Mystara and Postmodernism - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Mystara and Postmodernism

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Mar 14, 2004 9:37:12 Returning to Mystara after all these years, I discover new aspects in it that makes me re-evaluate Mystara and its "flaws", and rethink the setting in "postmodern" terms.

Let's face it. In many ways, Mystara is a mess. It is a world which wasn't really "planned" as it just "evolved" - from product to product, from module to gazetteer to almanac.

For this reason, it is a world which is many times self-contradictory; it lacks much coherence; it has no underlying storyline which gives sense to it all.

But that's exactly what makes it such a complicated and even relevant setting: There is no "one story" - but rather several narratives struggling with each other. This is why the gazetteers are such a brilliant concept to portray the world with: There is no one book which gives one narrative to the whole world. There are several stories - and no solid, harmonious "reality" behind them. This is also what gives Mystara its strong political flavour, which I find so contemporary.

Does any of this makes sense?
#2
zombiegleemax
Mar 14, 2004 10:45:40 I'd be reluctant to use the word mess, but i totally agree. It was a fantastic concept to publish individual gazetteers for each nation. You could build a whole campaign world with them, but they were really self contained campaign settings, linked together. While this made Mystara less cohesive as a whole, it made it a hell of a lot more interesting to play in.

Even when Wrath of the Immortals and the Almanacs arrived with a kind of universal theme and storyline, there were so many ways to play it depending on which country you felt more closely allied to.

Rather than having a base culture, from which all other cultures are viewed, all cultures are an equally valid starting point.
#3
Hugin
Mar 14, 2004 16:55:01 Posted by Lost
It is a world which wasn't really "planned" as it just "evolved"

I think that is what makes it more interesting and lends itself more readily to further devopement and change as a campaign develops. The world is not perfectly set and balanced (just like our own world) and so the powers that be on Mystara try to fix it (as they define fixing). This is perhaps one of the reasons internal conflict is such a major theme on the national level.
#4
zombiegleemax
Mar 14, 2004 18:03:56 Blame it all on Blackmoor! If they hadn't blown themselves up the world would look just like the rest of the D&D Campaign worlds! Long Live Blackmoor!:bounce:
#5
zombiegleemax
Mar 15, 2004 14:49:35
Originally posted by Lost Woodrake
It is a world which wasn't really "planned" as it just "evolved" - from product to product, from module to gazetteer to almanac.

Which makes Mystara part of the majority rather than an exception. Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Ravenloft, Planescape, Forgotten Realms - all developed piecemeal.
#6
zombiegleemax
Mar 15, 2004 14:59:53
Originally posted by rogueattorney
Which makes Mystara part of the majority rather than an exception. Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Ravenloft, Planescape, Forgotten Realms - all developed piecemeal.

Mmmm... Interesting.
But don't you still feel that these settings are more (or have been made) cohesive?
#7
havard
Mar 16, 2004 7:10:00 All the other settings have had one or more products attemtping to describe the whole setting. Mystara hasn't really had that (HW boxed set, WotI and the Almanacs excepted).

Bruce Heard mentioned that such a product was indeed made for the conversion to AD&D, but was then, after it completion dropped because the TSR management decided they wanted to do the CD thing...

Havard
#8
zombiegleemax
Mar 16, 2004 9:50:30
Originally posted by havard
Bruce Heard mentioned that such a product was indeed made for the conversion to AD&D, but was then, after it completion dropped because the TSR management decided they wanted to do the CD thing...

Thank God! That way they only ruined a couple countries rahter than the whole freakin' world.

R.A.
#9
zombiegleemax
Mar 16, 2004 11:36:16
Originally posted by rogueattorney
Thank God! That way they only ruined a couple countries rahter than the whole freakin' world.

R.A.

Hear, hear!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Mar 14, 2004 9:37:12	Returning to Mystara after all these years, I discover new aspects in it that makes me re-evaluate Mystara and its "flaws", and rethink the setting in "postmodern" terms. Let's face it. In many ways, Mystara is a mess. It is a world which wasn't really "planned" as it just "evolved" - from product to product, from module to gazetteer to almanac. For this reason, it is a world which is many times self-contradictory; it lacks much coherence; it has no underlying storyline which gives sense to it all. But that's exactly what makes it such a complicated and even relevant setting: There is no "one story" - but rather several narratives struggling with each other. This is why the gazetteers are such a brilliant concept to portray the world with: There is no one book which gives one narrative to the whole world. There are several stories - and no solid, harmonious "reality" behind them. This is also what gives Mystara its strong political flavour, which I find so contemporary. Does any of this makes sense?
#2 zombiegleemax Mar 14, 2004 10:45:40	I'd be reluctant to use the word mess, but i totally agree. It was a fantastic concept to publish individual gazetteers for each nation. You could build a whole campaign world with them, but they were really self contained campaign settings, linked together. While this made Mystara less cohesive as a whole, it made it a hell of a lot more interesting to play in. Even when Wrath of the Immortals and the Almanacs arrived with a kind of universal theme and storyline, there were so many ways to play it depending on which country you felt more closely allied to. Rather than having a base culture, from which all other cultures are viewed, all cultures are an equally valid starting point.
#3 Hugin Mar 14, 2004 16:55:01	Posted by Lost It is a world which wasn't really "planned" as it just "evolved" I think that is what makes it more interesting and lends itself more readily to further devopement and change as a campaign develops. The world is not perfectly set and balanced (just like our own world) and so the powers that be on Mystara try to fix it (as they define fixing). This is perhaps one of the reasons internal conflict is such a major theme on the national level.
#4 zombiegleemax Mar 14, 2004 18:03:56	Blame it all on Blackmoor! If they hadn't blown themselves up the world would look just like the rest of the D&D Campaign worlds! Long Live Blackmoor!:bounce:
#5 zombiegleemax Mar 15, 2004 14:49:35	Originally posted by Lost Woodrake It is a world which wasn't really "planned" as it just "evolved" - from product to product, from module to gazetteer to almanac. Which makes Mystara part of the majority rather than an exception. Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Ravenloft, Planescape, Forgotten Realms - all developed piecemeal.
#6 zombiegleemax Mar 15, 2004 14:59:53	Originally posted by rogueattorney Which makes Mystara part of the majority rather than an exception. Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Ravenloft, Planescape, Forgotten Realms - all developed piecemeal. Mmmm... Interesting. But don't you still feel that these settings are more (or have been made) cohesive?
#7 havard Mar 16, 2004 7:10:00	All the other settings have had one or more products attemtping to describe the whole setting. Mystara hasn't really had that (HW boxed set, WotI and the Almanacs excepted). Bruce Heard mentioned that such a product was indeed made for the conversion to AD&D, but was then, after it completion dropped because the TSR management decided they wanted to do the CD thing... Havard
#8 zombiegleemax Mar 16, 2004 9:50:30	Originally posted by havard Bruce Heard mentioned that such a product was indeed made for the conversion to AD&D, but was then, after it completion dropped because the TSR management decided they wanted to do the CD thing... Thank God! That way they only ruined a couple countries rahter than the whole freakin' world. R.A.
#9 zombiegleemax Mar 16, 2004 11:36:16	Originally posted by rogueattorney Thank God! That way they only ruined a couple countries rahter than the whole freakin' world. R.A. Hear, hear!