One Setting to Rule Them All

There is something special about starting a new campaign, the opening of possibilities, the nearly limitless directions it can go, and the chance to try something new. Unfortunately, I have had far too many campaign starts in recent years. Part of this is because of GM ADD, part just the way things play out. I am a tough GM who doesn't shirk from killing a PC, or a whole party if that's how it falls out. Still, I have seen lots of campaigns come crashing down, and its time to have at least one keep going.
One way to break this chain is to learn to focus, not just in what campaigns I run, but what I purchase. Partially it’s a problem with being in the RPG industry, I get exposed to so many new games, and I want to play them all. There are games I have to buy and read for work, there are ones I am sent for review, and there are ones I hear about because I need to keep my ear to the ground and look for trends in the industry. This is a lot of exposure, and it should be no wonder that I dream up at least the seed of a new campaign about every two to three days. On top of this, when I have spare cash, or it’s a gift receiving event (like my upcoming birthday), those who are close to me know I want games.
I have tried a variety of techniques to push myself to focus, ranging from trying to stick to one system to choosing campaigns that can branch across multiple genres (usually through world hopping). In the end, none of them have worked. The next game book shows up and I'm off on a new campaign. Really, it's just a matter of willpower, of telling myself to keep on task. The real hard part is I feel like I have disappointed my players by pulling the rug out form under them. It should be no wonder that many of those who regularly play with me have stopped putting a lot of effort into creating well-rounded PCs with back-stories and plot hooks. Why should they when the campaign will only last a few sessions?
To aid in keeping things on the straight and narrow, and building a long-term campaign, I am focusing this year on one setting, the Forgotten Realms. It is a huge setting, one of the largest in the hobby, with plenty of room to run several campaigns in. Plus, it spans several editions of Dungeons and Dragons, and between that and my general disregard for system, there is plenty of options available. I could use BRP, Barbarians of Lemuria, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, Swords and Wizardry, or even XDM.
Weekly Pathfinder is now going to be set in the Realms a few years after the Time of Troubles. We are going to be joining a caravan running from the Dales to Waterdeep, and passing through Sembia, Cormyr, the Western Heartlands, and up the Sword Coast. Lots of adventure there, and the PCs may drop out of the caravan at anytime (though this may cause some problems with the caravan master). My monthly game is already in the Realms, and the PCs are oWoD splats trapped in the Literary Realm of the Umbra. All they have to do to get out is finish the story, which considering they are in the AD&D 2e version of the Realms means they need to do the whole adventurer to ruler path. Encounters this season is also based in the Realms, though it’s the 4e iteration, which I know little about (I may pick up the books, but I doubt it, 2e is the Realms for me and frankly, I have a hard time with settings changing).
In addition to the various FR game books, I have two other outlets for my year of the Realms. First, there are a ton of FR novels, some at the library, some on my bookshelf, and more that I can cheaply purchase at used bookstores. I don’t often read fiction, but when I get the urge I can go Realms, which is good because fiction tends to strongly color my gaming choices. Finally, FR ties in with Spelljammer, so there is always that to add in. Unless I want them to wander into Ravenloft.

I Love Fantasy

It is by far my favorite genre for role-playing, one that I only rarely get tired of, and even then it's not long before I want to get back in the saddle. This is not to say that I don't love other genres, I do. Horror can be awesome, and I can even get into some super-hero stuff every now and then. Sci-fi is also great, and of course historical is my go to. But even then, my historical games tend to be history plus elements of fantasy. I just simply adore games with magic and monsters. I really don’t care if they are set on Athas or Middle-Earth, modern Chicago or Ancient Rome, give me some spell casters and some nasties, plus as many of the other trappings as you can fit in, and I am a happy gamer.
Its not just the trappings of the fantasy genre I love, it’s the themes, the supernatural, multiple intelligent species, a strong inspiration from mythology and folklore, and heroes defeating villains. There is a lot of overlap with other genres, and that is one of the things I love the most. Star Wars is fantasy, just set long, long ago with robots, spaceships, and aliens. It is the journey of the hero, complete with magic, evil that is outright evil, and not the run of the mill realistic evil either, and even swords! Fantasy is a very flexible genre, and includes hundreds if not thousands of sub-genres. Dresden Files is as much fantasy as Forgotten Realms, after all.
I really don’t care that much about what system gets used, I have tried so many fantasy systems that do the job nicely, especially with regards to a specific subgenre. Pendragon is a fine fantasy system for historical games set in the Arthurian mythos. I wouldn't want to use it for dungeon crawling classic fantasy, however. Not that it couldn't be adapted, it can and I have, but there are other systems that do it better. World of Darkness both new and old are not expressly fantasy games, though they certainly have many of the trappings and themes. Both of these systems can be readily adapted to a range of fantasy subgenres, some more than others (I am looking at you Werewolf and Mage). True, all the World of Darkness material can be used for other genres, most notably horror, but they also contain many fantasy elements, and its how you run the game that defines the genre, at least in this case, and not so much how the game is written.
My favorite systems for fantasy are the classics, Dungeons and Dragons and its successors. They all do the traditional fantasy well, though they vary in their performance regarding subgenres (D&D 4e more so than the earlier editions is the most laser focused on one subgenre). However, I also enjoy the freedom of generic systems to write by own subgenre, especially with GURPS and BRP. This is not to discount some of the rogue systems out there that do fantasy, and do it well. Barbarians of Lemuria is my go to for swords and sorcery style fantasy. Ars magica isn’t so much a system as a historical fantasy setting, and a good one at that. I wouldn't mind giving Legends of Anglerre a shot again, only do it differently this time and stick to a more structured setting and plot.
I recently picked up Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion and would love to run a fantasy campaign using that, but alas my gaming groups have solid campaigns going that my players and I enjoy, so there is no new campaign in sight. Well, honestly, its just a matter of time before I kill them all or one PC makes a glaring mistake that takes them all down.