Setting, setting, and setting. It took you away from the standard amd gave you something different and did it well.
What made Al-Qadim special?
- Thread starter VirgilCaine
- Start date
AdmundfortGeographer
Getting lost in fantasy maps
As has been said alread, it did Kits right. They weren't unbalancing as there was a strict proscription on kits not already approved.
Its another example of races losing the cliche of having their own, single, unified, and distinct culture. All races shared the same culture, even orcs and goblins! It all worked wonderfully. It is probably the one thing that would get me to play AD&D 2nd Ed. again.
Its another example of races losing the cliche of having their own, single, unified, and distinct culture. All races shared the same culture, even orcs and goblins! It all worked wonderfully. It is probably the one thing that would get me to play AD&D 2nd Ed. again.
Mouseferatu
Hero
Al-Qadim is, I feel, the quintessential "cultural" setting. There have been many, many settings that attempt to do "Earth Culture X" as a D&D setting. Only a few (such as Nyambe) are in the same league, and none do it quite so well.
I can't really point to exactly why it worked, but it had the perfect combination of details from the originating culture and D&D-specific traits. It captured the feel of Arabia without being so slavishly devoted to it as to lose the core D&Dism of the game (if I may call it that). It was exotic without being alien, different without being weird for the sake of weird, and just a blast to play.
My dream project is for C.A. Suleiman and I to someday work together on a new version of Al-Qadim for WotC. Failing that, we'd be thrilled to do an Arabic D&D setting as a follow-up to Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra. Alas, I doubt the market would support either at the moment.
I can't really point to exactly why it worked, but it had the perfect combination of details from the originating culture and D&D-specific traits. It captured the feel of Arabia without being so slavishly devoted to it as to lose the core D&Dism of the game (if I may call it that). It was exotic without being alien, different without being weird for the sake of weird, and just a blast to play.
My dream project is for C.A. Suleiman and I to someday work together on a new version of Al-Qadim for WotC. Failing that, we'd be thrilled to do an Arabic D&D setting as a follow-up to Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra. Alas, I doubt the market would support either at the moment.
There are too many folks who want to have played AQ but have not. Email me if you are interested in playing an ENWorld-hosted AQ game. Probably 3rd ed, but maybe 2nd. Be warned I've not played on ENWorld before, and my one attempt at running a game on Yahoo groups scared off all my players after the first goblin ambush.
Al-Qadim (AQ) was a well-executed rules expansion of game rules for 2.0 D&D and a well-executed thematic supplement for campaign settings. Of the original pseudo-cultural expansions offered, only Oriental Adventures compares, while Mazteca (M) was a distant failure. Among current third-party vendors, only Nyambe is really comparable in terms of thoroughness and fun.
AQ was also one of the settings many fans asked to be reissued and supported, along with OA and – trailing a very distant third – M. While OA was updated for 3.5, M was not and neither was AQ. The reasons AQ has not been updated are debatable. While the current socio-political atmosphere of Western-Muslin relations may well play a role, it is unlikely they are the deciding factor.
AQ was also one of the settings many fans asked to be reissued and supported, along with OA and – trailing a very distant third – M. While OA was updated for 3.5, M was not and neither was AQ. The reasons AQ has not been updated are debatable. While the current socio-political atmosphere of Western-Muslin relations may well play a role, it is unlikely they are the deciding factor.
Mouseferatu
Hero
The Grumpy Celt said:
I would, in fact, argue that now is the perfect time for an AQ release. I think anything to showcase the positive elements of the myth and culture of the "other side" is a good thing. (And I mean that in both directions, incidentally.) And, in a coldly logical business sense, anything that draws attention to a project increases sales, even if some of the attention appears negative.
DungeonmasterCal
First Post
Mouseferatu said:My dream project is for C.A. Suleiman and I to someday work together on a new version of Al-Qadim for WotC. Failing that, we'd be thrilled to do an Arabic D&D setting as a follow-up to Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra. Alas, I doubt the market would support either at the moment.
I'd buy it. Heck...I'd even help if I could!
DungeonmasterCal
First Post
The main rule book itself is a work of art. TSR truly outdid themselves with it, especially when you compare it to a lot of the really bland product they were cranking out.
