Another Oriental Adventures?

[Sound of Azure]

WotC's mistake was writing OA with Alderac in the first place.

They should've stayed true to the original OA and its original setting, Kara-Tur. Kara-Tur can, without much modification at all (all Realms references can easily be replaced), be for anyone's campaign. Kara-Tur also fits more of the theme of the OA setting in that it has multiple countries and regions themed after the multiple Asian regions we have in the real world from Japan, China, Mongolia, Thailand, Phillipines, and others.

Why WotC didn't do Kara-Tur from the start just beats me. They must've had the silly pretension that the Lot5R players would jump right into D&D and start purchasing more WotC books...well, a lot of good that did them.

Very true.

Indeed, I actually went the opposite direction. I much prefer to play L5R (Rokugan) with Alderac's d10 system.

 

[JPL]

My eyes glaze over every time I try to read that Rokugan chapter in OA. So much damn metaplot, so many Japanese names, and no sense that anything the PCs could ever do would make any sort of difference.

Yeah, I'd like to see WotC take another crack at OA, and Kara-Tur would be a suitable "default" setting...but I'd like to see something of the toolkit approach preserved, too.

 

[Shroomy]

I agree, bring back Kara-Tur (I was shocked to find the Rokugan info in the OA book after a 12 year abscence from the game)...though, that said, the fact that Kara-Tur became part of the FR probably brings up a whole host of continuity problems that I'm not thinking of right now.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Not counting WotC OA, or the apperance of OA themed material in other WotC Complete books, it looks like:

1. Legend of the Samurai: Japan
2. The Quintessential Guide to Samurai: Japan
3. The Quintessential Guide to Ninja: Japan
4. Weapons of the Gods: China, pretty but not d20
5. Land of the Crane: Japan, pretty, but not d20
6. Dragonfist: Green Ronin's mystry product about China
7. Kitsunemori: mythical Japanese fantasy
8. Qin: China in warring states period, pretty but not d20
9. Lands of the Jade Oath: Ashanderai's mystry product about China
10. Legends of China: Chuck's mystry product about China
11. Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts: Green Ronin's book of Oriental Monsters

11 books.
3 have not been released (Dragonfist, Chuck's book and Ashanderai's book)
3 are not d20 (Qin, Land of the Crane and Weapons of the Gods)

So that leaves...

1. Legend of the Samurai: Japan
2. The Quintessential Guide to Samurai: Japan
3. The Quintessential Guide to Ninja: Japan
4. Kitsunemori: mythical Japanese fantasy
5. Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts: book of Oriental Monsters

A five d20 products, only one of which goes beyond Japan

 

[carpedavid]

Not counting WotC OA, or the apperance of OA themed material in other WotC Complete books, it looks like:

1. Legend of the Samurai: Japan
2. The Quintessential Guide to Samurai: Japan
3. The Quintessential Guide to Ninja: Japan
4. Weapons of the Gods: China, pretty but not d20
5. Land of the Crane: China, pretty, but not d20
6. Dragonfist: Green Ronin's mystry product about China
7. Kitsunemori: mythical Japanese fantasy
8. Qin: China in warring states period, pretty but not d20
9. Lands of the Jade Oath: Ashanderai's mystry product about China
10. Legends of China: Chuck's mystry product about China

10 books.
3 have not been released (Dragonfist, Chuck's book and Ashanderai's book)
3 are not d20 (Qin, Land of the Crane and Weapons of the Gods)

So that leaves...

1. Legend of the Samurai: Japan
2. The Quintessential Guide to Samurai: Japan
3. The Quintessential Guide to Ninja: Japan
4. Kitsunemori: mythical Japanese fantasy

A meager four d20 products, none of which go beyond Japan (Thus ignoring China, Korea, south-east Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, etc...)

Minor correction: Land of the Crane is Japanese fantasy.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

You left out Green Ronin's Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts.

I think Green Ronin is doing an Asian-themed setting for True 20 as well.

 

[bento]

My eyes glaze over every time I try to read that Rokugan chapter in OA. So much damn metaplot, so many Japanese names, and no sense that anything the PCs could ever do would make any sort of difference.

Yeah, I'd like to see WotC take another crack at OA, and Kara-Tur would be a suitable "default" setting...but I'd like to see something of the toolkit approach preserved, too.

For a while I thought I was the only Kara-Tur defender. The setting doesn't have the same constraints of other popular Eastern (and non-Eastern) worlds that I have a hard time using to tell the stories I want to tell. It simply is a gener-ified version of our world's east Asian area, utilizing popular myths and archetypes.

It's generic enough that you're players can quickly get into the style of the story through the culture they've already had exposure to (Korean, SE Asia, China or Japan) and open enough that you can introduce whatever power groups you want to without feeling like your stepping on some great big metaplots' toes.

What I don't feel is necessary is for WoTC to update it. All the info is there from the first edition pdfs you can still purchase ($4 or $5 each), the updated classes from the Complete books (Samurai, Ninja, Wu Jen, Spirit Shaman and Shugenja) and your own imagination. No need for another $35 book.

 

[carpedavid]

You left out Green Ronin's Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts.

I think Green Ronin is doing an Asian-themed setting for True 20 as well.

That would be Land of the Crane, actually. It was chosen by Green Ronin to be part of the True20 Worlds of Adventure book, though Green Ronin is not the producer of the setting.

We at Amalara have a number of supplements planned for the setting, one of which is likely to be announced in the next day or two!

 

[bento]

You left out Green Ronin's Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts.

I think Green Ronin is doing an Asian-themed setting for True 20 as well.

"Land of the Crane" is the setting and carpedavid (prior poster) is the author. So far it's appeared in GR's recently published World of Adventures book.
http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr1705

You can also find more information about the setting on the original publisher's site at:
http://www.amalara.com/product_list.aspx?productLine=1

 

[Nellisir]

I don't know how "mysterious" Dragonfist is; depends on how much they change it.

The original Dragonfist was written by Chris Pramas and originally put out as a free download from (TSR? WotC?). It was pre-3e, but not really 2e either. My print copy is buried, and I'm not sure where the files are, but from what I recall it was very much a "wuxia-effects" ruleset, with minimal setting. I thought it was neat, but never played it.