What do you consider the best setting in RPG history?

There are just too many good ones to fairly choose the best i.e. Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Britannia, Midkemia, Morrowind, Fallout etc. If I had to choose one I would probably choose Dark Sun - something about eking out an existence in a harsh desert world just really appeals to me.

I don't know if it counts as a setting but the old Might and Magic maps just made my imagination run wild. You see a giant scorpion on the map in the desert, head in that direction, and you are fighting a giant scorpion boss.

Why's there a sword on the map in the mountains? Fighting trolls and giants for a powerful magic sword.

Spelljammer or Star Wars.

Originally Posted by Drithius
Planescape and Ptolus are pretty amazing as well - most stuff by Monte Cook.

Gimmee my Dark Space game, gorram it!

Originally Posted by JDR13
I'll have to disagree with you on that. Have you tried Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor – Martyr yet? It's pretty good, and I say that as someone who normally isn't a fan of Diablo clones.

I haven't, but I've peeked at it a few times. The story bits I've watched seem pretty on point to me. I should go check what it's at right now in the Steam sale.

No love for Arcanum's world?

Originally Posted by Dragonfly
No love for Arcanum's world?

My thought exactly when reading through the thread.

Arcanum, Numenera, Morrowind… all settings that aren't the usual high fantasy/low fantasy medieval. I appreciate a lot of games made in settings like Forgotten Realms, but the setting itself isn't that interesting to me. (There's few surprises).

Another nod to the Might and Magic maps. For me, even today the maps (what little there is) comes close to setting the mood for a gaming session. Another nod to the sunrise and sunsets in those games.

However for me the best RPG setting was Skyrim. It did not have the diversity of landscapes of some of the other great RPGS. But the multiple snow settings just kept me gaming for hours. And couple that with some stunning atmospheric background music and its like you are living in a movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyczq3l1yms


And finally I too would have to give a big thumps up to Morrowwind. The fantasy, alien and ancient dwarf locales were spectacular and no one has come close to making that compelling a setting with those weird combinations.

I have always like roman history so actually really found age of decadence a good setting set in a post apocalyptic roman world.

Other than that I really found the setting of tyranny fun too. Being part of an evil empire is really something that isn't done often.

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1. Planescape.
2. Ultima.
3. Tamriel.

a pibbur who thinks pibburworld is too realistic

Pibbur you changed names again ?

Originally Posted by Pladio
Pibbur you changed names again ?

Did he get infected by Dart?

Originally Posted by TomRon
I appreciate a lot of games made in settings like Forgotten Realms, but the setting itself isn't that interesting to me. (There's few surprises).

I bet many of the games you think are set in Forgotten Realms aren't actually set in the FR but are just cheap knock-offs cashing in on its brief periods of popularity. Unless you meant from years of playing p&p, of course.

The number of computer games actually set in FR are actually extremely small and amount to about five game series, none of which lasted for more than a few years. And most of which are chock full of surprises.

AFAIK the last FR game was nearly 15 years ago to-boot, meaning a whole generation of people hasn't even been given the opportunity to get bored of it yet.

Its not normally the original source people get tired of, it's usually just the fatigue generated by the unending crappy unofficial copy-cat cash-grabs.

You're might be right of course @lackblogger, but I was mainly referring to the BG games (Which together with the IW and NWN games are the only ones I know of set in that realm, making it 6 games in total). Although I love those games I still feel they are pretty typical High Fantasy? Of course additions like the Sphere in BG2 can make pretty much anything possible, I find I'm more fond of settings where I don't quite know what to expect.

Like in the Wizardry games where the Fantasy tropes are turned on their heads with Space ships. Or in Arcanum where technology and magic can't coexist, and the new world and the old are mutually exclusive. Or what the heck, Buck Rogers Pulp Sci Fi with Martians. Awesome.

Originally Posted by TomRon
You're might be right of course @lackblogger, but I was mainly referring to the BG games. And although I love those games I still feel they are pretty typical High Fantasy? Although of course additions like the Sphere in BG2 can make pretty much anything possible, I find I'm more fond of settings where I don't quite know what to expect.

What did you expect? Can you elaborate?

Originally Posted by lackblogger
What did you expect? Can you elaborate?

I don't mean the writing in those games isn't top notch, so of course there are surprises but only within the context of the story, not the setting. You expect to fight Dragons, Orcs and evil Sorcerers, and that's exactly what you get.

Of course the problem there isn't really the setting itself, but my familiarity with the setting. Playing something like PS:T or the newer Torment:TON I went in blind, which made everything more interesting because I had no idea what to expect.

Originally Posted by TomRon
I don't mean the writing in those games isn't top notch, so of course there are surprises but only within the context of the story, not the setting. You expect to fight Dragons, Orcs and evil Sorcerers, and that's exactly what you get.

Of course the problem there isn't really the setting itself, but my familiarity with the setting. Playing something like PS:T or the newer Torment:TON I went in blind, which made everything more interesting because I had no idea what to expect.

I don't recall any Orcs in Baldur's Gate 1?

I think you could choose to play as a half-orc? Which was original at the time?

Does Planescape not have Evil Sorcerers?

Originally Posted by TomRon
You're might be right of course but I was mainly referring to the BG games (Which together with the IW and NWN games are the only ones I know of set in that realm, making it 6 games in total).

I know it isn't really important for the discussion at hand but there are a ton more FR games, including the 4 "pools" Gold box game, the 2 savage frontier gold box, Hillsfar, Menzoberranzan (Using the ravenloft engine), the 3 eye of the beholder games, pools of radiance 2, Dungeon Hack, Al-Qadim, Sword coast legends, the BG Alliance games (2), Descent to Undermountain, Demonstone, Daggerdale, Tales from Candlekeep, Lords of Waterdeep (based on the boardgame) and a few more.

Originally Posted by bjon045
I know it isn't really important for the discussion at hand but there are a ton more FR games, including the 4 "pools" Gold box game, the 2 savage frontier gold box, Hillsfar, Menzoberranzan (Using the ravenloft engine), the 3 eye of the beholder games, pools of radiance 2, Dungeon Hack, Al-Qadim, Sword coast legends, the BG Alliance games (2), Descent to Undermountain, Demonstone, Daggerdale, Tales from Candlekeep, Lords of Waterdeep (based on the boardgame) and a few more.

I meant 6 that I knew of, I wasn't implying there weren't more but I never played the other ones.

Originally Posted by lackblogger
I don't recall any Orcs in Baldur's Gate 1?

I think you could choose to play as a half-orc? Which was original at the time?

Does Planescape not have Evil Sorcerers?

No orcs no, I was thinking of the Goblins. My bad. And yes, I don't mean it wasn't original in the sense of computer games, just in the sense that "standard Fantasy" (if there is such a thing) is no longer my preferred setting. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, but I find the less used ones (Cyberpunk, Steam Punk, Science Fantasy, Sci Fi etc.) more interesting. I still prefer Fantasy to realistic contemporary or historical settings.

In the end though, the setting isn't what makes or breaks a game, it's what the developers actually do with it. It's not like I would ever skip a game based only on the setting.