What do you think about the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Book

[Obergnom]

I accuse the makers of this book of Racism.

Sorry, but thats both unfair and nonsense. I do not think that racism has even a little bit to do with the decisions the designer made for the realms. They just tried to remove as many real world rip off regions as possible.

Yes, you can argue Cormyr is still there, but it, too, changed a great deal from an Arthurian legend ripoff.

 

[Fenes]

Yeah, I hate authors of novels or modules crapping all over settings…Dark Sun…Ravenloft…Planescape, need I say more?

It's sad when authors can't write a story with good characterisation and plot, and have to resort to changing/wrecking the setting to cover up their shortcomings.

 

[ferratus]

I accuse the makers of this book of Racism. It seems that the marketing people that forced Redgar to be one of the Iconics has won. Except for the Tuigan barbarians (who cares if the darkies are barbarians after all) every interesting nonwestern culture in the realms has been devastated or destroyed.

I guess I'm a racist too, because I hate cultures from earth transplanted into fantasy settings, especially if they are placed randomly on the map.

Why in the hell was Mulhorand still using bronze weapons? Why did the Mesoamerican continent get invaded just like our Mesoamerica did?

It was creatively lazy and broke the suspension of disbelief.

 

[Fenes]

Sorry, but thats both unfair and nonsense. I do not think that racism has even a little bit to do with the decisions the designer made for the realms. They just tried to remove as many real world rip off regions as possible.

Yes, you can argue Cormyr is still there, but it, too, changed a great deal from an Arthurian legend ripoff.

Those "rip off regions" were the best parts of the setting - rich, vibrant, and detailed, and somewhat logical. Give me such a "rip off region" instead of some cheap "look ya'all, ain't it kewl" hack place any day of the week.

 

[Obergnom]

Those "rip off regions" were the best parts of the setting - rich, vibrant, and detailed, and somewhat logical. Give me such a "rip off region" instead of some cheap "look ya'all, ain't it kewl" hack place any day of the week.

rip off was a bad choice of words I guess. I'm not happy with some of the changes either. Allthough I love the new Calimshan. Djinn rulers, genasi nobles, human low life and slaves... thats a nice high fantasy arabic setting

I just wanted to say, that the racism claim is not really fair.

 

[Steely Dan]

Why did the Mesoamerican continent get invaded just like our Mesoamerica did?

I'll give you Maztica, I mean; Douglas Niles just phoned that one in.


Is Kara-Tur still around?

 

[Eridanis]

Throwing around words like "racism" can get a thread closed very quickly if people don't hold their emotions in check. The thread stays open, but please keep the discussion calm and reasoned.

 

[EATherrian]

I guess I'm a racist too, because I hate cultures from earth transplanted into fantasy settings, especially if they are placed randomly on the map.

Why in the hell was Mulhorand still using bronze weapons? Why did the Mesoamerican continent get invaded just like our Mesoamerica did?

It was creatively lazy and broke the suspension of disbelief.

I look at Mulhorand as a society in a state of static decadence, along with Unther. They had been ruled by actual godlings for millenia so there was no real need to innovate. It would have been interesting to see where they went without that power involved, but alas. Note, I thought they did the whole stealing from other cultures really well with Mulhorand and Unther, they fit it into the world perfectly.

 

[Achan hiArusa]

Are you kidding? These "rip-off" cultures are the closest thing WotC is ever going to get to make a real vibrant culture that wasn't an excuse for stomping monsters in a pseudo-medieval fantasy, you will never see a rich artificial culture like Empire of the Petal Throne http://www.tekumel.com ever come out of those offices even as a small part of another world. Read the Maztica trilogy, the invasion of Maztica did not happen like our own did. Its a much better written set of books than Salvatore's Drizzt dribble. Thank you Fenes and EATherrian. And yes they were islands of Logic in an otherwise illogical world and they are mostly gone now all for monster stomping.

 

[Obergnom]

I prefere regions that are real world "rip offs" with the fantasy level tuned up to 11... like the new Calimshan... maybe I never got the Old Empires (never cared for Maztica, Chult was enough for my taste) but their "magic level" allways seemed to low for me... I would have prefered them change that instead of removing them though...