D&D 5E What should an official Indian subcontinent inspired setting have?

I think we will be one eventually, maybe this year or part of one at least.

So here is what I would want from the setting.

1. Don't be Kaladesh, aka India light.
2. Take inspiration from multiple historical periods, cultures, religions, and regions. India is supremely diverse in just about every way. You could create a huge diverse fantasy setting based on nothing, but the history of the Indian subcontinent.
3. A Kingdom/Republic inspired by Yaudheya Republic & Yavana Kingdom.
 

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What should an official European setting have?

The first thing to do would be to not try to "do India" as a game setting but pick some themes or ideas inspired by India. Maybe pick a broad period or theme. Is it going to be based around the Mahabharata? Or maybe you want something more inspired by the Mughal era or the Deccan sultanates with a lot of Persian or Islamic influence?
 
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I know what I'd expect to see in a new Indian-inspired setting. Rakshasas, tigers, rajahs, war elephants, thuggee cults, hundreds or thousands of gods walking among the people of teeming golden cities from rainforests to the towering Himalayan-esque peaks - but then I remember that my knowledge of India is pretty limited and mostly coming from heavily western sources, from a single-semester Asian History undergrad course i did 25 years ago, to Temple of Doom and Monkey Magic. I have no Indian heritage, I know almost nothing in depth about India or Indian history or Indian myth and i suspect most posters on here don't either.

Which is why it IS genuinely important to have writers and designers from a culture drive a book inspired by that culture (despite the predictable complaints we're already seeing in this thread). Not only does it mean that less-represented groups get a leg-up in the RPG design industry and the product is hopefully less likely to be offensive or clueless out of ignorance, but also I have no doubt that there's a huge amount of cool stuff that's mineable for D&D material that I, or the vast majority of non-Indian-descended people - would have no idea about. Go deep into the culture and the myths of all the different indian regions and peoples, give me something that's completely new and unfamilar to me, not Hollywood india again.

For what it's worth, Kobold Press should be coming out with their Brilliant East sourcebook for the Midgard campaign setting some time in the not too different future. It looks to be heavily Indian-focused. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

Edit for clarity: I am fully aware that 'thuggee cults' are a construct of British colonial officers etc and got a blip in awareness in the 80s with Indiana Jones. That's the point i was trying to get across. My (and probably most non-Indian peoples') understanding of what an Indian-inspired fantasy setting would look like is heavily based on that sort of European-viewpoint or Hollywoodised set of cliches. Which is why i think it's important that if something like this is done, it should be done by people who are from the culture, not outsiders looking in.
 
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TerraDave

5ever, or until 2024
It's a minefield that's not likely to happen due to the exact things called for in this thread so far. Until the current social fads change to something more sane and accepting, it's safer to not publish.
Yes. For example, if you don't have Vedic gods and heroes, what's the point? But can you have them without massive controversy.
 


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