Campaign setting recommendations

[kenjib]

Actually, it is a lie. Why I have stated that I believe the complainers haven't read the book is because both of you are saying "Well, Mulharond looks juuuust like Egypt" - when they state directly in the book that it is supposed to be that way. As I have said, they basically came out & said Mulhorand came from Earth's Egypt. That's why I think neither of you have really read the book. I did not come out & say "You are an idiot" or anything of the matter. If you can't see the difference between someone asking "Have you read the book?" & "Anyone who doesn't play this setting is an idiot" then you have a lot of issues at hand.

Well, whether it's explicitly or implicitly based on Egypt doesn't really matter to me. It feels awkward either way. As it is, it's explicitly and intentionally grafted into Forgotten Realms and deprived of its original context via deux ex machina. This works fine for some people. It doesn't work for me.

For what it's worth, I think the original gray box was the best incarnation of FR. There was a sense of wild mystery that just isn't there anymore. Perhaps I just like campaign settings better when they are less detailed, thus more open-ended.

 

[Orias]

For what it's worth, I think the original gray box was the best incarnation of FR. There was a sense of wild mystery that just isn't there anymore. Perhaps I just like campaign settings better when they are less detailed, thus more open-ended.

I both agree & disagree with you on this. First, I like a good deal of the changes in FR up until 3e, & even then I like some of the changes.

I do agree that older Realms were different, & definetely the atmosphere & feel, if not more, were WAY better. I remember back when FR could be called a "dark" setting, & everything had this wide sense of mystery & enchantment.

I like many of the stories, as I have said, but too much has been changed. I love extremely detailed settings, but not if the detail turns a setting into something that it was not meant to supposed to be. One example - drow. I remember back when drow were scary. They seemed like a huge threat to Cormanthor & the rest of the Dales, & they were extremely mysterious & frightening. Now Wizards has started the pumping "300% more Drow! You love Drow! Gotta love Drizzt! Read more about Drow! Play the drow! Play them now! They live underground! They are spooky! They have magical resistance! LOVE THEM! MORE DROW!", & now the Drow just seem silly. You could easily compare the forces of the drow to the Foot Clan in Ninja Turtles anymore.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

hmmm, don't know much about Kara Tur, but I like the idea of Kara Tur.

Maztica had its flaws but, honestly, someone should be doing something with the historical and literary inspiration provided by that cultural area. It's sort of injustice not too, when you don't I don't think you get original fantasy so much as poot knock offs of more familiar history. And I think that it is damaging to our understanding of history to pretend otherwise.

Loved Al-Quadim, not only was it fantastic cinematic and literary work with the material but it picked up on more than a few of the more interesting historical bits, and was just generally a very well designed world and series of supports. Admittedly hampered by 2e in ways that most 2e products weren't, but nonetheless fantastic. The adventures for it were some of the best I've seen for DnD, really made you feel like you were in participating in some activity that wasn't simply a hack novel.

Admittedly it didn't have to have anything that much in common with Forgotten Realms and in many ways there were some awkward fits, but it was only barely integrated anyways.

The Arabian influenced areas in FR always strike me as a nod to Spain more than anything else. Where Spain isn't honestly all that Arab, lots of Berber stuff going on there and pleny of native Spanish institutions.

 

[wsclark]

According to Kenzer Co's release schedule, it's due in September. I'm looking forward to it myself

SJ

I will probably be later than that. Check out the Best DM Screen thread for Mark Plemmons post. He says that he is scheduled to start the work on it after he gets back from GenCon. There is also a link to a thread on the Kenzer forums asking for feedback for the updated screen.