Original or Stock Worlds

[Moritz]

In the D&D game I ran I created my own map but utilized locations from the classic modules.

So, the map was my own, but the south east coast was "The Savage Coast", an island off the coast was "The Isle of Dread", down south was the "Temple of Ultimate Evil", way up north was the "Forge of Fury", west, on the borderlands was "The Keep on the Borderlands", and so on while filling in my map with other original designs, etc. It made running a game so easy and gave it a feel of classic D&D.

I noticed a few game invitations describing their worlds and was wondering what other's did. Do you use the books only, create your own world, or mix?

[Grimwell]

I stick to original worlds for about 90% of my gaming. I have picked up a lot of stock materials and tried to save time and use them, but always ended up breaking down and doing my own thing. I did have a nice streak of Birthright games, but that's about it.

I love not being tied down by the ideas of others - incorporating them into what I have if I like them, and ignoring the things I don't like. Which is why I lean so heavy toward my own creations.

[ronpyatt]

I usually run games on the fly with an idea of the general direction the players will take the game, but I have a scattering of notes to support the unexpected encounter. The environment usually has an overarching plot that may or may not be affected by the PC's. The sessions I run are usually heavily influenced by whichever book I happen to be reading/listening at the time.
Other people's material can easily get mixed into my games, but heavily modified.

[Farcaster]

Purely for simplicity's sake, I run my D&D games almost exclusively in Forgotten Realms. I like having the backdrop of a detailed world, but at the same time, I do not feel overly obliged to leave the world unmodified. If something in the published material does not fit my story, I change it. I'm also not the best cartographer, so it works out well

[Ed Zachary]

I am new to Forgotten Realms and like it alot. All of our existing characters were moved there, and fitting them in with ongoing concerns was not difficult.

My biggest complaint (worse that rules lawyers) are the literary purists. The people who have read every novel and played every video game. They know how it should be, and don't like it when my story differs from what they have read. I am a busy person, and I haven't read a sci-fi/fantasy novel in, well, forever. And I have never owned a video game.

[Moritz]

The Literary Purist starts talking, "It's stated on page 385, second column, third paragraph from the top, second sentence, that..."

All I hear is, 'bla bla bla, bla bla bla bla', and sounds like chick talk to me.

Then I raise my hand and say, "Rule Number 1. The DM is always right. Rule Number 2. Any questions, see Rule Number 1."

(Whine, Cry, Whine - Repeat)

[NikoONeil]

Yep, and when we complain too much he gives us someting to complain about. Oh, ya remember that DR and how its suppose to work, well I changed it. LoL, that was a crazy session.

[NikoONeil]

On topic, the issue with all the book readers is why I always create my own world. I may borrow a map from somewhere, but the towns and people are of my own design. It really gives the players the fell of being first level and getting to learn and explore the world around them. Just my take on things.

[Zorastor]

Yeah- Im with you there Niko. I might use a town map or two, maybe even a dungeon map here and there. But I make my own world and story and as much as I can my self.
(1) It saves a lot of money.
(2) I am more involved in whats going on due to the fact of all the time it takes to make it.
and
(3) I dont have to worry about a PC saying " Dude , thats totaly not the way it is in the FGR or the Eberon realm book"...zoinks!!!

I guess its just more fun for me as a DM to be a world builder.

loads of work though doing it the old school way

[shilar]

I go both ways. On one hand its nice to have the detail and depth of a premade world. I once had a dm get erked off because we didn't know some detail of his home made world that had never mentioned. On the other hand its nice to not have the hero's of the lance hanging around looking over your shoulder too.