Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder Countries - Comparisons?

[Baileyborough]

Hey,

So my friend is starting a little PbP game of PF, and he's using the Golarion setting, or map, or whatever way you want to phrase it. Looking through the PF Wiki, to get a feel for the setting, there's SO much there. So I ask, does anyone know of a place where someone has gone and put a quick comparison to real-world equivalents?

For example, from what I know off the top of my head, the Lands of the Linnorn Kings = Skyrim (roughly) or Viking culture.
Qadira = Arabic culture
Druma = very strict Muslim culture (restrictions on diet, needing to wear only white, wearing gloves when dealing with those outside the cult).

I realise that these are to some extent tenuous comparisons, but a line or word like that helps to cement the feel of the country in my head much quicker than reading tons of backstory.

So, any takers? Who's up for this?

Conor.

 

[Micp]

Hmm. from my own observations i see Varisia in it's people and nature as france, and cheliax seems very much inspired by italy. Ustalav seems to be gothic styled romania. osirion is clearly descended from an old egyptian-like culture. the mwangi expanse is based on the european explorers first impression of exploring africa (see the way it is decribed in tarzan. but also note that edgar rice borroughs never set foot outside england). that's the ones i could think of from the top of my mind.

 

[Epametheus]

Nirmathas and Molthune are very much colonial-era Virginia and England. Molthune even has Redcoats.

Andoran is more like the post-revolution colonies.

Vudra is India.

 

[Crothian]

put a quick comparison to real-world equivalents?

Real world, okay.

the Lands of the Linnorn Kings = Skyrim

I hate to break it to you but Skyrim isn't real.

 

[Micp]

Real world, okay.



I hate to break it to you but Skyrim isn't real.

Nah viking age iceland is probably a safer bet

 

[tylermalan]

I think France is supposed to be Galt, not Varisia.

 

[gdmcbride]

It is better, I think, to realize what type of campaign is supposed to come from each land rather than trying to shoe-horn the various nations into a real world comparison.

Absalom = A place for sprawling urban adventures; the city at the center of the world

Alkenstar = The low-magic, gun-friendly land

Andoran = A good guy nation worth defending

Belkzen = orc-land/Mordor

Brevoy = feudal wars ala Birthright go here

Cheliax = a devil's paradise with byzantine politics and backstabbing, yes vaguely similar to Italy if the Vatican were really as bad as Jack Chick would have you believe.

Druma = mercantile oligarchy -- fight the power or strike it rich

Five Kings Mountains = dwarf-land

Galt = French revolutionary swashbuckling land

Geb = Undead land

Hermea = Mysterious land ruled by a gold dragon; put utopia-gone-terribly wrong stories here

Irrisen = Fantasy russia complete with Baba Yaga and witch queens

Isger = The colony trying to escape its decadent and disinterested masters

Jalmeray = The kingdom of the impossible; magical Madagascar where anything is possible

Katapesh = Desert of Desolation-esque adventures go here

Kynonin = Kingdom of the elves

Land of the Linnorm Kings= Mythic viking adventures

Lastwall = Good guys ready to stop the ancient evil that will emerging real soon. A great place to recruit the army you'll need for the end of an epic save-the-world campaign.

Mediogalti Islands = Island controlled by SPECTER-like evil organization of mantis themed assassins.

Mendev = Paladin-land

Molthune = Build-your-own-colony plots go here

Mwangi Expanse = Tarzan-land meets the Lost Continent

Nex = The homeland of the world's (now missing) greatest wizard; great place to say artifacts and magic breakthroughs come from

Nidal = Where the Shadows Lie; put your shadow-plane invasion plots here

Nirmthas=Rugged frontiersman fighting foreign encroachment

Numeria=Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, the nation

Osirion=Mythic Egypt

Qadira=1001 Arabian Nights happen here

Rahadoum=Plots about throwing off the despotism of the gods go here

Razmiran=A nation controlled by an evil conspiracy masquerading as a theocracy; they must be stopped!

Realm of the Mammoth Lords=Cimmeria i.e. Conan's homeland

River Kingdoms=Build your own kingdom plots (ala Kingmaker) go here

Sargava=The last civilized outpost on the edge of the great jungle

Shackles=Pirate-land

Sodden Lands=Hurricane-ravaged wasteland, hidden islands and sunken civilizations go here

Taldor=Westeros of "Game of Thrones" fame

Thuvia=Plots about immortality or lotus eaters go here

Ustalav=Ravenloft, gothic horror land

Varisia=The Borderlands, adventure-land (seriously ... just about any of the other plots can be transported and crammed into here)

Worldwound=Demon Invasion ground zero

Hope that helps,
Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games

 

[gdmcbride]

Did someone say Dragon Empires?

Amanandar=A western kingdom in the East; Stranger in a strange land plots go here

Bachuan=Communist China/North Korea

Chu Ye=Oni-land

Darklands of Tian Xia=Underdark meets asian mythologies; Your kung-fu-hero-descends-into-hell plot goes here.

Dtang Ma=mystic Vietnam ruled by sorcerers

Forest of Spirits=land of the kami and their ilk; supernatural wilderness adventures go here

Goka=Hong Kong, gateway to the west; Mortal Kombat tournaments go here

Hongal=Mongolia complete with horselords and endless steppes

Hwanggot=Mythic Korea

Jinin=Displaced elven nation, because everywhere needs elves

Kaoling=Hobgoblin-land

Kwanlai=Tengu-land

Lunghsen=Land of the terra-cotta golem army

Minata=The polynesian/spice islands; eastern ocean adventures go here

Minkai=mystic feudal japan; samurai vs. ninja goes here

Nagajor=Mysterious land of the serpent men

Po Li=Old china after the fall of the emperor

Quain=Land of a Thousand Heroes; kung-fu land

Shaguang=the magical Gobi desert

Shenmen=Chinese Ghost Story, the nation

Shokuro=Ronin-land; Seven Samurai-esque adventures go here

Tianjing=land of temples and mystics

Valashmai Jungle=mysterious jungles of the east; put your death cults and ancient ruins here

Wall of Heaven=The Himilayas complete with yetis, a portal to the plateau of Leng and monasteries full of ancient wisdom

Wanshou=Post-apocalytic kraken-ruled swampland(!)

Xa Hoi=The land ruled by eastern dragons

Xidao=aquatic nation; put your undersea adventures here

Zi Ha=Mystic Tibet

These are newer and a few of them I am less sure about, but that seems correct.

Hope that helps,
Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games

 

[pauljathome]

Did someone say Dragon Empires?


These are newer and a few of them I am less sure about, but that seems correct.

Hope that helps,
Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games

I have to spread experience around before giving you more. But yeah, that helps. Thanks again

 

[gdmcbride]

No problem, Pauljathome. I'm glad you find it useful.

Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games maker of Way of the Wicked -- an evil adventure path compatible with the Pathfinder RPG.