Just Another Preposterous Real World Eberron Analogy - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Just Another Preposterous Real World Eberron Analogy

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
kaodi
Mar 11, 2011 16:16:55 The title says it all, but I thought it would be funny or interesting to share the thought I just had anyway.

It is, or at leaast used to be, somewhat fashionable to try and think of what countries the nations of Eberron were " modelled on " . A different way to look at the map is to arbitarily make analogies between nations and US states. I am Canadian, so please bear with me if I get anything just completely wrong.

Look at the geography of Khorvaire specifically, and that of the US.

Breland ~ California (style of democracy)
Zilargo ~ Nevada (Area 51, secrecy)
Aundair ~ Washington (Silicon Valley)
Thrane ~ Utah (religion, duh)
Q'barra ~ Florida (swamps, alligators)
Lhazaar Principalities ~ New England States (maritime culture)
Darguun ~ Arizona (Wild West)
Valenar ~ New Mexico (foreign, at least by name)
Mournlands, Talenta ~ Texas (vast wasteland, hehehe)
Shadow Marches ~ Oregon (some sort of gold rush there?)
Karrnath ~ Virginia (proud of mlitary past?)
Mror Holds ~ New York, Michigan (banking and production)
Droaam ~ uhhh... Mexico? (somewhat threatening, drug wars)
Eldeen Reaches, Demon Wastes, Frostfell ~ ummm... Canada and Alaska? (vast wildernes, cold, barren)

Xen'drik ~ Mexico, South America (jungle civilization)
Sarlona ~ Europe (Old World, different way of thinking)
Aerenal, Argonessen ~ no idea, obvious this entire thread is bogus though

Anyway, just though I would throw it out there. As I said in the title, the whole premise is ridiculous,and obviously not how Khorvaire was modelled, but if real world countries are used as inspiration for some stuff in some peoples games, maybe the stuff here can be too.

#2
hanzo187
Mar 11, 2011 19:21:24 I remember making a thread about this several months ago, trying to find parallels between Eberron's organizations and nations.

- Breland, to me, reminds me more of 20th Century England with its greater shift towards a parliament and away from the monarchy. If I compared it to a state, I would consider it closer to New York because Sharn is the biggest city in Khorvaire, and well, New York is the biggest city in the U.S.
- As for some of the other countries, Cyre kinda reminds me of Italy because of its hotbed of art, Zilargo is like Switzerland, Darguun kinda like ancient Japan with the culture of honor and duty (albeit a cruder version)
- Xen'Drik reminds me of the African wild as well as South America, or even ancient Sumeria.
- The Eldeen Reaches make me think more of the Native Americans.

Still, the parallels are interesting, if nothing else.
#3
Alex_
Mar 13, 2011 0:50:59
Darguun kinda like ancient Japan with the culture of honor and duty (albeit a cruder version)

I remember having players finding it difficult to reconcile their images of Japan (largely influenced by modern anime and modern pop culture) with Darguun. I told them to watch pretty much any old Samurai movie. They'll pretty much always have...

1) Ugly old guys hacking each other up with swords in brutal fights.
2) Even uglier beggars and deformed guys who end up being assassins.
3) Prostitutes
4) Brutal crime lords, corrupt officials, and treacherous lords
5) Crucifictions, beheadings, and lots of other types of public torture/execution
6) Drunkards carrying around gallon jugs of alcohol
7) A distinct lack of cherry blossoms, cute little girls with pink hair, tea ceremonies, or serene meditating in secluded rock gardens

#4
pietoast
Mar 18, 2011 4:03:06 Silicon Valley... Washington? I think you're mistaken :P
#5
oscarisamazing
May 16, 2011 23:23:07 Q'Barra=United States, in its infancy (pre-War of 1812). Primitive, crude, filled with criminals and refugees, but fiercely indepedent.
#6
Beleriphon
May 19, 2011 17:44:56

Breland ~ California (style of democracy)
Zilargo ~ Nevada (Area 51, secrecy)
Aundair ~ Washington (Silicon Valley)
Thrane ~ Utah (religion, duh)

I see Breland as more a mid 19th century England feel. In particular Sharn, it seems to strike me as a very Dickensian London feel as far as culture goes. Geographically Breland seems more like southern France and northern Africa. Its by and large warm, even tropical in places.

Zilargo isn't going to be that much like Nevada. Not geographically. It's a realm in the mountains, but is also in southern Breland. Its going to be nice weather by and large, culturally I'd expect the people to live in fear. I expect that you would see something similar to Soviet.

Audair has a very similar feel to France, at least that's how I think it seems. Perhaps a later France, 19th century perhaps.

Thrane also has a very French feel to it. This time 16th and 17th century. The time frame when the Church was the most powerful. Cardinal Richeleau would fit right in I think.

Q'barra ~ Florida (swamps, alligators)
Lhazaar Principalities ~ New England States (maritime culture)
Darguun ~ Arizona (Wild West)
Valenar ~ New Mexico (foreign, at least by name)
Mournlands, Talenta ~ Texas (vast wasteland, hehehe)

Q'barra seems good as far Florida goes, although I suspect its more like South-East Asia. Thailand, Cambodia and such. The jungles seem to strike me more like that. If you want to think of it is The Jungle Book and other Rudyard Kipling writings. That

Shadow Marches ~ Oregon (some sort of gold rush there?)
Karrnath ~ Virginia (proud of mlitary past?)
Mror Holds ~ New York, Michigan (banking and production)
Droaam ~ uhhh... Mexico? (somewhat threatening, drug wars)
Eldeen Reaches, Demon Wastes, Frostfell ~ ummm... Canada and Alaska? (vast wildernes, cold, barren)

The Shadow Marches seems appropriate for Oregon. Although the Shadow Marches are described as vast swamp lands. Florida might actually be a better analogue. The Shadow Marches might as well be the Everglades.

Karrnath seems a good match of Russia geographically, and Prussia, or late 19th century Germany socially. For a long time martial traditions were strong in Germany, and often overtook the nobility and upper classes in their obsessions. Another option is Austria, or the Holy Roman Empire for a general sort of feel to the culture.

The Mror Holds seem like a Switzerland. It is a mountain country that is full of bankers. The other thing to compare it to is Prussia, with a group of independent principalities that form an alliance.

Droaam doesn't likely have any kind of real world analogue, although Alberta as far geography goes. That being said the country is described as plains and hills with mountains on one side. That sounds like Alberta to me.

Eldeen Reaches seems like the Black Forest, or as you point out Canada. More specifically the Canadian Shield in Ontario, northern Quebec and a large part of Manitoba.

Xen'drik ~ Mexico, South America (jungle civilization)
Sarlona ~ Europe (Old World, different way of thinking)
Aerenal, Argonessen ~ no idea, obvious this entire thread is bogus though

Xen'drik has more in common with "Dark Heart of Africa". While Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a bit late culturually, the ideas presented are good. Particularly how the protagonist presents his views on the natives and the environment. The other thing to look at is how the Spanish viewed South America with Cortez. The idea is that Xen'drik is the Dark Continent, a place of mystery that nobody understands.

Aerenal is tropical. Think Madagascar. It seems a good fit.

Sarlona seems to match the Far East, at least from the perspective of Europeans. Its strange and unknown. Think of the way people would of have thought of the PRC in the 50s or 60s. Or really, China and its surrounding nations during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Frostfell is the the arctic continent of Eberron. It's only real analogue is Antarctica.
#7
Sturmvogel
May 28, 2011 19:37:25 Zilargo would be nothing like the Soviet Union. The Zil aren't trying to enforce a uniform culture on themselves, quite the opposite. Your free to do what you will, as long as you don't harm anyone or the nation. The Zil gnomes don't live in fear, rather the opposite. They sit secure and comfortable in how their society works. Knowing full well they sacrifice privacy for security.

The Trust could be used as a 'secret police' to hold the party/government line, but it isn't and hasn't for the entire history of the nation. There's a reason why they're called The TRUST after all.

There's pretty much no nation on earth that would actually line up with how the Zil gnomes live their lives. It's a very alien concept for us humans.

Zil gnomes are more like Salarians from MassEffect, or Cardassians (though again, without the Cardassians sense 'party line') from Startrek then anything on earth.

Geographically, it's probably a lot like the Mediterranean, Italy or Croatia are probably good examples.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 kaodi Mar 11, 2011 16:16:55	The title says it all, but I thought it would be funny or interesting to share the thought I just had anyway. It is, or at leaast used to be, somewhat fashionable to try and think of what countries the nations of Eberron were " modelled on " . A different way to look at the map is to arbitarily make analogies between nations and US states. I am Canadian, so please bear with me if I get anything just completely wrong. Look at the geography of Khorvaire specifically, and that of the US. Breland ~ California (style of democracy) Zilargo ~ Nevada (Area 51, secrecy) Aundair ~ Washington (Silicon Valley) Thrane ~ Utah (religion, duh) Q'barra ~ Florida (swamps, alligators) Lhazaar Principalities ~ New England States (maritime culture) Darguun ~ Arizona (Wild West) Valenar ~ New Mexico (foreign, at least by name) Mournlands, Talenta ~ Texas (vast wasteland, hehehe) Shadow Marches ~ Oregon (some sort of gold rush there?) Karrnath ~ Virginia (proud of mlitary past?) Mror Holds ~ New York, Michigan (banking and production) Droaam ~ uhhh... Mexico? (somewhat threatening, drug wars) Eldeen Reaches, Demon Wastes, Frostfell ~ ummm... Canada and Alaska? (vast wildernes, cold, barren) Xen'drik ~ Mexico, South America (jungle civilization) Sarlona ~ Europe (Old World, different way of thinking) Aerenal, Argonessen ~ no idea, obvious this entire thread is bogus though Anyway, just though I would throw it out there. As I said in the title, the whole premise is ridiculous,and obviously not how Khorvaire was modelled, but if real world countries are used as inspiration for some stuff in some peoples games, maybe the stuff here can be too.
#2 hanzo187 Mar 11, 2011 19:21:24	I remember making a thread about this several months ago, trying to find parallels between Eberron's organizations and nations. - Breland, to me, reminds me more of 20th Century England with its greater shift towards a parliament and away from the monarchy. If I compared it to a state, I would consider it closer to New York because Sharn is the biggest city in Khorvaire, and well, New York is the biggest city in the U.S. - As for some of the other countries, Cyre kinda reminds me of Italy because of its hotbed of art, Zilargo is like Switzerland, Darguun kinda like ancient Japan with the culture of honor and duty (albeit a cruder version) - Xen'Drik reminds me of the African wild as well as South America, or even ancient Sumeria. - The Eldeen Reaches make me think more of the Native Americans. Still, the parallels are interesting, if nothing else.
#3 Alex_ Mar 13, 2011 0:50:59	Darguun kinda like ancient Japan with the culture of honor and duty (albeit a cruder version) I remember having players finding it difficult to reconcile their images of Japan (largely influenced by modern anime and modern pop culture) with Darguun. I told them to watch pretty much any old Samurai movie. They'll pretty much always have... 1) Ugly old guys hacking each other up with swords in brutal fights. 2) Even uglier beggars and deformed guys who end up being assassins. 3) Prostitutes 4) Brutal crime lords, corrupt officials, and treacherous lords 5) Crucifictions, beheadings, and lots of other types of public torture/execution 6) Drunkards carrying around gallon jugs of alcohol 7) A distinct lack of cherry blossoms, cute little girls with pink hair, tea ceremonies, or serene meditating in secluded rock gardens
#4 pietoast Mar 18, 2011 4:03:06	Silicon Valley... Washington? I think you're mistaken :P
#5 oscarisamazing May 16, 2011 23:23:07	Q'Barra=United States, in its infancy (pre-War of 1812). Primitive, crude, filled with criminals and refugees, but fiercely indepedent.
#6 Beleriphon May 19, 2011 17:44:56	Breland ~ California (style of democracy) Zilargo ~ Nevada (Area 51, secrecy) Aundair ~ Washington (Silicon Valley) Thrane ~ Utah (religion, duh) I see Breland as more a mid 19th century England feel. In particular Sharn, it seems to strike me as a very Dickensian London feel as far as culture goes. Geographically Breland seems more like southern France and northern Africa. Its by and large warm, even tropical in places. Zilargo isn't going to be that much like Nevada. Not geographically. It's a realm in the mountains, but is also in southern Breland. Its going to be nice weather by and large, culturally I'd expect the people to live in fear. I expect that you would see something similar to Soviet. Audair has a very similar feel to France, at least that's how I think it seems. Perhaps a later France, 19th century perhaps. Thrane also has a very French feel to it. This time 16th and 17th century. The time frame when the Church was the most powerful. Cardinal Richeleau would fit right in I think. Q'barra ~ Florida (swamps, alligators) Lhazaar Principalities ~ New England States (maritime culture) Darguun ~ Arizona (Wild West) Valenar ~ New Mexico (foreign, at least by name) Mournlands, Talenta ~ Texas (vast wasteland, hehehe) Q'barra seems good as far Florida goes, although I suspect its more like South-East Asia. Thailand, Cambodia and such. The jungles seem to strike me more like that. If you want to think of it is The Jungle Book and other Rudyard Kipling writings. That Shadow Marches ~ Oregon (some sort of gold rush there?) Karrnath ~ Virginia (proud of mlitary past?) Mror Holds ~ New York, Michigan (banking and production) Droaam ~ uhhh... Mexico? (somewhat threatening, drug wars) Eldeen Reaches, Demon Wastes, Frostfell ~ ummm... Canada and Alaska? (vast wildernes, cold, barren) The Shadow Marches seems appropriate for Oregon. Although the Shadow Marches are described as vast swamp lands. Florida might actually be a better analogue. The Shadow Marches might as well be the Everglades. Karrnath seems a good match of Russia geographically, and Prussia, or late 19th century Germany socially. For a long time martial traditions were strong in Germany, and often overtook the nobility and upper classes in their obsessions. Another option is Austria, or the Holy Roman Empire for a general sort of feel to the culture. The Mror Holds seem like a Switzerland. It is a mountain country that is full of bankers. The other thing to compare it to is Prussia, with a group of independent principalities that form an alliance. Droaam doesn't likely have any kind of real world analogue, although Alberta as far geography goes. That being said the country is described as plains and hills with mountains on one side. That sounds like Alberta to me. Eldeen Reaches seems like the Black Forest, or as you point out Canada. More specifically the Canadian Shield in Ontario, northern Quebec and a large part of Manitoba. Xen'drik ~ Mexico, South America (jungle civilization) Sarlona ~ Europe (Old World, different way of thinking) Aerenal, Argonessen ~ no idea, obvious this entire thread is bogus though Xen'drik has more in common with "Dark Heart of Africa". While Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a bit late culturually, the ideas presented are good. Particularly how the protagonist presents his views on the natives and the environment. The other thing to look at is how the Spanish viewed South America with Cortez. The idea is that Xen'drik is the Dark Continent, a place of mystery that nobody understands. Aerenal is tropical. Think Madagascar. It seems a good fit. Sarlona seems to match the Far East, at least from the perspective of Europeans. Its strange and unknown. Think of the way people would of have thought of the PRC in the 50s or 60s. Or really, China and its surrounding nations during the 15th and 16th centuries. Frostfell is the the arctic continent of Eberron. It's only real analogue is Antarctica.
#7 Sturmvogel May 28, 2011 19:37:25	Zilargo would be nothing like the Soviet Union. The Zil aren't trying to enforce a uniform culture on themselves, quite the opposite. Your free to do what you will, as long as you don't harm anyone or the nation. The Zil gnomes don't live in fear, rather the opposite. They sit secure and comfortable in how their society works. Knowing full well they sacrifice privacy for security. The Trust could be used as a 'secret police' to hold the party/government line, but it isn't and hasn't for the entire history of the nation. There's a reason why they're called The TRUST after all. There's pretty much no nation on earth that would actually line up with how the Zil gnomes live their lives. It's a very alien concept for us humans. Zil gnomes are more like Salarians from MassEffect, or Cardassians (though again, without the Cardassians sense 'party line') from Startrek then anything on earth. Geographically, it's probably a lot like the Mediterranean, Italy or Croatia are probably good examples.