Quote:
Originally Posted by Spectral Knight
Hear that knocking? That's the Relevance Police at your door. Bashing an undiscussed system (and an actual universal system at that) in no way makes your point stronger.
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Perhaps not, but your post certainly makes GURPS suddenly relevant. After all, you mention that D&D's lack of setting material detracts from its utility as a "role-playing game." By that token, GURPS must also be disqualified. I am a big GURPS fan, with well over 200 books for that line, and I would be the first one to admit the core game has no setting. It's generic.
The same is true for D&D. Want setting details? Wait for the world books. It is a form of generic fantasy.
That having been said, I have been running a very role-playing intensive campaign for months now. I simply took the references made in the core books (Arkhosia, Nerath, Bael Turath) and wove my own stories around them. I asked myself, "how did the points of light setting emerge? Was there a war? A cataclysm?" Following that line of thought, I imagined a treaty city, newly built by the civilized races in the wake of a brutal war which nearly wiped them all out. Its a bit "Babylon V" meets "City of Lies," with the various ambassadors of the races living and working there to better their species position while simultaneously trying to prevent further wars. All of this was inspired by the core books, and more than 50% of our games are intrigue and role-playing.
Honestly, I have always felt generic games inspire better role-playing because they encourage you to use you imagination and craft your own tales, rather than operate in a world given to you.