A Three Nation Setting (Campaign Seed)
From D&D Wiki
The three nation setting is meant to force the players to question their political values. On one hand, we have a highly religious human realm with much social stratification. On the other hand, we have a poor halfling region with more freedom with less organized religion but still has a set of social customs. Finally, we have an elven despotic kingdom with extreme gender equality and hedonism, but everyone is a slave to their desires and the government is a tyranny. The map below shows the basics, but it makes one question what they want in a country.
Elves: Hedonism and great individual wealth and physical beauty. They fight for their personal desires.
Humans: Justice, social order, and religion. They fight for God and country.
Halflings: Weak central government and very "folksy" (and socially conservative) environment. They fight for the people.
Central City[edit]
The three realms each occupy a part of the central city, which is a territory shared by the three and used as a neutral zone. The human third is well-built and ordered, with schools, churches, stores, workshops, and paved roads, but it is also very crowded. The elven third is full of parks and gardens, as well as a few craft shops of extremely high quality. The halfling third is badly built ( next to the other two sections) and is the poorest area of the city.
Positives and Negatives[edit]
No realm is perfect, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages.
Humans
Positive: Legal guarantee of due process, widespread education, moral and legal prohibitions against torture and cruelty, highly developed theological and philosophical institutions, good infrastructure, freedom of speech (within limits), freedom of assembly and petition, limits on government power, legal definition and popular belief in natural rights, great charity among church and state, best armor.
Negative: Restrictive church with near-monopoly on all religion, feudal system with needless complexities, inclination towards war-mongering, least gender equality of the three nations, occasional bouts of fanaticism.
Elves
Positive: Total (or near-total) gender equality (a plus?), almost 100% in harmony with nature, very well-developed dancing and acrobatics, most valuable coinage, highest quality crafts, very advanced medicine and healing magic, much religious tolerance (as long as central deities are worshiped in addition to any others), healthiest food, best archery.
Negative: Drive for total equality upsets consensus-building and compromise, absolute monarchy with no limits, cruel to enemies due to policies of emotion-driven revenge, lack of a sense of duty because of selfishness in the populace, polytheism causes multiple moral standards due to lack of consensus among the gods, hedonism hampers production of goods and services, occasional bouts of demon-worship (allowed under the polytheistic system) lead to infernal trouble, selfishness leads to lack of concern for neighbors.
Halflings
Positive: Lack of oppressive laws from a strong central government, peaceful attitude, highest rates of happiness, low crime due to close-knit families and stable village structures, little greed.
Negative: Worst infrastructure, least valuable coinage, high poverty, weakest military, occasional bouts of racism (speciesm ?) when things go wrong, henotheism (worship of just one god but belief in others) is under pressure from foreign monotheism and polytheism.
Back to Main Page → Campaign Seeds
