D&D 5E World of Farland Now Embraces Asian, African, and Indian Cultures

The World of Farland has been online thoughout various iterations of D&D for as long as I've been running this website. So, about 20 years. It's a dark D&D setting, ruled by evil lords based on the Seven Deadly Sins, with an tmosphere a bit like if Lord of the Rings had gone the other way. The new Realms Under Shadow hardcover supplement introduces new locations which are not dependent on European mythology. I've been sent a few previews to share!

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The World of Farland, conquered by evil and ruled by the Lords of Sin, has been online for nearly 20 years. It's a best-seller here at DTRPG. But the setting has focused on European-style fantasy up to this point. That changes now...

The evil Wintervale has conquered the continent of Farland. But other lands lie south and east of the Wintervale. Some of these exotic realms are allied with the Shadow and some resist it, but either way, they have been affected by it. These are the Realms Under Shadow...

The Realms Under Shadow are fantastic places reminiscent of the medieval cultures of Asia, Africa (including egypt), and India. This campaign supplement allows you to play a game that is not in the vein of the traditional European style fantasy. Adventure in diverse and amazing places. Battle characters and monsters that are a far cry from your usual RPG experience. This book is compatible with the 5th edition of the World's most popular RPG and is a supplement to The World of Farland Campaign Setting, although it can certainly be used on its own.

This 235 page campaign supplement includes:

• Detailed write-ups on many unique and diverse cultures
• 14 new PC races
• New player options, including 15 new class archetypes and paths; feats; and equipment
• Calendars and gods
• New Languages
• Tons of adventure hooks
• Important NPCs and locations
• Seventeen new monsters
• A full length adventure set in the Realms Under Shadow
• Much more!
• All exclusive new content that will never appear on the website.

This book comes with two maps of the geography, and it is now available in standard color hardcover and gorgeous premium color hardcover!

 

[Mercurius]

It's not about ownership; it's about identity and thoughtfulness. There aren't laws governing these things; just mutual respect. And when you're the most powerful country in the world and easily able to ride roughshod over others with little consequence, it's important to try not to.

Yes, which brings me back to being respectful. I don't think anyone disagrees on whether or not we should be respectful. Where there is a range of views is what constitutes respect, and perhaps whether or not "cultural appropriation" is the right way to go about it.

p.s. As an American, I've never been able to "ride roughshod over others with little consequence." I feel like I'm missing out! That said, I get what you mean on a national and historic level - but it doesn't usually apply on the individual, personal level.

 

[Yaarel]

That said, I get what you mean on a national and historic level - but it doesn't usually apply on the individual, personal level.

Yeah. In my experience, American individuals are often hyper-respectful because of concerns about national history.

I feel most Americans, just want things to be fair, for everyone all around, with everyone playing by the same rules.

American individuals at personal level dont want to bully, nor do they want to be bullied.

 

[SkidAce]

yes the kitchen sink can be fun, and what you do at home is your business entirely.
But one of the stinking points about commercial products, as it relates to Culture though is the commodification of Culture ie who 'owns' the cultural property of the product? Are the Samurai in Farlands product the property of Farland or of Japanese culture? Who gets to define what Samurai are?

The creator of the setting, regardless whether published or not.

Shadowrun has street samurai. Inspired by Japanese culture I am sure, but taken in a direction as needed to fit the setting.

Some things have become archetypes, as accurate or inaccurate as they may be. Was Neal Stephenson wrong in imposing a cultural icon onto the hero (pun) of Snowcrash?

 

[RichCMidas]

Are Japanese people offended when they hear about American media with oni, samurai, or ninja that don't match their own ideas of what these things are?

As for your question, "who gets to define what Samurai are," I think that's just it. No one in particular. I mean, is there an official Bureau of Samurai Lore in Japan? And if so, would they even care, especially considering the very limited profitability of such a product? I could see them taking issue with a blockbuster film that depicted Samurai in an innacurate way, but a fantasy RPG product that might be purchased by a few thousand people at most?

Hey that reminds me - anyone else remember when "The Last Samurai" came out, with Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe? America was relatively subdued about the film (perhaps being in the early phases of seeing it as another example of whitewashing) and saw the characters as fairly uninspired and archetypal...but Japan loved it with a notable exception: they felt Watanabe's character was not believable as a samurai, because as far as they were concerned, the samurai were little more than imperially-sanctioned thugs who could do whatever they liked to the general populace and get away with it. That Watanabe's character was the absolute ideal Western concept of a samurai jarred with their actual experiences.

In fact, if I recall the article...here: a few interesting comments.

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That aside however, there is a cultural advantage in myself being the primary author of the material. I'm not US-of-American. I'm a mixed-race dual national who, for about the first fifteen years of my life, was too light to be called black and too dark to be called white (though it turns out I'm closer to white after a decade in bleak sunless England). You cannot reasonably, or accurately, accuse me of even incidental Western or white imperialism.

If ever I ride roughshod over something, it is purely accidental, not that this makes it any better, and I treat EVERY culture and nation the same. Every aspect of every culture is equal opportunity open season as far as I am concerned. I will take the good and the bad, and praise or criticise without prejudice. What I always regret, however, is never having enough time or space to do everything justice*.

I still try my best.

Should I fail, then hopefully others will be sufficiently inspired (or perhaps incensed) to perform their own labours in correcting my own failings - even if it's just for a homebrew campaign.

At the end of the day, I'm a one-man band of a physically mature boy (mental maturity almost absent according to my partner) who is playing a very elaborate game of make-believe and typing up a bunch of personal home rules for others to use in similar games if they want to. That I was able to speak to anyone regarding some of the cultures who inspired this work is, considering the resources and time available to me, something of a personal miracle.

And as Yaarel mentioned, to the best of my recollection, we abided by that very core principle of "do not misrepresent". Inspiration drawn from a culture, yes; calling what resulted from that inspiration to be an aspect of said culture, no.

*Which does bring to mind the brief touching-upon of the World of Farland's pantheon in the nation of Badala - there was nowhere nearly enough on the deities there in their local forms as opposed to their setting-standard. Pure oversight on my part. I intend to release a companion piece rectifying that for the website.

 

[Connorsrpg]

And yep. Totally thread-killed again...

 

[MGibster]

they felt Watanabe's character was not believable as a samurai, because as far as they were concerned, the samurai were little more than imperially-sanctioned thugs who could do whatever they liked to the general populace and get away with it. That Watanabe's character was the absolute ideal Western concept of a samurai jarred with their actual experiences.

That was my exact reaction when I saw the movie. It was hard for me to feel sorry for the samurai when he was humiliated by the peasant soldiers.

 

[CubicsRube]

Or maybe don't be offended at all?

In australia you can find plenty of restaurants and other businesses run by various asian groups that use the adjective oriental in their name.

We don't connect the word with racism here.

Do europeans do it? I wonder if it's a particularly nkrth american thing.

 

[Morrus]

In australia you can find plenty of restaurants and other businesses run by various asian groups that use the adjective oriental in their name.

We don't connect the word with racism here.

Do europeans do it? I wonder if it's a particularly nkrth american thing.

Yes, it's common here in the UK. Supermarket sections, too.

 

[MGibster]

In australia you can find plenty of restaurants and other businesses run by various asian groups that use the adjective oriental in their name.

We don't connect the word with racism here.

Do europeans do it? I wonder if it's a particularly nkrth american thing.

It's a weird word in the United States. You'll find oriental used in the title of markets, restaurants, and used to describe types of rugs. But these days it's not really the thing to describe people as orientals. If you do you might hear someone say, "Oriental describes things not people."

 

[Sadras]

Cultural appropriate is basically taking part of a culture to which one does not belong and using it as a gimmick, and not treating it with the level of respect is should have (this can range from none to lots) based on the original culture. The feathered head dress of the plains people in North America for example being worm at say a costume party is cultural appropriation, its is turning something of significant culture importance into a cheap costume.

If it were an expensive costume would it be better? Approximately how much respect does one need to give to a feathered head dress of the plains people in North America or a Scottish kilt or an Indian sari?

Having a Hollywood prop department make a head dress and having somebody wear it in a movie about say Geronimo or Sitting Bull is okay, assuming we have actual indigenous people portraying said roles.

Poor Anthony Quin didn't know he was culturally appropriating when he was cast as Alexis Zorba in Zorba the Greek.