| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
mastermustard
Seeker
USA
78 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Sep 2017 : 22:22:54
|
As you may know, real life ethnic Japanese natives are descendants of the "people of Wa" and "Wa" was actually the first recorded name for the island of Japan.
Assuming that this is a Realmsian analogue of Japan, some really good novels could have been written here -- especially ones involving Sengoku jidai -- or Japan's warring states era.
Sort of like a magical pseudo-Japanese Romance of the Three-Kingdoms. I'd throw piles of money at a project like that.
In any case, I was wondering if anyone knows where I could find resources/source books/novels dealing with Wa.
|
|
|
TBeholder
Great Reader
2382 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2017 : 00:28:28
|
| AD&D1 Oriental Adventures, mostly. |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
 |
|
|
BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2017 : 02:45:52
|
Wa, and neighbouring Kozakura, are indeed analogues of Japan in different eras. Wa has a shogun, Kozakura an emperor.
You can find information on them in Oriental Adventures and Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms. Wa is visited in some of the adventures for those: Blood of the Yakuza, Test of the Samurai, and Ninja Wars. Several others go to Kozakura. Dragon magazine #315 has a brief revisit of Kara-Tur, including Wa and Kozakura.
There almost was a novel for Kozakura, as the old Hall of Heroes sourcebook details several characters and events there as though there was a novel, which is a bit of a mystery.
The Forgotten Realms Wiki (link in sig) has a fair bit of information. Since I just found the main articles are plagiarised, I won't link them until I get a chance to clean them out. The other articles for characters and places are rather stubby and not too reliable, I'm afraid. But I know the town of Aru is a nice place to visit, you can enjoy a tea ceremony, learn the Wa-an language, and maybe visit the Isle of Gargantuas. 
EDIT: Here is the cleaned Wa article |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
Edited by - BadCatMan on 09 Sep 2017 14:34:59 |
|
|
|
shades of eternity
Learned Scribe
288 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2017 : 04:28:46
|
there is a bit in the kara tur box set.
It's essentially tokugawa japan reskinned for fantasy.
ed as opposed to Kozakura which is the war against all era.
honestly, I'd combine the two and do a rurouni kenshin marathon (or steal heavily from mists of akuma rpg)
but yeah, seeing as that was 300 years ago, change it as you see fit. :D
|
check out my post-post apocalyptic world at www.drevrpg.com |
Edited by - shades of eternity on 09 Sep 2017 04:32:01 |
|
|
|
Caolin
Senior Scribe
768 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2017 : 06:15:46
|
| Man I would kill to get D&D setting material and novels (especially novels!) set in Kara-Tur. |
|
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2017 : 07:09:44
|
There was one novel (I think) - The Yellow Silk.
There was another planned but it was cancelled. Strangely, you can still read about the characters from the novel-that-never-was in FR7 Hall of Heroes (the character's name is Doin Sanhiro).
Unlike Shou and Tu Lung, there was actually a number of adventure modules for the island nations, and you can get a lot of info from them as well. And the K-T boxed set, of course. I'm with Shades of Eternity on doing at least one of them as a Kenshin homage.
Of course, I'd do the other as Naruto... but thats just me.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 10 Sep 2017 17:07:01 |
|
|
|
mastermustard
Seeker
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2017 : 21:15:15
|
Thanks for the info everyone!
quote:
Originally posted by Caolin
Man I would kill to get D&D setting material and novels (especially novels!) set in Kara-Tur.
If there was one, I'd want it to be written by someone with a Japanese History and Culture degree, or better yet by a Japanese citizen. Even if Wa isn't actually Japan, if it is an analogue the writer/designer working on it should be one who thoroughly understands and respects the similarly structured real-world Ancient Japan and won't fall victim to stereotypes.
Which is probably why not much material has been created for it.
|
Edited by - mastermustard on 09 Sep 2017 21:16:10 |
|
|
|
Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6351 Posts |
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2017 : 00:36:25
|
Yeah, I think the guy(s) they got the first time around was an 'Asian history expert', and what we got was a knock-off Asia. Like what happened with Maztica as well. I think I'd prefer a bunch of fun stereotypes over rewritten Earth-history any day. If you want that, then run something in that region in the RW, or just read a history book. Ed goes to great pains trying to explain that 'FR isn't Earth', and yet, people keep going back to this.
The only one they got right was Zakhara - they captured the 'legendary' version, not the RW one. Thats what a fantasy RPG should have. As much as I loved the Dragonwall in Kara-Tur, I am so glad its gone now. I guess they could say its back in 5e; of course, that could be a bit of a problem, since the dragon it was made out of exploded (Dracolichwall?) |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 10 Sep 2017 00:37:39 |
|
|
|
BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2017 : 03:13:31
|
To be fair, only Western fantasy seems to put much focus on building fictional worlds. Every wuxia (kung fu) and fantasy movie from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, at least that I've seen, has been set in the country's own real-world history, however inaccurate and some to the point of only borrowing names, with the fantastical elements worked in. On that basis, it's fitting that Kara-Tur is a remix of various Asian countries and their histories, even to the point of only borrowing the names, with fantastical elements worked in.
In any case, I agree it could have gone further on using fantastical elements and a Realmsian style, rather than getting bogged down in politics and culture. The countries miss out on the mythology and legends of their real-world counterparts, and some struggle to have a distinct character. But, having worked up Koryo and other subjects for the wiki, the Kara-Tur campaign setting has deeper structural issues, like each chapter/country being written by a different author with little idea of what the others are doing (such as Koryo being under attack from Kozakura, with no mention of it in the Kozakura chapter and the endless unhelpful contradictions in myths and religions) and some countries like Koryo being little more than lists of plothooks than workable settings. A DM or player needs a love and familiarity with the history and mythology of the real-world counterparts to develop these. But maybe that's the point of them.
But I've come to feel that the religions are not the rip-offs they initially seem to be, but sublime creations with clever commentary. The Path of Enlightenment is not actually Buddhism, though it steals its trappings, but Confucian-inspired conservatism and service to the state dressed up as a religion, and like conservatism, it has a single rigid view and doctrine but is endlessly divided over minor differences and warring with itself over who gets to dominate. The Way, based on Taoism, has its Yin-Yang concepts integrated with D&D alignments and these are built into itself with the Dark Way and Light Way, and into the empires of Shou Lung and T'u Lung themselves, all opposite yet inextricably linked and containing a seed of the other.
Dragonwall was the only novel set in Kara-Tur (that is, Shou Lung) itself. Horselords and some short stories are only set in the Hordelands. The Yellow Silk and The Veiled Dragon have Shou characters in Faerūn. The Forgotten Realms DC comics have the character Ishi Barasume, with IIRC some flashbacks to Kozakura. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
|
|
|
shades of eternity
Learned Scribe
288 Posts |
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2017 : 17:17:31
|
I watch a lot of anime lately, and they use non-Asian (non-Japanese) maps for their worlds, usually. The world of One Piece is pretty ridiculous, but I like the way Naruto's world is laid-out. FMA is pretty bland, world-wise (the series is excellent, though). The world of Avatar is really cool looking - I really love that layout. And there are dozens of others.
If you haven't noticed, I look at at hundreds of fantasy maps, even of worlds I have little or no interest in. I find inspiration everywhere. 
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Dragonwall was the only novel set in Kara-Tur (that is, Shou Lung) itself. Horselords and some short stories are only set in the Hordelands. The Yellow Silk and The Veiled Dragon have Shou characters in Faerūn. The Forgotten Realms DC comics have the character Ishi Barasume, with IIRC some flashbacks to Kozakura.
Koja - Yamun Kahan's advisor - appeared later in another novel. I recall being very surprised to see they re-purposed and reused him (IIRC, he was an ambassador of the new Tuigan realm). I can't recall which book, but I really felt he was out-of-place and thought it odd (it was set in Faerūn).
Of course, he was Khazari, so one might say he isn't 'from Kara-Tur', but thats debatable (there is no clear line where the Hordelands end and Kara-Tur begins, and the first Empire of Shou-Lung was IN the Hordelands, and Semphar has also been part of Shou from time to time, along with Khazari and Ra-Khati). Personally, I would have preferred they reuse that general, Batu Min Ho - I liked him much better. Of course, they're all dead now. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 10 Sep 2017 17:23:09 |
|
|
|
BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2017 : 03:12:41
|
Anime and Japanese video games would be the exception, but I was excepting it. I also didn't think of them.  Kara-Tur is (fortunately) not based on those.
Koja appeared in all three books of the Empires trilogy and in the short story "Patronage" in Realms of Valor. There he was writing a book at a temple of Deneir in Procampur in the Vast. It doesn't seem too unusual for him. I don't know if he appeared in another.
In terms of campaign settings and sourcebooks, there's a fuzzy line between The Horde and Kara-Tur, which is why I excluded the Hordelands books. The mid-Asian style of the Hordelands gets further away from the OP's interest in Japan.
As for the OP's request to find out more about Wa, it used to be possible to download the adventures for free, but they aren't available any more. DriveThruRPG does the whole old Oriental Adventures line, fortunately. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
Edited by - BadCatMan on 11 Sep 2017 09:46:07 |
|
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2017 : 05:05:12
|
| Maybe it was the story in Realms of Valor I am thinking of (although I don't recall ever reading that book LOL). |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 11 Sep 2017 05:05:29 |
|
|
|
Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2017 : 12:59:35
|
quote:
Originally posted by Caolin
Man I would kill to get D&D setting material and novels (especially novels!) set in Kara-Tur.
Kara-Tur, Zakhara, more in Maztica ... this list continues. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
The land of Wa -- Where can I find material on it?
