It's kind of weird that there are Japanese-themed fantasy settings, but no famous Arabian-themed ones.
>>98137990The vast majority of Arabs are forbidden from playing such games, and will threaten to murder you if you depict their culture in a way they don't like, so it isn't weird at all.
>>98137990There was a fair number in the 90s when Aladinn was released. But after 9/11 and the war on terror Arabia stopped being viewed as a magical, mystical land and more as yet another war-torn 3rd world area filled with poverty, extremists, and proxy conflicts.
Hard to romanticize the Arabian world when we had a heavy reality check over the past decades with the Middle East being a constant thorn in everyone's side.And, in case you are European, you actually live with these people.Also, their women aren't delicious brown exotic beauties. They are pale as fuck. Lies, lies everywhere.
>>98137990>It's kind of weird that there are Japanese-themed fantasy settings, but no famous Arabian-themed ones.Arrakis/Dune? Arabian Nights / One Thousand and One Nights stories like Ali Baba or Sinbad?
>>9813799090S Japan had a phase where the Central Asian aesthetics had a really strong showing in their fantasy.In parallel, they ran a number of Manga about how Chingis Khan was a time-traveling Japanese, actually.
>>98137990It is as >>98138046 and >>98138148 point out. 9/11 and its aftereffects put a damper on the Arabic exoticism of the 80s and 90s. >>98138184I think they meant campaign settings/game settings. D&D had Al-Qadim, an Arabian themed area in Birthright and several Arabian themed desert adventures in the 80s and 90s, but Arabian elements got downplayed a lot post 9/11.
>>98137990Traditional games?
Well first we have to sit down and discuss "what is arab" because a ton of cultures that people assume are Arabian were actually the result of colonization. So that's already a hurdle.
>>98137990Jeet fatigue.
>>98137990I'd respond, but then I'd get banned for 'racism outside /b/' again, because one of the jannies has a hardon for defending wh*te 'people'.
>>98138287>"what is arab"An Arab is a type of incorrect Semite that has been granted the right to poses oil on account of their Protestant approach to religion.
>>98138148MENA women are hot as hellToo bad pisslam ruins everything
>>98138148>the Middle East being a constant thorn in everyone's sideWhat a quaint way of putting "we fucking invaded them and destabilized the whole region".
>>98138287>that people assume are Arabian were actually the result of colonization.The term you are looking for is orientalism, and it was less colonisation at least in regards to French and British orientalism and more rich tourists from Europe having skewed opinions on the region(Harams being an example) due to going to 17th/18th century equivalents of tourist traps
>>98138326Imaginary scenarios for the mentally ill.Now go suck off russians until they get tired and decide to behead you.
>>98138475>the Afghan war was imaginaryFuck. What was I doing during deployment, then? O_o
>>98138557Being experimented on by CIA.
>>98138557>the Afghan war was imaginaryIdea that America somehow distabilized something and made everything worse, is literally just another brand of American exceptionalism, that fuels your ego the same way any other brand of it does. America didnt change anything.Afghanistan was a muslim shithole, its still a muslim shithole.
>>98138389No I mean the massive amounts of colonialism that the arab-muslim empire engaged in that conquered a huge chunk of landmass for ages.
>>98138264Literally talking about game settings dipshit.
>>98138623Afghanistan was westernizing pretty thoroughly before the US unseated their government for better deals on oil. Democratic government, not a theocracy, etc. Pic related
>>98138748That's a picrute from Iran, in the 60s, Afghanistan is a howling wilderness peopled by two legged jackals.
>>98138776It is now, it was also westernizing rapidly before the USSR invaded.>>98138748>evil USYeah, they supported the Shah, who was an non-democartic, non-liberal dicttator..But look at the alternative: An even worse non-democratic, non-liberal dictatorship with religious zealotry on top.It is the tragedy of Arab 'tribalist culture' thet does not allow them to have peaceful transfer of power, and obviously Islam is doing its part to inhibit societal development by enforcing completely antiquated concepts.To answer OP'S qustion:The Aladdin/1001 Nights/etc. fantasy died due to Islamism, and backlash against 'stereotyping'
>>98138776>eslConcession accepted
>>98138822Accusing people of being ESL for making a typo is ESL behaviour. Actual native english speakers tend to point out strange sentence structure or poor word choice.
>>98138326The Middle East's history of being a nightmare for the rest of the civilized world predates even the first expeditions to the new world.
>>98138623I'm British
>>98138880I called her esl because of the sentence structure and grammar, not the typo. Nice going though
>>98138920Overuse of commas and run on sentences are far more common among native english speakers than as a quirk of esl status thoughbeit
>>98138932Regardless, the central point is that she's a fag
>>98138326Feel like this shit has been completely erased from the average western mind.
>>98138940No, he's right. Afghanistan is a shithole, that picture is from Iran, and thinking the United States is solely responsible for shit conditions in the middle east is retarded.
>>98138998Here's another pic from a university that used to be in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan
>>98138995a reminder that hungary and later austria-hungary backstabbed smaller balkan countries instead of stopping Bottomans. Central and westoid european kingdoms and later nations are directly to blame for Balkan not having it's own reconquista
>>98138748>>98139036short-lived proto Dubais are not an accurate representation of history of those places
>>98138819It's kind of hard to make anything ME related because there's a nonzero chance of being beheaded
>>98137990Its because 90% of "arab"-themed shit is just not arab. Its either persian (ways of dress and weaponry), ottoman (harems and sultans with insane riches), indian (a bunch of stuff). The only thing that approaches arabic is desert and belly-dancers (although they should be like prostitutes, symbols of debauchery, not public).Its like calling western fantasy italian fantasy.Also its because there is no popular media in the west from arabs depicting their medieval times. So you could say its the arabs fault for having their culture institutes basically collapse since the start of the 20th century.Also to all the fags in this thread blaming arab political issues on arabs, you are kinda right, but also its like blaming the chinese for the opium trade
>>98137990Culture war killed 'exotic' settings.Wokies do not actually like to engage with settings inspired by specific cultures and eras, as that requires research and research of gameable material would expose them to the fact that ancient human history wasn't a gay starbucks filled utopia until the evil white men came along. They also think its 'orientalism' or similar things when whites engage with exotic cultures.Rightoids meanwhile are just tired of having brownies shoved in their face already so they won't game in pajeetland or similar settings and will default to all-white European settings as a reaction to every setting being made to look like a 'diverse' 21st century college campus.
>>98138148Maybe stop jewing them and they wouldn't want to leave or kill you, schlomo
>>98138904Kike post
>>98139299And, like the opium trade, we can eventually blame the British for most of it.
>>98138475>Imaginary scenarios for the mentally ill.There's like 30+ US military bases around IranThe US gave saddam chemical weapons to kill people and then invaded iraq anyway, caused isis, and then killed the Iranian guy who helped stop isisStop being circumcised
>>98139977>Stop being circumcisedthat feel when foreskin intact but also that feel when phimosis
>da joooooosThis will be a fine thread.
>>98139999Sadly any middle east related thread is liable to drag out the worst in people.
>>98139959You can blame Britain for anything if you're dumb and brown enough.
>>98139292Fucking hate what the Tolkien estate has become, man
>>98140146It's not the brits' fault, they were just repeating what they learned from their Italian masters
>>98138905Yes an American vassal.
>>98140264>Death to those who insult Iluvatar
>>98140318They wish
>>98139913As a leftist, I can concede that it's a part of that, but also not the whole.You have basically two ways to do "exotic" settings/games:1) not really giving a fuck, just some colour touches and dwelling on stereotypes2) actual research1) is the classic way of doing it, and it's... double staple, really. Not only people these days if interested even slightly will at least superficially browse wikipedia on the subject, but the stereotypes themselves are REALLY old as of now.(and yes, people will get offended with orientalism. Your mileage may vary on this being right or wrong, but it will happen - I don't think it's the strongest reason, tough)2) Doing actual research will make your setting waaaaaaay less sellable to casuals, and will destroy the same stereotypes/tropes people could find natural.(and yes, this research will piss off right wingers)Honestly at this point you are possibly better to try a culture that did not go trhough exoticism phases and riff on that.
>>98139192>i'm racist btw
>>98140614"Culture games" as they are called exist, but it's mostly things like Bushido or Legend of the Five Rings for Japan, or Bandits on the Water Margin for Wuxia china stuff and I wouldn't really call any of those poorly researched, and all those examples are 25+ years old at this point.The designers 100% did the research, but they were also willing to play into Western stereotypes of these places to engage Western audiences
>>98138148They’re also all fat because they aren’t allowed to do anything outside
>>98138233> I think they meant campaign settings/game settings.Arabian Nights is not a consistent setting to begin with because the whole thing is a frame story. But just because it is, it would actually be pretty good material for a TTRPG.Extract all the random stuff from One Thousand and One Nights from there and slam it together.The thing that should be kept out is any contemporary commentary. Modern islamic tradition is hostile to storytelling. Take the more or less imaginary aesthetics and jRPG dancer girls and you're golden.
>>98140664L5R is simply atrocious if taken as "real research" and in general getting the spirit of eastern asia tales. I can concede that I'm not really sure if this is more Wick not giving a fuck about shit he researched or just not giving a fuck about research, tough.(this is NOT about the game itself, mind you: you might like it or not, it's just that the not!Japan here makes more or less the same amount of sense your old style 17 yo monster hunting anime nun made sense with her not!Catholicism)
>>98139999>>98140084I suggest we ignore the faggotry and just use the settingg of the !not Persian Empire before it got islamified.To our northwestt we can have Amazons, to the northeast !not Mongols.To the east, !not China and !not India.West lie the lands of the !not Pheonicians, !not Egyptians, and the !not Romans.Fuck the whole 'muh stereotypingg' shit. We go all in. No brakes.
>>98140664I would not call 1e through 4e L5R well researched. It pretty much used the 1e D&D Oriental Adventures book as its primary source.>>98140692The FFG version was better researched but is still a wonky gestalt of east asian culture with Japanese primacy.
>>98138655The Berbers west of Algeria, threw off the Arabs within 100 years of the conquest. They still used Arabic as their major court and religious language. With more thorough Arabisation happening in the 1100s when the Tunis/Algerian Arabs were deported/invited into Morocco by the conquering Berber state.
>>98140864Did not read it, to be fair. I wouldn't think it is salveageable, shit like the clans is already bonkers enough.
>>98139192>Western Germany was le-bad ok because.... Just because!I swear to God this must be the CIA trying reverse psychology to make me hate red-vermin more than I already do
>>98138326A thorn stuck into your side by your own hand is still a thorn in your side.
>>98138148>palelie
>>98137990All these posts and nobody mentions Legend of the Burning Sands.I thought you played games.
>>98139999>>98140084>Instantly recoils in pain when namedThey make it too easy
>>98139192I swear I can't tell if this pro west or pro commie
>>98139192Why do you post sad fake pictures?
>>98141310It's realistic, no one is right everyone is wrong.
>>98141274Damn you got me. I'm Jewish, and you proved it by making an ass of yourself. Good job anon keep up the good work.
>>98141370Thank you. Its hard work, but someone has to do it.
>>98137990There are Wizards of the Coast, GURPS, ICE, Ars Magica, and dozens of other generic and specific systems have done Middle East and African settings. Even solo RPG systems like Lone Wolf covered the setting extensively.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSgIpe6Ag_Y
>>98143476>jumpscared by my own character from a decade agoShe is Indian, though.
>>98138148>Hard to romanticize the Arabian world when we had a heavy reality check over the past decades with the Middle EastSame thing happened to India. Indians gaining internet access was the worst possible thing that could've happened to India's reputation.
>>98137990Muzzies are gross and dripless to the point where the only thing you can do with them is either create an army of Lawrence of Arabia whiteboy larpers (40K's Tallarn) or reinvent muzzies from first principles into Dune larpers (Infinity's Haqqislam).Also muzzies themselves are more likely than not to behead you for any sort of "representation", so even DEI culture warriors rarely touch on them outside of tossing a few hijabs on fat brown chicks.
Why is that weird?Japan is one of the biggest cultural exporters to the West. Entire generatoins grew up playing Nintendo, Playstation and Sega games, watching anime and reading manga.I can't think of anything cultural arab countries exported.I wonder how simple OP's mind is to not have basic common sense.
>>98138233>Arabian elements got downplayed a lot post 9/11Arabian elements got down played a lot post Disney Aladdin. The opening song was>where they cut off your ear if they don't like your facebut it became>where it’s flat and immense, and the heat is intenseDoes it paint the culture in the story in a good light? No, it doesn't, but it's no different to lots of people going around saying jus primae noctis was historical fact when that's just a good story point to make the local lord evil because he does it, embitter his wife when he does it, or show him to be a shining glorious become of virtue when he doesn't.The loss of arabic content is a lot less due to extremism from terrorists, cross border excursions, civil wars, invasions, religious leaders pronouncing fatwas that call for death, and all that, and a lot more to people waggling their finger disapprovingly and saying>We're not like that>They're not like that>Stop your cultural appropriation
>>98144054*beacon of virtue
>>98137990>It's kind of weird that there are Japanese-themed fantasy settings, but no famous Arabian-themed ones.Why is that weird?
>>98143915I will always want to rail hot Indian babes thanks to that one Flashman cover though
>>98143937>driplessThe lack of drip is due to the rise of Salafist fags who are like unproductive CalvinistsThe Ottomans, Persians and Muslim principalities in India were practically kings of drip
BROWNWOMEN
>>98143937Muslims as a whole have many different cultures (arab, persian, ottoman, moroccan, etc.) Which again shows my point that the main issue is that arab-themed is not actually arab which is the main point.Also DRIPLESS???? Arab cultural drip is well known and varied enough between countries to create an exotic feel. This is literally the only thing that arab-themed fantasy does NOT lack.
>>98137990Same reason there aren’t many African or Indian themed settings.>”racism” was no longer in vogue, couldn’t right them as is (lesser savages)>leftists rags became worn out, no one is buying sand nigger shit or other third world garbage “romanticized” by faggots anymore
>>98139957You’re all subhuman semites, the post is correct.
>>98141218>Anyone capable of remembering is trying to forget
>>98144370>4 flavors of desert jeet Wow
>>98143947>can't think of anything cultural arab countries exported.That's why the Saudis are trying to buy a lot of Film and Game publishers, they want that soft power.I guess that Desert Warrior film that came out would also cont but that flopped very hard
>>98144386>knows so little he thinks ottomans and persians are desert people.You know what, nah, its my fault.
>>98143476Mecha-Shiva!
>>98138819>it was also westernizing rapidlyAfghanistan never wanted to "westernize", they had idealistic vision of modernizing while balancing eastern and western influences. Didn't work so well for them, because while intellectuals and urbanites started leaning too far west, army drank commie cool aid leading to eventual coup.
>>98140828But !not Islam could be pretty cool too, look at things like Dune. If someone is doing a MENA setting it's inevitable Islam will be brought up, if someone were to do it they should go all the way. My question is do Elves belong in fantasy that doesn't take place in faux-Middle Earth?
>>98144421>>98143947Fora while, the Saudis used to be a big force in islamic pop music, funnily enough. Like Christian Rock, but probably with more direct messages, such as they are usually found in Reggae music.
>>98144421>>98143947Fashion. Their tribal fashion has became the de-facto standard for muslim girls who're going through their phase.
>>98146364>It would be Lawrence of Arabia tier. Already covered itt, just apply it to elves.
>>98138748>>98138776>it's Afghanistan>it's IranWhy are the signs all in English?This is obviously a picture of America.
>>98138148They are also inbred as fuck. Marrying your first cousin is a normal occurrence in the Middle East, so lots of genetic defects.I saw so many obvious birth defects from it when I was deployed there. Afghanistan i sorta get, shithole is stuck in the 13th century. But the gulf states? Huge shock.
>>98149764Lingua franca, nigger. The green sign in the back is also in arabic.
>>98139292>>98143937Fair point.
>>98143937It's a shame really because what is left in spain of Al-Andalus is fucking awesome
>>98150453>trypophobia decalsI'm good, thanks. The garden bit is cute though.
>>98150453Moorish architecture is a fusion of Berber, Syrian Arab and prexisting Roman styles.There are actually two kinds, the more ornate Umayyad style of Cordoba and the later styles of the Berber empires.A lot of the sheer volume comes from the disentergration of the Caliph of Al-Andus as they already had too many independent Arab regional leaders (a legacy of putting down the Berber Revolt) and kept handing power off the the promoted administrators or eunch slaves administrators instead, who spent all their money on lavish displays because they were either going to be recalled or couldn't pass it on.
You know one thing that bugs me? I get it would offend people because it present them as 'intolerant' (and only white/christians are allowed to carry this stigma) but I'd love to see a very Warhammer Fantasy-esque take on fantasy arabian witch hunters. Grim, violent but necessary holy men who hunt down pagan demon-cults, ghoul cabal infiltrating cities, ancient mummy-liches who escaped their tombs into the world and other horrors out of the desert.
>>98149764>This is obviously a picture of America.Obviously. Anyone who's saying it's Afghanistan or Iran must be doing that for a laugh or is a total smooth brain.>>98138748>Afghanistan >>98138776>IranFully paved roads with parallel parking in the 1950s, fancy single-arm street lamps, street signs in English in a Muslim country lifting parking restrictions on the Christian holy day. Still not as bad as the next guy.>>98149999>Lingua francaFFS, you could have done better that.>green sign in the back is also in arabic.It says something about "(new store) will be here as soon as possible". In English.It's Wilshire Blvd, halfway between Brighton and Bedford, walking east towards wherever women wearing short shorts in Beverly Hills went in 1956. Some of the fancy old street lamps are still in position today.https://www.vintag.es/2016/03/female-short-pants-in-1950s-day-when.htmlNotice how the colourised pic is cropped right at the right woman's sandal toe to get rid of the Life logo.
>>98138148They have a weird undertone that makes them look sickly.
>>98138233>an Arabian themed area in BirthrightOP said famous. Birthright sold like three copies. There being an arab-themed corner of the setting is entirely irrelevant to TTRPGs as a whole, or even D&D, honestly.
>>98138920>herNo girls on the internet, pal.
>>98139299>but also its like blaming the chinese for the opium tradeYou mean, correct?
>>98139192It's funny because with the prostitutes, sex show and Mickey Mouse this is clearly meant to be critical of West Berlin culture but it all just makes it look that much better. What kind of a weak pussy doesn't like sex and classic Disney shorts? Hand me another Coke while you blow me, slut!
>>98137990to play games & enjoy the simple things in life require a soul, Arabs do not have souls thus they cannot play games or enjoy life they are full of hate.
>>98154691>prostitutes, sex show and Mickey Mouse this is clearly meant to be critical of West Berlin cultureHow do you get that it's critical? Even today prostitutes and sex shows are a celebration of freedom and liberty, except in some pseudo-puritan countries that repress sex.Mickey Mouse might mean something bad today now that a lot more people know Disney sucks but a few decades ago people regarded Disney more positively.Bananas were rare and exotic fruits in East Germany, and the kiwifruit was the same, they're symbolic of the abundance of the West. The colourful left side of the image is a celebration of the freedoms to be had there in contrast to the monotonous monochrome right side.The two crosses I can see down there have real names and dates of people shot dead. Those crosses aren't a condemnation of the West, they're unambiguously a condemnation of murders committed by the East.Gordon's gin, that's an indictment of the West.
There's a lot of good Persian themed stuff but this is the last place worth talking about anything anymore.
>>98144485>Persians are not desert people>t. never seen a picture of Iran
>>98154863>this is the last place worth talking about anything anymoreFuck are you doing here then? Leave if it sucks so bad.
>>98154882>america has a desert, therefore americans are desert people.I guess you are right
>>98154894I'm here to ruin your mood and watch you slowly kill yourself
>>98154882>multiple things cannot exist at onceWhy the fuck is this board so obsessed with retaining a cartoon childlike idea of everything
>>98141346Imagine thinking our problems is anywhere near as bad as LIVING IN A TOTALITARIAN AUTHORITARIAN STATE that will disappear you for the slightest misgiving. There's a reason why East Germans, and all the other people who were forced to live under the Commies, don't like commies.
