D&D 5E Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks Would Like To Explore Kara-Tur

According to Reddit poster bwrusso, who was in a small group investor meeting with Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks last week, Hasbro's CEO (who was previously President of Wizards of the Coast before being promoted to his current position) currently plays in a Kara-Tur campaign and would personally like to see that setting explored further.

Kara-Tur is part of the Forgotten Realms, and is inspired by real-world East and Southeast Asia cultures, including China, Japan, Mongolia, and other regions. It was originally published in the 1985 book Oriental Adventures, and has since appeared in other formats including a boxed set in 1988. Eight adventure modules for the setting were published in the late 80s. In 2015's Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Kara-Tur is briefly described.

Cocks also touched on Spanish-language translations of D&D books in Latin America, and indicated that there were distribution issues with former licensing agreements in that region.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

They could always start from scratch, maybe from a "Bangapore", some pastiche of Singapore and then build from there, sort of the idea of a major port city on an archipelago where there's people of many different cultures there just like Singapore, except that instead of the original founders being the Malay-equivalents it's perhaps the Thai-equivalents instead (weak arguments I know for throwing Bangkok into the mix).

Or perhaps it was once a battleground between some different nations, like one of those Thai-Cambodian or Thai-Burmese conflicts (more of the one from the 1500s as opposed to more recent conflicts) until the intervention into the conflict of an outside China-like nation with an trading outpost/colony nearby. It then became an independent city-state that's not truly Thai, Cambodian, Chinese or whatever.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

You misunderstood. There is no reason to remake/reboot Kara Tur. Make something new. Same goes for the rest of the settings that have been dead for 30 years.

There are people who would like to see updated versions of old settings, just as there are people who want to see new settings.

These can even be the same people.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Well, if they have to issue apologies it would be because some of the readers are being ridiculous and not because of anything that WotC did. I am Korean and I absolutely loved the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Oriental Adventures. My Japanese friend that I played AD&D with loved it too. Considering that TSR even back in 1985 had the sense to hire Asian play testers to provide input tells me that WotC will do just fine. I for one would LOVE it if WotC releases a Kara-Tur setting.

I've heard this from other Asian D&D players, one of whom shall we say was poorly treated by white players for defending OA on another message board (not here).

I think a lot of folks should step back and reevoluted their approach on OA and Kara Tur if actual Asian voices sharing their lived experiences and defending OA/Kara Tur if upsetting them.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

You misunderstood. There is no reason to remake/reboot Kara Tur. Make something new. Same goes for the rest of the settings that have been dead for 30 years.

There is huge reasons to update Kara Tur, it has a huge fan base, its an important part of FR lore, and a lot of people want it, so there is a market for it, it'll offer Asian communities more representation in D&D, and create D&D jobs for Asian Writers and Artists What else do you need?

 

[Reynard]

There is huge reasons to update Kara Tur, it has a huge fan base, its an important part of FR lore, and a lot of people want it, so there is a market for it, it'll offer Asian communities more representation in D&D, and create D&D jobs for Asian Writers and Artists What else do you need?

New settings. New ideas. New designs. Innovation. Creativity. Wonder.

 

[beta-ray]

New settings. New ideas. New designs. Innovation. Creativity. Wonder.

You've said as much several times in this thread. Maybe consider something new.

 

[beta-ray]

All of those are great historical elements to mine for a karatura setting & we see them so regularly in anime that most d&d players won't even realize they are historical rather than anime derived.

Since I am enjoying Demon Slayer recently, I'd also welcome something a bit more modern like the Taisho era. Maybe not that modern, but after some of the other settings.

 

[tetrasodium]

Since I am enjoying Demon Slayer recently, I'd also welcome something a bit more modern like the Taisho era. Maybe not that modern, but after some of the other settings.

I never really got too far in demon slayer, what modernizations? Most of the advances that I can think of for Taishō era are things that are hard to represent in d&d play (capitalism, western influences, democract, etc). What am I missing from it that would improve a d&d setting?
0

 

[Ruin Explorer]

But completely unnecessary.

Yeah I don't disagree.

I do think there's some validity to making an Asian-fantasy-inspired setting (with the right creatives), and things like Shogun show there's an appetite for renaissance Japan and the like, but it definitely doesn't need to be Kara-Tur specifically.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I never really got too far in demon slayer, what modernizations? Most of the advances that I can think of for Taishō era are things that are hard to represent in d&d play (capitalism, western influences, democract, etc). What am I missing from it that would improve a d&d setting?
0

All of those things are already present in most D&D settings.

The Taisho era as presented in Demon Slayer really isn't a million miles from Eberron, in terms of technology and culture, because they're both sort of turn of the 20th century vibes in a lot of ways.

There are people who would like to see updated versions of old settings, just as there are people who want to see new settings.

These can even be the same people.

Given the last few updated versions of old settings, I've definitely moved from being someone who would like updated versions of old settings to preferring entirely new settings with similar concepts/vibes.