[arete66]

It's a great game one doesn't need to actually buy, but can cherry pick good ideas from. Just take your standard fantasy setting, redraw maps and think about what's been destroyed, and move on.

I mean, from what you've said, the publishers really haven't provided much beyond an idea. There are no maps of the changed world. Great! I can do that with any fantasy setting that already has maps. Just add your own cataclysm and stir.

There's no explanation for why the cataclysm occurred, so how is that any different than trashing any other setting and coming up with the explanation on my own? If it was a magical cataclysm, the game could have really shined with a well-defined, high-risk, high-reward magic system. But instead it sounds nebulous and kind of bland.

Don't get me wrong. Most Fantasy Heartbreakers don't even have one good idea, let alone a great theme of ideas. But I just don't see why I can't apply the same elbow grease required in Desolation to create a similar feel in D&D, Savage Worlds, ad nauseum...

Cheers,
Tom