Currently I'm running a Pathfinder campaign set mainly in Katapesh and Osirion, and now that it's approaching conclusion (planning on finishing it around September; it began in April 2010), I'm working on the next one, which I intend to make very much in the tone of the adventures of Sinbad and Odysseus, that's it, peril-infested trips through awe-inspiring locations that throw the characters into a series of truly fantastical adventures (our current campaign is very heavy on the political/conspiracy side, so now I want a switch into cliffhanger high-fantasy).
However, while I've been culturing myself (Golarion is the first non-homebrew setting I've run since my Dragonlance/Pathfinder days in the late 90's), I still don't feel like I know the setting well enough to be sure that I'm contemplating all the possibilities.
So, my question is, where in Golarion would you reccomend to set a campaign of the aforementioned type?
As an addendum, I'm planning on a level 1 to 10 campaign (so extremely darkbad locations might not be ideal at first).
Thank you very much beforehand.
There is very little published on the area, but Iblydos is suggested to be a sword and sandals mythic Greece analog. It's in Casmaron, the same continent as Vudra and the Keleshite empire.
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I and several other posters on this board have been working on Pirate and/or Sinbad themed adventures for awhile and so far the best option seems to be the Obari Ocean.
It's south of Absolam and Qadira and is full of small islands, high seas countries, you have the Isle of Jalmeray for the India/Middle East vibe with Qadira, Geb and Katapesh as major sea faring nations all around. It pretty much exists as the perfect location for a sea-faring AP.
You could also consider doing something among the ruins of old Azlant, since IIRC, it's basically just a bunch of little islands in the middle of the ocean.
And wonders would definitely abound.
Thanks for the responses.
Regarding the options, I think Iblydos sounds like a very good idea, removed enough from the world -and with a hint of greek flavour there with the cyclops- to be easily malleable to fit the adventure (from what I gather, there is not much information regarding that part of the world, is there?).
Normally the Obari Ocean would be nice, but the problem is my current campaign has dealt a lot with it, and I really would prefer a change of environment to refresh things (the group has come to love Katapesh, Osirion, and Jalmeray -which, although less prominent, has playd a big role in the campaign, which is why I want to change location before they start to get bored with it).
As for the ruins of Azlant, that also sounds intriguing since, well, it is not-Atlantis, which also goes very well with the platonian style of the Odyssey. I'll look into it as well.
Thanks for the ideas!
If you have access to it, or can get it (EBay probably would work), I recommend using 2nd Edition `al-Qadim` setting.
It wasn`t that successful, probably because TSR had about 5 other settings out at the same time along with the glut of other RPG publishers,
but basically what it did well was work as a `gazette` or encyclopedia of a very `ecologically` consistent world setting, with demi-humans including `green` races FAIRLY well integrated into a shared culture/society.
I would say go with Iblydos, and deeper into the Kelesh/Vudran side of the Obari Sea.
It will have familiar aspects to your players, but also play up differences to how those cultures are presented in East Garund / Inner Sea area. Just trying to take a fresh look at how the game works and PCs interact with it can bring a fresh attitude to things. Since those areas are all undefined for the most part in Golarion CANNON, you are free to go in new directions that will surprise your players, drawing from whatever sources you like. Just playing with different ways `demi humans` and other races fulfill different `roles` starts to freshen things up and keep players` minds open, which is the main thing, IMHO.
P.S. One of my favorites tropes from Al Qadim was the yak-men, who lived in something like Hindu Kush or Himalaya, but could be re-worked to appear wherever, or spread thru Darklands areas. They seem like a very Sinbad-esque villainous group (which is why they were so cool in Al Qadim to begin with).
If you have access to it, or can get it (EBay probably would work), I recommend using 2nd Edition `al-Qadim` setting.
It wasn`t that successful, probably because TSR had about 5 other settings out at the same time along with the glut of other RPG publishers,
but basically what it did well was work as a `gazette` or encyclopedia of a very `ecologically` consistent world setting, with demi-humans including `green` races FAIRLY well integrated into a shared culture/society.I would say go with Iblydos, and deeper into the Kelesh/Vudran side of the Obari Sea.
It will have familiar aspects to your players, but also play up differences to how those cultures are presented in East Garund / Inner Sea area. Just trying to take a fresh look at how the game works and PCs interact with it can bring a fresh attitude to things. Since those areas are all undefined for the most part in Golarion CANNON, you are free to go in new directions that will surprise your players, drawing from whatever sources you like. Just playing with different ways `demi humans` and other races fulfill different `roles` starts to freshen things up and keep players` minds open, which is the main thing, IMHO.P.S. One of my favorites tropes from Al Qadim was the yak-men, who lived in something like Hindu Kush or Himalaya, but could be re-worked to appear wherever, or spread thru Darklands areas. They seem like a very Sinbad-esque villainous group (which is why they were so cool in Al Qadim to begin with).
I have some ideas relating to Sindbad for an AP I'm working on.
There are some notes in this Padishah Empire thread here.
