I loved the Spelljammer campaign. That said, pretty much anything that is printed can be converted for use in my campaign, so as long as it is well written I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Maybe I should try my hand at a few of these articles.....
I think Dark Sun is absolutely required as is Birthright. Both settings were unique in different ways. Dark Sun was unique in that it was a savage world and psionics were predominate. I loved the idea of a world severely lacking in metal and a vastly unexplored world at that. Birthright was unique in that a player could be a ruler of a kingdom, with all the hassel and heartache thereof, at 1st level, opening up many many paths and adventure ideas.
I wouldn't mind some more about Spelljammer, primarily focusing on ships and travel--please, no Crystal Spheres or the Phlogiston, the multiverse is big enough already. As far as Mystara and Hollow World, they used to be cool, but I never liked them much because they lacked appeal and differences from other published settings.
Dragonlance would be awesome to see, but I think Sovereign Press is doing just fine tying it in to the novels--Go Trampas and Co.!
Me too!
Actually, until the release of Eberron (with its own take on airships) I had thought of querying an airship article (yes, even we editors have to go through the query/proposal/delivery process). Now, while I'd still like to see that article done, I'm not sure who should do it or how much it should tie together the airships of Mystara with those of Eberron.
Anyway, you're not alone Trampas. :)
Woo-hoo!
You could do an article in general on airships, and show how they can be used in Eberron, Mystara, Spelljammer, or one's home campaign. Heck, just having new airships is good. I really liked Bastion Press' airships book, and there's some great ideas in there, such as ship templates and various alternatives to the spelljamming helm.
Also, what about campaign classic crossovers?
For example, Spelljammer can potentially touch any other setting out there. Well, how about some details on the crystal sphere that Eberron is in? Would that be called Eberronspace?
Likewise, an article on the Realms and traveling from Faerun to Zakhara to Maztica to Kara-Tur. "A Tour Around the Realms", so to speak.
And what I think would be especially helpful to some DMs is an article on taking elements from various campaign settings and putting them together in one's homebrew campaign setting. You see gamers do this all the time, so some tips on how to make it successful would be great.
Just some thoughts.
Trampas
Likewise, an article on the Realms and traveling from Faerun to Zakhara to Maztica to Kara-Tur. "A Tour Around the Realms", so to speak.
Maybe in an airship? "Voyage of Princess Sharess" or something? Bridging the gap between the settings on Toril is a fantastic idea, and I hope Mona & Cohort pay attention.
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I prefer option B too. I think I could do without a complete bibliography for each settting. Maybe a article with a new PrC that uses crucial stuff from an older setting. Or updating races in the setting.
For spelljammer I'd like to see a few monsters in 3.5 semi official versions. Maybe some of the stuff like the Giff PC write up from Andy Collins webpage. Or maybe a 3e ship to ship combat article. I think a few articles on Spelljammer would be cool.
Don't forget Birthright too..
Mike
The Realms has its own airships and has since Ed Greenwood's article in Dragon #124 - “Sailors on the Sea of Air.” They also appear in the Forgotten Realms comic, Magic of Faerun, the Counselors & Kings trilogy (the first novel in particular has a great "race" scene), FR16 - Shining South, and Shining South.
I'd like to see an article focused on airships, including simple rules for aerial combat, and then how to adapt the article to Mystara, the Realms, and Eberron.
--Eric
"I'd like to see an article focused on airships, including simple rules for aerial combat, and then how to adapt the article to Mystara, the Realms, and Eberron."
And Greyhawk. Only infidels overlook Greyhawk. :)
Yeah, but in Greyhawk only has one airship, and it's crashed in a forgotten ruin in the Bright Desert.
In the Realms, every family has three!
:-D
--Eric
Yeah, but in Greyhawk only has one airship, and it's crashed in a forgotten ruin in the Bright Desert.
In the Realms, every family has three!
:-D
--Eric
Lets keep airships out of Greyhawk please. :)
How about a detailed write up of the airships used on the Plane of Air by non-elemental traders? This could then have examples of existing airships in other campaigns (FR, Eberron, etc...)
Just a thought.
Anyone with more time and interest in said idea feel free to steal this wholesale and submit to Dragon with my blessing!
"Lets keep airships out of Greyhawk please. :)"
I've used them before as unique items; "something some crazy wizard built." Giving entire nations airship armadas ala FR is a lame idea in GH, though.
"And for the love of God, please no Space Hampsters!"
They tried this already a few years back and Spelljammer fans hated it. It's best to accept that Spelljammer was cheesy and leave it for the fans who can enjoy it on that level to do so. Staying true to the setting is the most important thing always. Besides, the hamsters are responsible for the best Dragon editorial ever.
I absolutely loved the last Campaign Classics issue and seeing another one would be great!
I agree that an issue covering a handful of settings, focusing on the ones with absolutely no support would be most interesting.
If you have a chance I recommend checking out the Hollow World. It is actually a really well written setting with lots of potential, though with a lot of weirdnes that might not appeal to everyone.
My favorite setting is Mystara, but seeing more stuff for Spelljammer, Dark Sun and Planescape would be interesting too.
And why no Hamsters? ;)
Håvard
Mystara would be great!!! After all Dark Sun had its spotlight...
;)
True. Mystara really feels left out compared with most of the other settings, except perhaps Spelljammer and Birthright.
I would love to see a Giant Poster Map of Mystara aswell, like what was done for FR (and for GH in Dungeon). I actually bought those Dungeon magazine issues just to get the GH map. Im not much of a GH fan, but I just love maps.
Seeing more for Red Steel/Savage Coast would be cool too, even though I guess the essentials have already been covered by Dragon in the last Campaign Classics issue and the Lupin article in a later issue. Seeing SC style aranea as monsters and PC race would be awesome though.
Håvard
option B, please!
I can't get enough Greyhawk material, however more DarkSun would make my players really happy. More Planescape (my secret vice) would be appreciated quite a lot.
Might I recommend something like the Istivin write-up in Dungeon? Wonderfully detailed; lots of ideas just dropped on the fertile ground of the Referee's imagination (oh yeah - this noble happens to be a cannibal!), petty noble squabbles, etc...
More and more detail about the worlds; not scenarios (which is what Dungeon is for), but background and flavor to inspire Refs to get off their duffs and explore these venerable realms!
Option B, please.
I, for one, would like to see more Planescape. I've recently begun reading the old *pdfs of the system and would like to see it explored in more detail (and brough up to date). Of course, Greyhawk and Mystara would be nice too.
I don't really care for Dark Sun or Spelljammer.
I don't much mind advancing the timeline. Things grow. And, even if you do advance it, as the mantra goes: pick what works in your own campaign.
I, for one, would like to see more Planescape. I've recently begun reading the old *pdfs of the system and would like to see it explored in more detail (and brough up to date). Of course, Greyhawk and Mystara would be nice too.
I really like Planescape too. Fortunately, it is still receiving some quasi-support with references to Sigil in some of the planes supplements for 3E, as well as the general covering of planes and Outsiders in various supplements. I wouldn't mind seeing PS stuff in Dragon, but I feel that other settings need it more.
I don't really care for Dark Sun or Spelljammer.
Each to his own I suppose :)
DS has been getting alot of coverage already though. SJ hasnt gotten any AFAIK? If SJ is covered, I would prefer things dealing with the specifics of the SJ setting and not the metasetting elements (Ie Realmspace, Krynnspace etc).
I don't much mind advancing the timeline. Things grow. And, even if you do advance it, as the mantra goes: pick what works in your own campaign.
I think this depends alot on what setting you are talking about. For Mystara (again my favorite) I'd prefer sticking to AC1000 or the Almanac period and fleshing out details instead of providing more future events. Any kind of coverage is better than no coverage though! :D
Håvard
I would also vote for option B. And I will reiterate that Birthright is my prime choice. Council of Wyrms, as I mentioned it in a previous post to this thread) is seeing the attention it needs slowly, but surely and really should be covered in the dragon themed issue anyway. But Birthright...I recall one article from the last Campaign Classics. I REALLY want to see a Dark Sun style treatment done for Birthright. in both Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Spelljammer had its day in Polyhedron, Dark Sun has had its day as well in the cross over articles/adventure and Campaign Classics, AND additional monsters in a follow-up article in Dungeon. I agree with many of the people here that both of those setting receive the much deserved fanfare because the settings are unique, interesting, and inspiring.
That is what Birthright is to me. The visualization was astounding and the ability to maintain the kingdoms, even if you did not use the PCs as rulers portion of the books was phenomenal. There are many times that I see the Birthright setting as the black sheep of the D&D family. Undeservedly so. But, that is enough of my forlorn musings.
As for the advancement in continuity, I don’t mind it at all. These campaigns have a life of their own and seeing them progress is not a bad thing. The advancement of Dark Sun might have been a bit extreme by appearances, but was necessary to include the new races and feel of the XpsiHB. The alternative look at Spelljammer was also a welcome sight as it took the best that Spelljammer offered and encapsulated it so that it could fit into a predefined space. Not just the word limit, but also the need to cover the setting without referring to the voluminous amount of material that had been released over time. It also brought forth some very thought-provoking discourse between several friends and I as to the new way to look at a campaign favorite from “Back in the Day”.
IF I had to settle with option A for the upcoming Campaign Classics, I would ask that either the card based combat (with downloadable cards) or the Domain turn ruleset get covered.
*Steps down from soapbox and puts it away*
Thanks,
Neomorte
I would love to see some more Mazteca content. I've been working on some ideas involving the Olman down into the Amedio Jungles and other parts even more remote and the Mazteca stuff can easily be implemented there.
It can?
Well, I guess if you're only using the poorly researched and grossly stereotyped crap that Sean Reynolds put to print in Scarlet Brotherhood.If you really want to flesh out the Olman people, googling Aztec or Mayan topics is a far better solution. Or you could swing by www.canonfire.com and check out the articles I've written on the topic... :-D
But Birthright...I recall one article from the last Campaign Classics. I REALLY want to see a Dark Sun style treatment done for Birthright. in both Dragon and Dungeon magazines.
For those who may have missed it, a D20 Outfit calling themselves Anuire Press (made up, as I understand it, of a core group of the folks at Birthright.net) recently acquired a license to do a Birthright 3e product line from Hasbro.
True. Mystara really feels left out compared with most of the other settings,
I wouldn't mind seeing an article on KW/Mystara, if it was fluff heavy. A simple 3e conversion of something that has already been covered, as the Lupins article was (IMO) doesn't do much good for me.
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I wouldn't mind seeing an article on KW/Mystara, if it was fluff heavy. A simple 3e conversion of something that has already been covered, as the Lupins article was (IMO) doesn't do much good for me.
Well, i already have all the fluff on this matter, so my prime objective would be 3e conversions, namely Rakastas!
I wouldn't mind seeing an article on KW/Mystara, if it was fluff heavy. A simple 3e conversion of something that has already been covered, as the Lupins article was (IMO) doesn't do much good for me.
I agree that rules-light articles would be cool. I will probably scourge rules-heavy ones for any setting information that can be used anyway though. Anything to see more Mystara stuff! :D
Håvard
But Birthright...I recall one article from the last Campaign Classics. I REALLY want to see a Dark Sun style treatment done for Birthright. in both Dragon and Dungeon magazines.For those who may have missed it, a D20 Outfit calling themselves Anuire Press (made up, as I understand it, of a core group of the folks at Birthright.net) recently acquired a license to do a Birthright 3e product line from Hasbro.
That appears to be nothing more than an April Fool's joke that got out of control. I have seen no confirmation that the company exists or that it was anything more than a joke.
Just thought you would like to know.
Neomorte
Actually, until the release of Eberron (with its own take on airships) I had thought of querying an airship article (yes, even we editors have to go through the query/proposal/delivery process). Now, while I'd still like to see that article done, I'm not sure who should do it or how much it should tie together the airships of Mystara with those of Eberron.
I would *love* to see an article like that! I've just been reading up on Eberron airships, and I don't see why Mystara's airships could not be handled in a similar fashion. I am not sure which other settings have airships. FR does I guess, Dragonlance has Flying Citadels...
Perhaps something covering several worlds?Håvard
Option B 100%
I would love to see: Dark Sun, Planescape, Ghostwalk, Birthright and very much so Jakandor: Island of War..so much could be done with the last one on my list, and I belive it would not be to hard for others to place into most peoples campaigns.
Erik, I really love what you have been doing with Dragon, you all are doing a great job, and I know you all can keep up the good work, thanks.
Some thoughts...
I'd agree that games that haven't gotten any light of day should get priority over settings that have seen reprint in one form or another. Oriental Adventures/Kara-Tur, Ravenloft, and certainly Dragonlance should take a backburner while games like Birthright, Spelljammer and Mystara (Red Steel!) should be front and center. While I do love Dark Sun, I feel satisfied with the huge two magazine spread it recieved. That's been plenty for me to run a campaign of it (summarized in the Campaign Journal if anyone wants to see how it went).
So shotgun approach or focused info? I'd say focused info on a couple of the above REALLY forgotten settings would be much better. Not so much maps and things, unless the articles do the Darksun thing and provide a mini gazateer (which I thought was great!) I'd much prefer solid info on the new versions of the settings.
As for the issue of new vs. classic spelljammer--I'm of two minds. I like the re-envisioning it got in the Poly article, a setting of its own rather than its old status as a setting jumper meta-setting. The latter was cool in the days of cross planar action, when 2nd edition was crossover mania. Third edition seems different, its settings more clearly separated, and I'd much prefer a Spelljammer update that fleshes out rather than nullifies the stuff in the Poly article wherein Spelljammer is taken seriously as its own setting with its own worlds to explore.
So my proposal would be something like this: go the way the darksun article went, with a page or so of details of each race/class for the couple of games you want to cover with nothing over a dime sized portrait of each, then either a good gazateer or a snapshot monster manual. I mean articles on how ships work is cool and all--but I can come up with the crunch myself, what I need is setting backstory!
Like I said, I'd have you go with games like Spelljammer, Mystara and Birthright if I had my way.
P.S. Oh and here's a thought. People seem crazed for an update on events in Greyhawk and a brief geography and cultures tutorial. I certainly wouldn't mind. Heck I'd even like a big writeup on one or two of the countries just so I can tell my Nyronds from my Keolands!
The Campaign Classics issues have been some of my favourites.
I'm all for Spelljammer (ESP. the "new" setting ),Planescape ( because it's "outthere" ) and Mystara ( because every second setting available is DARK and MATURE and I fancy something a little "lighter" )
I'd like to see authors notes alongside the articles and also side sections relating to the bigger picture of the campaigns and how what's presented fits in overall.
Option B
Birthright please...
Wow! This thread has been revived nearly a year to the day that I originally posted it.
Now that we've had the second Campaign Classics issue for a few months, how do you like it? How does it compare to the first.
I like them about equally for different reasons. The first was a better "read", dripping with flavor. The last one had more stuff that is easy to drop into any
campaign setting, but seemed to lose a bit of the "classic" feeling. Still, it was a quality issue.
My favorites from the two issues:
- Return to the Lost City (Mystara)(#315)
- Cinnabar, Red Steel, and the Red Curse (Red Steel)(#315)
- Creature Catalog IV (various)(#339)
- Angry Dead Gnomes and Sinister Walking Sharks (Taladas)(#315)
- The New (Fantasy) World (Maztica)(#315)
- The Defilers of Ka (Hollow World)(#315)
- Return of the Sha'ir (Al-Qadim)(#315)
- Races of Spelljammer: Wanderers of Wildspace (#339)
I also really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes story of all the settings in #315.
Here's what I'd love to see in the next one:
- Rakasta (Mystara/Red Steel) getting the full race writeup treatment
- National Geographic Presents: The Hordelands (see Erik Mona's post above)
- Anything on Maztica (pluma magic might be nice, as would a return of H'Calos the Star Worm)
- The remaining rilmani (Planescape)
- Tasked genies (Al-Qadim)
- Methods of traveling from world-to-world (vs. plane-to-plane) and through space (Spelljammer)
I also think it would be cool to include a few "lesser" campaign settings:
- Malatra (from the Living Jungle RPGA campaign), nother "lost" part of Faerun
- Some of the alternate Material Plane worlds mentioned n "Queen of the Demonweb Pits" and more recently, "The Harrowing"
Overall, these are high-quality issues. Keep up the good work!
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How about option B with a twist. In Dragon give a general accounting with a poster map and then as a online suppliment put the real meat of content that way you can satify more people. The ones who are not interested will not feel that they are wasteing their money on information they do not want. The ones who want the full details will be able to get the information they want online.
I'm definitely a fan of the compaign classics issues.
I agree on the option B approach, more meat for fewer old settings. Ravenloft, Dragonlance, Realms, Eberron and Greyhawk all get a lot of coverage in one form or another all year long and don't need any special treatment in the classics issues.
I'm a big fan of Mystara and would enjoy seeing some things like:
- Mystara prestige classes
- Regional Feats
- The Seven Secret Crafts of Glantri (maybe tie in with PrC)
- More conversions of the "big bads" from classic modules as was done with B4. Stats for Bargle?
- An article describing cleric domains and favored weapons for the primary Immortals in the setting (esp. the ones who got involved in the whole Wrath of the Immortals campaign)
- A redo of some of the variant classes (Dervish, Rake, etc.)
- Rules for the demi-human crafts, Tree of Life stuff
- Rules for the different approaches to ascending to Immortality (polymath, etc.)
- More on the Spheres (Energy, Matter, Thought, Time, Entropy)
L
I'm definitely a fan of the compaign classics issues.
I agree on the option B approach, more meat for fewer old settings. Ravenloft, Dragonlance, Realms, Eberron and Greyhawk all get a lot of coverage in one form or another all year long and don't need any special treatment in the classics issues.
I'm a big fan of Mystara and would enjoy seeing some things like:
- Mystara prestige classes
- Regional Feats
- The Seven Secret Crafts of Glantri (maybe tie in with PrC)
- More conversions of the "big bads" from classic modules as was done with B4. Stats for Bargle?
- An article describing cleric domains and favored weapons for the primary Immortals in the setting (esp. the ones who got involved in the whole Wrath of the Immortals campaign)
- A redo of some of the variant classes (Dervish, Rake, etc.)
- Rules for the demi-human crafts, Tree of Life stuff
- Rules for the different approaches to ascending to Immortality (polymath, etc.)
- More on the Spheres (Energy, Matter, Thought, Time, Entropy)
Can I just second all of this? :)
The difficult thing about voting between the options is that we dont know which settings will be voted out. I agree with Legendarius though, thet the settings that don't get that much coverage elsewhere should preferably be the focus in the next CC issue.
Personally, I would have liked to see two CC issues per year. Is there a vote for that? ;)
Håvard
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With enough time, I think we can really make the issue a special treat for fans of the old settings while also providing plenty of excellent content to readers who are not familiar with some of the old gems.I wonder if you might answer a few questions.
Pick One:
A) Cover every dead campaign setting.
B) Cover a few in more detail and with more visual resources (maps, images, etc.)Would you be interested in a magazine that basically gave the "gist" of all of the settings as a grand tour, with some basic information on how to pull off certain tricks of the setting (defiler/preservers, red steel, gens, etc.)?
How "continuity heavy" do readers really want the articles to be?
I really want to come up with a way to showcases the elements that made each setting special, rather than just a collection of articles that go: so here's how to play a halfling in this setting. Or "here's the stats for one monster from this one corner of this setting you've never heard of."
I suspect that...
I wouldn't try and cover everything. Maybe a few articles like this year's issue. I really enjoyed that issue.
I'd like to see a 3e Spelljammer ship combat issue to mesh the old 2e rules with some ships for Spelljammer.
Maybe a Greyhawk article or Dark Sun or Mystra thrown in..
Mike
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Kara Tur is very interesting, but why not just do something sweet with Kara Tur in an Oriental Adventures-themed issue?
WOOOOOO!!!!!
Maztica and especially The Horde deserve some love. Call me crazy, but I would love to go National Geographic on the lands of the Tuigan. That's rich territory for both Forgotten Realms fans and for readers interested in trying something different or filling in the borders of their own campaign world.
Al-Qadim remains very popular with the readers.
WOW! You just made me *very* happy by even saying such things. I can't wait to see the results!
option B for me, definitely !
Al Qadim material would be so nice, maybe an article about religion in the land of fate, with the main gods, their domains, and the different kinds of clerics....
I like the idea of entire issues focusing on specific cultures like Arabian, Oriental or even Vikings, with tie ins to various game worlds and maybe a few more general articles. This would be easy for me to use with my Mystara campaign too... :)
Håvard
The Koga would support Darksun or SpellJammer, both are great settings. (Though The Koga has a bias love for sci fi..)
Infact, you would think what with how the ships appear, SpellJammer doesn't have more pirates lol..
Spelljammer had pirates a'plenty. :) in fact, they even had a variant of the gith race (githyanki, githzerai) called "the pirates of gith"!
Vikings!!!!! Ah Oy!!!!!!!!
Having Vikings around is always nice, and although the basics have been covered in the Complete Books and Deities and Demigods, I'm sure much more can be added, especially involving cultural aspects and activities. And articles on the Northern Reaches of Mystara and Norseman regions for other settings could also be included.
A similar model could also be used for Arabian, Mongol, Far Eastern, African or other cultural regions...
Håvard
Having Vikings around is always nice, and although the basics have been covered in the Complete Books and Deities and Demigods, I'm sure much more can be added, especially involving cultural aspects and activities. And articles on the Northern Reaches of Mystara and Norseman regions for other settings could also be included.
A similar model could also be used for Arabian, Mongol, Far Eastern, African or other cultural regions...
Håvard
I've had many a thought to do a write-up for Dragon about some historical cultures. Any thoughts??
I've had many a thought to do a write-up for Dragon about some historical cultures. Any thoughts??
Regardless of the culture in question, I'd like to see articles that aren't just reduced to a couple of feats or a PrC.
I don't mind seeing game mechanics, in fact I think they should be in there, but I am interested in articles on customs, values, weapons, equipment, traditions and beliefs. Why they do what they do is just as important as how this works in terms of game mechanics.
Ofcourse, relating such information about culture to adventure ideas or how else it may affect the campaign is very useful as well.
To me, any culture would be of interest for this kind of article, and I would love to see more articles like this.
Håvard
I've had many a thought to do a write-up for Dragon about some historical cultures. Any thoughts??
I'd love that - but I see it as a bit problematic - as the races and religion of GH and FR appear to me to be very politically correct pablum with very little cultural deviation.
I understand that from the publishers point of view - a party of all races and religions can form and function in pretty much any locale. Add "reality" adds a lot of texture an richness but reduces some flexibility. This is one of thhe biggest things that bugs me about the published settings, racial, cultural, religious, and linguistic barriers just don't seem to be very meaningful - well I'm getting off topic.
In the off-topic discussion's there was a thread on real world travel and inspiration - there was a lot of neat stuff there.
Cambodia - has some great ruins, architecture, and lore, that is more magical and exotic than a lot of campaings. Seeing some of that would be great - Apsara as a type of celestial for example - the faces on the Bayun as sentries, gods, oracles, etc.
Russia - lots of good slavic lore and npcs, flavors of ghosts.
Japan as a complete culture - as opposed to a generic orient - and it would be cool to look at multiple Japans - both the game typical Japan of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the period prior to the emergence of the dominance of the Shogun's, the Japan ruled by the emperor's court, and bureaucrats.
China - could be done multiple times for multiple periods with NPCs and monsters from Outlaws of the Marsh and Journey to the West - Sun Wukong would be the ultimate PC nightmare.
Native Americans - divided into sections for different tribes/nations as opposed to an amalgamated non-culture.
Romans - of the expanding Empire
The Persians of Xerxes age
The potential to populate a world like that is amazing - frankly its what I try to do when I build a world. But I have never taken the time to write it up - and I use a huge world that allows lands for a Roman and Greek empire concurrently. That allows a multiple Chinas/Japans - and makes room for the created cultures and realms of giants and elves - I seperate these peoples by distance and natural/magical obstacles and figure out the reasons why they trade/war with each other.
It sounds like a great project but a big one.
If you choose to take it on let me know if I can help.
If wizards put forth a a new campaign setting that is what I would want it based on.
I'd like to see an article (or three) explaining the "real-world" inspiration for peoples and cultures within the published campaign settings. Let me elaborate: I feel that articles like this would be a boon to new players, but may provide new insight to older players as well. Unless a given DM has exhaustive amounts of material on a given culture in game, then he often has to wing it when players ask questions. If the DM doesn't record his answer, this can lead to inconsistancies further down the road. But if you know that such-and-such tribe of halflings lives in a fashion similar to the Ojibway natives of the Great Lakes, then you have a reference point to provide your players. Similarly, many of the cultures in the FR are somewhat muddy to me. Cormyr is somewhat similar to medieval France, but there's a lot of other things going on as well. Calimshan has obvious middle-eastern influence, but do its natives resemble Turks, Arabs, or Bedouins? Does Tethyr resemble medieval Spain, or something else entirely? These questions are meant to be rhetorical, but I hope you see my point. I think that an article detailing the real-world influences on fantasy cultures and peoples would be interesting and insightful. Thank you for your time.