Publication:Planescape Campaign Setting

The Planescape Campaign Setting was a boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook and published in 1994, and introduced the Planescape setting.

Contents
The Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set details the planes of the Dungeons & Dragons game, which had been previously featured in books such as Deities and Demigods and the Manual of the Planes. The set consists of a Player and DM Guide, a Monstrous Supplement, a guide to the town of Sigil and the Outlands, four color maps, and a DM screen. The Inner Planes of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, the Paraelemental and Quasimental Planes, and the Positive and Negative Material Planes are all discussed first, including descriptions, physical and magical conditions and native hazards for each plane. The Outer Planes are also detailed, with layers, and multiple realms possible on each layer; important layers and realms are included in the descriptions of individual Outer Planes, including which gods (here called Powers) make their home there. Also described with the Outer Planes are the four unique planar Paths which touch many different layers of the various Outer Planes, and can take travelers from one place to another: the Rivers Oceanus and Styx, the Tree Yggdrasil, and Mount Olympus. The largest of the set's guides is devoted to the planes and layers of the Outlands, which connect to all the Outer Planes, with towns or forts located at these sites. Sigil, the City of Doors, located in the Outlands, is a place composed of factions, and contains portals to any plane or layer. The ruler of Sigil is the Lady of Pain, a mysterious being who appears during times of internal or external turmoil.

Reception
Gene Alloway reviewed the boxed set for White Wolf magazine, stating that "Cook and company have created a cohesive and comprehensive campaign for every AD&Der who wants to venture beyond the Prime Material - and there's a lot of venturing to do." He felt that the set brought together adventure, gods, philosophies and magic in an exciting manner, and presented a setting that would work well with any AD&D campaign or on its own, and that readers will get a solid sense of each plane, as well as an idea of the overall qualities common to all. Alloway felt that Planescape "is a superb addition to the AD&D multiverse [...] it's clear that a great deal of thought and effort has gone into this product. The writing is clear, most topics are covered in detail and adventure ideas are either presented directly or dropped in as "seeds" for you to pick up on." Alloway praised Cook's efforts to make the planes accessible and enjoyable for lower-level characters, and for developing an important part of the AD&D multiverse, and he appreciated the setting's emphasis on roleplaying and critical thinking rather than moving and hacking. Alloway considered Planescape the best AD&D setting since Greyhawk, with no end to its possibilities, and concluded the review by saying "The Planescape campaign setting is enough to make me put down my other game systems and AD&D settings to reawakent the wonder I felt when I started roleplaying."