D&D 5E (2024) Next issue of Game Informer will have details on the two upcoming Forgotten Realms books

[Henadic Theologian]

As a heads up, they revealed Calimshan has been heavily changed. It’s now a magic-tech setting. View attachment 413283

Where is that art from?

I think its culturally the same roughly. Genies are Genasi are still a big part of it, they just focus more on elements of magitech, but that has always been apart of the setting to some degree. Hope they explain the explosion in magitech. I know one Calishite city was known for producing common magic items in large quantities.

 

[GarrettKP]

Where is that art from?

I think its culturally the same roughly. Genies are Genasi are still a big part of it, they just focus more on elements of magitech, but that has always been apart of the setting to some degree. Hope they explain the explosion in magitech. I know one Calishite city was known for producing common magic items in large quantities.

The preorder page.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Isn't Maztica basically what if that Aztecs instead of the Spaniard's won?

I think the subject of human sacrifice will be much harder then the issue of Colonialism.

No, the fantasy Aztecs quite decisively lost to the fantasy Spanish (from Amn). And a good number of them were magically turned into orcs and ogres (and driders - this is in part due to the machinations of Lolth, via an albino drow everyone thought was just a regular elf). In the end, the fantasy Spanish still occupy a good amount of the continent, while the main settlements of the fantasy Aztecs are monster-infested ruins. The remaining fantasy Aztec refugees get to live under fantasy Spanish rule. But, hey, the leader of the fantasy Spanish has learned to understand the fantasy Aztec culture a bit more by the end from his La Malinche-coded girlfriend, so that's good, right?

It's just a downright ugly mess, really.

 

[TravDoc42]

So, there are 48 deities detailed in SCAG, and only 42 here, so six are being relegated. SCAG had a lot of minor demigods in the list, so I imagine those are going to be the first on the metaphorical chopping block.

Although I really like Red Knight, I could see her being seen as redundant, compared to Tempus. I wouldn't be shocked if she's gone.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Calimshan is reasonably close to Lantan, which is the big magi-tech center of the setting, so perhaps they're getting the magi-tech from there?

 

[Parmandur]

No, the fantasy Aztecs quite decisively lost to the fantasy Spanish (from Amn). And a good number of them were magically turned into orcs and ogres (and driders - this is in part due to the machinations of Lolth, via an albino drow everyone thought was just a regular elf). In the end, the fantasy Spanish still occupy a good amount of the continent, while the main settlements of the fantasy Aztecs are monster-infested ruins. The remaining fantasy Aztec refugees get to live under fantasy Spanish rule. But, hey, the leader of the fantasy Spanish has learned to understand the fantasy Aztec culture a bit more by the end from his La Malinche-coded girlfriend, so that's good, right?

I mean, those events would be ~140 years in the past in 1501 DR, and after Maztivs zapping to an alternate dimension for a considerable time, so I think there is room for a revised post-colonial Latin America fantasy Setting there.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It’s now a magic-tech setting.

And that's compared to the rest of the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I mean, those events would be ~140 years in the past in 1501 DR, and after Maztivs zapping to an alternate dimension for a considerable time, so I think there is room for a revised post-colonial Latin America fantasy Setting there.

Yes, it could be done, but it would have a lot more to untangle, and would have a lot more potential pitfalls, than fixing Calimshan or even Kara-Tur. Colonialism is a much more charged issue than Orientalism is, as bad as the latter is.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

saying "Why do Kara-Tur when they have Radiant Citadel?" feels a lot like the "Why do Sigil when they have Ravnica?" argument I heard back before 5e Planescape got announced.

I don't think anyone was concerned that Sigil had a history of problematic content.

They'd need to do it right, obviously, but I think there's a decent market for an updated Kara-Tur.

I think outside of aging Gen X and Baby Boomer players, there's probably a lot less enthusiasm for the old brand than the ENWorld population assumes. (See: all the threads on "hey, how come this art doesn't look like Larry Elmore stuff?")

 

[Kurotowa]

I think outside of aging Gen X and Baby Boomer players, there's probably a lot less enthusiasm for the old brand than the ENWorld population assumes. (See: all the threads on "hey, how come this art doesn't look like Larry Elmore stuff?")

On the one hand, there's absolutely nothing special about Kara-Tur. It's a bog standard stand-in East Asia location. The only notable feature I ever saw mentioned was the spelljammer port. So there's very little pressing need to bring it back.

But on the other hand... tradition has weight. The people who know it will value it, and even the people who don't will appreciate being able to learn it. Every time a new superhero movie comes out, my video feeds are flooded with low effort content pointing out every callback and reference in them. So if you want an East Asia flavored setting on offer, it might as well be Kara-Tur. Just don't be surprised if it gets heavily revised in the process.