Excerpt: City of Brass

[Knightfall]

This preview is pretty good. I'm not a 4e fan but I'm hoping the 4e MotP is worth picking up and mining for my own Kulan cosmology. IF the book is anywhere near as good as this preview then this might be one of the FEW 4e books I buy.

 

[Jack99]

Very nice map, but the content doesn't come close to touching Necromancer Games City of Brass boxed set.

Who would have thought that?

Did you honestly expect that a book called Manual of the Planes, which maybe allocates 2-3 pages to the City of Brass, would do a better job at capturing the feel and soul than a boxed set dedicated to the same?

 

[avin]

"City of Brass is the marketplace of the universe"

Does it means Sigil lost some ground?

 

[Grazzt]

"City of Brass is the marketplace of the universe"

Does it means Sigil lost some ground?

City of Brass killed Sigil and took its stuff.

 

[Dire Bare]

That said, my only real complaint is a general comment on the 4e core cosmology's Elemental Chaos: the thematic flavor and atmosphere of the elemental chaos seems schitzophrenic to me - do you represent a fusion of the elements, or do you represent the unformed chaos of limbo? The flavor seems to switch back and forth, uncertain at times if it's going to try to model itself upon the earlier conceptions of the elemental planes, or crib upon the 1e/2e/3e notion of Limbo. It's combining a lot of concepts that compete for attention, and it can't make up its mind which one it's trying best to be. I'm not sure how that's going to work out - but as I said, that's the only major complaint I can come up with for this particular section.

The Elemental Chaos is quite clearly a mash-up of the earlier concepts of the elemental planes and Limbo. It's got elementals, slaadi, and githzerai for Pelor's sake! I don't find the flavor inconsistent at all. The overall plane is a chaotic soupy jumble of the elements, both the classical four elements plus the various "pseudo" and "para" elements and more! Claudio Pozas did an inspired and beautiful painting on his website that catches this idea pretty well. Within this chaotic jumble are some realms/regions of stability. They might be of one singular element, or might be somewhat terrestrial and habitable like the City of Brass.

I lurve this concept so much more than the earlier cosmology. I hated the old Limbo, it wasn't much of a place to adventure unless you wanted to grind slaadi or meet up with a githzerai monk. The old elemental planes concept was silly even after 3e took out the "pseudo" and "para" planes.

 

[Psion]

Very nice map, but the content doesn't come close to touching Necromancer Games City of Brass boxed set.

I was about to say.

Colors, textures... nice.

Layout... compared to the minarets and a ziggarut piercing three layers of the city in NG CoB, this map seems plain. Take out the sea of fire, it looks like it could be any old city in FR.

 

[Jack99]

City of Brass killed Sigil and took its stuff.

Nah, Sigil is still around according to the article. Perhaps just less of a trade hub?

 

[Klaus]

The Elemental Chaos is quite clearly a mash-up of the earlier concepts of the elemental planes and Limbo. It's got elementals, slaadi, and githzerai for Pelor's sake! I don't find the flavor inconsistent at all. The overall plane is a chaotic soupy jumble of the elements, both the classical four elements plus the various "pseudo" and "para" elements and more! Claudio Pozas did an inspired and beautiful painting on his website that catches this idea pretty well. Within this chaotic jumble are some realms/regions of stability. They might be of one singular element, or might be somewhat terrestrial and habitable like the City of Brass.

I lurve this concept so much more than the earlier cosmology. I hated the old Limbo, it wasn't much of a place to adventure unless you wanted to grind slaadi or meet up with a githzerai monk. The old elemental planes concept was silly even after 3e took out the "pseudo" and "para" planes.

Thanks for the mention, here's a link: Claudio Pozas - Elemental Chaos

The City of Brass being the ultimate marketplace brings it closer to the cities of the Arabic world. Sigil is more of a hub of the multiverse, and you can *get* anything there, but it seems the City of Brass is the largest marketplace ever.

As for the map, the first thing it reminded me of was actually Lankhmar.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

map

Well, I don't find the map impressive at all. The art is nice, but it looks undetailed. I want a map I can use, not just look at.

I have to confess, I don't understand why a company with the resources of WoTC is constantly upstaged when it comes to cartography. Why can't WoTC maps look like the maps of Ptolus? Or even like the maps that Necromancer Games put out.

As for the 'what do you expect -- it's just 3 pages' comment -- well, I guess what I am complaining about, is that it's just 3 pages. 3 pages of information on a bunch of different places is not nearly as useful to me as 300 pages of information and a kickass map of a single place would be. But the latter is far more work.

Ken

 

[Phaezen]

City of Brass killed Sigil and took its stuff.

Nah, Sigil is still around according to the article. Perhaps just less of a trade hub?

I think City of Brass is the major trade hub because it is more accessable by "normal" means, if not mundane.

Sigil is a place most travellers would stumble upon accidentaly and would be the place to go if you are looking for the really rare and obscure items.

Phaezen