I've already asked Bryce Harrington about this (in an e-mail I thought I
was sending to this list), and he only mentioned Lycadian, which I now
find is actually licensed under the Open Content License (an only
semi-free license, since it mostly prohibits commercial distribution):
Are there any Free "vanilla" fantasy worlds? Certainly there are a few
that are unique and very colorful (Habisfern and Grey Lotus come to my
mind), but I think there's something to be said about vanilla worlds, as
well.
First of all, what I call "vanilla" worlds are easy to get started in,
since they don't actually require extensive reading on culture and
history -- a brief overview does the trick. Secondly, they allow for
more flexibility in campaign events, since there are fewer intricasies
to worry about. Thirdly, a GM need not feel their creativity limited
when wanting to introduce new monsters or races, as this sort of thing
blends naturally into the atmosphere of a vanilla world.
If there aren't any, then I think we need to make one. I've already got
the beginnings of a map and some ideas to go behind it, but I feel
uncomfortable about the idea of jumping feet first into the waters of
advanced project management. However, I could probably have something up
on my personal website next week, which, while not an open project, is
at least usable for the Free Gaming community.
-J. Jensen
