And human civilizations don’t have to resemble the farms and manors of medieval Europe - that was simply the basis for the Greyhawk campaign. - I think it’s fair to say that all core fantasy, from Tolkienn to D&D and beyond, springs originally from the history, stories, and societies of medieval Europe. Sure, it’s grown out in many vibrant ways, but that’s where the heart is.

Good kingdoms don’t (usually) seek to start wars unless there’s a good reason for it - evil cultures would attack peaceful settlements for no other reason than they can or for profit - designating the Vikings and the Mongols “evil” (to name two) by means of this calculus would be a sad and shortsighted caricature of history’s rich tapestry.

Lamenting the lost Druid class? - who isn’t!?

I once played around with the idea of a world where all of the “typical” fantasy races had actually been created by ancient elder dragons for use as servants. - not bad, but we’re gonna need room for giants and demons and vampires and wizards, etc, etc.

And you shouldn’t think that all evil is allied against good. It just is represented that way because while good is pacifistic, evil is antagonistic. Good kingdoms don’t (usually) seek to start wars unless there’s a good reason for it - evil cultures would attack peaceful settlements for no other reason than they can or for profit (or to further their cunning plans). Therefore is SEEMS that every creature in the Monster Manual wants to attack good nations, when its the peace and prosperity that the good nations have that entices evil to attack. Think of it as “jealous neighbor” syndrome.

I’ve liked the discussions here about using the system mechanics as the basis for the campaign, something I’ve been doing myself in recent years. It appears that apocalyptic beginnings are fairly common to many campaigns these days. Can’t you have adventures set in a world where the current generations ARE the dungeon builders and they are “points-of-light” because the world is sparsely inhabited? That would be truly an Epic campaign since you could say that the gods themselves have only recently ascended/departed and left behind some nasty surprises or progeny - perhaps a God War reshaped/reformed creation or the very act of creation is how the Gods wage war. This way the world is new and fresh, but possibly with hidden secrets deeply buried. A new world leads to exploration and curiosity; open areas of wilderness let the players become rulers. All the knowledge in the Core Rules could represent the breadth of current knowledge in the world - new rules and supplemental material could then evolve as it is introduced. Lamenting the lost Druid class? When it returns in the rules, perhaps there are separatist holy men in the wilderness forming their own religion and evolving into what will become druids. Just a few thoughts.