D&D General D&D: Literally Don't Understand This

[Cergorach]

Well, my illusions are shattered.

Don't you mean your fantasies...

 

[DrJawaPhD]

They cannot use their imagination and create something that is both reflective of their ‘history and experiences’ and not simply a copy of exactly that history?

That's a good description of exactly what Journeys through the Radiant Citadel is. I'm not sure what history books you're reading if you think JttRC is an exact copy of real world history

 

[Nikosandros]

Jeff Dee's boots are a core part of early D&D! Are they logical? No! But Elric is 100% from a society that would favor dopey fashion. His chest "armor" is somehow even less useful than a chainmail bikini and probably much more expensive.

The laughter at his armor stops the moment Stormbringer comes out of the sheath...

 

[tombowings]

but Africans did

An ancient African setting would be cool. Sign me up.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

so you are telling me that the only way for ‘ethnic groups to use their history and experiences’ is for said groups to 1:1 just replicate the setting they lived in, say, 100 years ago? They cannot use their imagination and create something that is both reflective of their ‘history and experiences’ and not simply a copy of exactly that history?

Zinda definitely is not a one to one replication of some place 100 years ago. The writer of Wages of Vice definitely used their imagination when making the setting and adventure. I recommend you read the adventure before making such strange statements. I will admit I do prefer Zinda to Godsbreath, which is closer to a “1:1 replication of a real time and place.”

D&D is chock full of fantasy counterparts of real world cultures. It is not an inherently bad thing. The execution is the main thing that matters, especially if the representation is respectful or not. I think Godsbreath is more interesting than Yuan-Ti, who are just Aztec snakepeople.

While we’re complaining about anachronisms in D&D, I would like to bring up the fact that Mystara has biplanes flown by gnomes. As we all know, biplanes were not around in medieval Europe and, worst of all, no gnome has ever flown a biplane in real world history. Also, flame throwers existed in medieval Europe (the Byzantines had them), yet they’re not included in the Player’s Handbook.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

An ancient African setting would be cool. Sign me up.

The Sensa Empire in Gold for Fools and Princes, another Radiant Citadel adventure, is based on medieval West Africa. Specifically the Mali Empire I believe, as gold mines are a major aspect of the setting. But Africa is a large, diverse place and there could be several settings inspired by various times and places (Egypt, Carthage, Kilwa, Timbuktu, Aksum, Zimbabwe, Benin, etc).

 

[Cergorach]

Shees, can't we have any fun before someone rains on our parade...

The art in the twitter post is obviously inspired by a parade, Mardi Grass or the Rio carnival. Those are all inspired by far older European events/parades that were eventually exported with the colonization of the 'new world' and adapted. Just like Christmas now isn't Christmas from a millennium ago. But we've seen Santa Claus show up quite often in D&D (related) adventures. It's what we know now, it's what's culturally relevant to the player base. Very few would recognize 'Masopust' especially in the US, where WotC is located and most of it's target audience is located. WotC is nothing but US-centric.

The Radiant Citadel is it's own separate 'world', so it isn't strange that it has it's own technology, just like the Modrons have in Mechanus, the Spelljammer universe, Eberron, or all the different realms in Ravenloft. A fully medieval metal plate armoured warrior has no place in Dark Sun, etc.

That said, I don't like the illustration, my problem is the face in it. I really like the illustration of the old woman that's shown later in the thread, and I do not like the shoes for my regular D&D campaign. But would certainly use it for something more modern like Vampire or Shadowrun. Or just cut off the underside of the illustration in a D&D campaign. The white high heel shoe in the other illustration isn't as present/focused as the other illustration.

The whole Radiant Citadel book wasn't aimed at me in the first place and I disliked it's presentation, wholly due to the WotC marketing team focusing solely on "Look at how culturally sensitive we can be by employing these people of diverse cultural backgrounds!". By the time the adventure actually launched I had no idea what the adventure (collection) was all about. Three years later I think that there are a lot of good ideas in there and quite a bit of good illustrations. I have zero interest in running an adventure in essentially 19th century southern US, just like I don't want to run a D&D campaign in 1940s Poland... Some of those settings deserve imho their own campaign/world book! Which never happened, it was just lip service. But maybe something is better then nothing...

Not everything produced is aimed at every D&D fan/group, The Radiant Citadel was one of those products.

 

[dave2008]

It's a mixed bag.

I agree, it always is.

I like some of it, but overall, I think I like less of the revised 5e's art than I liked of the OG 5e's art.

The opposite for me.

Now the PHB had more of the happy go lucky art; but I barely pay attention to that book! The DMG and MM art is where it is at for me and that as definitely had more of the dark and grim art than the bright happy art. I like both, but the grittier art is a bit more my style.

 

[Staffan]

So that we're not stuck on the Radiant Citadel so much, how about this piece of art from the 2024 PHB? This sorcerer's outfit feels too modern to me in the same way that the Mardi Gras image in the OP does.

Really? I don't think it looks particularly much different from whatever's going on with these ladies, particularly if you remove the idea that showing a bit of hair or skin is sinful (I don't know about Greyhawk, but the Forgotten Realms is definitely not a prudish setting):

 

[Remathilis]

Breeches aren't medieval. You're thinking of hose.

Breeches are late medieval and Renaissance.