in Dungeon Master Guide 2, and in the 5th edition Dungeon Master Guide. This setting allowed players to explore the multiverse, moving between different planes of existence and encountering a variety of creatures and cultures. The Planescape setting was known for its complex cosmology and the philosophical questions it raised about the nature of reality and existence. It provided a rich backdrop for adventures that required players to navigate a world where the laws of physics and magic were constantly shifting, and where the boundaries between different planes of existence were often blurred.
The Gothic Horror
A gothic horror setting originally created by Tracy and Laura Hickman for their own game system, the duo eventually caught the attention of Dungeons & Dragons' original publishers. They were hired to adapt it into the First Edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and it was released as Module I6: Ravenloft in 1983 by TSR. It was expanded into an entire series of adventure modules and then further expanded into a campaign setting for the AD&D 2nd edition beginning in 1990 with the Realm of Terror boxed set. TSR also published a series of novels set in Ravenloft. In 2001, shortly after the release of D&D 3rd edition, Wizards of the Coast licensed Ravenloft to White Wolf Publishing, which published Ravenloft materials through its Sword & Sorcery Studios imprint, but rights returned to Wizards of the Coast in early 2006. In October 2006, Wizards of the Coast released Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, an expanded and updated version of the original module for D&D v3.5. In August 2010, Wizards of the Coast released the Castle Ravenloft Board Game. The setting was revisited in 2016 with the release of the 5th edition adventure module Curse of Strahd, with the setting's original creators, Tracy and Laura Hickman, returning as writers. Van Richten's Guide To Ravenloft, a 5th edition Ravenloft campaign sourcebook, was released in 2021. Christian Hoffer, for ComicBook.com, highlighted that this sourcebook revises many of the setting's Domains of Dread. He wrote that the revised domains are usually a better utilization of the ironic intent that flavors the immortal prisons of Ravenloft. The domains also now include a variety of different horror genres rather than a fixation on gothic horror. Finally, much of the misogynistic, colonialist, or racist elements have been purged out of this new iteration of Ravenloft.
The Space of Magic
A setting based in wildspace, a fantastical version of outer space based on classical notions of the universe in which magic-imbued ships interact with each other and locations in space, including campaign setting planets such as Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance, allowing for inter-campaign interaction. Throughout 3rd and 4th edition this campaign setting was not officially supported as a standalone campaign setting, but elements from the setting, such as spelljammer ships, were included in supplement materials. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space was released in 2022 as a sourcebook for 5th edition. This setting allowed players to explore the cosmos, traveling between different worlds and encountering a variety of creatures and cultures. The Spelljammer setting was known for its unique blend of fantasy and science fiction, and for its ability to connect different campaign settings through the use of magic-imbued ships. It provided a rich backdrop for adventures that required players to navigate a world where the laws of physics and magic were constantly shifting, and where the boundaries between different planes of existence were often blurred.
The Modern Fantasy
In 2003, Wizards of the Coast held a contest for fans to propose the most creative new setting, the reward being a publishing contract. Keith Baker's setting won, and with additional design by Wizards of the Coast's creative department, the Eberron campaign setting was released in 2004. Straying from the standard Western European flavor used in many other D&D settings such as Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms, Eberron takes place in a world of pulp action and fantasy noir with steampunk influences, where the inhabitants make extensive use of magic in place of technology, or technology powered by magical energies. Fantasy versions of steam trains, airships, and even robots are commonplace, mostly replacing the traditional medieval trope of knights in shining armor. This setting offered a fresh take on the fantasy genre, blending elements of pulp adventure, noir mystery, and steampunk technology. It provided a rich backdrop for adventures that required players to navigate a world where magic and technology coexisted, and where the boundaries between different genres were often blurred. The setting was known for its unique blend of fantasy and science fiction, and for its ability to connect different campaign settings through the use of magic-imbued ships.
The Living Jungle
A lesser known setting located south of Shou Lung in Kara-Tur, Malatra is a massive plateau containing a dense jungle environment. Loosely based on pre-colonial Indochina, Malatra is cut off from the rest of the world by distance, geography and powerful magic. Different races and variants of races from Forgotten Realms, Kara-Tur, and Spelljammer inhabit the plateau, and there is little in the form of technology. True gods, money, and books are all unheard of in the setting, as it is intended to have a more primitive feel and stress heroism. Malatra was created as a Living Setting for Polyhedron magazine, and used in organized play at conventions. Most of the information from the setting can be found in Polyhedron magazine starting with issue 102, with a number of adventures being released every year. The setting started during second edition in 1995 and continued to release more adventures regularly into third edition through 2003. In 2007 one final adventure using the 3.5 rules was created for the organized play circuit. This setting offered a unique take on the fantasy genre, focusing on the primitive and the heroic. It provided a rich backdrop for adventures that required players to navigate a world where the laws of magic and technology were different, and where the boundaries between different cultures were often blurred. The setting was known for its unique blend of fantasy and adventure, and for its ability to connect different campaign settings through the use of magic-imbued ships.