Mary Sue'¦'¦'¦'¦'¦'¦setting?

[sparkletwist]

That might be even more awesome.  Become the protectors of a tribe of primitives, worshipped as gods (whether you cultivate this or not), guarding against the gargantuan wild beasts, trying to introduce/accelerate technological progress with limited means.

This is something I've thought would be fun, too. The setting itself would probably be pretty loose, as the game would be something of a cooperative world-building exercise as well as a campaign setting-- the PCs would have much more influence over things on a grand scale.

It can be part of a more established setting when the characters aren't directly involved, though, and instead get to live in the world that results. Something like this is essentially the distant past of Crystalstar, for example. :P :)

[Scholar]

That might be even more awesome.  Become the protectors of a tribe of primitives, worshipped as gods (whether you cultivate this or not), guarding against the gargantuan wild beasts, trying to introduce/accelerate technological progress with limited means.

This is something I've thought would be fun, too. The setting itself would probably be pretty loose, as the game would be something of a cooperative world-building exercise as well as a campaign setting-- the PCs would have much more influence over things on a grand scale.

It can be part of a more established setting when the characters aren't directly involved, though, and instead get to live in the world that results. Something like this is essentially the distant past of Crystalstar, for example. :P :)

something along the lines of what steerpike suggested has been around for ages, namely mystara with its immortals. only that the immortals aren't/weren't perfect (thus generating conflicts). same with lovecraft's dream cycle, where the dreamers are beings somewehre between "mortals" and gods and have kind of a protector job. i still think a mary sue setting is one where the stauts quo is god and no conflicts ever occur, because everything is mind-numbingly perfect. :D

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

But yeah, the other way we're talking about a Sue setting would be a purely hypothetical one with very little conflict, some sort of pacifist utopia.  Or a forest...

I would also see it as settings which are trying too hard.  I would see setting with loads of conflict with no seeming purpose as just as much of a Mary-Sue because it's stuff without depth.  (Of course there are going to be times when one person thinks this and another does not.  But in hypothetical terms it works.)