D&D General Kara-Tur vs Rokugan

[Shiroiken]

While I don't know anything about Dragon Empires, Kara-Tur and Rokugan each have some advantages and disadvantages.

Kara-Tur was originally supposed to be in Greyhawk (on the other side of the world), but was later merged into Realms because that was the most supported setting. This helps Kara-Tur, because you can have characters from Faerun explore it, giving you an outsiders (gaijin) perspective, allowing it to open up for the players as they travel. It has a lot more asian cultures represented, giving quite a variety. The biggest downside is that there really isn't much story here, except what the DM devises.

Rokugan was an IP long before it was a D&D product. It has a rich history and detailed culture that is focused on primarily medieval japan (i.e. samurai). Depending on the timeline used, there are many interesting and detailed characters to use for NPCs, as well as a fully detailed story that spans several decades. There are a ton of resources available due to the AEG rpg having 4 editions, with most books expanding cultural, political, and historical lore. The biggest downside to Rokugan is that it's no longer a WotC IP, so there will never be any support for it, which is bad because the shugenja is a combination of cleric/wizard (with a dash of druid), and would need a full new class to be used properly (not to mention the courtier classes, but that's less important IMO). To run Rokugan would require a lot of Homebrew, and I don't believe most people would find it to be worth the effort (even if I would).

 

[gyor]

The big problem with Rokugan is that it's... over. Rokugan, and indeed all of L5R, was extremely compelling when the original story was running. However, the Clan War timeline ended, and the new lore has completely different dynamics and it just isn't as fun. It's the same problem NWOD had. All the lore and depth of the setting got thrown out to sell more books, and the new lore didn't have the same magic. Sure, they can roll the setting back, but even if they put it at the end of the original timeline, it's fundamentally changed. It's the core problem with any living setting. It can really only be played once.

IMO Chronicles of Darkness 2e is a huge improvement over 1e, and the lore is a lot deeper and better put together.

 

[Desdichado]

In my case, I'm really only familiar with Rokugan from the D&D books, so whatever was going on with the other stuff I don't know about. I suppose I'm talking about taking the D&D stuff in print and using it to play D&D in the setting, moreso than doing anything else with the stuff. Converting the shugenja from Rokugan shouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle, especially compared to whatever you have to convert from Kara-Tur, which has been an abandoned setting for much longer. At least in the D&D context.

 

[gyor]

While I don't know anything about Dragon Empires, Kara-Tur and Rokugan each have some advantages and disadvantages.

Kara-Tur was originally supposed to be in Greyhawk (on the other side of the world), but was later merged into Realms because that was the most supported setting. This helps Kara-Tur, because you can have characters from Faerun explore it, giving you an outsiders (gaijin) perspective, allowing it to open up for the players as they travel. It has a lot more asian cultures represented, giving quite a variety. The biggest downside is that there really isn't much story here, except what the DM devises.

Rokugan was an IP long before it was a D&D product. It has a rich history and detailed culture that is focused on primarily medieval japan (i.e. samurai). Depending on the timeline used, there are many interesting and detailed characters to use for NPCs, as well as a fully detailed story that spans several decades. There are a ton of resources available due to the AEG rpg having 4 editions, with most books expanding cultural, political, and historical lore. The biggest downside to Rokugan is that it's no longer a WotC IP, so there will never be any support for it, which is bad because the shugenja is a combination of cleric/wizard (with a dash of druid), and would need a full new class to be used properly (not to mention the courtier classes, but that's less important IMO). To run Rokugan would require a lot of Homebrew, and I don't believe most people would find it to be worth the effort (even if I would).

Kara Tur would be effected by the Spellplague and Sundering and other events as well. And there have been a few plots effecting it like the Tuigan invasion.

Still one of the things that makes Kara Tur more then generic Fantasy Asia is the presence of Spelljammers and interactions with Faerun and Zakhara. Tu Lung as major diplomatic ties to Mulhorand at one point for example.

Wu might have interplanetary Colonies.

Oh and Kara Tur is bigger then even Faerun or Zakhara, is freaking bigger then RL Asia, it's huge.

A good chunk of Kara Tur was ruled by ancient Imaskar at one point.

And Kara Tur used to

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I am more a book collector than a player, and I would rather to create my own mash-up worlds. I like some ideas from L5R like samurai clans and humanoid races, but I would rather Oriental Adventures with more classes and races.

OA needs "nekojin" ( = catfolk), cool racial traits for the shen, the "oriental elves", and I imagine samurai, ninja and shujenja as martial adept classes, with maneuvers from "Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords".

Sometimes I have wondered about how would be a Kara-Tur created by and for Asian players from Taiwan, Japan and Korea, and I guess today Asian MMORPGs would be a too strong influence, and we had to add some little cute humanoid race (and the korobokuru aren't cute al all).

Do you know the kaidan setting? What do you think about the kickstarter of "The Koryo Hall of Adventures"? I guess they have forgotten there the metal is the fifth classic element.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...mpaig?ref=section-games-projectcollection-tag

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Kara Tur has the races introduced from the 1e OA book, Korobukuru are another Dwarven subrace, Hengeyokai would be completely new PC race, and so would the Spirit Folk.

I remember the 5e PHB does mention "Shou" as a Human ethnicity though it's more or less something that everyone labels anyone from Kara-Tur whether or not they're from Shou Lung, Tu Lung or the Island Kingdoms (the FR Philippines).

I don't think there's justification to release any of OA's classes as new classes in 5e, some have already been covered by subclasses released and some could be covered by new sub classes. They were considering at one point of having the Sohei as the psionic subclass of the Fighter, and Wu Jen was at one time considered to be a subclass of the Mystic before they abandoned that iteration of Psionics. But I could see the Sohei as being a Paladin subclass, and the Wu Jen being either a Wizard or Druid subclass.

Most overlook the Spirit Folk, though they sort of exist between being the "Elves" of the setting and being another form of Planetouched associated with the Spirit Realms or Feywild. One of the FR books of a vaguely Eastern European region even had "Slavic" Spirit Folk. So there's definitely precedence for Spirit Folk to exist outside an OA setting.

I feel the standard D&D races should be included in an Asian region, after all they have depicted non European Halflings at least, I remember one of the 3rd party campaign settings had "Punjabi" Gnomes in their art. I know FR has an India too, but I don't think it's considered part of the continent of Kara-Tur. But maybe India might get more attention if WotC decides to release the MtG setting Kaladesh (Magiteck India) as a D&D campaign setting in much of the same way they did with Ravnica.

 

[jayoungr]

I like Rokugan, and don't know much about Kara-Tur. But the fact that Rokugan doesn't (currently) have 5E support puts it at a disadvantage.

 

[Desdichado]

I like Rokugan, and don't know much about Kara-Tur. But the fact that Rokugan doesn't (currently) have 5E support puts it at a disadvantage.

Compared to what? Kara-Tur doesn't have that either.

 

[Li Shenron]

While I don't know anything about Dragon Empires, Kara-Tur and Rokugan each have some advantages and disadvantages.

Kara-Tur was originally supposed to be in Greyhawk (on the other side of the world), but was later merged into Realms because that was the most supported setting. This helps Kara-Tur, because you can have characters from Faerun explore it, giving you an outsiders (gaijin) perspective, allowing it to open up for the players as they travel. It has a lot more asian cultures represented, giving quite a variety. The biggest downside is that there really isn't much story here, except what the DM devises.

Rokugan was an IP long before it was a D&D product. It has a rich history and detailed culture that is focused on primarily medieval japan (i.e. samurai). Depending on the timeline used, there are many interesting and detailed characters to use for NPCs, as well as a fully detailed story that spans several decades. There are a ton of resources available due to the AEG rpg having 4 editions, with most books expanding cultural, political, and historical lore. The biggest downside to Rokugan is that it's no longer a WotC IP, so there will never be any support for it, which is bad because the shugenja is a combination of cleric/wizard (with a dash of druid), and would need a full new class to be used properly (not to mention the courtier classes, but that's less important IMO). To run Rokugan would require a lot of Homebrew, and I don't believe most people would find it to be worth the effort (even if I would).

I've done it already. I wrote a 5e conversion of Rokugan but I didn't share it on ENW because I wasn't sure if there are some IPR restrictions. PM me if you're interested.

 

[jayoungr]

Compared to what? Kara-Tur doesn't have that either.

Since Kara-Tur is in the Forgotten Realms, and therefore allowed on the DM's Guild, there's a decent amount of third-party 5E resources for it.