Best RPG for Arabian adventures

[Voadam]

My second thought is if you are thinking about Al Qadim, there is the pirates specific small boxed set Corsairs of the Great Sea with a 32 page supplement on the region and pirates and 64 pages of 2e D&D fantasy Arab pirate adventures.

 

[Voadam]

I would also say a lot of classic D&D fantasy settings would support a bunch of Arab pirate stuff.

Greyhawk has the western third of the main continent dominated by the fantasy Arab Baklunish, though the west coast would be limited to various Baklunish nations for pirating as the Sea of Dust cuts them off from sailing to the rest of the setting.

Forgotten Realms has not only Al Qadim/Zahkaria, but the separate fantasy Arab core nation states like Calimshan/Amn etc. The Anarauch desert has bedouin style nomads but not really a lot of Sinbad pirate style opportunities.

Birthright has a big ethnic fantasy Arab North African Khinasi set as a big part of the setting supported with supplements like Cities of the Sun.

Golarion from Paizo for 3.5, Pathfinder 1e, and Pathfinder 2e has a whole continent of a super fantasy Arab empire and a couple core fantasy Arab nations along coasts plus there is a whole 3.5 adventure path based on a genie theme set there.

 

[kronovan]

...Greyhawk has the western third of the main continent dominated by the fantasy Arab Baklunish...

Yes! I always wanted to adventure in the Baklunish lands, but the closest I got back in the day was the Baklunish kingdom of Ket. The DM then lured our party into the Bramblewood Forest and eventually up in to the Barrier Peaks, where we got wiped! I wanted to take parties there when DMing AD&D1e, but the players always wanted to go east or start out east in the Great Kingdom. <sigh>

For me the Baklunish lands are one of the most intriguing regions of the World of Greyhawk. I always though it was cool that the Baklunish once dwealt east over the mountains, but became refugees from the Invoked Devasation cataclysm. And then reeked their own devastation with the Rain of Colorless Fire, blazing an entire region into the Sea of Dust! They didn't get much text in the original 1980 Gazetteer, but what did. The best source for the them I've read is the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Taking into account all Baklunish content from the poltical details to the text on the Muquallad Consortium, there's a about 10 pages in the LGG. IMO plenty enough to drop a suitable adventure in any of the 6 politys and run with it.

I always felt that the city of Ekbir was inspired by the city of Basra of the Golden Age of the Caliphate, and that the Tusmit's capital of Semur was somewhat analogous to Bagdad. There's no doubt that it was meant to be a uniform area, as Baklunish is spoken throughout all 6 Baklunish politys. So is Common, but that's more of a D&D norm/thing. As well, even though demi-humans are present they never comprise more than about 21% of a population and usually only about 4%. Were a DM to want a Human-only campaign, it could be done easily by just subbing demi-humans with other Human cultures.

...though the west coast would be limited to various Baklunish nations for pirating as the Sea of Dust cuts them off from sailing to the rest of the setting..

Well going by the original WoG map they were, but going by Anna Myers newer online map...Bold Baklunish mariners in the summer months could sail north on the Dramidj Ocean into the Icy Sea, then eastward and southeastward around the lands of the Ice Barbarians to the Solnor Ocean. It'd be one heckuva a journey though! A fun campaign could be the Damidj Ocean to Icy Sea and then into Blackmoor Bay.

Anyhow...I've thought more than once about running a campaign in Greyhawk with OSE, or maybe even adapting it to True20 or 13th Age.

 

[Voadam]

Yes! I always wanted to adventure in the Baklunish lands, but the closest I got back in the day was the Baklunish kingdom of Ket. The DM then lured our party into the Bramblewood Forest and eventually up in to the Barrier Peaks, where we got wiped! I wanted to take parties there when DMing AD&D1e, but the players always wanted to go east or start out east in the Great Kingdom. <sigh>

For me the Baklunish lands are one of the most intriguing regions of the World of Greyhawk. I always though it was cool that the Baklunish once dwealt east over the mountains, but became refugees from the Invoked Devasation cataclysm. And then reeked their own devastation with the Rain of Colorless Fire, blazing an entire region into the Sea of Dust! They didn't get much text in the original 1980 Gazetteer, but what did. The best source for the them I've read is the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Taking into account all Baklunish content from the poltical details to the text on the Muquallad Consortium, there's a about 10 pages in the LGG. IMO plenty enough to drop a suitable adventure in any of the 6 politys and run with it.

I always felt that the city of Ekbir was inspired by the city of Basra of the Golden Age of the Caliphate, and that the Tusmit's capital of Semur was somewhat analogous to Bagdad. There's no doubt that it was meant to be a uniform area, as Baklunish is spoken throughout all 6 Baklunish politys. So is Common, but that's more of a D&D norm/thing. As well, even though demi-humans are present they never comprise more than about 21% of a population and usually only about 4%. Were a DM to want a Human-only campaign, it could be done easily by just subbing demi-humans with other Human cultures.



Well going by the original WoG map they were, but going by Anna Myers newer online map...Bold Baklunish mariners in the summer months could sail north on the Dramidj Ocean into the Icy Sea, then eastward and southeastward around the lands of the Ice Barbarians to the Solnor Ocean. It'd be one heckuva a journey though! A fun campaign could be the Damidj Ocean to Icy Sea and then into Blackmoor Bay.

Anyhow...I've thought more than once about running a campaign in Greyhawk with OSE, or maybe even adapting it to True20 or 13th Age.

Just FYI there is also a DMs Guild product on that region Greyhawk Expanded, The Baklunish Near West.

 

[kronovan]

Just FYI there is also a DMs Guild product on that region Greyhawk Expanded, The Baklunish Near West.

Very cool, I wasn't aware of that book.

Do you know why they renamed the Plains of the Paynim to the Plains of Ulakandar?
I'm also curious why they didn't include the Tiger Nomads - in the LGG Ancient Baklunish is spoken there and the Chakyik Hordes seem analogous to nomads living among the northern steppes of the Golden Caliphate. Very cool though that they included details on the Ataphad Islands, which weren't on the orginal map and only get brief mentionsin LGG - at least the isles were there on the LGG map. I've never heard of the Brethern of the Coast, so I'm curious which part of the Baklunish coast that could possibly be?

I'm a bit mixed on whether I'll get it - I'm really not interested in the Player Options chapter, which seems like a fair amount of the content. And other than the new Ataphad Confederacy, Bakhoury Coast and Brethren of the Coast entries, this doesn't look like it adds much to political divisions/politys. The factions look interesting though, albeit it doesn't look like they get much text.

Decisions...decisions...

 

[jian]

Very cool, I wasn't aware of that book.

Do you know why they renamed the Plains of the Paynim to the Plains of Ulakandar?

I suppose it’s possible they became aware that paynim is an ancient and pejorative (probably offensive) term for Muslims? Like some other similar terms (Saracen, Mohammedan, Termagant) it’s associated heavily with the Crusades and thus is not the most sensitive term one could use.

 

[coyote6]

Do you know why they renamed the Plains of the Paynim to the Plains of Ulakandar?

I don't know for sure, but "paynim" is a real world word, an archaic term more or less synonymous with "heathen", largely (AFAIK) applied specifically to Muslims. I imagine WotC changed it because it was largely a term of disparagement.

Ulakandar would be what the nomadic peoples that live on said plains call themselves.

Edit: the nation of Ull was formed by a tribe of the nomads that settled down; the capital city is called Ulakand. So that's where they got the name Ulakandar.

 

[kronovan]

I suppose it’s possible they became aware that paynim is an ancient and pejorative (probably offensive) term for Muslims? Like some other similar terms (Saracen, Mohammedan, Termagant) it’s associated heavily with the Crusades and thus is not the most sensitive term one could use.

That makes sense. I did realize it wasn't the politest of terms, but wasn't aware it was that derogatory. Ulakandar is a good name name and it seems to convey some mystery and intrigue.