Only the Lonely: Why We Demand Official Product

[Don Durito]

2 Million people would put Waterdeep at about equivalent size to Tang Dynasty Chang'an

 

[Urriak Uruk]

2 Million people would put Waterdeep at about equivalent size to Tang Dynasty Chang'an

Which is not medieval Europe, which is theoretically what the Sword Coast is emulating... but again, this wasn't the main point of my original post on anti-medievalism...

 

[Don Durito]

Which is not medieval Europe,..

Well no it's 8th century China, but I assumed that was obvious.

...which is theoretically what the Sword Coast is emulating... but again, this wasn't the main point of my original post on anti-medievalism...

Well it was an observation. Not meant as a support or rebuttal to any particular argument which I have not been following.

But really any D&D setting is theoretically medieval in about the same sense that the Soviet Union was theoretically an utopian paradise.

 

[jmucchiello]

I thought the population of Waterdeep also included the lands around it where people farm and whatnot.

 

[Hussar]

I you want that, sure. In my experience, most people don't want that level of realism.


Which brings us back to the time that a great many DMs, myself included, just don't have. I created settings when I was in high school and my 20's when I had the time. I couldn't even begin to write even a small one now.

They don't care about that level of realism, but, they are so incredibly fussy that 1 level of an NPC would matter? Or the name of some NPC they aren't even meeting?

 

[generic]

But really any D&D setting is theoretically medieval in about the same sense that the Soviet Union was theoretically a utopian paradise.

Theoretically a utopian paradise?

 

[QuentinGeorge]

On the D&D website, Waterdeep is stated as having 2 million people.

Lore | Dungeons & Dragons

Learn about the incredible heroes, villains, and figures of legend that play a compelling role in the lore of Dungeons & Dragons.

dnd.wizards.com

I won't quibble over that though; the more anti-medieval piece there is that so many cultures and races are able to coexist so peacefully, practically like today's New York.

They're referring to "urban area". The proximity of many villages and towns to each other and larger cities in medieval europe could give you some interesting figures, particularly in southern spain (most urbanised area in early middle ages europe) or northern italy (most urbanised in middle and late medieval era).

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Which is not medieval Europe, which is theoretically what the Sword Coast is emulating... but again, this wasn't the main point of my original post on anti-medievalism...

The Sword Coast, and Forgotten Realms in general, is way more 15-16th century europe than it is modelling any earlier period, and not just technology levels. You have guilds, centralised monarchies, a powerful merchant class. The only thing it lacks is firearms. And firearms appeared before all of those things...

 

[Urriak Uruk]

They're referring to "urban area". The proximity of many villages and towns to each other and larger cities in medieval europe could give you some interesting figures, particularly in southern spain (most urbanised area in early middle ages europe) or northern italy (most urbanised in middle and late medieval era).

It doesn't say anything about an urban area. You could interpret it that way, but it could also be interpreted as meaning the area within its walls and the neighborhoods directly outside of said walls.

 

[Don Durito]

Theoretically a utopian paradise?