I have spent many years gaming in the Forgotten Realms setting and it is the one I have the most invested in. Currently we are playing a Spelljammer campaign in the Forgotten Realms Sphere.
I have spent many years gaming in the Forgotten Realms setting and it is the one I have the most invested in. Currently we are playing a Spelljammer campaign in the Forgotten Realms Sphere.
I've been visiting Osted Ard (Tad Williams's Memory, Sorry, and Thorn and the more recent follow on series Last King of Osten Ard) since I was 11, so that will always have a special place in my heart. As too will Krynn, the world of Dragonlance, because of the (literal, I'm not exaggerating) decades I've spent there playing AD&D.
But, if I had to pick just one fantasy world or universe: Michael Moorcock's Multiverse. No question. The themes, the richness, the variation, everything about it.
Tolkien's Middle Earth definitely remains the ultimate reference. In my opinion, not only the author's storytelling skills are the reason but also that he kept on developing it for decades. His approach to recalling a history from various sources is pretty unique and reinforces the idea that as years pass, much of what remains is how people remember things as opposed to what they might have accurately been.
In more recent works, Joe Dever's Magnamund setting from his Lone Wolf game book series is fabulous and rich. The Cubicle 7 TTRPG has a fantastic sourcebook that focuses just on the world and its history. Great stuff!
The world of German RPG The Dark Eye, Aventuria is also extremely rich and is unique in that it integrates player experiences and deeds to develop its history over time.
The setting of Numenera has also fascinated me for a while, although I have never played the game.
I definetly like the Work of Tolkien as well. Its one of the first worlds I immersed into. Also the maps are the style I would like to recreate...
There is also the World of Elan, from Michael J. Sullivan Books. It has a long history in itself as well (of course not as detailed as Tolkien...)
Recently I read books from Elizabeth Moon and her Paladin's Legacy. Its less fantasy like, but still very deep.