Remixing my Campaign world, unsure of direction to go.

[Tzi]

I'm locked in my crisis of favorites, mainly I need to revamp my D&D world to establish a massive passage of time, but also make a call on if technology has survived or not.

To describe the world at present:

Spoiler: Current Astaria:

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In the year 600, Astaria is populated by the fragile "Colony States," made up of many races and cultures descended from the original peoples whom arrived via the extra-dimensional Ashengon that brought them from their dying home-world of Madara to here. Settling out across the rough and stormy world of Astaria (Named for the High Elven Titan of Storms) the races began a new life on this alien world. Technology wise its almost the turn of the century in a sense. Music ranges from 20's Jazz to Ragtime and such. The weapon of choice is the firearm and its an area of mass democracy, social unrest as new ideologies rise, electricity shortages are problems plaguing any colony state trying to survive, Industrial production is fragile, as is the tempers of workers who often feel individual exploited by collective mandates for cheap and constantly flowing raw materials.

Why the world is changing. Beyond the layout there, the world through the players actions has been shaken to the core. LITERALLY! The players discovered the world is an incomplete terraforming project of some long gone alien race. Finishing it may stabilize the crazy climate and calm the geology of this world. Likewise using Alien magic they managed to undue a Liches schemes and prevent an extra-planar demon invasion/Hordes of Undead that the Lich intended to bring from the "Dark Star." After the players victory the planet began to complete its terraforming, leading to centuries of climatic upheaval, geologically intense periods, ect. My goal is to represent the world afterwords, for off, 1500 years after these evens. So year 2100 in their calender.

The first Idea is....

Spoiler: More "Traditional" D&D world

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The terraforming was not kind to the previous golden age and its wonders of communication and technology. Many perished in the completion of the terraforming and the needs of survival scattered the people across the world. Now, in the year 2100 civilization has at last rebirthed itself. A setting like this would be akin to say Iron Age earth in technology with occasional ruins and wonders of this Industrial past and Alien ruins dotting occasionally. Cultures have Ancient Earth inspiration, Firearms are forgotten and its back to swords and boards as the world starts anew....

Basically if this setting had an opening theme it would be this...

Second idea is...

Spoiler: Steam-Punk / Naussicaa Valley of the Wind Scenario

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The wonders of the previous era are somewhat lost but knowledge survives and the world's civilizations are re-appearing. Like small beacons of light in the flowering world whose Birth is complete. Small city-states with intermittent levels of technology began to open trade networks and rebuild themselves in this new more lush and verdant world. Firearms survive here and there, as does some of the sophisticated tech of the old era. Frigates set sail from ports, some have steam ships and even electricity endured in some areas, though perhaps ill-understood. A sort of Steam-Punk world of isolated kingdoms like in Naussicaa and the Valley of the Wind. With vast open wilderness between them. In this I'd take many cultures.... ancient ect and give them better technology....?

If this version had an opening theme it would be this....

I'm torn on which to do. It's basically a question of how much of the world survives the completion of terraforming.

[ReturnOfTheKing]

I know this reply is absurdly late, but I say you go with the latter option, mainly because normal campaign settings are common and cheap, but crazy Nausicaan steampunk is harder to come by and much more fun

[Tzi]

I know this reply is absurdly late, but I say you go with the latter option, mainly because normal campaign settings are common and cheap, but crazy Nausicaan steampunk is harder to come by and much more fun

That is what I was thinking.

I've since gone in that direction. Mainly I'm doing a game of Mix-Match cultures and techs to create a slightly different take on things.

So we have a large Island like Crete, Inhabited by a Minoan inspired culture..... except they have muskets and caravel ships.

In the North we have very Celtic inspired peoples who likewise have renaissance level tech to some degree.

Formerly we had an Egypt with steam powered threshers and great grain elevators and industrial agriculture to some degree.... until a Caldera erupted XD

ect.