Quote Originally Posted by Craft (Cheese) View Post
I dunno, I think the main books should be fluff-less unless they're going to go full out and have a default campaign setting. You really can't go halfway, good fluff has to be integrated into the setting to work. Otherwise it's deprived of its context and just gets in the way of worldbuilding when people want to change something.
I think some fluff will always be there. For example, just describing dwarves as good miners and metalworkers is fluff, but that will (almost definitely) always be one of the default descriptions for dwarves in the PHB for this edition of D&D, or any edition that ever comes out.

I don't think that means there has to be a full on default campaign setting, though. I think it is best if the designers give each race, class, background and specialization some fluff, give bare bones of a basic (but not DEFAULT) pantheon and cosmology, and offer some insight on a few varieties of "typical" D&D societies.

Too much fluff can be very limiting, but most people need some fluff to help with their worldbuilding. Having only mechanics seems too daunting to me, personally.