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The Odo
Acolyte
1 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 05:50:19
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I am running a game now that will take the PCs to one or both of these foreign lands a few levels from now. I borrowed Oriental Adventures to get a basic feel/info for these lands but the book (to me) feels very rushed and incomplete. Three questions-
1) Are there other books that have Wa/Kozakura info int them? I probably don't own them but I might be able to borrow any.
2) To make it easier for me if I cant find any books above, can someone give me a overview primer on the countries? As in, a quick tidbit about important people,places and events. My game is in the 3e world, so I'm not interested in any 4e people/places/events.
3) Why was the generic Japanese land split into two different countries? Is there a reason for this?
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 06:09:04
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[REAL WORLD TALK}
The Japanese thing relates directly to real world history (as if they couldn't invent their own asian themed land for some reason?) Koryo = korea, Wa = Japan,.... I know we're not supposed to talk about the realms and the real world as if they are the same...but oriental adventures is blatantly mirroring the real world in my opinion. I don't see what reason they need to have other than wanting it to be so. If we must relate it to the real world we should note that what we consider Japan today has not always been unified. Just as the United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, etc. Japan too is made up of component parts like Okinawa and Ryukuku islands. The internet tell ms Kazakura is based on Ryukuku and in the real world the Ryukukuians are very different from mainland Japanese - they even have their own language unrelated to mainstream Japanese.
Kara-Tur seems to be DIRECTLY based on real east asia (which I think is a dumb decision, they could have created their own asian-influenced fantasy world) In real world history Japan has been several nations at different times - like Okinawa and Ryuku (sp?) islands were separate from the main islands.
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
734 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 08:25:28
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Can you get access to the "Kara-Tur" boxed set?
I am not one of the designers, of course  , but when I first read the books, my immedite first impression was that the two countries were supposed to be parallels for two historical periods in Japan's history, i.e., the pre-Tokugawa shogunate period of many rival war.ods vying for supremacy, and the Tokugawa period, where one of them had won and re-established the Shogunate. |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 16:51:54
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| That's been the general consensus that I've seen discussed: that Wa is a Toril version of the Tokugawa shogunate, and Kozakura is a Toril version of the earlier warring clans period. So basically, just look up those two real world times, make the myths everyone talked about actually true, add in a few non-human races, and there you go. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 20:49:57
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| This is where the our-world talk is appropriate. Kara-Tur came out of François Froideval and David Cook's work on Oriental Adventures, which was (a) intended as a relatively literal translation of East Asian-related material to D&D, and (b) tacked onto the Realms as a relative afterthought. As well as the boxed set, there are other sources such as the OA modules and FROA1. At a guess, (3) may be related to the greater popularity of Japanese material in the West at the time (which led to the RuneQuest III East Asian supplement being called Land of Ninja!) and the wish to get as much as possible of Kara-Tur out of it. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 23:37:24
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I personally didn't like how similar they made the two, despite the great RW history of various Japanese periods they could have borrowed from.
I never finished any of the K-T project material, but in the idea stage we had decided that post-ToT, Kozakura had entered a 'Rebellion (Meiji) Era', as depicted in the Rurouni Kenshin anime, and the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai. Several foreign powers - including Thayans - have established embassies, and seek to control the economy and local rulers. Primitive firearms have become in-vogue with the army, and the samurai nobility are being 'retired'.
Wa - their SJ stuff makes them harder to tweak, so I had decided to make them more isolationist, except for their own embassy (and interests) in Kozakura, which they would love to fold into their own empire (putting them at-odds with the other three major powers in Koza; Thay, Koryo, and Shou-Lung).
This is all HB, and are events that would have come into effect after the Avatar Crisis, where we have no actual canon to interfere with. As an aside, Tu'Lung has entered into a 3-Kingdoms period, after the death of its own Emperor. The sides being the twin sons of the old emperor, and the Sea Lords of Karatin. Shou has become more militaristic post-Tuigan War, and has invaded Karatin, causing all sides in Tu to consider uniting to banish this outside threat... but thus far, no agreement has been reached.
Once again, all HB. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 02 Jan 2012 23:39:31 |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2012 : 14:58:51
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During the Spellplague, I had the two islands smash together like India was in ancient times.
It's currently under tentative control over a Shogun with a Puppet Empress.
Plus, lots and lots of rebellious lords.
Fun place!
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My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Wa & Kozakura
