What do you consider the best setting in RPG history?

TomRon said:

No orcs no, I was thinking of the Goblins.

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I think the closest thing to Orcs in Baldurs Gate are Ogrillons (orc-ogre mix). That kind of counts.

I forgot to add this one little setting . . . in Gothic 4 (don't hate)
This game had the most spectacular sunrises and the developers knew it. They even had one scene where two goblins are sitting next to each other or a cliff, apparently holding hands and enjoying the sight. And as the ehhhh . . . adventurer that I am, I slaughtered them where they sat.

The next day (real life time) I was once again enjoying and watching the sunrise and an over whelming sense of guilt came over me for the needless slaughter I dealt out the day before.

So as the fair minded near god that I was. I went back in time and replayed that section. And just left them alone as the lovers sat and enjoyed the view off the cliff. I had to purposely avoid the area to not let their automatic battle urges kick in. And finally near games end, I checked in on the lovers and they were still siting on the cliff.

The game as a whole was Gothic in name only and in its own right the game was just okay. However, that one sunrise setting, with two goblin people looking and lost in the beauty was perhaps for me the most awesome singular setting moment I had even encountered.

I personally have to vote for the setting of The Witcher.

I don't care much for the second and third title of the game. But damn I liked the setting. I'm mostly influenced by the books though, when it comes to the actual world. To me that world is interesting even if you remove Geralt, his friends and their plot altogether.

Arcanum and Morrowind would be second and third.
Morrowind I think was mostly interesting to me because Dunmer Society was well done and the island was a very interesting place to explore by itself. I don't care that much about the rest oft TES lore.

Forgotten realms used to be a big favorite until I read an Ed Greenwood Novel (Death Masks). Still can not believe what I read. I love pulp, but that was garbage. That (and the inconsistent lore) ruined the setting for me.

This is a tough one for me, as there are many good options. Here's a few that I would like to highlight:

• Star Wars: Always a favorite of mine
• Mass Effect: The setting we see in the 1st game blew me away. Amazing. Sadly, the series changed to focus almost entirely on characters. It's still fun, but the setting suffered.
• Jade Empire: It's not nearly fleshed out enough, so it probably shouldn't even be mentioned, but I would have loved to see more of it. It grabbed me from the start.
• Gothic: Not the most original setting ever, but it really works for me. It's probably more down to the atmosphere than the actual setting itself though. From a lore point of view, it's not that interesting.
• Enroth: Excellent setting, especially since it can be explored from both a strategy (HoMM2 and 3) and a roleplaying (MM6, 7 and 8) point of view. The way the story and setting is woven together over the course of five games is exceptional. Warcraft had the potential to do the same, but there's been far too much retconning over the years. I've given up on the lore by now.

Morrowind, absolutely. The blend of colonialism, a truly alien fantasy world and the plotline of men turning themselves into gods... it all captivated me so much, and still does when I replay it. When you're walking in a city and see the old architecture mixed with the new Imperial camps and read the dialog about strife between the factions... it just ropes me in every time.

Second one I think of is Fallout, especially 1, 2 and New Vegas as a trilogy. Post-apocalypse is kind of tired, but the kitschy alternate future 50's style vibes are super cool and make it feel unique.

Arcanum mentioned above is a GREAT pick as well. I want to replay that soon, and maybe if I had recently it would be my number one or two. Just such a great mix of fantasy and steampunk, with a soundtrack to match and writing that truly commits to the setting.