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First Impressions – Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica
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<blockquote data-quote="flametitan" data-source="post: 7764148" data-attributes="member: 6822731"><p>That's basically how I feel. The guilds don't draw me in, because "Strong factions with tons of interplay your characters can rise in the ranks of," feels like it should be standard in an rpg setting, not the unique defining thing of one. Crunch doesn't draw me in, as I can get that from more generic books. The Ecumopolis premise could've drawn me in, if it had more room under the spotlight. That said, an urban campaign needs the city to have as much character as the inhabitants, and that's just as much dependent on the outside world as it is what's inside the city. Turn of the Century New York isn't the same without the influx of immigrants hoping for a new life.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The root of the problem, to me, is that it feels like it doesn't quite adapt the setting for D&D so much as strip away the M:tG. CCGs like Magic rely on being able to build strong, clear archetypes, from creature type to card colours. The worldbuilding for a ccg setting is built to prioritize factions and archetypes, rather than interpersonal relations between individuals. That's not to say ccgs have no place for interpersonal relationships. You can make for interesting cards based on the relationships of certain individuals, but overall, the deck is going to be built on factions and archetypes.</p><p>For Magic, Ravnica has clear, distinctive archetypes via the guilds, focused on dual colour pairs with mechanics unique to those guilds. It was easy enough for a player to find a colour pair they liked, and by extension a guild they fit in. The Hogwarts sorting hat element of being able to identify with the guild you played was also helpful.</p><p></p><p>That doesn't necessarily translate well to D&D. Factions players can identify with are useful, but they aren't the only thing a good setting needs. The world itself needs to come to life and have a character, as interacting with that world is just as important at the player level. Planescape has factions that are perhaps overemphasized as well, but it has a clear, interesting world to back them up. I don't want to be in Sigil because the Dustmen or Doomguard excite me, I want to be in Sigil because Sigil itself is exciting. The world of Ravnica I haven't found the, "Oh wow!" element yet. It might be there, but it feels lacking.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="flametitan, post: 7764148, member: 6822731"] That's basically how I feel. The guilds don't draw me in, because "Strong factions with tons of interplay your characters can rise in the ranks of," feels like it should be standard in an rpg setting, not the unique defining thing of one. Crunch doesn't draw me in, as I can get that from more generic books. The Ecumopolis premise could've drawn me in, if it had more room under the spotlight. That said, an urban campaign needs the city to have as much character as the inhabitants, and that's just as much dependent on the outside world as it is what's inside the city. Turn of the Century New York isn't the same without the influx of immigrants hoping for a new life. The root of the problem, to me, is that it feels like it doesn't quite adapt the setting for D&D so much as strip away the M:tG. CCGs like Magic rely on being able to build strong, clear archetypes, from creature type to card colours. The worldbuilding for a ccg setting is built to prioritize factions and archetypes, rather than interpersonal relations between individuals. That's not to say ccgs have no place for interpersonal relationships. You can make for interesting cards based on the relationships of certain individuals, but overall, the deck is going to be built on factions and archetypes. For Magic, Ravnica has clear, distinctive archetypes via the guilds, focused on dual colour pairs with mechanics unique to those guilds. It was easy enough for a player to find a colour pair they liked, and by extension a guild they fit in. The Hogwarts sorting hat element of being able to identify with the guild you played was also helpful. That doesn't necessarily translate well to D&D. Factions players can identify with are useful, but they aren't the only thing a good setting needs. The world itself needs to come to life and have a character, as interacting with that world is just as important at the player level. Planescape has factions that are perhaps overemphasized as well, but it has a clear, interesting world to back them up. I don't want to be in Sigil because the Dustmen or Doomguard excite me, I want to be in Sigil because Sigil itself is exciting. The world of Ravnica I haven't found the, "Oh wow!" element yet. It might be there, but it feels lacking. [/QUOTE]
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