Which is the best in your opinion out of these two?
GAZ2 The Emirates of Ylaruam or Al-Qadim?
I want to prepare a simple setting using barbarians as the focus, and show how my psionics city would work in a different setting. I wanted to use an Arabian Nights type setting as one of the lands bordering on the Barbarian lands so naturally I want to do some research.
I have Classic GURPS Fantasy (the Magical World of Yrth), and the Crusades Historical Reference, so I want to get an arabian setting book to look at the culture from a pure fantasy perspective.
Instead of buying Qadira, I'd like to pick up one of these two. So, I'd like your personal opinions. :)
Keep in mind I have not looked at either product in 15+ years (probably over 20 for GAZ2) but I seem to recall that Al-Qadim had better fluff. I loved the Mystara setting but I don't recall especially liking the GAZ2 book.
I wonder if I still have either...
If you want a good module to draw inspiration from or modify and use I recommend X4 Master of the Desert Nomads.
Keep in mind I have not looked at either product in 15+ years (probably over 20 for GAZ2) but I seem to recall that Al-Qadim had better fluff. I loved the Mystara setting but I don't recall especially liking the GAZ2 book.
I wonder if I still have either...
Thanks. But I'm looking for as much cream as fluff as well. :)
If you want a good module to draw inspiration from or modify and use I recommend X4 Master of the Desert Nomads.
Thank you for the suggestion, I'll check to see if it's available on the DTRPG store. :)
I fail to see the value in a great many RPG products that a lot of people love, so don't take my advice TOO seriously...
...but, having said that, I have to chime in with my agreement with Stereofm and Vaellen: The Emirates of Ylaruam did nothing to inspire me. Neither did GURPS Arabian Nights. But the third time proved to be the charm, when I got Al-Qadim. That got me fired up enough to run a campaign.
I should mention that one thing that really helped was a certain D&D 3.0 conversion manual I found on the web, particularly its treatment of classes. Go to this site and hit one of the links for "Al-Qadim Conversion Manual, v1.00."
(I didn't like the other conversion, the "New Arabian Adventure, v7.1," so much. I used a few of its monster stat blocks to inspire me to write my own, but that was about it.)
I'm only familiar with Al-Qadim, which I loved.
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AL-Qadim is the better product overall, but there are a lot of supplements that flesh out the setting.
Also, do note that the "Arabian Adventures" book is purely a rulebook, with very little actual setting detail or information; for that, you'll want the "Land of Fate" boxed set, which has the majority of the setting's detail.
The PDF for that, and many of the Al-Qadim sourcebooks are available over at DnDClassics.com, as is GAZ2, which is only $4.99, so you could conceivably get both and mix and match the elements that you like...
I never got the Land of Fate boxed set. Just the Arabian Adventures book gave me enough setting information that I could run Caravans and a couple of Dungeon magazine adventures (namely "The Assassin Within" from issue #47 and "The Rose of Jumlat" from issue #57) with no problem.
I managed to pick up Arabian Adventures, thank you. :)
Thanks everyone. :)
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I never got the Land of Fate boxed set. Just the Arabian Adventures book gave me enough setting information...
Sure, one can run say a Forgotten Realms, World of Greyhawk, or Golarion module without any of the setting books and do just fine.
However, "Arabian Adventures" is basically an alternate 2nd edition AD&D "Player's Handbook". Yes, it has some Arabian-esk flavor text, but ultimately, it has more in common with the "D&D Rules Cyclopedia".
On the other hand, the "Land of Fate" boxed set is more in line, at least flavor-wise, with the content of "GAZ2: The Emirates of Ylaruam"...