Arabian Adventures! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Arabian Adventures! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ragingmaro
09-25-05, 01:36 AM Has anyone ever tried an Arabian adventure? There's always been a lot of talk about Asian adventures but has anyone here tried to to make an Arabian adventure? With genies and other things from Arabian folk-lore?
Aliquid
09-25-05, 02:40 AM Has anyone ever tried an Arabian adventure? There's always been a lot of talk about Asian adventures but has anyone here tried to to make an Arabian adventure? With genies and other things from Arabian folk-lore?There was a whole line of supplements for Arabian Adventures in 2nd edition AD&D.

Didn't actually play any of them myself, but they looked interesting.
q'afuu
09-25-05, 03:15 AM You can download two of them (boxed sets) here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads). They're about 1/3 down the page, look for Al-Qadim.
Serielle
09-25-05, 03:17 AM I've never done Arabian adventures, since largely due to the fact that I grew up in Arab countries they don't hold much mystique for me. WizO_Cat: Snip - let's not make this an us-vs-them thread. Thanks. If you're interested, there is the Al-Qadim campaign setting that deals with that. It's 2nd edition, so there's no crunch support for it in 3rd edition, but flavor is flavor, and you can still use it.

I haven't really looked into it too much, but from what I remember it seems to be the stereotypical Arabian fantasy, which is somewhat like the equivalent of a Tolkeinesque world for high fantasy.

And btw, 1001 nights != Arabian fantasy. This is moving more into the realm of my personal opinions, but Middle Eastern fantasy would probably be a more accurate way of describing a lot of what gets thrown around as "Arabian". 1001 nights contains persian and indian themes, and there's generally some turkish stuff thrown in too. There's no question those have influenced Arab society, but not all of those elements really fit into what can simply be classified as "Arab"

It's a moot point in the end, however, because it's not an attempt to recreate the real world, just like D&D borrows from but isn't a recreation of midevil society. It's just nice to have a little recognition of where these things come from so I don't get someone asking me about some Arab tradition that hasn't existed since pre-Islamic times.
Gedrin
09-25-05, 07:01 AM I just finished up a storyline IMC that was in an Arabian-like setting. The PC's didn't spend much time urban places not built for travelers, but they did get a long look at several tribal groups. Things like Fate and the different aproach to honor were interesting for the PC's to deal with, as was the idea of hospitality.
KJW
09-25-05, 08:21 AM There are also some 3.0 conversions of Zakhara (Al-Qadim) out there, just check on google and you will find them quick enough. I played Al-Qadim for a few years and loved it, it was a nice break from traditional D&D. It was in my opinion probably the best of TSR's settings, very clever, well-done, and the materials were attractive, though the line dropped significantly in quality near the end. I would love to see it resurrected, but it was even more niche than Oriental Adventures, and with all things considered I doubt WOTC would want to deal with it.
caeruleus
09-25-05, 12:14 PM WotC has done a bit of 3.5 material for Arabian Adventures. In Dragon issue 315 (the Campaign Classics issue), they have the sha'ir class (from Al-Qadim, a spellcaster with a connection to genies). A later issue (321? 322? 323? I don't remember exactly) had a few prestige classes, such as the barber, the holy slayer, the corsair, and the mameluk (these were also classes from Al-Qadim).

If you want some good flavor material for an Arabian-themed campaign, I'd recommend GURPS Arabian Nights. You won't be able to use the rules with D&D, but it'll give you plenty of ideas.

There's also Endless Sands, a little booklet for a d20 Arabian Adventures. Published by Avalanche Press, IIRC. It's 3.0, and I wasn't too impressed with the rules and such, but it does provide a fairly interesting setting.

Happy gaming.
Aliquid
09-25-05, 12:34 PM "Arabian". 1001 nights contains persian and indian themes, and there's generally some turkish stuff thrown in too.The stories spread from Africa to China. Aladdin (The Story of Aladdin and hte Wonderful Lamp) was from China, and most of the story took place in China.

The thing is though all of the stories were originally by the Persians, and were handed down orally for centuries before written in text. So, even though they covered a large range of territory, they were all told with an "Arabian" perspective.
ragingmaro
09-25-05, 12:52 PM Thanks for all the info! Do you think Sandstorm would have any good info for an Arabian/Middle Eastern campaign?
caeruleus
09-25-05, 02:14 PM The thing is though all of the stories were originally by the Persians, and were handed down orally for centuries before written in text. So, even though they covered a large range of territory, they were all told with an "Arabian" perspective.

Right. And according to Joseph Campbell (best known for his work in comparative mythology), pretty much all myths and stories are variations on a theme, retold from the perspective of those who are telling them. The stories in the Arabian Nights also by and large predated Islam, yet Islamic themes run through pretty much all of them, as we now have them.

Thanks for all the info! Do you think Sandstorm would have any good info for an Arabian/Middle Eastern campaign?

Nothing in Sandstorm struck me as being especially suited to a campaign with an Arabian-like culture, but some material may nonetheless fit. While Arabian campaigns don't have to take place in a desert environment, it's still a classic feature of the genre, and Sandstorm can be helpful in that regard.
KJW
09-25-05, 02:14 PM I have Sandstorm and it is not really useful for Arabian style adventuring, unless you need info for deserts. Its more Egyptian, Babylonian, style approach to deserts. Some useful tidbit, including some spells, but not much for flavor. Just download the old Al-Qadim stuff.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ragingmaro 09-25-05, 01:36 AM	Has anyone ever tried an Arabian adventure? There's always been a lot of talk about Asian adventures but has anyone here tried to to make an Arabian adventure? With genies and other things from Arabian folk-lore?
Aliquid 09-25-05, 02:40 AM	Has anyone ever tried an Arabian adventure? There's always been a lot of talk about Asian adventures but has anyone here tried to to make an Arabian adventure? With genies and other things from Arabian folk-lore?There was a whole line of supplements for Arabian Adventures in 2nd edition AD&D. Didn't actually play any of them myself, but they looked interesting.
q'afuu 09-25-05, 03:15 AM	You can download two of them (boxed sets) here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads). They're about 1/3 down the page, look for Al-Qadim.
Serielle 09-25-05, 03:17 AM	I've never done Arabian adventures, since largely due to the fact that I grew up in Arab countries they don't hold much mystique for me. WizO_Cat: Snip - let's not make this an us-vs-them thread. Thanks. If you're interested, there is the Al-Qadim campaign setting that deals with that. It's 2nd edition, so there's no crunch support for it in 3rd edition, but flavor is flavor, and you can still use it. I haven't really looked into it too much, but from what I remember it seems to be the stereotypical Arabian fantasy, which is somewhat like the equivalent of a Tolkeinesque world for high fantasy. And btw, 1001 nights != Arabian fantasy. This is moving more into the realm of my personal opinions, but Middle Eastern fantasy would probably be a more accurate way of describing a lot of what gets thrown around as "Arabian". 1001 nights contains persian and indian themes, and there's generally some turkish stuff thrown in too. There's no question those have influenced Arab society, but not all of those elements really fit into what can simply be classified as "Arab" It's a moot point in the end, however, because it's not an attempt to recreate the real world, just like D&D borrows from but isn't a recreation of midevil society. It's just nice to have a little recognition of where these things come from so I don't get someone asking me about some Arab tradition that hasn't existed since pre-Islamic times.
Gedrin 09-25-05, 07:01 AM	I just finished up a storyline IMC that was in an Arabian-like setting. The PC's didn't spend much time urban places not built for travelers, but they did get a long look at several tribal groups. Things like Fate and the different aproach to honor were interesting for the PC's to deal with, as was the idea of hospitality.
KJW 09-25-05, 08:21 AM	There are also some 3.0 conversions of Zakhara (Al-Qadim) out there, just check on google and you will find them quick enough. I played Al-Qadim for a few years and loved it, it was a nice break from traditional D&D. It was in my opinion probably the best of TSR's settings, very clever, well-done, and the materials were attractive, though the line dropped significantly in quality near the end. I would love to see it resurrected, but it was even more niche than Oriental Adventures, and with all things considered I doubt WOTC would want to deal with it.
caeruleus 09-25-05, 12:14 PM	WotC has done a bit of 3.5 material for Arabian Adventures. In Dragon issue 315 (the Campaign Classics issue), they have the sha'ir class (from Al-Qadim, a spellcaster with a connection to genies). A later issue (321? 322? 323? I don't remember exactly) had a few prestige classes, such as the barber, the holy slayer, the corsair, and the mameluk (these were also classes from Al-Qadim). If you want some good flavor material for an Arabian-themed campaign, I'd recommend GURPS Arabian Nights. You won't be able to use the rules with D&D, but it'll give you plenty of ideas. There's also Endless Sands, a little booklet for a d20 Arabian Adventures. Published by Avalanche Press, IIRC. It's 3.0, and I wasn't too impressed with the rules and such, but it does provide a fairly interesting setting. Happy gaming.
Aliquid 09-25-05, 12:34 PM	"Arabian". 1001 nights contains persian and indian themes, and there's generally some turkish stuff thrown in too.The stories spread from Africa to China. Aladdin (The Story of Aladdin and hte Wonderful Lamp) was from China, and most of the story took place in China. The thing is though all of the stories were originally by the Persians, and were handed down orally for centuries before written in text. So, even though they covered a large range of territory, they were all told with an "Arabian" perspective.
ragingmaro 09-25-05, 12:52 PM	Thanks for all the info! Do you think Sandstorm would have any good info for an Arabian/Middle Eastern campaign?
caeruleus 09-25-05, 02:14 PM	The thing is though all of the stories were originally by the Persians, and were handed down orally for centuries before written in text. So, even though they covered a large range of territory, they were all told with an "Arabian" perspective. Right. And according to Joseph Campbell (best known for his work in comparative mythology), pretty much all myths and stories are variations on a theme, retold from the perspective of those who are telling them. The stories in the Arabian Nights also by and large predated Islam, yet Islamic themes run through pretty much all of them, as we now have them. Thanks for all the info! Do you think Sandstorm would have any good info for an Arabian/Middle Eastern campaign? Nothing in Sandstorm struck me as being especially suited to a campaign with an Arabian-like culture, but some material may nonetheless fit. While Arabian campaigns don't have to take place in a desert environment, it's still a classic feature of the genre, and Sandstorm can be helpful in that regard.
KJW 09-25-05, 02:14 PM	I have Sandstorm and it is not really useful for Arabian style adventuring, unless you need info for deserts. Its more Egyptian, Babylonian, style approach to deserts. Some useful tidbit, including some spells, but not much for flavor. Just download the old Al-Qadim stuff.