08-10-2010, 05:25 AM
I've been rereading some of the ZGG material lately and I have been thinking about how these books assume Blackmoor to be on a scale that just doesnt add up. Not that ZGG are the only ones who have ever made this mistake. TSR did it all the time, Thunder Rift being a notorious example.
Let me explain what I am talking about. The North is a pretty small place. Yet it has 10 different organizations for wizards, each tiny village has about 5-10 temples etc etc.
The point here is not to criticize ZGG. Afterall, this is a pretty common problem in RPG products. What I want to focus on here is how to deal with it. First of all, has anyone else encountered this problem in Blackmoor material? More examples are needed!
Now, Sollutions:
I can think of a few ways of handling this:
1) Things arent as big as they seem. This huge number of organizations is unproblematic because they are really just clubs with a handful of members each. Temples mentioned aren't really temples, but just shrines within a single building.
2) The material does not refer to "the North" alone, but to Thonia as well. Having 10 organizations for wizards is unproblematic when the majority of the members can be found in the Empire rather than in the North. The problem with this is that the text seems to suggest that this is not the fact, but I guess that can be ignored.
Thoughts?
-Havard
Let me explain what I am talking about. The North is a pretty small place. Yet it has 10 different organizations for wizards, each tiny village has about 5-10 temples etc etc.
The point here is not to criticize ZGG. Afterall, this is a pretty common problem in RPG products. What I want to focus on here is how to deal with it. First of all, has anyone else encountered this problem in Blackmoor material? More examples are needed!
Now, Sollutions:
I can think of a few ways of handling this:
1) Things arent as big as they seem. This huge number of organizations is unproblematic because they are really just clubs with a handful of members each. Temples mentioned aren't really temples, but just shrines within a single building.
2) The material does not refer to "the North" alone, but to Thonia as well. Having 10 organizations for wizards is unproblematic when the majority of the members can be found in the Empire rather than in the North. The problem with this is that the text seems to suggest that this is not the fact, but I guess that can be ignored.
Thoughts?
-Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign