Ravnica Table of Contents & More

Thank you.

 

[epithet]

... Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Mystara were forgotten cause the FR just ate them up by doing the same thing, but better. ...

Well, that's just wrong. Greyhawk set out a world shaped by religious and political conflict from a wargamer perspective. Dragonlance is a setting defined by the Lakhesis/Paladine conflict, which informs every aspect of the world. Mystara is a totally gonzo "this is here, that is there, don't ask why" kind of setting, a kitchen sink where none of the plates or bowls are piled on top of one another but nestle edge to edge in a sort of fairytale kingdom tapestry.

The Forgotten Realms is a "we have everything" cataclysm-of-the-week hot mess of a setting that doesn't do any of those elements as well as the settings defined by them, but takes a half-assed stab at doing all of those things and then tries to sell you on variety. A lot of people like it, to be sure, and there is something to be said for a setting that can accomodate pretty much anything and everything you throw at it. It's just not my thing.

 

[Kramodlog]

Well, that's just wrong. Greyhawk set out a world shaped by religious and political conflict from a wargamer perspective. Dragonlance is a setting defined by the Lakhesis/Paladine conflict, which informs every aspect of the world. Mystara is a totally gonzo "this is here, that is there, don't ask why" kind of setting, a kitchen sink where none of the plates or bowls are piled on top of one another but nestle edge to edge in a sort of fairytale kingdom tapestry.

If they are so different, why didthe FR ate them up? Why are the more different ones like Dark Sun, Planescape and Spelljammer more requested when asking WotC for new settings?

The Forgotten Realms is a "we have everything" cataclysm-of-the-week hot mess of a setting that doesn't do any of those elements as well as the settings defined by them, but takes a half-assed stab at doing all of those things and then tries to sell you on variety.

The FR weren't that originally. And that is why they ate up the other medieval settings.

But the more I think about the guilds, the more I think of WotC's RPGsport/streaming/competition thing they want to do. Guilds can help set up tribes for competitive play and people get emotionally invested in tribes. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, I mean the Azorius Senate vs the Gruul.

Ravnica comes with pre-baked tribes and because it comes from MtG, so you get a mass of MtG fans for the streaming channel.

Yeah, this is for the streaming thing. D&D gets stiff again in all of this.

 

[epithet]

...
But the more I think about the guilds, the more I think of WotC's RPGsport/streaming/competition thing they want to do. Guilds can help set up tribes for competitive play and people get emotionally invested in tribes. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, I mean the Azorius Senate vs the Gruul.

Ravnica comes with pre-baked tribes and because it comes from MtG, so you get a mass of MtG fans for the streaming channel.

Yeah, this is for the streaming thing. D&D gets stiff again in all of this.

You're spot-on, obviously. This is nothing but a cross-promotion product to boost YouTube and Twitch streaming advert/sub revenue and collect Magic and D&D players into one marketing pool to shake down for e-sport development. It's clearly not designed to give D&D players something they've been asking for, and it doesn't seem to to be giving Magic players the tie-in mechanics they want, either. Maybe they're crossing the streams of Magic and D&D hoping to create enough new revenue to offset Hasbro's disappointment in the Star Wars toy line.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I want what is advertized. MtG in D&D.

Quote or it didn't happen.

This was not and is not what was advertised.

 

[Marandahir]

Do we know if we're going to get "The Art of Magic: The Gathering – Ravnica"?

If so, that would probably fill in people's need for a true gazeteer of lore to go alongside this crunchy campaign book.

 

[Parmandur]

Do we know if we're going to get "The Art of Magic: The Gathering – Ravnica"?

If so, that would probably fill in people's need for a true gazeteer of lore to go alongside this crunchy campaign book.

Yup, it is coming early in the New Year.

 

[Parmandur]

They've made it very clear from literally Day One, this is not a Magic: the Gathering book. It is a D&D book, about Ravnica as a setting.

Comparing Ravnica to Planescape is very shallow: both have a city, and factions. Neither the city, the factions nor the genre of story involved is similar. It's like saying Star Wars is basically just Julius Cesar's Gallic Wars, because both have swords and an Empire.

 

[Parmandur]

You're spot-on, obviously. This is nothing but a cross-promotion product to boost YouTube and Twitch streaming advert/sub revenue and collect Magic and D&D players into one marketing pool to shake down for e-sport development. It's clearly not designed to give D&D players something they've been asking for, and it doesn't seem to to be giving Magic players the tie-in mechanics they want, either. Maybe they're crossing the streams of Magic and D&D hoping to create enough new revenue to offset Hasbro's disappointment in the Star Wars toy line.

Why can't it be both...?

 

[Rossbert]

I like Ravnica as a setting, though I prefer it as an isolated world with Guildpact intact instead of the later meta narrative.

A world that has magically bound a bunch of rivals into a symbiotic relationship to prevent the destruction of the world is rife for lots of different plots even before you add in the side-effects of various ventures. It does end up with a little bit of an Ebberron feel as a thought experiment, just taken up to a new level.

 

[R_Chance]

From recycling parts of it for home brew perspective, many of the monsters in Ravnica and even some NPCs should be of value, the subclasses and PC races might be as well for your players. There is supposed to be a ton of maps, many of which should be repurposable for other settings, some of the spell stuff might be useful, and the rejigged way they use backgrounds and renown might make for good inspiration. In fact the Guilds themselves could be repurposed. Orzhov turns into a corrupt Kingdom or Theocracy that used to be good, Simic becomes a Eco friendly Magocracy, Selysnia becomes a Theocratic Communist stat, Boros becomes a fantasy Roman Empire or Knights Templar style Knight Order/Nation, Izzet Magitech University, Dimir the Kingdom of a Skull Lord in the Shadowfell or a Thieves Guild.

So I can see it as being very useful for people who want to poach elements and inspiration from it.

Good point. I just have to weigh the useful material against the price. I suspect I would be picking up more spells, subclasses and the like rather than organizations (which my game has in plenty already). We'll see.