From what I have seen, the currently least represented one is Numeria. It makes sense considering the mixed reception it has gotten.
Galt has been relatively quiet as well. I think a module or two take place there, though.
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64 page treatments;
The Shackles, Katapesh, Heart of the Jungle (Mwangi Expanse), Ustalav, River Kingdoms, Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Irrisen, Dragon Empires
32 page treatments;
Andoran, Taldor, Cheliax, Qadira, Osirion, Sargava, Varisia
2 pages in the ISWG or PFCS;
Mana Wastes, Geb, Nex, Thuvia, Rahadoum, Sodden Lands, Mediogalti Island, Isger, Druma, Molthune, Nidal, Nirmathas, Lastwall, Kyonin, Five Kings Mountains, Galt, Razmiran, Hermea, Hold of Belkzen, Numeria, Mendev, Brevoy, Realm of the Mammoth Lords, Worldwound
Note that many nations have a lot of detail tucked away in other places, such as some stuff about Kyonin in Second Darkness and the Big Little Book of Elves, or stuff about Brevoy in Kingmaker, or the Five Kings Mountains in the Leaflet on Famous Dwarvish Sports Legends.
I'm sure the various books and adventures regarding Razmir's cult have a ton of detail on Razmiran, as well, and information on Mendev and the Worldwound are right around the corner...
There are lands that we are discouraged from using, such as Hermea or Rahadoum, and others that seem like they'd be less fun as well, like Nidal, but that still leaves some PC-friendly places like Nirmathas, Druma, Lastwall and Isger and perhaps Molthune (which should be at least as PC-friendly as Cheliax), any of which could warrant a good 64 page treatment, if and when someone is fired up to detail them (I'd rather not just have a 64 page book for the sake of having one, if no writer has a burning desire to write such a book quite yet, few things suck the life out of a subject more than a potentially awesome bit of setting being handed to a writer who doesn't really care for it because 'it's time we had book X'...).
Some APs and adventures cover some places to at least some degree, but MOST countries haven't had dedicated product treatment.
Lake Encarthan besides Ustalav, Lake of Mists and Veils, Galt, Nidal, Belkzen, The Sodden Lands, Eastern Garund besides Katapesh...
Not to mention the countries mentioned in Tian Xia and the countries of Casmaron and Vudra and elsewhere.
People of the Sand is supposed to cover Northern Garund.
The devs have put out some information on these boards.
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From what I have seen, the currently least represented one is Numeria. It makes sense considering the mixed reception it has gotten.I was wondering if I was the only one who found Numeria puzzling. I think I can see what they were going for--kind of a Robert E. Howard barbarians-among-ruined-alien-tech flavor. But I'll be darned if I can mentally fit it in with the rest of Golarion.
City of the fallen sky does this very well
Also: places not in the inner sea have less coverage (not counting Tien Xia) Arcadia and Sarusan both only have a few paragraphs here and there
But I'll be darned if I can mentally fit it in with the rest of Golarion.
Well I would place it squarely within the Kellid ethnocultural sphere.
Mammoth Lords are presented as the most primitive end of that spectrum, Sarkoris was probably equivalent or even a bit more advanced than Numeria, Kellid in River Kingdoms and Iobaria tend to be more influenced by other cultures (cue unexplained pseudo-Slavic names, indicating ethnocultural fusion?), and elsewhere Kellid tend to be largely assimilated, e.g. Galt.The fact that some meteor/spacecraft landed there, which carried weird far out stuff doesn't remove the solid cultural connections of it's human inhabitants. Obviously, even region is going to have something unique to it. Numeria is both unique and central to the Kellid ethnocultural sphere.
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Kyonin and the Five Kings Mountains got shorter write-ups inside Elves of Golarion and Dwarves of Golarion, respectively.
We don't seem to be talking about places like Sarusan or the Azlant Archipelago, which are WAY off the beaten path. Of the nations of the Inner Sea, I think Isger and the Thuvia deserve mention.
The announced product People of Sand covers Thuvia.
I'd love some more stuff on Lastwall and Isger myself. Isger in particular seems to be crying out for some heroes as its nothing more than a lackey state being molded and used to Cheliax's liking.
Lastwall does interest me. Adjacency to Nirmathas as well as Ustalav...
...Detailing the actual people who live in Lastwall, not just that there is a big military there.
It seems really plausible that some of the 'barbarian' tribes of the area could have ended up siding with Lastwall against Belkzen, possibly even 'defecting' after once fighting with Belkzen... That probably means Kellids, although who knows, maybe there is a far-flung Shoanti tribe, or even some more nomadic horse-herding tribe of Varisians akin to the horselords of the Velashu Uplands (distinct from their settled kin in Ustalav). And plenty of them could in fact be Half-Orcs, for example. Given Molthune's use of Hobgoblin troops, it's plausible that some also serve Lastwall, since they couldn't have just come from nowhere to appear in Molthune.
It'd be great to learn more about how non-Orcs still live in the Hold of Belkzen, there's supposedly some Human strongholds I believe, but also how non-Orcs exist within the dominant Orcish culture. Slaves, I guess, but traders also seem likely, ferrying goods from the Crown of the World thru the Realm of the Mammoth Lords thru Belkzen to some port on Lake Encarthan.
Galt could really use more description of it's actual cultural background, independent of the revolution and everything. It seems likely that there is more of an (assimilated) Kellid element in the population, but there isn't much to go on there. There is one town where all the names are clearly Finnish in derivation, what is going on with that? Is there some minor ethnicity in the eastern reaches going into the mountains? Really there is a dearth of distinct ethnicities in Golarion, putting some meat into some smaller ethnicities really seems appropriate.
The crypto-Slavic naming scheme in Brevoy and Iobaria and environs (River Kingdoms + Mendev) suggests a similar thing, perhaps on a larger scale... I would say that's not crypto-Slavic in general but Russian specifically given the parallels between that area of Golarion and historical source of Russia as a state and subsequently as a defined "people" from Swedes and Slavic and other tribes living in the area. But the setting material doesn't really acknowledge that beyond the naming schemes. I would say that could be a major part of a "Lake of Mist and Veils" product.
Mendev also holds alot of potential that hasn't been explored, the citizen vs. non-citizen divide, how the military is subverting the old oppressive aristocratic order, the use of animated objects, new industry developments, etc. The relations and connections of Nirmathas, Mendev, and Druma seems interesting to explore, including how the Dwarves fit into that.
http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Azurestone
as other people have mentioned, TONS of world material is scattered in APs, modules, and other 'non geography focused' material... this being from the Flight of the Red Raven module (W3). Perhaps Galt as a whole is intended to have some Finnish flavor, I don't really know, Azurestone just "popped out" the most to me.
You say "Golarion," and then all you mention are places on a continent we've actually seen? ^.^
Southern Garund, Casmaron, Arcadia, and Sarusan!
Contributor
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I'd like to see some product detailing the current day remains of Azlant.
Its supposed to be a huge patch of shallow ocean literally covered in small islands, shoals and archipelagos.
Beyond a small blurb saying lots of ships and explorers are lost, I haven't seen anything about these tens of thousands of islands.
Lost Cities of Golarion has one of the islands detailed for you.
Personally, I'm worried about any kind of Druma exposition. If my players ever caught wind of that place...
"There's a whole city where people leave giant diamonds out on their lawns? Ka-CHING!"
Then I have to TPK on general purposes.
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So, um, I was wondering, would we like to update Set's great original post? Since then, 64 page treatments have been announced for the Worldwound, Osirion and Numeria, right? And I assume People of the Sands will bump Thuvia and Rahadoum up from the "2 pages in ISWG" category, although I suppose it can't count for giving them 32 page treatments either since they're just part of the Companion...
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Current Status within the Inner Sea as far as I can tell:
Sodden Lands
Brevoy
Nex
Geb
Five Kings Mountains
Druma
Lastwall
Nirmathas
Molthrune
Nidal
None have had APs set in them yet(or are scheduled to that we know of), and none have recieved much more exploration in other books outside the Inner Sea Guide.
Everyone else has either played host to an AP, had a Player Companion or a large chunk of one, or a full blown Campaign Setting book, IIRC.
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Of those on Mikaze's list:
Druma has a novel (and a web fiction story about the same character) set in it.
There's a bit about the Five Kings Mountains in Guide to Darkmoon Vale, and Castles of the Inner Sea
Cities of Golarion includes a chapter on Vigil, the capital of Lastwall. And there's a recent web fiction that begins there.
Brevoy has a gazetteer in Kingmaker, and is the setting for the last part of Liar's Blade
Molthune and Nirmathas is the setting for the novel by Ed Greenwood, and both has a web fiction piece each set in them. In addition, there are two modules set in Nirmathas, and one in Molthune.
The Sodden Lands, as far as I can recall only has a web fiction piece set in it. The same goes for Nex.
For Nidal we have half a novel, a chapter in Cities of Golarion, a piece of web fiction, and a module.
Geb has a web fiction piece, and its capital, Mechitar, gets a write-up in Mythic Realms.
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The Sodden Lands, as far as I can recall only has a web fiction piece set in it.Lost Kingdoms has a chapter on it, and though it talks about the lost nations of Lirgen and Yamasa, it spends a fair amount of time talking about its current state.
And Doom Comes To Dustpawn...
And Doom Comes To Dustpawn...
** spoiler omitted **
Wait, what? I need to get my hands on this module.
If we are talking Golarion, then certainly Sarusan. We know NOTHING about that continent other than that it exists.
Lots of choices in the Inner Sea area. Even considering the amount of coverage they get, I am honestly surprised we haven't got a 64 page campaign setting book on Cheliax, Andoran, and Taldor, given that they are some of the most powerful movers and shakers in the region.
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The stratosphere! What lives in the boundary between the clouds and the void of space? Has even one word been printed on this elusive area of Golarion? I think not!
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But anywho, seriously, it's long past time that 64 page treatments of Taldor, Andoran, Cheliax, Qadira and Osirion were available, so that the 'big five' nations of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign were fleshed out. It's kind of absurd, to me, that Taldor, one of the 'big five,' and a nation that has been hugely important to the development of Avistan in general (thanks to the Armies of Exploration), is less detailed than the teensy little city states of Kaer Maga, Magnimar and Korvosa, in backwater Varisia.
Were I completely cynical, I'd expect to see a 64 page treatment of the fishing village of Sandpoint (followed by a 32 page focus on Ameiko's inn, and a 16 page 'Ecology of the Sandpoint Devil') before a 64 page book on Andoran or Qadira. :)
32 page companions might be better to start, for Nirmathas, Molthune, Druma, Kyonin, the Five Kings Mountains, Isger, Nex, etc. would make sense, to follow, along with perhaps Hermea, Galt, Nidal, Rahadoum, Geb and other nations currently somewhat discouraged for PC use (despite it being strangely okay to have an entire nation of devil-worshippers as a prominent PC option...).
Stuff off the map, like Arcadia, Sarusan, Casmaron, Vudra, etc. should probably also get smaller treatments first, before being 'nailed down' by a lot of detail. Still, a project like Dragon Empires, which provides just a page or two of information on the dozens of sub-locales in such regions, sounds like a crazy amount of work, and should be put off until they are eager to 'go there.'
My own preference would be to see more of off-map cultures that *aren't* expies of real-world cultures, like Holomog and other points in southern Garund, than Golarion's versions of the Australian Outback or India or whatever.
Living amongst Apache and / or Cherokee at various times, growing up, I have my own pre-conceived notions about what I would or would not like to see in 'fantasy Native Americans,' while I have no built-in notions about what to expect from dinosaur riding amazons or a nation of lizardfolk other than "WOO! Dinosaur-riding amazons!"
(That said, I'm totally a hypocrite, and looking forward to more information on Osirion. Do I contradict myself? Then I contradict myself, for I am legion, and contain multitudes.)
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Yeah Cheliax and Andoran seem like they were major concepts in the beginning and were some of the first regions to get a dedicated treatment...but since then it sort of feels like Paizo's moved on from them...I would love to see a return to those two nations in particular. I think both of them could at least support a "People of the" Player Companion each.
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Were I completely cynical, I'd expect to see a 64 page treatment of the fishing village of Sandpoint (followed by a 32 page focus on Ameiko's inn, and a 16 page 'Ecology of the Sandpoint Devil') before a 64 page book on Andoran or Qadira. :)
Would you settle for a boxed set? :D
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My own preference would be to see more of off-map cultures that *aren't* expies of real-world cultures, like Holomog and other points in southern Garund, than Golarion's versions of the Australian Outback or India or whatever.
I can definitely understand that. In a way, it's much easier to drop in a "fantasy India" than to come up with an entire culture from scratch. Having said that, I think there's a place for both. Some GMs and players want to have a "fantasy Congo" that they can just assume a lot of things about from our real world, and instantly have the vibe ready for adventure rather than have to learn the whole environment at the same time as you adventure. But of course, there are also GMs and players who really want to explore something alien and the exploration of the culture *is* the adventure itself.
And of course, one person can like both of those styles at different times. Or even at the same time. So I think there should certainly be both.
One thing I would like to see in "fantasy Arabia" et al, is *little* tweaks so that the culture is obviously reminiscent of its real world counterpart, so that you can still assume a lot of things, but at the same time there'd be little changes, like maybe naming conventions would be slightly different, or something like that. Something other than the geography that tells you that you are in *fantasy* Alaska, and that it's not just the real Alaska with a map change.
Covering "off map" regions that nonetheless are contiguous to existing areas,
i.e. Southern Garund and Casmaron/Kelesh Empire beyond Qadira are major "To Do's".
But Paizo has also introduced Tian Xia, yet there is just incredibly little info on what all those cultures/countries are actually like,
with Minkai the only one receiving an approximation of detail, but even then, not really so much.
Minkai is actually a very large area, geographically separated (facing different seas) and with mostly unexplored ethnic diversity.
What is Dtang society like? Who knows.
Xa Hoi is interesting as speaking Draconic - So why are their names including for the rulers so different than other Dragons who also speak Draconic?
Nagajor is apparently a small Naga ruled empire/federation with mostly Nagaji subjects. And that's all we really know,
we don't know any further cities, how it is internally structured/internal politics, etc.
The Tian Xia pantheon of gods could EASILY use a Gods of Tian Xia book to flesh them and their churches out.
Once a large scale over-view has been done (as has been done for Tian Xia, and needs to be done for S Garund and Casmaron),
then "People of" are the quickest way to start giving more detail, before Country-Specific books can be done for each "Country".
Of course, since this material tends to be done in synergy with APs, a Country specific product
that matches the AP in question will probably also get done simultaneously.
For APs, I would like to see a Southern Garund AP after the Numeria one, and a Lake Encarthan (Molthune/Druma/etc) AP seems appropriate for a region also not covered very well despite being right on the doorstep of the Inner Sea. But I think a return to Tian Xia for another AP should also soon be done, perhaps this time being a 'native' Tian Xia AP (not focusing on Minkai at all) rather than a 'Travel from Avistan' AP.
When Southern Garund IS done, I expect that it will also include the ocean regions towards the South Pole as well, with the floating Icebergs, etc.
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One thing I would like to see in "fantasy Arabia" et al, is *little* tweaks so that the culture is obviously reminiscent of its real world counterpart, so that you can still assume a lot of things, but at the same time there'd be little changes, like maybe naming conventions would be slightly different, or something like that.
I think Paizo did a good job with that in Dragon Empires.
With Osirion, I look at it, and it's a bit more 'Egypt-y' than I would prefer. Kara-Tur went a bit overboard on that, and you could easily identify which parts were 'fantasy Japan' and 'fantasy China' and 'fantasy Mongolia' and 'fantasy Korea' and 'fantasy Malaysia.' Dragon Empires nations are quite distinct from real world cultures, by comparison, even if some of them are fairly obvious real world expies (Minkai as Japan, for instance).
I would hope that a 'fantasy India' or 'fantasy Arabia / Persia' or 'fantasy Americas' would be similarly at least as much 'fantasy' as 'India,' with more focus on interesting campaign options, and setting-specific verisimilitude, than on 'getting right' any sort of cultural details.
Osirion also seem to have actual in-game links with Earth Ancient Egypt, so it's at least coherent in that regard.
(similar to Baba-Yaga, Irrisen, etc)
It is also merely one part of a broader Osirionic culture region, or indeed Garundi culture region,
all the other countries of which develop less stereotypical Egyptian Pyriamid/Mummy/Sphinx tropes.
Geb going overboard for the Undead angle yet set in more of a Tanzania type area,
Katapesh a Horn of Africa type 'badlands', Thuvia and Rahadoum pursuing secular and alchemical tropes,
and indeed Qadira being a formerly Garundi area yet now assimilated to Kelesh culture.
Hmm... "People of the Rusty Dragon", detailing the personal histories of the (alcoholic) "regulars" and intra-employee strife? Hardback?
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I'd buy a Kaijitsus of Golarion. ;)
Even if it has to be padded a bit with the likes of Bob Kaijitsu, a completely unrelated fisherman whose adventure hooks revolve entirely around taking fish to market and mending nets.
And whose days are punctuated by periodic insistence that no, he's not part of THAT Kaijitsu family.
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Even if it has to be padded a bit with the likes of Bob Kaijitsu, a completely unrelated fisherman whose adventure hooks revolve entirely around taking fish to market and mending nets.And whose days are punctuated by periodic insistence that no, he's not part of THAT Kaijitsu family.
Turns out Kaijitsu is a common Varisian name *and* a common Shoanti name, being the local version of 'John Smith.' Varisia is *crawling* with Kaijitsus...
And whose days are punctuated by periodic insistence that no, he's not part of THAT Kaijitsu family.I'd buy a Kaijitsus of Golarion. ;)
Even if it has to be padded a bit with the likes of Bob Kaijitsu, a completely unrelated fisherman whose adventure hooks revolve entirely around taking fish to market and mending nets.
That and swearing over the little green-clad elf who keeps pulling out all the fish in his pond.
Needs more Arcadia... :D
Would you buy a "Vinders of Golarion" though?I'd buy a Kaijitsus of Golarion. ;)
Even if it has to be padded a bit with the likes of Bob Kaijitsu, a completely unrelated fisherman whose adventure hooks revolve entirely around taking fish to market and mending nets.
I'd be partial to a Vancaskerkins of Golarion myself. : )