Is there, or will there ever be, a fucking campaign setting that goes on without going out of print and DOESN'T end up detailing the "area of the fantasy world that we swear we'll never detail so you the game-master can do it"?

I mean for fuck's sake, it ends up seeming like such an empty promise these days. It happened with Eberron; it happened with FR at least three times.  Why the fuck?

RPGPundit

Sorry not being a huge fan of either setting which ones have they detailed when they said they wouldn't.

Well Secrets of Xen'drik does put a few dots on the map but that's it. The rest is all examples of ruins and environments that you can drop in anywhere on the map. I don't know that they'll be smart enough to stop there.

But, I have absolutely no idea why the fuck. I can only guess that it's a marketing ploy from the beginning. We'll tell you that you have this whole area that you can do with what you want, make it sound really cool. Then come out with a book for it that's billed to be so awesome you won't be able to resist.... It's mind control.

Quote from: RPGPunditIs there, or will there ever be, a fucking campaign setting that goes on without going out of print and DOESN'T end up detailing the "area of the fantasy world that we swear we'll never detail so you the game-master can do it"?

I mean for fuck's sake, it ends up seeming like such an empty promise these days. It happened with Eberron; it happened with FR at least three times.  Why the fuck?

RPGPundit

There's a limit on how much you can wirte about a world without getting into areas you swore you'd never touch.

If you can't detail more world areas, you seem to have only the way of advancing events on game world... aka metaplot.

Quote from: RPGPunditWhy the fuck?

RPGPundit

Because fans of the setting will keep buying regarless of broken promises, I guess. I mean FR is a damn fine example of this.

Regards,
David R

So far, Kenzer hasn't developed the "game preserves" of Aldrazar (or Garweeze Wurld), the original default setting of HackMaster. There are two large areas of the world map marked out as being for individual gamemasters to develop, which Kenzerco has sworn they'd never develop. So far, they've kept this promise, but then again, their support for HackMaster in general has slowed to almost a halt.

Exalted.  Not a place so much, but events.  The game starts at a certain point and WW has said they will *never* put in a metaplot that moves things forward.   That's for the PCs to do.  There are events like the Time of Tumult adventures and the Autocthion invasion, but these are very much optional and (this is the important bit) later suppliments didn't assume that they had taken place.

Well, seriously, like Imperator said...  there comes a point where you either let the setting languish in no-support hell or you detail more.  Sure you can keep pumping out modules, but that's only going to take you so far.
The nature of gamers is that they want new stuff for whatever product line(s) they're interested in.  If you stop producing stuff, then the line 'feels' dead and forgotten.  In many cases I doubt it's a matter of hand-rubbing and evil chuckles as the ignorant saps keep throwing their hard-earned dollars into the devil's mouth while the lies told premeditatedly slip away.  
I mean...  sure it may suck to have those promises fall through, but if you find that you can't deal with a setting because it's too well-developed, that just sounds stupid to me, personally.
What other option would you suggest in addition to development or dead?

Quote from: WolvorineI mean...  sure it may suck to have those promises fall through, but if you find that you can't deal with a setting because it's too well-developed, that just sounds stupid to me, personally.

Count me as stupid then.  Some settings strike me as so crowded by official material that I can't fit my own work in them.

QuoteWhat other option would you suggest in addition to development or dead?

Stop making promises to the fans that you can't keep?

I don't really care if they publish books covering everthing in a setting. As long as the core campaign book doesn't go into too muc detail. They can publish as many supplements to the core book as they want for all I care. As with any game or setting, I'll use what I want and toss the rest.

Easy. Just pick a setting that isn't supported anymore. Eberron and FR really are exceptions, most other companies just don't have the resources to detail everything.

Some days (like, say, yesterday), I'm very tempted to grab the 1st Edition FR Boxed Set in one hand, Iron Gauntlets in the other, a bunch of dice in the third (don't ask), and pretend it's 1987 and I don't know a damned thing about Faerun 'cept what's in that box -- and whatever I come up with.

Quote from: WolvorineI mean...  sure it may suck to have those promises fall through, but if you find that you can't deal with a setting because it's too well-developed, that just sounds stupid to me, personally.
What other option would you suggest in addition to development or dead?

I have the same problem with over-developed settings. I like to create my own stuff, and many settings have no place to put them.

OTOH, I understand why. I regularly get bashed by reviewers for not putting enough setting info in my games. I want to leave them open, so people can fit their own stuff in, but apparently people like me - and jrients - are a dying breed.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceI have the same problem with over-developed settings. I like to create my own stuff, and many settings have no place to put them.

OTOH, I understand why. I regularly get bashed by reviewers for not putting enough setting info in my games. I want to leave them open, so people can fit their own stuff in, but apparently people like me - and jrients - are a dying breed.

-clash

Dying breed? Maybe. There seems to be only a few of us left...

Allowing a GM room to breathe is an aspect of good game designing that is often overlooked, in favour of...what's the word I'm looking for?...oh yes, profit.

Regards,
David R

Quote from: flyingmiceI want to leave them open, so people can fit their own stuff in, but apparently people like me - and jrients - are a dying breed.

Probably not.  That's how I like things.  I think the drop off in sales in a line is partially due to this (the otehr being people abandoning the line).  Some GMs buy the initial book on a setting and that's all they need for inspiration for their own campaign.

I'll occasionally buy deeper into a line if it directly corresponds with what I want to do.  Otherwise, I have no completist or collector instincts when it comes to game buying.

A peeve of mine that's related to the thread is lines that where later books that assume that you bought other books in the line dealing with big metaplot events and everything else in the line to get every spell and feature - the material only half matches the original source book and isn't very handy if you haven't bought deeply into the line.