What's Your Favorite Setting?

So, I have an idea for a story in mind that I hope to make into a game at some point. I have a lot of ideas for plot and characters, but I still haven’t decided on a setting. (I have some ideas, but I could probably be swayed.)

Just wanted to know, what is everybody’s favorite setting for books and games? What kind of games would you like to see more of?

(If there’s a setting you’d like to see that I haven’t included in the poll, let me know.)

  • Modern Everyday
  • Modern Fantasy
  • High Fantasy
  • Sci Fi (Space Adventure)
  • Sci Fi (Dystopian Future)
  • Steampunk
  • Medieval
  • Western

0 voters

Superheroes? Or would that come under “Modern Fantasy”?

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I think “Superheroes” is more of a genre than a setting, so I’d probably include it in “Modern” or “Modern Fantasy” :blush:

I assumed “Modern Everyday” was more for a realistic setting.

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Honestly, high fantasy is a setting very difficult to write well, part of it is because fantasy is always very dependent of the influences in which it’s based, being more history and folklore-oriented. And sometimes I would even say that fantasy works can be a little self-indulgent. It is hard to be very emotionally sincere about something that feels so… alien.

Modern Fantasy settings, on the other hand, are a more accessible.

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Not really, I just meant that it’s set in the everyday world. Stuff like Harry Potter I would consider “Modern Fantasy” because even though it’s set in modern times, the world is very different. With most superhero stories, I would consider the setting to be “Modern Everyday” because even though the characters have super powers, the world they live in is still pretty much the same as it is now.

Not sure about that. There are different types of High Fantasy. There’s things like Lord of the Rings where you’ve got elves and dwarves and wizards running around. Then you’ve got things like Game of Thrones where the characters are all human and once every few chapters a dragon will show up.

I agree it’s difficult to write well, but that wouldn’t put me off. I love a challenge. :blush:

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I’d say Game of Thrones is more low fantasy than high fantasy since it leans more towards Conan end of spectrum. (More grim cynicism)

That being said, I like seeing low/dark fantasy or scifi dystopian/post apocalyptic settings.

Stuff like steampunk is cool too, though not just limited to steampunk, any alternate tech advances of a particular era (Like dieselpunk for example)

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Honestly, I’d never even heard of “Low Fantasy” or “Dieselpunk” before. I’ll add them to the list. :blush:

*Edit: Or not. Apparently you can’t add choices to a poll after the first 5 minutes without contacting a mod. :disappointed:

I’d vote for steampunk. My mind itches to write down flying hot-air-ballon-airships and desert stuffs. Also includes levitating skateboard.

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There’s a lot of *punk where * chances based on what exactly it’s emulating.

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I’m not saying it can’t be done, just that it isn’t often.

Fantasy needs to work as a magical expansion of things that are already familiar with the readers. I mean, I guess you can invent anything and call it fantasy, but that’s not what people think when they heard the word fantasy. Therefore, fantasy works tend to be very repetitive.

There needs to be something about a particular fantasy work that sets it apart from the rest in order to create something of such cultural impact like LORT or Game of Thrones.

I really love fantasy but you need to be especially careful to do it well or credibly.

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Maybe I could make up a new genre… Solarpunk! :blush:

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Where everything is eco-friendly and solar powered. And the main villain is some kind of serial polluter. lol

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That sounds awfully similar to Captain Planet.

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You might be a little late for that…

That said, it may be worth pursuing anyway.

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Dieselpunk is basically an alternate high-low tech version of WW1 or WW2, just as Steampunk is a high-low tech version of the Victorian Period. Like the Kaiser stomping about in a giant iron robot or something.

Anyway, I always like historical era stuff (whether it’s pure historical or with fantasy elements) or sci-fi, especially the space adventure of something like Star Trek or Mass Effect. And then time travel to bring it all together. :wink:

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I can’t help but notice that nobody likes westerns.

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I love westerns, but to me coming from Blighty it’s sort of one possible period or offshoot for historical stuff. Americans tend to focus more on their own history and thus probably appreciate the western more as its own genre than we tend to in the UK here.

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By the way, What ideas do you have? Maybe we can help you more if we know about them.

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