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OK, so I've placed my players in a nation (part of my homebrew)that is a little arabian-esque (excuse the cliched genre reference, but it's unavoidable). The nation is basically a republic, headed-up by a roundtable of merchant-aristocrats.
The only thing is, I haven't really played out much of my past campaigns in this nation. Only a few brief visits to one city. I was just wonderin' if anyone had any advice for running a campaign in this kind of setting. Like, what could help set the tone and atmosphere? Or, what would i most likely overlook and forget?
Much thanx in advance.
well, i when i make arabian desert nations, i always make sure there's a distinct line between rich and poor. 10% of the population lives in luxury, and 90% live in squalor. There are always big, open-air market places, it's always a busy place. Cities are almost always built around the oasises, and the flow of water is an important buisiness factor. Bandits roam the desert. Lots of bandits. On horses or camels. They ride into town from the night and prey on the townsfolk. The caravans are the best way to travel, as they include guards that can save the travelers if the bandits attack. Traveling alone is dangerous, but often the only way to get past the spies that are everywhere. Spies, informants, pickpockets, street urchins, merchant princes, drug lords, and bandits are the staples of this place. The people wear things like veils, turbans, baggy pants, vests, and pointed shoes. Not the armor, fur, leather, cotton, and wool of the northmen. Due to a lack of heavy armor, the people have fighting styles based on movement. Two-weapon leaping swashbuckling fighters. These fighters are like dancers and acrobats. They can they leap a lot, often kicking in the middle of the leap, and slashing with their scimitars. Very useful fighters. The average fighters would be menacing street toughs with scimitars or daggers. Look for things from real arabic cultures, like the assassin (for a really nice move, be historicly accurate and have the assassins take hashish before their missions). Merchant lords and theives guilds rule the cities, and the cities are the only thing worth ruling. The arcanists in the desert are often more exotic-looking than ours. No long robes. They look like the other desert folk, but more extravagent. Theur turbans have BIG jewels in them. They have tatoos and strange eyes. They are VERY dangerous. All in all, just think of every steryotype you can about the middle east, replace the insurgents with bandits and theives, replace some of the warlords with merchant princes, change the rugged mountains to the uniform sands of the rest of the place, add some more oasises, and you've got a country.
For me its the architecture and food. Open air markets (again, for me) tend to capture the feel of a middle-eastern setting - exotic spices that tantalize the nose and tongue, brightly colored silks and other things that would cost a fortune in a player's home country or city, are priced much differently. Emphasize the environment - hot, dry winds (or, if near a jungle or large body of water, HUMID) and cold nights. Clothing will likely be different, as well as armor and weapons. The Turkish Light Cavalry was the best in the world (at one time) and emphasized speed and agility over powerful charges and attacks.
Education was also valued - compulsory education was pretty much a foreign concept in many countries (and still is, in some). Showing an example of tutors would help highlight the differences between the two cultures. And libraries! Also something not found too terribly often in western cultures, merely because of the cost and expense of having copying and assembling books.
Architecture was usually high and vaulting, to take advantage of cool drafts whenever they could. Evaporative cooling usually shows up in the form of water-filled jars hanging from the ceiling - water dripped on the floor, cooling the room. Also, gardens were very popular because of the same effect - shade and cooling.
Mind you, most of what I've mentioned is for upper or upper-middle class - most people would strive for these sorts of things. Depending on how prevalent magic is in your campaign, many things could be altered on a cultural level because of its use (see artificers in Eberron).
How does this culture feel about magic? Many Middle-Eastern cultures had some very strong feelings about "witchcraft" (trying not to offend anyone - merely stating how it was felt way back when) - does your culture have taboos on the usage of magic or psionics? Is it restricted to only the wealthy or privileged? What kind of punishments does your society have (i.e., does it follow ol' Hammurabi's "an eye for an eye" methodology) for infractions against its laws?
Any of these, with a little forethought, can be used as an emphasizing point to capture the differences between two cultures (not just an Arabian atmosphere).
Hopefully there was something useful in my rambling - :-D
A few things:
Religion. Even before Islam, the pre-muslim Moon worship and what not was a very important part of life. Altars were important parts of settlements.
Heroism. In the vein of the Arabian Nights, the heroism of brave men and women in the face of danger, with courage and bravery, plays in.
The Desert. Obviously the environment shaped the culture.
Honor. A complex code of conduct and honor was incredibly important. This is not chivalric honor, to be followed on a whim, but Bushido-like honor that everyone adheres to.
Cities vs. Tribes. The classic separation of Arab and Berber society played an important role.
Trade. Sea and Caravan trade was integral.
Exoticism. Teh middle east was a crossroads for the fnatastic and exotic, and should be a central part of the game.
Learning. Especially in the Muslim era of the middle ages, learning, in the area of science, philospophy, art and more was important, and Islamic Arab scholars were the best in the world.
Intrigue and Interaction. More than just the Arabs have been important in the Middle East. Outsider groups liek the Persians, the Turks and the Berbers and how they interact with the Arabs was important. Intrigue in the court, amongst groups , could be very central.
Just a few ideas. A few good books include The History of Arab Peoples, the Arabain Nights, and the Years of Salt and Rice.
I'd bet that you could pick up the Al-Qadim campaign setting for just a few bucks these days and it would likely have a wealth of information.
Likewise the old Emerates of Yarlum book from the D&D known world would provide rich background material and can probably be has for very cheap.
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Very good suggestions here so far! I'll add my 2 sheckels...
The open markets are absolutely integral...and choked with merchants, shoppers, pickpockets, beggars, and camels. Watch Raiders of the Lost Ark again for the Cairo scenes and The Life of Brian to get some visual cues. Oppressive heat, the crush of bodies, yelling out goods and services, swearing at thieves, haggeling, the occasional wierd ululation (that tongue trill thing)...the smells that such teaming masses produce. If they're wearing metal armor, the will be suffering from heat exhaustion quickly and itching from the sand that is constantly blowing through gaps.
All manner of exotic delicacies...figs, dates, roasted goat and lamb, goat milk and cheese. Darkened dens where people retreat from the vicious sun...rooms filled with heady smoke from men smoking hookahs while playing strange board games with polished stones or musicians produce almost etherial music on exotic intruments that look somewhat gourd-like. Some of these enclaves are much more sinister with opiate laced smoke crowding every corner making a stroll through the room a shaky experience.
Soaring minarets towering over the population. In one of my games I used a minaret that was only accessable by flight. It was the home of the 'Calipf of the Clouds', an air elementalist and archmage of the city.
Anyway, just a couple of thoughts...
Wow. Those are a lot of great suggestions I hadn't thought of! Thanx!
One thing I'd like to incorporate is a very diverse set of religions. Like, I'm using the standard D&D pantheon, animism, ancestor worship, and the Pharaonic pantheon (albeit slightly modified).
I had already planned for there to be city-folk and tribe-folk, but thanx to a suggestion above, I'm gonna emphasize the tension between those peoples. I'm thinking along the lines that the tribesmen have a lot of disdain for the city-folk, but they reluctantly deal with them out of necessity. And, beyond that, the different tribes have petty feuds amongst themselves... like, constantly.
There's lots more I have in mind, but too much to post here. Thanx again for all the ideas and suggestions! Feel free to post some more, too!
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As far as religion goes, try the Mesopotamian Pantheon in a recent issue of Dragon. Excellent for that kind of environment.
You may also want to rethink the whole idea of having a government that is republic in nature. I think it would be more likely that the government would be a monarchy, with a lot of very powerful nobles vying for position in the royal court and influence with the ruler. Official titles would depend on whether you want an Arabian theme or a Persian theme. An Arabain ruler would be a Caliph, with noble Sheiks. A Persian ruler would be a Padishah or Shah with Satrap nobles. You might also want to put a hefty bureaucracy in place, with lots of corrupt officials who respond readily to bribes. And the military would probably be a class somewhat higher than the poor, but stillslightly less than noble.
Also, a good Arabian theme needs good villains. Some people may think Rakshasas would be perfect, but they are more from the mythology of India than Arabia. My suggestion is to go out and buy a book on Arabian mythology. A lot of D&D monsters have their roots in real-world myth, so you should be able to find some equivalents.
Finally, the Rose of the Prophet Trilogy by Margarte Weis and Tracy Hickman had, in my opinion, a great example of the type of Persian/Arabian style setting you are looking for (not to mention being an enjoyable read).
Hope this helps.
The open-air bazaar can't be stressed enough. Everyone comes to a bazaar and it is a place where you should be able to find anything. Haggling is a must. In most arabic cultures its considered rude not to haggle. Nothing in a bazzar should have a fixed price. Traveler's are often well treated in Arabian cultures. Women Pc's in your party will have a lot of problems adjusting due to the custom in this setting. And you should have a spellslayer in your campaign. Its my favorite kit from the Al-Quaddim setting.
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Here is something that I just thought of....Horses. If I remember correctly, thoroughbred racing was started in the Arab world, and even today they have a great appreciation for horse flesh (in the racing sense, not the dining sense). You could add horse breeding/selling/racing in as a pastime of the noble class. There could be some really cool stories for something like that. Fixed races. Horsenappings (oohh, ransom exchanges). Gambling (not that I'm advocating that).
horsenapping bandits. water pipes. exotic dancers. erotic dancers. exotic erotic dancers. harems and bath-houses. exotic spices. saffron. drugs. opium. lots of opium. thriving opium trade. And hashish. assassins guilds. Theocracies, pedocracies, monarchies (with Sultans and Sheiks). Exotic weapons. Mostly curved exotic weapons. Try scimitars, jambiyas, daggers, kukris, cutlasses, sabres, whips, and double-bladed swords. And two-weapon fighting, of course. And all the fighting is movement based, as i said before. Think about the kind of armor they could wear. Leather gets hot. Studded leather gets hotter. hide gets hot. padded gets REALLY hot. metal is just out of the question. Leather and hide would be the only real options. For a nice twist, you could take a hint from slave culture and have the citizens know ritualistic dances that are actually fighting excersizes. And speaking of slaves, the slave market should always be thriving. And if you want some really conservative steryotypes of the middle east, see the Chrinicles of Narnia and the nation of Colormen or whatever it was called. But it's not a good source. The architecture is always important. It's one of the biggest things to the culture. The moors have beautiful places with gardens, arches, awesome mosaics, and really nice open-air courtyards with overlooking balconies. The middle east has kind of cramped, twisting streets through built-up cities of mud and stone, on dirt paths, with soaring mosques and lots of slums and markets. Not trying to insult anyone. Just saying, that's how it works. Both are good for the campain.
Just pick up some old Al-quadim stuff. That will pretty much cover it.
Sand, camels, veiled dancing girls, scimitars, trade and intrigue, veiled dancing girls, desert raiders, feudal struggles between local strongmen, Dinjii, palm shaded oasis, lost cities in the sand and don't forget veiled dancing girls.
There is also the old Crusades 2ed game suppliment.
ASEO out
On thing: On WotC's site, they have a section called Old Edition Downloads. In that, they have two Al-Quadim sourcebooks (Caravans, and something like Corsairs of the Great Sea) for free download. You might want to check those out.
WaterdhavianFlapjack
Wow! Thanx again for all the suggestions!
I think I'm gonna stick with the republic-style government of a council of the richest and most influential merchants. The business of bazaars is a BIG deal, and the most established merchants effectively rule the matters of state. And, corruption abounds as the rulers all easily recognize a "good" business deal.
Haggling will play a big role as well. I'm gonna have Diplomacy checks for just about all business the PCs deal with.
The mesopotamian pantheon... anyone know what issue of dragon that was in?
I've checked into some Al-Qaadim material now as well. Like the older versions on the WotC site and a newer conversion to 3E or 3.5. That stuff has been really helpful!
Finally, Aberzombie posted something about "the Rose of the Prophet Trilogy by Margarte Weis and Tracy Hickman." Is that a Dragonlance book, part of the Deathgate Cycle, or what? I loved the Dragonlance works I've read, but I've only read one book in the Deathgate Cycle.
Thanx again!
EDIT: Actually, I'm gonna run the new AoW Adventure Path in this setting. I think it suits this kind of atmosphere, with only a few minor adjustments for additional flava. And, there's even a major opium and "kalamanthis" trade in the area, so that fits in well, too! Thanx!
Flying carpets dude, flying carpets.
Wait, I got it! Flying carpet taxis! (kewl)
Start your campaign with them lost in the desert with no water and no supplies half dead.
Roks are arabic based no?
Dudes climbing up ropes that lead nowhere.
Snake charmers.
Definitely harems. You gotta have a roof top chase where the characters fall through the roof (DC20) and land on a bunch of pillows in the middle of a harem. Then get chased out by two huge sabre weilding unics.
Caravans. Low level caracters can always get work protecting caravans.
NO LAMPS WITH WISHES!
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Finally, Aberzombie posted something about "the Rose of the Prophet Trilogy by Margarte Weis and Tracy Hickman." Is that a Dragonlance book, part of the Deathgate Cycle, or what? I loved the Dragonlance works I've read, but I've only read one book in the Deathgate Cycle.
It isn't Dragonlance,or Deathgate, but its own separate trilogy. If I remember correctly, they wrote it right around the same time as the Darksword Trilogy, but before Deathgate. As I stated, it was an interesting read, not the greatest, but different from their other work. The essence of it was a Conflict among the gods that spilled over into and influenced similar conflicts in the mortal realm. All the main action takes place in Arabian type desert environments.
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Roks are arabic based no?
Definitely harems. You gotta have a roof top chase where the characters fall through the roof (DC20) and land on a bunch of pillows in the middle of a harem. Then get chased out by two huge sabre weilding unics.
Yes, there was a Roc in the Sinbad tales.
And yes, a chase like that would be a great addition! It's cliched, but there are some cliches that are so frickin' hilarious or pitch-perfect not to use! A desperate run across a rooftop, then BOOM! A perfumed tidal wave of giggling, veiled, salitiously curvy concubines coyly making maskera-ed eyes at the 'drop-ins'... What player wouldn't love it? Until, as you say, some big, puffy, axe-wielding eunics have to 'do their job' and spoil the character's fun.
For additional flavoring, go rent one (or more) of the Sinbad movies, The Adventrures of Baron Munchausen (Gilliam rocks!), and like I mentioned before...Monte Python's The Life of Brian. They will give you some great visuals to work with!
It isn't Dragonlance,or Deathgate, but its own separate trilogy. If I remember correctly, they wrote it right around the same time as the Darksword Trilogy, but before Deathgate. As I stated, it was an interesting read, not the greatest, but different from their other work. The essence of it was a Conflict among the gods that spilled over into and influenced similar conflicts in the mortal realm. All the main action takes place in Arabian type desert environments.
Finally, Aberzombie posted something about "the Rose of the Prophet Trilogy by Margarte Weis and Tracy Hickman." Is that a Dragonlance book, part of the Deathgate Cycle, or what? I loved the Dragonlance works I've read, but I've only read one book in the Deathgate Cycle.
why do they always write their books together?
make sure to have some nice seafaring adventure too.
It isn't Dragonlance,or Deathgate, but its own separate trilogy. If I remember correctly, they wrote it right around the same time as the Darksword Trilogy, but before Deathgate. As I stated, it was an interesting read, not the greatest, but different from their other work. The essence of it was a Conflict among the gods that spilled over into and influenced similar conflicts in the mortal realm. All the main action takes place in Arabian type desert environments.
That was a pretty good series but what sticks out from it X years later was a strong feeling that their cosmology was based on a d20.
Roks are arabic based no?
Definitely harems. You gotta have a roof top chase where the characters fall through the roof (DC20) and land on a bunch of pillows in the middle of a harem. Then get chased out by two huge sabre weilding unics.
Yes, there was a Roc in the Sinbad tales.
And yes, a chase like that would be a great addition! It's cliched, but there are some cliches that are so frickin' hilarious or pitch-perfect not to use! A desperate run across a rooftop, then BOOM! A perfumed tidal wave of giggling, veiled, salitiously curvy concubines coyly making maskera-ed eyes at the 'drop-ins'... What player wouldn't love it? Until, as you say, some big, puffy, axe-wielding eunics have to 'do their job' and spoil the character's fun.
Whose character wouldn't love it? The three female players in my gaming group :-) (One of them would slice up the guards and try to free the harem girls in indignation--and yes--this player wears Birkenstocks. LOL
...and before anyone gets the wrong idea about my post. I absolutely adore playing with these ladies, who are my wife, my sister-in-law and one of my dearest friends. However, if I had one of the party members (even one of the male players' PCs) fall into a giggling harem, I'd have dice thrown at me and get enough rolled eyeballs to last me a long time, he he he.
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Whose character wouldn't love it? The three female players in my gaming group :-) (One of them would slice up the guards and try to free the harem girls in indignation--and yes--this player wears Birkenstocks. LOL
So, see? The cliche would still hold something for them! Just because they would have a different means of dealing with it than phall-o-centric characters doesn't mean that they wouldn't richly enjoy encountering this chestnut. Imagine, they could forever more be known as 'the leaders of the Great Harem Rebellion of al'Quahal' (or some such). I could almost guarantee it would be memorable!
M y brief suggestions for ideas...watch the Sci-Fi Channel Dune mini-series and Lawrence of Arabia. They both should give you a plethora of "setting" ideas.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned constructs. The mechanical horse that could fly (running on the air) which was used to kidnap the sultan. I'm almost certain that there might have been something akin to a shield guardian as well in the stories.
Oh yes... genies who aren't all fun and games. A lot of the stories from the Arabian Nights had beings stuck in lamps and bottles who'd like nothing better than to rip you apart even if you just freed them.
Hospitality is important. Salt is important. You cannot harm a man with whom you shared salt, even if the "sharing" was accidental. Coffee with a side of cream... although it is supposed to be a guy thing (maybe even a nomad guy thing... I forget the exact details).
Hope this helps,
Sharpe