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<blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 4487878" data-attributes="member: 48692">We're on two different wavelengths here.&nbsp; I'm not making a new setting, I'm expanding the concepts of the Occidental one to showcase the rest of the world as it would be in a global context.&nbsp; It's not so much that I'm making the world of Greyhawk more &quot;Eastern&quot;, it's that I'm adapting the East to fit Greyhawk, just the way Gary Gygax adapted Europe.&nbsp; &nbsp;And why on Earth would one want an Eastern setting that adheres more closely to mythology when we don't even do that with the West?&nbsp; Western history and mythology have been stretched, reshaped, and mixed together to produce a pseudo-medieval version that, while familiar to many, is nothing at all like real, historical Western society.&nbsp; Why should the Eastern setting be any more authentic?&nbsp; &nbsp;Like Snoweel pointed out, the types of social conventions and restrictions that are not conducive to adventuring are going to be played down, or handwaved altogether.&nbsp; Noble samurai are going to be adventuring alongside peasant thieves, warrior monks, and Brahmins seeking enlightenment, and no one will bat an eye at this.&nbsp; &nbsp;If I wanted a completely different and separate setting, I'd go for Rokugan or Kara-Tur, and devote my creative energies there.&nbsp; But I don't, because the lack of dwarves, elves and orcs makes those settings a non-starter.&nbsp; The setting I have in mind is not a new and different one, but an expansion of the old.&nbsp; &nbsp;Besides which, I think this ironically makes the Orient stand out more, because things are immediately changed with the presence of Vancian magic, orcs and dwarves, and the type of social interactions necessary for adventuring bands to flourish.&nbsp; Most Oriental settings take steps to distance themselves from the West, but I think it's a fun creative challenge to see how both the West and the East cope with the presence of sentient nonhumans, the &quot;laws&quot; of magic, so to speak, and all the traditional aspects of the D&amp;D world.&nbsp; By striving for more of the same in some but not all aspects, this version of the Orient actually stands out from the pack.&nbsp; &nbsp;This is all as I see it, of course.&nbsp; If you want to do it differently, be my guest.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CruelSummerLord, post: 4487878, member: 48692"] We're on two different wavelengths here. I'm not making a new setting, I'm expanding the concepts of the Occidental one to showcase the rest of the world as it would be in a global context. It's not so much that I'm making the world of Greyhawk more "Eastern", it's that I'm adapting the East to fit Greyhawk, just the way Gary Gygax adapted Europe. And why on Earth would one want an Eastern setting that adheres more closely to mythology when we don't even do that with the West? Western history and mythology have been stretched, reshaped, and mixed together to produce a pseudo-medieval version that, while familiar to many, is nothing at all like real, historical Western society. Why should the Eastern setting be any more authentic? Like Snoweel pointed out, the types of social conventions and restrictions that are not conducive to adventuring are going to be played down, or handwaved altogether. Noble samurai are going to be adventuring alongside peasant thieves, warrior monks, and Brahmins seeking enlightenment, and no one will bat an eye at this. If I wanted a completely different and separate setting, I'd go for Rokugan or Kara-Tur, and devote my creative energies there. But I don't, because the lack of dwarves, elves and orcs makes those settings a non-starter. The setting I have in mind is not a new and different one, but an expansion of the old. Besides which, I think this ironically makes the Orient stand out [B]more, [/B]because things are immediately changed with the presence of Vancian magic, orcs and dwarves, and the type of social interactions necessary for adventuring bands to flourish. Most Oriental settings take steps to distance themselves from the West, but I think it's a fun creative challenge to see how both the West and the East cope with the presence of sentient nonhumans, the "laws" of magic, so to speak, and all the traditional aspects of the D&D world. By striving for more of the same in some but not all aspects, this version of the Orient actually stands out from the pack. This is all as I see it, of course. If you want to do it differently, be my guest. [/QUOTE]

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