So, Age of Lost Omens World Guide is supposed to describe the setting in 10 geographically and thematically distinct areas.
What will those be?
We know greater Absalom is one (city+island).
If I understood correctly a second one will include Varisia (inc. New Thassilon), Linnorm Kings, Mammoth Lords and Irrisen.
What will the others be?
My guess is Mwangi must be one at is it very distinct culturally and geographically + its big and awsome and one of my favorite. A Sargava goes here and maybe also The Shackles, Mediogalti Island and the sudden lands.
River kingdoms may include other nations that play well with it (at least in the Kingmaker game): Razmiran, Numeria, Brevoy.
Can Ustalav be grouped with any of its neighbors thematically??
Can Taldor and Qadira share a section without going to war??
Will Cheliax annex its little
Nidalese and Isgeri sisters in its chapter?
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Well, I'd place the regions as follows (#1 and #2 are official, #3 and on are guesses):
1. Absalom and islands
2. Realm of Sagas: Land of the Linnorm Kings, Varisia (inc. New Thassilon), Land of the Mammoth Lords and Irrisen.
3. 'The Broken Lands': The Worldwound, Mendev, Belkzen, Ustalav, Lastwall.
4. Numeria, Brevoy, River Kingdoms, Razmiran, Galt.
5. Nirmathas, Molthune, Druma, Kyonin (Razmiran could also wind up here).
6. Andoran, Taldor, Qadira.
7. 'The Realm of Devils': Cheliax, Nidal, Isger.
8. 'Realm of Sands': Rahadoum, Thuvia, Osirion.
9. 'Realm Of Wonder': Katapesh, Nex, Geb (Jalmeray, despite being an island could wind up here, too).
10. The Mwangi Expanse, The Sodden Lands, Sargava, The Shackles.
I'm not sure if Absalom is one, or in addition to the others. On the stream he said it'll be along side "the other 10" but he might have misspoken there.
The Varisia, Land of the Linnorn Kings, Realms of the Mammoth Lords and Irresen region is called The Saga Lands.
Maybe Ustalav with The Worldwound/Sarkoris, the ruins of Lastwall and Hold of Belkezen. The Terror Lands or World of Suck. Numeria might fit there too.
Maybe Cheliax, Andoran and Taldor could be all one region, they're the major nation-states with a shared culture and history.
Edit: Got ninjad by a walking dead man as I wrote this... You'd think he'd be slower given his dead status.
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I'm not sure if Absalom is one, or in addition to the others. On the stream he said it'll be along side "the other 10" but he might have misspoken there.
Absalom could be separate, I guess, but I'm not sure how to break things up without that as one of the 10.
Edit: Got ninjad by a walking dead man as I wrote this... You'd think he'd be slower given his dead status.
It's happened before. I'm pretty spry for a corpse. :)
Very reasonable guesses!
Going with deadsmanwalkings numbering and guess their names:
3. Can't call a region with orcs "the broken lands" as that is a product name for an equivalent Mystara region. There's a lot going on here, with 2 crusader states 2 mega evil centers and the orcs, but yeah it makes thematic sense. I prefer them separate though, as I do like that there are two takes on the crusader theme done very differently in golarion.
4.The Sellen Basin? Fractured Nations?
5.Central States, the midwest...
6.If we are riffing off Mystara then Dawn of the Empires is a good name for this 3 nations.
7."The big and small devils" are Iranian nicknames for the US and Israel. But we can swipe that I guess...
8. I'd go with "unearthed miracles" for both pyramids rediscovered in the desert, the godless magic of rahadoum and the Sun Orchid of Thuvia.
9.Jalmery is for sure part of the Lands of Wonder.
10. This one already has a name Heart of the Jungle was on the original campaign book.
I feel like if Absalom/Kortos is it's own region (as confirmed), Qadira may as well be it's own region within the Inner Sea... Or better said, the Kelesh Empire is it's own region but within this product (the 1st Lost Omens Guide focused on greater Inner Sea area) the other Kelesh subjects are less detailed than Qadira (yet as in last Qadira setting book, the general gist of Kelesh Empire as a whole can be discussed).
That leaves Taldor to be directly grouped with Cheliax and Andoren, and probably Isger and possibly Galt. That would go along with the new presentation of Taldan as singular ethnicity covering all these nations, so this would be "Old Imperial Core" region. (while further flung parts of old Taldan or Chelish empire from Sargava to Molthune to Varisia end up in other regions)
People here seem to assume the area or nations covered is precisely identical to old ISWG, which I'm not sure is confirmed...? I assume it covers all of ISWG, but especially with individual nations not needing individual entries I could see potential for including nations just outside the area covered by ISWG... e.g. Iobaria or a nation just south of Mwangi Expanse?
I am somewhat attracted to the North/South Encarthan division others are posting here, although IMHO Belkzen very well fits into Varisia/Linnorn/Irrisen/MammothLord group, and Sarkoris/Worldwound likewise could fit well into Greater Sellen grouping including Mendev, Brevoy, River Kingdoms, Numeria, and possibly Iobaria and/or Kyonin.
Details of regional divisions aside, I am optimistic these regions will be basis for supporting things like language access (or other "cultural" features) in regionally appropriate way, with each region enabling free access to range of languages (not just single Human ethnic language) even if many regions can overlap somewhat in what they include.
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People here seem to assume the area or nations covered is precisely identical to old ISWG, which I'm not sure is confirmed...?
It has been.
Details of regional divisions aside, I am optimistic these regions will be basis for supporting things like language access (or other "cultural" features) in regionally appropriate way, with each region enabling free access to range of languages (not just single Human ethnic language) even if many regions can overlap somewhat in what they include.
I absolutely expect them to have a specific mechanical interaction with Rarity and how that works.
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I feel like if Absalom/Kortos is it's own region (as confirmed), Qadira may as well be it's own region within the Inner Sea... Or better said, the Kelesh Empire is it's own region but within this product (the 1st Lost Omens Guide focused on greater Inner Sea area) the other Kelesh subjects are less detailed than Qadira (yet as in last Qadira setting book, the general gist of Kelesh Empire as a whole can be discussed).
It is possible that the map might grow a bit to show more of the Kelesh empire, but I'm guessing Qadira will be lumped in with some of the northern Garund nations, the Realm of Sand as Deadmanwalking suggested along with Katapesh. Katapesh and Qadira in particular both very much have the Arabian Nights theme, while some of the other northern Garund states have it to a lesser extent. Or it could be tied in with the Realm of Wonder
That leaves Taldor to be directly grouped with Cheliax and Andoren, and probably Isger and possibly Galt. That would go along with the new presentation of Taldan as singular ethnicity covering all these nations, so this would be "Old Imperial Core" region. (while further flung parts of old Taldan or Chelish empire from Sargava to Molthune to Varisia end up in other regions)
Yeah, that's my guess. Could be the Realm of the Old Empire or something.
People here seem to assume the area or nations covered is precisely identical to old ISWG, which I'm not sure is confirmed...? I assume it covers all of ISWG, but especially with individual nations not needing individual entries I could see potential for including nations just outside the area covered by ISWG... e.g. Iobaria or a nation just south of Mwangi Expanse?
I am assuming the map will cover the same area, but you're right. It is possible that they'll expand things. Iobaria is a strong possibility. That would expand the map eastward, so other parts of the western end of Casmaron would show up on the map too (Most of which I think is the Empire of Kelesh). Going further south in Garund is also a possibility. Combined with Ioberia would also bring out even more of Casmaron.
I am somewhat attracted to the North/South Encarthan division others are posting here, although IMHO Belkzen very well fits into Varisia/Linnorn/Irrisen/MammothLord group, and Sarkoris/Worldwound likewise could fit well into Greater Sellen grouping including Mendev, Brevoy, River Kingdoms, Numeria, and possibly Iobaria and/or Kyonin.
They are doing thematic as well as regional groupings. That's why I think Belkzen will go with Sarkoris, Ustalav and maybe Numeria and whatever is left of Lastwall. They're all deeply screwed up places. Ustalav is actually kind of an odd man out in that group, because the others are all kind of post-apocalyptic.
Details of regional divisions aside, I am optimistic these regions will be basis for supporting things like language access (or other "cultural" features) in regionally appropriate way, with each region enabling free access to range of languages (not just single Human ethnic language) even if many regions can overlap somewhat in what they include.
That does seem likely. And like DMW said, I do think this would be a good place to use the rarity system to account for regional items, while not having to print a list for every single country. Dueling Swords being common in the region with Brevoy and Uncommon or rare elsewhere, or certain magics more common in the Nex area and Alchemical formulas more common in Thuvia.