D&D General D&D Settings with No Problematic Areas?

[Remathilis]

Re: Ravenloft.

I think if there was a setting in need of an overhaul, Ravenloft is probably it. Since much of its inspiration comes from Victorian (and earlier) "gothic" lit, a lot of it is locked into some very dated concepts. This is not to say gothic horror is bad, but that more than a few domains/Dark Lords need some work.

A few examples:

Anton Misroi (Souragne): A plantation owner who gets involved with voodoo and becomes a Lord of the Dead. Every Antebellum Louisiana trope put into one kettle. Big Yikes.
Baron Urik Von Kharkov (Valacha): Hoo-boy. A black man with a germanic/slavic hybrid name ruling a jungle domain. Made worse when you find out he was a PANTHER turned into a man and then into a vampire. He is literally a beast-made-man-made-Dracula.
Dominic d'Honaire (Dementilu): A mesmerist/echanter who gets more repulsive the more he finds someone attractive. Real creeper vibe with him.
Gabrielle Adierre (Invidia): Vistani (with all those problems) mixed with evil seductress tropes.
Tsien Chiang (I'Cath)/Haki Shinpi (Rokushima Taiyoo): Both have the same problem: based on horror from other cultures without consult from said culture. Needs a critical eye from someone familiar with the culture to make sure they aren't offensive.
Maharaja Arijani (Sri Raji): Same, but this time India.
The Amber Wastes (various lords): Someone call an Egyptologist, just in case.

This is just the obvious yikes, not counting the numerous Fridged Women that exist in many a Darklord's history, right up to the poster-child himself, ole Strahdy-Von-Zee.

The good news is that most of these domains can be reworked, and the ones that can't can be "lost to the Mists" easily. But it needs some TLC. Put another way, I can see why WotC hasn't ventured beyond Barovia in its products...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Re: Ravenloft.

I think if there was a setting in need of an overhaul, Ravenloft is probably it. Since much of its inspiration comes from Victorian (and earlier) "gothic" lit, a lot of it is locked into some very dated concepts. This is not to say gothic horror is bad, but that more than a few domains/Dark Lords need some work.

A few examples:

Anton Misroi (Souragne): A plantation owner who gets involved with voodoo and becomes a Lord of the Dead. Every Antebellum Louisiana trope put into one kettle. Big Yikes.
Baron Urik Von Kharkov (Valacha): Hoo-boy. A black man with a germanic/slavic hybrid name ruling a jungle domain. Made worse when you find out he was a PANTHER turned into a man and then into a vampire. He is literally a beast-made-man-made-Dracula.
Dominic d'Honaire (Dementilu): A mesmerist/echanter who gets more repulsive the more he finds someone attractive. Real creeper vibe with him.
Gabrielle Adierre (Invidia): Vistani (with all those problems) mixed with evil seductress tropes.
Tsien Chiang (I'Cath)/Haki Shinpi (Rokushima Taiyoo): Both have the same problem: based on horror from other cultures without consult from said culture. Needs a critical eye from someone familiar with the culture to make sure they aren't offensive.
Maharaja Arijani (Sri Raji): Same, but this time India.
The Amber Wastes (various lords): Someone call an Egyptologist, just in case.

This is just the obvious yikes, not counting the numerous Fridged Women that exist in many a Darklord's history, right up to the poster-child himself, ole Strahdy-Von-Zee.

The good news is that most of these domains can be reworked, and the ones that can't can be "lost to the Mists" easily. But it needs some TLC. Put another way, I can see why WotC hasn't ventured beyond Barovia in its products...

IMO expanding Barovia and Strahd out to a general setting with many domains was a bad move. I’d rather they just continue ignoring the rest, unless they want to make them independent and unique campaigns.

 

[Remathilis]

IMO expanding Barovia and Strahd out to a general setting with many domains was a bad move. I’d rather they just continue ignoring the rest, unless they want to make them independent and unique campaigns.

There are some very good domains in the mix as well (I point to Darkon, Lamordia, Kartakass and even Sithicus as good domains with interesting Dark Lords) but there is a lot of chaff that came with that wheat. My personal dream would be to set up some of the best domains like CoS Barovia (isolated pockets in the Mists/Shadowfell) and do away with the whole "core domain/continent" idea, and then have a new "generic" horror world like Innistrad fill the "campaign setting" role.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

There are some very good domains in the mix as well (I point to Darkon, Lamordia, Kartakass and even Sithicus as good domains with interesting Dark Lords) but there is a lot of chaff that came with that wheat. My personal dream would be to set up some of the best domains like CoS Barovia (isolated pockets in the Mists/Shadowfell) and do away with the whole "core domain/continent" idea, and then have a new "generic" horror world like Innistrad fill the "campaign setting" role.

Exactly same!

I’d love that.

 

[Unwise]

Do people feel actual pressure to not include 'problematic' things in their games if nobody in the room cares?

I'm just curious about that. I would not say something racist just because nobody around me would get offended. It is about the person I want to be, not about them. I'd offend myself. The same cannot be said for me with any of the issues mentioned above. I'm not going to worry about cultural appropriation, slavery, stereotypes or anything else in my game, other than how it affects the people at the table.

 

[Panda-s1]

Do people feel actual pressure to not include 'problematic' things in their games if nobody in the room cares?

I'm just curious about that. I would not say something racist just because nobody around me would get offended. It is about the person I want to be, not about them. I'd offend myself. The same cannot be said for me with any of the issues mentioned above. I'm not going to worry about cultural appropriation, slavery, stereotypes or anything else in my game, other than how it affects the people at the table.

some people are just really into being "politically incorrect". I'm Korean, but only half so it's not apparently obvious I'm Asian. one time while eating at work I was the only Asian guy at the table. a coworker, apropos of nothing, made a joke about Koreans eating dog. I didn't say anything, 'cause like wtf. didn't help our studio didn't have any formal PR either, the whole workplace was a mess anyway.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

some people are just really into being "politically incorrect". I'm Korean, but only half so it's not apparently obvious I'm Asian. one time while eating at work I was the only Asian guy at the table. a coworker, apropos of nothing, made a joke about Koreans eating dog. I didn't say anything, 'cause like wtf. didn't help our studio didn't have any formal PR either, the whole workplace was a mess anyway.

There are bad jokes about it, but all the coronavirus stuff just got China to reclassify dogs and casts as pets and not livestock. And eating them is still pretty standard in some other Asian countries, including South Korea. And several countries still eat horses. And all of those are considered wrong here in the US. I am sure there are plenty of other animals that one part of the world eats, but another part of the world considers wrong or gross.

 

[Panda-s1]

There are bad jokes about it, but all the coronavirus stuff just got China to reclassify dogs and casts as pets and not livestock. And eating them is still pretty standard in some other Asian countries, including South Korea. And several countries still eat horses. And all of those are considered wrong here in the US. I am sure there are plenty of other animals that one part of the world eats, but another part of the world considers wrong or gross.

.............
you're missing the point, entirely, holy crap.

 

[MarkB]

@Remathilis got the basics down.

In general the tone has tended to glorify the colonialist looting of Xen'drik a bit too unconditionally. Furthermore, the writers went too far on keeping it "mysterious" to the point that it leaves out the opportunity to deepen the cultures of the Drow. Keith agrees this is a problem

Hmm, the "different kind of technology" concept Keith Baker mentions in the post you quoted makes it sound like turning the Xen'drik Drow into fantasy Wakanda.

Not a terrible approach, but hopefully it won't be quite that simple.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

.............
you're missing the point, entirely, holy crap.

Whatever. I almost said a lot of those jokes are in poor taste.......