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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yenrak" data-source="post: 9357446" data-attributes="member: 6888829">A few thoughts about playing in a fantasy version of pre-colonization Americas.1. It could be really fun to explore a world informed by the rich cultural and mythological background of pre-Colombian Americas. There’s so much variety and diversity between, say, the Iroquois and the Incas that it almost cries out for fantasy exploration. Would be especially fun in a world in which magic is real, there are gods that demand human sacrifice, and the land isn’t just sacred in the minds of people but actually a magical force.  2. What to do about “contact?” I think contact in the form of meeting the Vikings or whatever fantasy version of them would be less problematic. There’s a long standing question of whether Vikings somehow made it to Mexico and were incorporated into Aztec mythology. That probably never happened in real life but why couldn’t Thor have visited the fantasy Americas? 3. There’s probably no need to actually re-enact colonization by Spain and Portugal or England and France. Those events unfolded in our historical context later than most D&D medieval/early Renaissance settings imply. Perhaps there is early contact but the later colonization is much more modern than most D&D.  Arthur’s knights didn’t colonize North America.4. Are there people who want to play “conquistadors” or colonists? There might be. It wouldn’t really be my thing. I’d be more interested in playing indigenous characters in a pre-Colombian setting. But explorers like John Smith (of Pocohantas fame) might really interest some players. And I know that some of my friends from South America have expressed interest in playing Spanish conquistadors because this is part of their heritage. If the table is okay with this, I’m not sure it should be forbidden. If there’s a market for products (not sure there is, to be honest), is it okay for Hasbro to sell products catering to this?5. What would have happened in a world in which the technological advantages of the Europeans mattered less because magic is real. Would the gunpowder and canons of the Spanish have been able to defeat the magic of Aztec priests who could call upon their gods? What’s the morality of portraying a fantasy America that would not have been vulnerable to conquest by a fantasy Europe?</blockquote>

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