D&D General Kara-Tur vs Rokugan

Desdichado · May 1, 2019

Ready! Fight! Hadouken!

Seriously, though—although my own interest and exposure to chinoiserie in fantasy is somewhat limited, I'm curious what people who are familiar with both settings think about them compared and contrasted to each other. Which one would you prefer, and why? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? I'm marginally more familiar with the latter, having at least read the 3e Oriental Adventures book all the way through once years ago, and I've got a copy of the Alderac d20 Rokugan book sitting around in a box in my basement, I think, although I've only read a chapter or two of it. I think I even had and read a Rokugan novel once. Was there one based on the Scorpion clan? But given that Kara-Tur already existed, it seemed kinda superfluous to introduce us to another one. I can only presume that it was done so so that Alderac under the conditions of the license, could continue to support it so WotC didn't have to. And while that makes perfect sense as a business decision, it doesn't tell me much (if anything) about the merits of the two settings.

Heck, I probably am at least as familiar with Paizo's Dragon Empires as I am with either of these. Maybe it's better than either. Or maybe not. Don't know. Any thoughts?

ART! · May 1, 2019

I know very little about any of these, but I've subscribed so I can see what answers you get.

Satyrn · May 1, 2019

Rokushima Táiyoo

/mic drop

lowkey13 · May 1, 2019

*Deleted by user*

Desdichado · May 1, 2019

lowkey13 said:
Eh, I use a variant Kara Tur based on 1e's Oriental Adventures HC that lies in Greyhawk.

So Lemon Curry with a dash of Kara Tur.

You are Brannich Blacksmoke.

Desdichado · May 1, 2019

Not that there's a lot of votes yet, but I'm a little surprised that there aren't ANY votes for Rokugan. Really? Is Kara-Tur really THAT much better? Why? In what way?

Satyrn · May 1, 2019

Desdichado said:
Not that there's a lot of votes yet, but I'm a little surprised that there aren't ANY votes for Rokugan. Really? Is Kara-Tur really THAT much better? Why? In what way?

I would've voted for Rokugan over Kara-Tur, because I've actually played in it back in 3e, but ever since then I've been enamored of the Ravenloft islands, and they've popped up in my current campaign notes a couple times now.

Kobold Avenger · May 1, 2019

Rokugan is mostly just Japan. Kara-Tur has something like 2 Japans, 2 Chinas, Korea (even if they weren't creative in it's name), Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, and some equivalents to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and the Philipines.

Bacon Bits · May 1, 2019

Desdichado said:
Not that there's a lot of votes yet, but I'm a little surprised that there aren't ANY votes for Rokugan. Really? Is Kara-Tur really THAT much better? Why? In what way?

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.

Azzy · May 1, 2019

Kobold Avenger said:
Rokugan is mostly just Japan. Kara-Tur has something like 2 Japans, 2 Chinas, Korea (even if they weren't creative in it's name), Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, and some equivalents to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and the Philipines.

Yeah, Rokugan is kinda a one-trick pony. It's mostly a Japanese setting stereotype with some odd dashes from other cultures (like the whole Great Wall expy). Kara-Tur at least has multiple countries and cultures that are stereotypes of different Asian cultures. Kara-Tur has major faults, but it wins hands down against Rokugan.