Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

Isaac Shaker
  • 5.0 (3)
  • FICTION
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Welcome to Setting the Stage, a podcast where I, Isaac Shaker, will talk about different campaign settings for roleplaying games. I'll talk about established settings, either those made for D&D, like Faerun and Greyahwk, or those that are adapted for it, like Middle-Earth, and Westeros. I'll also interview members of the D&D community who have created their own campaign worlds. This is a chance for the guest to show off what they’ve made, explain challenges they’ve overcome, and discuss paths that didn’t work for them when creating their campaign setting. Our homebrew worlds often get no attention outside of our own play groups, so this is a way to present a DM’s hard work to a wider audience. This wouldn't be possible without the amazing D&D community and I'm looking forward to interviewing you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 63 - John and Dalteria

    3D AGO

    63 - John and Dalteria

    John tells us about his setting and TTRPG system he's developing, Dalteria. Dalteria the world was originally lifeless. Long ago on Earth, magic existed. When God flooded Earth, the wizards took all the magic with them. Noah built his ark while the wizards left Earth to settle and terraform Dalteria with their magic. Millenia later the people of Earth advanced enough to develop colonization starships. One of these colonies made it to Dalteria, but were not received peacefully. The resulting war eventually resolved and the current timeline is set 400 years afterwards. Regular animals and plants have largely died out and been replaced by magical or technological horrors. People cluster into cities that are protected by technology or magic to keep themselves safe from the monsters that cover the planet's surface. PCs take on the role adventurers going outside the safety of cities for various tasks. The system is still in the early stages of development. Players choose tech or magic for their power sets (or both, but they don't play well together). The main stats are Body, Mind, and Spirit. There are six kinds of magic for casting spells. Monsters somewhat match up to these stats with base monsters being modified by different types of magic or technology to make something more interesting and threatening. You can follow along at Dalteria's Discord server: https://discord.gg/WPcNGpDFxt Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SettingtheStage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 9m
  2. 62 - Deor and Black Noon

    AUG 13

    62 - Deor and Black Noon

    Deor tells us about his game system and setting, Black Noon. Interesting fact about Deor is that he has never GMed a game of his own. Black Noon should end up very player-facing in how its written and how it plays. The Black Noon system is a 2d6 system. Rolls are modified by adding more dice or with bigger modifiers. When adding more dice you always select the best two dice from the bunch (or worst two if you're receiving a penalty). The system is still in early development, but is shaping into being class-based. Black Noon's setting is a place for pirates and cowboys. A new continent has been discovered across the western ocean. Two major powers are at odds to control the new discovery. The first of these powers is an analogous combination of Britain, the United States, and Venice. A mercantile focused democratic nation. The second power is analogous to the Spanish Empire. A religious monarchy. The two powers must contend with a third rebellious element, pirate cowboys! The land and seas are threatened by pirate cowboys that ride on running and swimming capybara-like mounts. Nowhere on land is safe and ships that sail too close to the shore are at risk of being overwhelmed by pirate cowboys taking to the sea on their swimming mounts to raid and pillage. The players must decide whether to join or defend against the pirate cowboy menace. Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SettingtheStage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
  3. 61 - Helix and RPG Major

    JUL 30

    61 - Helix and RPG Major

    Today's guest is Helix, the GM of the actual play podcast, RPG Major. RPG Major is a detective show in a fantasy version of modern Seattle. The show is half RPG/half musical improv, setting it apart from many other actual plays. The game is run using the Genesys system. Every few minutes a song drops in to cover the group's activities and emotions. The whole show is accompanied by live acoustic guitar music. There's a little chord the guitarist plays whenever the dice are rolled or a bad thing happens. Great, easy listening. The world is much like our own, but with more fantasy creatures right on the surface of the public eye. Creatures are everywhere if you know where to look, but most people simply don't look. History remains similar to our Earth, with no fantastical events or magic in the last few centuries. All the satyrs, dryads, fairies, and ogres have gone into hiding. And when a problem with the fantastical world emerges, who you gonna call? Not the Ghostbusters, but Thorn Investigations! The PCs play the members of the new detective agency, Thorn Investigations, which helps the people of Foxglove (fantasy Seattle) whenever a supernatural issue arises. RPG Major Links Website: https://www.rpgmajor.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5VJkfQ5Rm2KimYsCpOOUOs Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rpg-major/id1766663794 Discord: https://discord.gg/HXNRZqZxAE Helix and I also briefly discussed the Filipino monster, the Manananggal, and the Filipino actual play podcast, the Blades of Mayari. You can check them out using the hyperlinks to learn more. Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    3 hr
  4. 60 - Todd and Skjaald Sagas

    JUL 16

    60 - Todd and Skjaald Sagas

    Todd tells us about his world, Skjaald, and his fantasy TTRPG system he's designing for it called Skjaald Sagas. The main continent for Skjaald is Driktsuung, a place with varied biomes similar to North America. The people of Driktsuung are divided into the Six Realms with different governmental structures for each Realm. All the typical fantasy races are present with a few twists. Magic is deeply connected to the soul in Skjaald, causing changes in the nature of all magical creatures. Dragons are the most affected as they are beings of almost pure magic. Magic also acts as a form of radiation that slowly turns spellcasters into draconic beings. The Skjaald Sagas system grew out of D&D with d20 resolution and class-like choices based off different personality types called archetypes. Examples include Fighter, Protector, Cleric, Thinker, Coward, and Leader. You roll using your attributes which are also increased through usage. Thus if you want to be a better melee attacker, you either have to attack during combat or state that my character is practicing during downtime. Higher attributes that are associated with a certain archetype allow you to increase the stage of the archetype and unlock new abilities. The point based system allows for easy movement between the different archetypes as your character grows through play. Skjaald Sagas Links: World Anvil: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/skjaald-todd-cain Playtest Materials Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z8BvQk-F7BI6xQtWu7ZwMEMk91bbDujHtZ85kYQ4gwo/edit?usp=sharing I mentioned Elfquest while talking with Todd about the elves in Skjaald. If you'd like to try Elfquest most of the comics are available through a reader on the creators' website: https://elfquest.com/reading-room/ Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2h 34m
  5. 59 - Ryan and Ethereal

    JUL 2

    59 - Ryan and Ethereal

    Ryan is designing a TTRPG system and setting called Ethereal. In the setting all cryptids like Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster, and Mothman are real. An international government organization known as the Beacon exists to control these cryptids and keep them away from humanity. The players act as agents of the Beacon, solving different cryptid crises in an X-Files or Men in Black fashion. The stories take place during the 1910's, but with slightly more advanced technology available for Beacon members. The Ethereal system is a hybrid of d20 and detective games like Gumshoe or Brindlewood Bay. Everything has a set DC of 11 or 22 to make things simple and players have a resource called Momentum for investigations. Each player character is a picks a Division (class) and Specialty (subclass) as part of their training and expertise within the Beacon. If you'd like to follow along with Ethereal's design and release process you can stay up to date with these links: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FineGroundCryptids Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/finegroundcryptids Discord for playtest files and community: https://discord.com/invite/JhWh8ewSW6 Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 53m
  6. 58 - Luca and Codex Inversus

    JUN 18

    58 - Luca and Codex Inversus

    Luca presents his world, dubbed Codex Inversus. Luca is from Italy and has used Italian Renaissance art as the inspiration for his campaign setting. Whenever he writes a new piece of lore its accompanied by a photoshopped piece of Renaissance style art. To see all the amazing art you can check out Luca's links below. Codex Inversus is a world that its creator god abandoned. With the creator gone, all the lesser divinities, devils, angels, and elementals began fighting. This conflict resulted in The Collapse which fused the planes of existence into the mortal world. Parts of of those planes are still scattered across the world. Forced to live in the same territory, the wars for extinction have ended between outsiders. Devils now coexist with angels, their respective progeny, and many humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, and beast people alike. Some still wait for the return of the creator, but others work to build a new world in the creator's absence. Check out these links to follow the content that Luca is making for Codex Inversus. He shares the same stuff to all three places, but more of the fan content is present on Reddit. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/codexinversus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codex_inversus/ Medium: https://lucavanzella.medium.com/ If you'd like to vote in the CRIT Awards you can check out the different nominees on their website: https://www.critawards.org/ Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m
  7. 57 - Daniel and Mists of Eldoria

    JUN 4

    57 - Daniel and Mists of Eldoria

    Daniel tells us about his community published campaign, Mists of Eldoria! Mists of Eldoria is available for anyone to download and run for themselves via Daniel's Patreon page. Of the nine parts of the campaign four are finished so far. You can follow along with the adventure as Daniel and his own group explore Eldoria and get closer to defeating the ancient evil at the heart of the continent. Eldoria is a magical continent hidden in the mists of Toril, the world that Faerun is on. It was cut off from Faerun until recently a ship captain found a way to navigate the mists and arrive at the hidden continent. One thousand years ago Eldoria was cut off from the world by the immortal wizard, Taldor Vex. He has secretly ruled Eldoria since by wearing various disguises through the ages. Players must discover who this man is, why he cut the continent off from the outside world, and his motivations for doing so. Do they want to undo his actions or allow the status quo to continue? If you'd like to check out Mists of Eldoria for yourself here are some links: Daniel's YouTube page with some info on Eldoria and lots of his prop making stuff: https://www.youtube.com/@MasterfulDungeons Daniel's Patreon where you can subscribe for free to get updates on all his latest content: https://www.patreon.com/masterful_dungeons The Mists of Eldoria Dropbox where all the campaign content is stored for you to access: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/aiothd8em7zxo963zp974/h?rlkey=n77zrbqeqd86ugi04ur5zpnlp&dl=0 If you'd like to vote in the CRIT Awards you can check out the different nominees on their website: https://www.critawards.org/ Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m
  8. 56 - Austin and Beam Saber

    MAY 21

    56 - Austin and Beam Saber

    Austin is here to talk about her Forged in the Dark game, Beam Saber, and one of the setting's she's released for it, Rush Wars. Beam Saber is designed for mech battles but with the numerous supplements it can be adapted for any sort of vehicle conception. Gundams, planes, robot dinosaurs, fast cars, or even the vertical maneuvering equipment in Attack on Titan are all possibilities within Beam Saber. After a mission PCs rest and relax to remove stress and repair their gear just as in the Blades in the Dark game. Rush Wars is a supplement for Beam Saber that focuses on cars as the vehicle of choice. Intended to evoke the feeling, but the aesthetic of the Fast and the Furious franchise, the cars in Rush Wars have large impact on the narrative of stories told with the system. Stories focus on living on the edge of legality along with fast car races, chases, and other high speed action for physical conflict. The setting we discuss is based on Detroit where the mega-corp, Interax, has just set up an electric car factory. We also discussed many aspects of game development and business within the TTRPG space. Dig through these links for more about Beam Saber and the rest of Austin's stuff. Austin's shop with all the Beam Saber and Rush Wars stuff: https://austin-ramsay.itch.io/ Austin's old podcast called You Don't Meet In An Inn, that explored different TTRPGs: https://youdontmeetinaninn.libsyn.com/ The CalazCon Actual Play that Austin mentioned is available on any podcast app or here: https://beamsaber.libsyn.com/ Everything else Austin is up to: https://linktr.ee/austinramsay Our website: https://gocorral.com/sts Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVA Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6C Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2h 7m
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About

Welcome to Setting the Stage, a podcast where I, Isaac Shaker, will talk about different campaign settings for roleplaying games. I'll talk about established settings, either those made for D&D, like Faerun and Greyahwk, or those that are adapted for it, like Middle-Earth, and Westeros. I'll also interview members of the D&D community who have created their own campaign worlds. This is a chance for the guest to show off what they’ve made, explain challenges they’ve overcome, and discuss paths that didn’t work for them when creating their campaign setting. Our homebrew worlds often get no attention outside of our own play groups, so this is a way to present a DM’s hard work to a wider audience. This wouldn't be possible without the amazing D&D community and I'm looking forward to interviewing you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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