It’s really all about context. If we’re all playing Harry Potter-esque mages, we’re not worried about swords and shields, generally. If I’m playing as Aragorn or Boromir, my expectations will be very different.

Hey, not sure if you’re aware but there’s a whole genre that harkens back to old school D&D styled gaming. It’s called the OSR and I’ve got a community here on Lemmy if you’re interested in checking it out: !osr@lemm.ee!

I would opt for a homebrew setting on an earth-like world. The reason is that, having the world be earth-like means there won’t be any misunderstandings about the basic rules of the physical world. Using your own setting means that you won’t have to fight up hill against any assumptions people might have with regards to cultures in that world.