Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 5 Sep 2006 to 6 Sep 2006 (#2006-148) From: MYSTARA-L automatic digest system Date: 07/09/2006, 17:00 To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 7 messages totalling 273 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. OT but of gaming interest...a new generation 2. Aaron Allston hates dwarves! 3. Dwarven cultures (3) 4. Playing it for Laughs? (2) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 01:04:53 -0700 From: Boonedale Subject: Re: OT but of gaming interest...a new generation --- Stone Marshall wrote: > I also have introduced my son who is 13 to the fun > of a good DnD game. Too answer the question of the > "evil" of DnD....once when I was about 16 my buddy > and I were playing DA:3 The City of the Gods. About > 2 hours into the game another friend called us and > told us to stop playing that "silly little game" and > come walking around town all night with him and some > other guys. No details, but 4 hours later sitting in > a squad car, I looked at my buddy and said, "we > should have just stayed home and finished the > adventure." Playing DnD as a teen kept me out of > trouble. I never went out looking for fun at the > expense of others...not while I had a good adventure > idea in my head. D&D kept me out of troubble also. Hell, it still is...lol "Happy Hunting!" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:37:18 +0200 From: Giampaolo Agosta Subject: Re: Aaron Allston hates dwarves! Havard Faanes ha scritto: > > Good points on the population numbers. Why dont you > consider Halflings a major race? They even have their > own Relic.... Because there aren't many of them (they're found in several places, but always in very small numbers). They are much less common than, say, Dwarves or Elves. They may be more common as PC than other more populous races (Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins and Gnolls). As to relics, I don't consider them indications of being a major race. > The Karameikos gaz states that Halflings usually adapt > to surrounding cultures, but for the ones in Leeha at > least a separate cultural identity would be > appropriate IMO... Halflings of the Savage Coast are totally integrated in the surrounding human cultures (while Dwarves and Elves did bring some contribution of their own, Halfling simply adopted whatever local culture there was). Davanian Halflings could be certainly added (maybe feral halflings, Dark Sun-like?), but the main difference between Leeha and Five Shires is that Five Shire halflings have a piratical streak that the Leeha Halfling lack. > I dunno. I like the similar but different approach. Id > like to see Hin, Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes on both > Davania and Skothar as well as in the unexplored > realms of Brun. Ofcourse they should be very different > from their Known World cousins... My opionion here is that there are already enough elves, dwarves and halflings. Gnomes are another matter, of course. I'm all in favor of having Gnomes as a primary race in Davania (but only there) along with the Rakasta. Also, one should also consider what are the replacement races that are available. E.g., Gnomes are very rare in most of the KW and SC settings (which means, there are few Gnomes in Brun). This isn't a problem, because actually the typical character of gnomes (inventors of faulty devices/comical relief) is taken by the Skarrad Dwarves in KW and the Cay in SC. GP ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 15:29:23 +0200 From: Giampaolo Agosta Subject: Dwarven cultures While we are discussing Dwarves, here is a list of the canon and non canon dwarven clans and cultures. Population figures are from canon sources, where available, or estimates when possible (for the SC dwarves, estimates are based on population estimates for the SC using Bruce Heard's economics spreadsheet). Canon Dwarves: Denwarf (Everast, Torkrest, Syrklist, Hurwarf, Skarrad, Burhodar and Wyrwarf clans): Rockhome, KW; 500000 in Rockhome, plus many traders and workers in Ylaruam, Karameikos and Ethengar. Modrigswerg: Northern Reaches, KW; unknown numbers, but likely only a small population. Norse Dwarves (dwarven outcasts in Vestland and Soderfjord): Northern Reaches, KW; mostly individual exiles from Rockhome. Buhrohur: Thyatis, KW; 15000 in Buhrohur + at least 5000 more in other areas of Thyatis (e.g., Kerendas). Norwold Dwarves (colonists from Rockhome): at least 10000 (and likely not many more than that). Alphatian Dwarves: Stoutfellow, Alphatia; 30000, almost all in Denwarf-Hurg= on. Minrothaddan Dwarves (Stronghold clan): Fortress Island, Minrothad, KW; estimate 20000, mostly in Stronghold. Stronghollow: Highforge, Karameikos, KW; 1000. Montoya: Savage Baronies, SC; 2000. Smithy: Dunwick, Bellayne and Cimarron, SC; 6000. Harstal: Eusdria, SC; 20000. Avernos: Robrenn, SC; 9000. Kogolor: Kogolor Dwarflands, HW; 500000. Non-canon Dwarves: Dwalendar (http://pandius.com/hojg_alm.html): H=F8jgylden, Skothar; 12000. Filwarf: Isle of Dawn; unknown population. The Forgotten Clan (http://pandius.com/ndavdwar.html): Northern Davania; 20= 0. Sons of Rock (http://pandius.com/sonsrock.html): Heldannic Territories, KW; unknown population. Total estimated dwarven population of Mystara: 1,200,000 GP ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:54:27 -0300 From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?=C1tila_Pires_dos_Santos?= Subject: Re: Dwarven cultures We could also include the traladaran city-states here, especially Zvornik, Hojah and Slagovich, even if there is only a small dwarven population there. Are they part of the Harstal dwarves, pehaps? ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 18:30:18 +0200 From: Giampaolo Agosta Subject: Re: Dwarven cultures On 06/09/06, =C1tila Pires dos Santos wrote: > We could also include the traladaran city-states here, especially Zvornik= , > Hojah and Slagovich, even if there is only a small dwarven population > there. Are they part of the Harstal dwarves, pehaps? Yes, of course, I just forgot them. The Harstal are like mountain dwarves, different from most other dwarves. GP ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 15:11:56 -0300 From: Steven Carter Subject: Playing it for Laughs? It's something I've never, ever done but I've seen it in almost every game - one or more specific races are played strictly for their humour value. Dangerous gnomish inventors, klepto kender, suicidally inquisitive halflings, big dumb half-orcs, LotR-(film)-Gimli-esque slap-stick dwarves, etc. What do list members do with regard to said races? Is the funny-factor just a part of the game, do you portray different races very seriously or use them to exagerate, make a caricature of human qualities? How does that impact your games? I've had players whose "funny" gaming endangered the group time-and-time again. In our "serious" games there were always plenty of opportunities for laughs without having someone who forced the issue. ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 20:44:33 +0200 From: Giampaolo Agosta Subject: Re: Playing it for Laughs? On 06/09/06, Steven Carter wrote: > > What do list members do with regard to said races? Is the > funny-factor just a part of the game, do you portray different races > very seriously or use them to exagerate, make a caricature of human > qualities? I never use a race only for its fun value, though in my campaigns funny PC concepts often come up (or are designed as such). However, they never become so unbalanced to harm the serious part of the game -- the inquisitive character may be prone to cause embarassing events or to turn failures into occasions of comic relief, but it would not become suicidal in its behavior. BTW, this kind of characters in my old campaign was usually the domain of elves, for some reason, though a funny Fanaq barber was also memorable. GP ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 5 Sep 2006 to 6 Sep 2006 (#2006-148) **************************************************************