Me too, especially since Eberron was basically designed around the 3E rules- developed to showcase them in a way that other worlds really haven't.
I think 4e will have a brand new setting as its base world.
The Oriental Adventures setting used for 3E is called Rokugan (L5R setting).
I like the idea of the Known World (Mystara) as the Flagship of BECMI D&D. IMO only Eberron rivals how closely tied to the ruleset our setting really is. (said the guy who has ported the setting to Immortals know how many systems..)
Havard
I think 4e will have a brand new setting as its base world.
From the sound of things, they're still planning on using key Greyhawk colloquialisms for 4E- Gods names, etc (there's a recent thread noting that Asmodeus is being upgraded to god status with a symbol and all for 4E, though I can't recall if he's originally Greyhawkian or not).
Given that, and what seems to me to be more of an emphasis on dungeon style play and encounters, I'd guess that the core is going to be pretty much campaign free, and be more about just encounters, with any sort of campaign worlds to be explored on their own merit.
Just the impression I get.
1st Ed Battlesystem: none (or Bloodstone Pass)
Battlesystem didn't have a dedicated setting -- Bloodstone Pass is part of FR, but Battlesystem stats appear also in other settings, IIRC.
When TSR tried a setting more closely tied to war and rulership (Birthright), they didn't use Battlesystem.
2nd Ed AD&D, kit system: Red Steel (or should have been)
Red Steel was not the only setting that made heavy use of kits, though it was one of the two (the other being Al Qadim) that made a good use of them.
However, kits were never part of the core rules, and both these settings were very niche-oriented (Al Qadim was originally designed to be limited to a few books only, but apparently it was popular enough, and more were written).
2nd Ed AD&D,Historical Resources: none (a true shame)
There was no need, since the historical resources were basically set in the real world (or something close enough).
3rd Oriental Adventures: (name forgotten - Five Rings)
Rokugan, IIRC.
I'm not familiar with operations of Birthright and Planescape to know if there were significant rules concepts to warrant an edition stamp or if they too were just niche-flavored.
Birthright, as said above, was designed with its own rules subset for dominion management -- basically a simplified version of the Companion rules -- and mass combat system, as well as a number of other Birthright specific rules.
Very niche-oriented, had only some success in semi-strategic PbeM games.
Planescape has no special rules tied to it. Actually, Planescape books are generally as rules free as possible.
4th probably needs its own go-to campaign world. The only flagship for different editions was the Known World - but there the rules evolution was mostly accretional (CMI) or compilation (RC). [Of course, many folks distinguish pre-Gaz Known World from Gaz-era KW]
Any thoughts?
For the very limited bits I've seen in the design articles, 4e seems to be going to be quite incremental w.r.t. 3e. If so, sticking to the current settings may be an option.
Dragonlance and Ravenloft are somewhat likely to reappear, IMO, most likely as single-book releases -- Dragonlance because of the popularity of the books, Ravenloft because it fits nicely a very focused niche.
Same for Oriental Adventures.
As for the other settings, I don't think there will be any release for them -- new settings are more likely.
GP
(there's a recent thread noting that Asmodeus is being upgraded to god status with a symbol and all for 4E, though I can't recall if he's originally Greyhawkian or not).
Isn't he, ehmm, from the "real" world? At least in hebrew Ashmedai is sometimes synonymous with satan. Other times he is thought as a seperate being and he helped solomon built THE temple (and a lot of good did that do for us, I guess he was a devil after all).
Isn't he, ehmm, from the "real" world? At least in hebrew Ashmedai is sometimes synonymous with satan. Other times he is thought as a seperate being and he helped solomon built THE temple (and a lot of good did that do for us, I guess he was a devil after all).
Yes, several of the Nine are directly taken from the RW (Dispater, Mephistopheles). Baator itself is Dante's Inferno.
GP
Yes, several of the Nine are directly taken from the RW (Dispater, Mephistopheles). Baator itself is Dante's Inferno.
I don't know 3e's current listing, but all of the old rulers and dukes of the Nine Hells were taken from RW mythology, theology, and the Inferno. Most of the old MMI and MMII named demons are as well, with a few Greyhawk fiends thrown in. Even the type-fiends were predominantly historical (lemurs(?), succubi, incubi, etc). The daemons, on the other hand, were mostly invented, with Charon a notable counterexample.
Tying this back to the thread's flagships and edition concept, if you laid Greyhawk-proper aside, early 1E was stylistically very much about the real world - literature, religion, culture. Your generic 1E campaign was a world that almost could have been.
Dang, I feel like having a sit on the porch with Otus's pipe-smoking pixie
-OldDawg
I don't know 3e's current listing, but all of the old rulers and dukes of the Nine Hells were taken from RW mythology, theology, and the Inferno. Most of the old MMI and MMII named demons are as well, with a few Greyhawk fiends thrown in. Even the type-fiends were predominantly historical (lemurs(?), succubi, incubi, etc). The daemons, on the other hand, were mostly invented, with Charon a notable counterexample.
Uhm... AFAIK, Malagard, Levistus and Fierna have little, if any, links to RW mythology.
GP
Uhm... AFAIK, Malagard, Levistus and Fierna have little, if any, links to RW mythology.
Okay, those aren't, but they also aren't 1E figures. Consider this list of RW figures (and their sources)
The Nine Hells
Avernus (Roman): Tiamat (Babylo-Sumerian), Bel (Semitic)
Dis: Dispater (roman)
Minauros (old name??): Mammon (Caananite)
Phlegethos: Belial (Caananite)
Stygia (Greek): was Geryon (Greek)
Malbolge: Moloch (Semitic)
Cania: Mephistopheles (Greco-Roman)
Nessus: Asmodeus (Judeo-Christian, also Paradise Lost)
Beelzebub was in there somewhere, too.
Lemure (roman)
Erinyes (Greco-roman)
Major Planes
Baator > The Nine Hells (Dante)
Gehenna (Judaic history)
Hades (Greek)
Carceri > Tarterus (Greek)
Abyss (Judeo-Christian, Revelations)
Most daemon/Yugoloth names are disease-inspired
the Abyss
Cambion (medieval legend)
Succubus (medieval)
Incubus (medieval)
Mane (greco-roman)
Baphomet (Knights Templar)
Dagon (Semitic)
Demogorgon (Paradise Lost)
Kostchtchie (from Koschei the Deathless, Russian)
Orcus (Roman)
Pazuzu (Mesopotamian)
Astaroth (demonology)
Azael/Azazel (Judaic)
Abraxas (gnostic-Egyptian)
Haagenti (demonology)
There were a lot of made-up things as well, but the early editions had a strong foundation in RW lore.
-OldDawg
Most daemon/Yugoloth names are disease-inspired
Really. That's an interesting concept... mind's a churning now...
Baator > The Nine Hells (Dante)
Gehenna (Judaic history)
Hades (Greek)
Carceri > Tarterus (Greek)
Abyss (Judeo-Christian, Revelations)
Pandemonium and Acheron as well (both are Greek or Greco-Roman).
GP