WotC Why WotC SHOULD Make A New Setting

[Scribe]

While i want to see a new setting, nah. They arent obligated to ever make a new setting. Them not doing so is not any sort of sign of some character failing or whatever, it is simply a perfectly valid choice they have thus far made that you don't prefer.

No, I do not attribute this choice to a (corporate?) character flaw, there are enough of those already discussed.

I just think its unfortunate that they dont really seem inclined to do cool things while others even with the same company, do get to.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

No, I do not attribute this choice to a (corporate?) character flaw, there are enough of those already discussed.

I just think its unfortunate that they dont really seem inclined to do cool things while others even with the same company, do get to.

Okay, i just think the way you word statements about it implies some sort of flaw or...failure, inherent in not doing the thing, and i disagree with that.

 

[Parmandur]

So apparently I need to spell out the joke.

Ravnica isn't the urban fantasy genre. Just because it is fantasy and has an urban environment, doesn't make it the urban fantasy genre, any more than the presence of death knights makes Dragonlance Gothic horror despite some tragic and spooky elements.

I realize sarcasm is the lowest form of whit, but I was only attempting to draw comparison between people saying Pholtus or Planescape qualifies as urban fantasy by saying that by that metric, Krynn is a horror setting.

Are we clear now?

But referring to the Urban Fantasy Wikipedia article, Ravncia meets the characteristics of the subgenre? It isn't contemporary Earth, but thst is not strictly necessary to the Urban Fantasy genre, just a more familiar to contemporary life mode of living.

 

[Corinnguard]

But referring to the Urban Fantasy Wikipedia article, Ravncia meets the characteristics of the subgenre? It isn't contemporary Earth, but thst is not strictly necessary to the Urban Fantasy genre, just a more familiar to contemporary life mode of living.

It probably does meet the characteristics of the UF sub-genre. However, anyone who reads about the Ravnica setting knows what to expect in it as a fantasy setting. There is a bit of a cool factor when a UF takes place somewhere we're familiar with in RL.

 

[Parmandur]

It probably does meet the characteristics of the UF sub-genre. However, anyone who reads about the Ravnica setting knows what to expect in it as a fantasy setting. There is a bit of a cool factor when a UF takes place we're familiar with in RL.

Granted, and Urban Arcana for 5E is something thst I think would be a solid idea (my three "remake these please" would be Urban Arcana, Gamma World, and Star Frontiers), but again this is how the genre is defined at it's core, and I don't see how Ravncia as presented in the Guildmasters Guide is not this:

"Urban fantasy combines imaginary/unrealistic elements of plot, character, theme, or setting with a largely-familiar world—combining the familiar and the strange. The world does not have to imitate the real world, but can instead be set in a different world or time."

 

[Scribe]

Okay, i just think the way you word statements about it implies some sort of flaw or...failure, inherent in not doing the thing, and i disagree with that.

I mean, I think it's a flawed approach to the business, the community, and they fail to engage me...

But it isn't a reflection on the character of the staff, just a lack of vision from the leadership.

 

[Parmandur]

From page 9 of the Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica seems to illustrate how the core conceit of the Setting fits the core definition of Urban Fantasy (except turned to 11, with things like the city built over the Oceans and under the Oceans thanks to the Merfolk and a couple hundred billion inhabitants):

"A mixture of technological advancement and sophisticated magic offers amenities to the people of Ravncia thst would be extraordinary to folk in most D&D world, except one like Eberron. The nicer neighborhoods of the city enjoy central heating and plumbing (thanks to the work of the Izzet League), elavators, and spacious apartments. Even poorer neighborhoods boast clean and smooth roads a d sturdy construction. No one needs to go hungry in Ravnica, because the Golgari Swarm provides a bare minimum of sustenance to anyone who can't afford better foo, though it is best not to think too much about where the thick gruel comes from. (In practical terms, even a character who can't afford more than a wretched lifestyle doesn't need to go hungry.)"

"The citizens of Ravnica enjoy plenty of leisure time, and the city offers an abundance of ways to fill it. Ravncia features restaurants with extensive collections of fine wines, cafes serving coffee and tea, street vendors offering portable meals, and bakeries that sell a wide variety of breads and pastries. Travelers can stay in luxury hotels or simple hostels, or they can a rely on their personal or guild-related contacts to find housing. Diversions and entertainment abound, including raucous street-side theater (including the circus-like spectacles of the Cult of Rakdos), operas and symphonies, illegal fight clubs, sporting events held in vast arenas, throwaway popular novels, and great works of literature. These things are shared by the city's diverse people, who enjoy a life adorned by a variety of species, gender identies, and sexual orientations. "

"Well-established systems undervird society, largely through the efforts of the guilds. The Azorius Senate crafts, cofifies and enforces a comprehensive (some would say oppressive) set of laws. The banks of the Orzhov Syndicate offer secure vaults and complicated financial arrangements. The Izzet League maintains the city's infrastructure, and the Golgari Swarm ensures that waste is disposed of (or recycled). House Dimir couriers deliver messages and parcels across the city, and the Simic Combine addresses issues of public health."

"Ravnica lacks any large-scale agriculture operations, its citizens depending on food produced in Selesnya Gardens and underground Golgarinrot farms. Few parts of Ravnica could be considered wilderness; the rubble-belts, areas where the city has decayed and been reclaimed by natural forces, are the only truly wild areas."

 

[MichaelSomething]

A new setting would just end up looking like the Radiant Citadel and who wants more of that???

 

[Reynard]

Granted, and Urban Arcana for 5E is something thst I think would be a solid idea (my three "remake these please" would be Urban Arcana, Gamma World, and Star Frontiers), but again this is how the genre is defined at it's core, and I don't see how Ravncia as presented in the Guildmasters Guide is not this:

"Urban fantasy combines imaginary/unrealistic elements of plot, character, theme, or setting with a largely-familiar world—combining the familiar and the strange. The world does not have to imitate the real world, but can instead be set in a different world or time."

For the life of me I can't understand why you are still trying to define Ravnica as Urban Fantasy when it is pretty clear Urban Fantasy is Buffy and Anita Blake and Dresden and The Dark Tower etc...

 

[Mecheon]

From page 9 of the Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica seems to illustrate how the core conceit of the Setting fits the core definition of Urban Fantasy (except turned to 11, with things like the city built over the Oceans and under the Oceans thanks to the Merfolk and a couple hundred billion inhabitants):

No? That's just saying its high tech compared to most D&D worlds, and its in a city. There is no urban fantasy tropes in all that at all. Just because it takes place in a city, doesn't mean its urban fantasy

Once again, ask yourself: Does it sound like Twilight? Or Buffy? Or Anita Blake's core of work? Dresden? Heck, the Underworld films? That's all urban fantasy

Ravnica is not urban fantasy, per the modern definition, because while you're trying to quote all this stuff, I can just point at the actual examples of urban fantasy and go "Yeah Ravnica ain't like them"

Do you think Urban Arcana, the actual Urban Fantasy setting WotC published, and Ravnica, the MTG setting in a plane wide city, are the same genre? Be honest here.