Campaigns based on more obscure geographical regions

[Azazyll]

I have to say, as I just flew out of Tibet a few days ago, that no one has considered Tibet as well as they should. It is NOTHING like hollywood has made it out to be, it is perfectly situated to take advantage of Central Asian, Chinese, Indian, and Near Eastern side trips. Essentially, Tibet is the crossroads of Asia, and virtually anything is possible from that location. Plus, spicing it up like hollywood certainly wouldn't detract from any setting, although it's worthwhile noting that the Tibetans sacked the capital of China (during it's height!) around the same time that Charlemagne was conquering Europe.

Speaking of which, having just taken a grad course on Charlemagne's Europe, I can honestly say that no one I have ever heard of has even remotely come near presenting that setting. True Dark Age Europe (400-900 AD) had never really been plumbed to any real extent, and its possibly one of the most obvious places to look. But then, it is my major, so maybe I'm biased.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I played in a really great Ars Magica game set in 1200's Russia. Which had a very different kind of feel to medieval Europe.

To grab a good handle on the politics - Battletech used this as their setting. The Inner Sphere are the Russian nobles. The Mongols are the Clans. Mechs = Knights. Mercenaries everywhere.

I really enjoyed it!

 

[Desdichado]

One setting that I think is seriously under-appreciated is the eastern Mediterranean in Classical times, particularly the lands around the Aegean, but also Egypt and Asia Minor. The world as Herodotus desccribed it in the Histories is just screaming to be made into a fantasy RPG setting. Gene Wolfe already used it as a setting for his fantasy novels Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete, and I hope that with a little help from the popularity of the movie Troy I might see it done. Or see GURPS Greece re-printed.

Green Ronin is also printing up a d20 Trojan War in their Mythic Vistas series (the same series that has Testament.)

 

[Henry]

It didn't entirely happen on purpose, but the area my characters are from and started in in the campaign I'm currently DMing has a distinctly Ozark feel. At least, to me it does.

Let's see... When our PC's first met the king, he was lounging on his balcony (effectively his back porch) with his feet propped up, whittling, with a half-eaten plate of "vittles" by his side. I was half surprised not to see a bloodhound layed out under his legs.

I'm afraid that we're chasing Ellie Mae's Kidnappers for King Jed even as we speak.

 

[Desdichado]

I have to say, as I just flew out of Tibet a few days ago, that no one has considered Tibet as well as they should. It is NOTHING like hollywood has made it out to be, it is perfectly situated to take advantage of Central Asian, Chinese, Indian, and Near Eastern side trips. Essentially, Tibet is the crossroads of Asia, and virtually anything is possible from that location. Plus, spicing it up like hollywood certainly wouldn't detract from any setting, although it's worthwhile noting that the Tibetans sacked the capital of China (during it's height!) around the same time that Charlemagne was conquering Europe.

Yeah, my "Tarim Basin" setting features Tibet, naturally, since Tibet borders the Tarim Basin on the other side of the Kunlun Mountains. However, my focus is more on the Tarim Basin itself (which was the real crossroads of Asia; after all, the "Silk Road" ran right through it) rather than than Tibet itself. Tibet was usually more isolated, although the Tibetans did have their moments in the sun as well, of course. In fact, they once ruled the Tarim Basin, although I'm setting my game more like the period when the Tarim was a bunch of independent kingdoms like Kucha, Agni, Krorain, Qashqar, Cerchen, etc.

Speaking of which, having just taken a grad course on Charlemagne's Europe, I can honestly say that no one I have ever heard of has even remotely come near presenting that setting. True Dark Age Europe (400-900 AD) had never really been plumbed to any real extent, and its possibly one of the most obvious places to look. But then, it is my major, so maybe I'm biased.

That's quite true. Indeed, few enough of Medieval enthusiasts even seem to be familiar with the early Medieval period, but it's my personal favorite.

 

[Davelozzi]

Mystara is filled with rarely used cultures....Ulimwegu (Sub-saharan Africa).

I'm familiar with all of the other lands you mentioned, but where is Ulimwegu? I don't remember it.

 

[johnsemlak]

Regarding Charlemagne's Europe--wasn't there one of those Green AD&D historical supplements for that era?

Though I haven't seen that sup, and am a fan of that era (400-900 A.D. or thereabouts) as well. It's often referred to as Late Antiquity, as well as the early Middle Ages.

 

[Ibram]

Though I enjoy playing in an "European" setting I've always wanted to see the RPG world expand beyond the whole High Middle Ages Europe/Tokugawa Japan bit. Right now I think that India would make the best, since its emerging place in the world is making people pay attention to it.

others:
Ancient Persia
Middle East durring the hight of the Caliphs power.
SE asia
Ancient China (note that I have yet to see a good d20 setting that actualy focuses on China)
Pharonic Egypt
Summeria/Bablyon

 

[MaxKaladin]

My submission to WotC's setting search was a fantasy take on King Arthur + Irish/Welsh/Scottish/English cultures + Native Americans in North America, 500 years or so after fleeing Europe and a resurgent Roman Empire. 1000 AD or so, close to the normal D&D time period, but with decidely stronger American and Gaelic influences.

That's a coincidence. I am currently doing something similar to this. A group of my world's "Gauls" who fled my "Rome"'s Caesar by fleeing across the sea to establish a culture in a place that isn't quite America, but is well across the ocean and has closer ties to what would pass for America. It's about 500 years after they fled their old homeland and they now have a fairly "Celtic" culture and have had a King Arthur but now resemble Dark Ages Europe in a lot of ways. Of course, they have a number of new world crops like Tomatos and Potatos. It's an odd mix. There are also vaguely Jewish hobbits in the setting.

I once did a Harnmaster campaign based around the idea of early medieval people trying to get to "America" and settle while looking for gold. It never got very far though.

 

[MaxKaladin]

Let’s see, my current game world has a number of these sorts of areas basically waiting for the PCs to explore them, though I admit I haven’t really fleshed out most of them to any degree.

The main campaign area is in a “Roman” empire but the current area would be similar to the eastern Mediterranean -- perhaps Cyprus. There is an African area they visited very briefly (less than one session – the result of a gate that dropped them in the jungle where they had to survive only a few hours before the remaining party member managed to get their patron to scry and rescue them). There was a place that they visited in a remote corner of the world where they encountered Cajun Halflings. They know of but have not encountered Orcish “Mongols”, who are battering at the fortified mountain passes in the northeastern empire. They also know of but have not encountered the “Arabic” Dwarves. They have infrequent dealings with “Perisans”. They don’t know of them but the world also has a pseudo-Tibetan area with Gnomish-marital-arts monks.