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A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. The history of role-playing games begins with an earlier tradition of Role-playing, which combined with the rulesets of Fantasy wargames in the 1970s to give rise to Role-playing game terms are words used in a specific sense ( terms) in the context of Role-playing games This includes both terms used within RPGs to describe in-game A role-playing game theory is an academic or critical study of Role-playing games (RPGs as a social or artistic phenomenon A role-playing game system is a set of Game mechanics used in a Role-playing game (RPG This is a list of individuals that Design Role-playing games, including Live-action role-playing games but excluding computer and console This list includes manufacturers of Card games Board games miniatures games wargames Role-playing games and Collectible card games This is a list of Role-playing games (RPGs by name. For a list subdivided by Genre, see List of role-playing games by genre. This is a list of Role-playing games subdivided by Genre (although many games do not fit clearly into one genre or another A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with unique background elements such as an imaginary history or geography and possibly fantasy or science In Fiction, the setting of a story includes the time location and circumstances in which it takes place A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. A wargame is a Game that simulates or represents a Military operation. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place. See also Campaign setting. In Role-playing games, a campaign' is a continuing storyline or set of adventures typically An adventure is either a Published or otherwise written collection of plot character and location details used by a Gamemaster to manage the plot or Usually a campaign setting is designed for a specific game (such as the Forgotten Realms setting for Dungeons & Dragons) or a specific genre of game (such as Medieval fantasy, or outer space/science fiction adventure). The Forgotten Realms is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D Fantasy Role-playing game, created by Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by There are numerous campaign settings available both in print and online. In addition to published campaign settings available for purchase, many game masters create their own setting, often referred to as a "homebrew" setting or world. A Gamemaster or Game Master (often abbreviated as GM) is a player in a multiplayer Game who acts as organizer arbitrator and officiant in rules situations
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Types of setting
- See also: History of role-playing games
The use of the term "world" in describing a campaign setting is loose, at best. The history of role-playing games begins with an earlier tradition of Role-playing, which combined with the rulesets of Fantasy wargames in the 1970s to give rise to Campaign worlds such as the World of Greyhawk detail entire cosmologies and timelines of thousands of years, while the setting of a game such as Deadlands might only describe one nation within a brief segment of alternate history. Greyhawk, also known as the World Deadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history Roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction
There are three primary types of campaign setting. The first exists in genre- and setting-specific role-playing games such as Warhammer or World of Darkness which exist specifically within one setting. A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (abbreviated to WFRP or WHFRP) is a Role-playing game set in the Warhammer Fantasy The World of Darkness (or WoD) is the name given to three related but distinct Fictional universes The first was conceived by Mark Rein-Hagen, while the The second type of setting is for games that have multiple settings such as modern Dungeons & Dragons or those that were developed specifically to be independent of setting such as GURPS. The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, commonly known as GURPS, is a Role-playing game system designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming The final type of setting is developed without being tied to a particular game system. Typically this last sort are developed first as stand-alone works of fiction, which are later adapted to one or more role playing systems such as the Star Wars universe or Middle-earth, though there are a few exceptions of settings which were designed explicitly for role playing gaming, but without a specific system in mind, such as Hârn. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J Hârn is a world designed for use in Fantasy Role-playing games (FRPGs
Setting genres have touched on every genre of high-action fictional storytelling from role-playing's roots in fantasy to science fiction in settings such as Traveller to horror in the World of Darkness. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Traveller is a series of related Science fiction Role-playing games the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Even modern-day spy thriller-oriented settings such as Spycraft have been introduced. The Genre of spy fiction —sometimes called political thriller or spy thriller or sometimes shortened simply to Spy-fi —arose before Spycraft is a d20 -based Role-playing game dealing with superspies and modern action
A small number of campaign settings fuse two or more genres in a single game. GURPS Infinite Worlds, for example, the characters play "Infinity Patrol" agents who travel to alternate worlds. GURPS Infinite Worlds is a supplement for the Fourth Edition of the GURPS Role-playing game, published by Steve Jackson Games in Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own
Fantasy
Fantasy settings draw their inspiration almost exclusively from fantasy literature, such as the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard. Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, The setting in these games is usually a world with a level of technology similar to that of medieval Europe. Fantasy elements include magic and supernatural/mythological creatures, such as dragons, elves, and orcs. Some Role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the Paranormal sense The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming Orc (OR'k is a word used to refer to a race of various tough and warlike humanoid creatures in various Fantasy settings appearing originally in the stories
The very first role-playing settings from the late 1960s and early 1970s (World of Greyhawk, and Blackmoor) were based in the fantasy genre, primarily based on the popularity of fantasy works by authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Greyhawk, also known as the World Blackmoor is a Fantasy Role-playing game Campaign setting generally associated with the game Dungeons & Dragons. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Over the decades since, fantasy role-playing has evolved and expanded tremendously, even developing its own sub-genres. The genre can be subdivided into high fantasy where supernatural events are commonplace, and low fantasy where there are few or no supernatural aspects. High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of Fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. Low fantasy is an Umbrella term, describing various works within different sub-genres of Fantasy, to contrast specific works with High fantasy
While pure fantasy games were initially popular, games such as Ars Magica popularized the notion of fantasy set within elements of real-world history. Ars Magica is also the title of a book by Judith Tarr. Ars Magica is a Role-playing game set in Mythic Europe Later games would update this concept even further, bringing fantasy gaming into the present day in a genre known as urban fantasy (e. Urban fantasy is a subset of Contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary real-world urban settings--as opposed to 'traditional' g. Mage: The Ascension) or even into the future by combining urban fantasy with cyberpunk (e. Mage The Ascension is a Role-playing game based in the old World of Darkness, and was published by White Wolf Game Studio. Cyberpunk is a Science fiction genre noted for its focus on " High tech and low life. g. Shadowrun). Shadowrun is a pen-and-paper Role-playing game set in an imaginary future where huge corporations control the lives of their employees and the return of magic has Even when the main setting of a game is not taken directly from the history of our world, they still tend to draw heavily on historical models, though distorted by the presence of magic; also, as gods often have direct and tangible interations with the world, religion tends to be very unlike our world.
Because the world's most popular roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, is part of the fantasy genre, fantasy is also the most played roleplaying genre. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by RPGs of the fantasy genre are sometimes collectivelly called "Fantasy roleplaying games" ("FRP").
See Category:Fantasy roleplaying games
Science fiction
Science fiction settings are inspired by science fiction literature. The setting is generally in the future, sometimes near future but also quite often in the far future, though in many cases the setting bears no connection to the world we live in, e. g. Star Wars. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Common elements involve futuristic technology, contact with alien life forms, experimental societies, and space travel. Psionic abilities (i. e. ESP and telekinesis) often take the place of magic. Extrasensory perception (ESP is the apparent ability to acquire information by Paranormal means independent of any known physical Senses or deduction from previous The term psychokinesis (from the Greek ψυχή, "psyche" meaning mind soul heart or breath; and κίνησις, "kinesis" The genre can be divided similarly with science fiction literature into sub-genres, such as cyberpunk or space opera. Cyberpunk is a Science fiction genre noted for its focus on " High tech and low life. Space opera is a subgenre of Speculative fiction or Science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often Melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely Science fiction is the second most played genre after fantasy. Cooperative roleplaying can be a seed for the culture of international cooperation too. The experience of virtual "classical" roleplaying in 2050 helps the main hero of "Otherland", a book by Tad Williams, to gather partners and to solve a major challenge for the future of humankind.
Science fiction settings for role playing were first introduced in 1977 with the publication of Traveller, a space opera-oriented game whose Third Imperium setting covered multiple worlds and alien races. Space opera is a subgenre of Speculative fiction or Science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often Melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial Due to the success of Star Wars, and the impact that the franchise had on popular culture, many science fiction settings were introduced or adapted, especially during the 1980s. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded The scope of a science fiction setting is typically larger than that of a fantasy setting, encompassing multiple worlds or even entire galaxies. Such settings often involve detailed accounts of military and/or trading operations and organizations.
Gamma World, introduced in 1978, explored the replacement of traditional elements of fantasy settings with the pseudo-scientific elements of post-apocalyptic fiction. Gamma World is a Science fantasy Role-playing game, originally designed by James M Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the These settings lend themselves to the "adventuring" mode of most fantasy games, and thus focus on developing specific locations and loosely defined cultural or racial groups.
See Category:Science fiction roleplaying games
Historical
Historical settings take place in the past. Because historical games often overlap the fantasy genre, a distinguishing mark is that fantasy games are set on a "fantasy world" similar to but distinct from Earth, while historical games are set in the past of Earth. Settings that have been explored in roleplaying games include Pendragon (Arthurian), Sengoku (Japanese warring states), Recon (Vietnam War), Tibet (historical Tibet), and Fantasy Imperium (historical Europe). The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the Legends that concern the Celtic and legendary History of Great Britain, especially those Sengoku Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan is a Samurai Role-playing game, created by Anthony J Recon is a Role playing game. The game system is set during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Tibet The Roleplaying Game is an independently published Historical fantasy Role-playing game by Brian St Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Fantasy Imperium, An Interactive Storytelling game of Historical Fantasy is a Role-playing game written by Mark O'Bannon and published by Shadowstar
The roleplaying game Ars Magica is one such 'historical' game, set in what its source materials call 'Mythic Europe': while history is generally accepted to unfold as depicted in real-world historical accounts, Ars Magica presents a detailed background for its setting, tying the existence of magic, wizards and the Faerie realms into a historical context while allowing for 'fantasy' elements to come into play.
See Category:Historical roleplaying games
Horror
Horror settings take their inspiration from horror literature. Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Horror role-playing can be divided into two major groups.
Modern horror settings such as Call of Cthulhu were first introduced in the early 1980s, creating a hybrid of fantasy horror and modern thrillers. Call of Cthulhu is a Horror fiction Role-playing game based on H These settings tend to focus on organizations and societies in which generally normal people fight against malevolent supernatural entities. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events Such games often are structured as a straightforward "monster hunt", though Call of Cthulhu also involves a great deal of investigation and clue-finding. Call of Cthulhu is a Horror fiction Role-playing game based on H
The second style of horror game reverses the roles, with the player characters being such supernatural creatures as vampires and werewolves. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living See also Lycanthropy (disambiguation Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to This second style was popularized by White Wolf's Vampire: the Masquerade. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, Vampire The Masquerade was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness live-action A series of games by the same company followed, sharing a setting called the World of Darkness, which is collectively the most popular horror-themed role-playing setting, and the second most popular role-playing ruleset and setting, after Dungeons and Dragons. The World of Darkness (or WoD) is the name given to three related but distinct Fictional universes The first was conceived by Mark Rein-Hagen, while the Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by
The setting in both these styles of horror games is often contemporary, between the 19th century and the current day. Creating the correct mood and air of suspense is very important in these games.
Some elements of fantasy role-playing settings were often related to the horror genre. Vampires and ghosts are typical fare in most such settings, for example. Campaign settings that combine horror and fantasy elements on an even footing include the Dungeons & Dragons settings Ravenloft and Ghostwalk. Ravenloft is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game. Ghostwalk is a setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game similar to Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance. The D&D Heroes of Horror sourcebook also provides ways to emphasize horror elements within a more typical fantasy milieu. Heroes of Horror (ISBN 0-7869-3699-1 is a hardcover supplement to the Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing game, version 3
See Category:Horror roleplaying games
Humor
Humor games are based on creating situations which are funny or have a funny premise. Humor is not usually a genre in itself (although it can be), but a modifier added to other genres. In 1983 Bureau 13 introduced humorous modern horror/fantasy gaming. In 1984, the Paranoia game introduced a science fiction setting which used a post-apocalypse world in which to set a tongue-in-cheek game of futile struggle against a computer-controlled dictatorship. Paranoia is a humorous Role-playing game set A dictatorship is usually defined as an autocratic Form of government in which the Government is ruled by a Dictator. Humorous settings for multiple genres have since been released. Humorous settings typically develop few if any locations and organizations, focusing instead on specific characters of note and general tone.
See Category:Comedy roleplaying games
Multi-genre
Multi-genre games that mix elements of different genres together. For example, Deadlands presents a Wild West in which elements of horror and magic are prevalent, and Castle Falkenstein presents a Victorian-era world with Jules Verne- and H.G. Wells-inspired technology alongside fantasy elements like magics and the denizens of Faerie. Deadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history Roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres Castle Falkenstein (abbreviated CF) is a Steampunk -themed Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG designed by Mike Pondsmith Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Jules Gabriel Verne ( February 8 1828 &ndash March 24 1905) was a French Author who pioneered the science-fiction Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political Likewise, the superhero genre typically emulates the comic book universes such as the DC and Marvel Universes as a form of science fantasy set in contemporary setting where all fantastic elements from futuristic technology to mythic beings co-exist. A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative The DC Universe ( DCU) is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place Science fantasy is a mixed Genre of story which contains some Science fiction and some Fantasy elements
Licensed
Licensed games are tie-ins to larger media franchises. A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing such as a movie or Video / DVD, Computer game, Video game They were once rare but the number of these games is increasing. Licensed games are usually considered part of their franchise's genre rather than a genre in and of themselves. Many licensed products are now defunct because of license expiration, while others such as Blood of Heroes take a system designed for a licensee's game world and create a new world to match it.
See also
- Fantasy world
- List of campaign settings
- List of fictional universes
- Campaign (role-playing games)
- Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings
References
External links
- the Campaign Builders' Guild - A community of world builders and campaign builders for role playing games. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games The List of campaign settings is a listing of published Role-playing game Campaign settings Several of the listed settings are Literary and This is a list of Fictional universes, organized by Genre and by sub-genre See also Campaign setting. In Role-playing games, a campaign' is a continuing storyline or set of adventures typically The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons rules means that Dungeon Masters are free to create their own fantasy Campaign settings For those who wanted a
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