2 replies to this topic

[-JR-]

I want to discuss the small stuff. The similarities and differences between time period and location on Earth and Toril.

Do they have coffee? Tea? Chocolate? Why? Because they had it in game? Because they had it in medieval Europe, Middle East, etc? Because you saw it in fanfiction or fanart and liked the role it played? (an depiction of Sarevok on a throne with a cup of coffee springs to mind) Who has it? Amn? Neverwinter? Has the increased level of trade made it available to everyone? Has it made everything available to everyone? How often do wizards participate in the trade routes, teleportation-wise?

On earth, tomatoes came from South America, and only spread around the world after the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Should Amn's colonization of Maztica, in your opinion, have brought them to Faerun? Are they a delicacy, or are they old news by now? Should the increased enlightenment within the corresponding time period afforded to Dungeons and Dragons material have overcome the views in Earth England that they were poisonous? Would it be illogical to assign this view at all, considering it was largely propagated by a specific individual? How much should logic matter in this at all?

We know they have elephants because of the elephant hide in the Skinner quest; what else? All earth animals? Where are they?

In other words, we all know the similar timelines and locations don't fully line up, but let's work out these connections a little bit more. For the sake of fanfiction and killing time.

Be as focused or as vague as you please; I'm interested in bulk information and debate spilled out where I can read it. Go!

[Miloch]

On earth, tomatoes came from South America, and only spread around the world after the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Should Amn's colonization of Maztica, in your opinion, have brought them to Faerun?

I think so... I may even have read something like this in the Maztica or Amn supplement or something. Same probably goes for chocolate and coffee which I suppose comes from somewhere like Chult (which also probably means it's been available in Faerun for a while). Elephants are in the Shining South. Anything "Asian" comes from Kara-Tur, etc (probably including tea, at least proper tea from tea leaves). Though Faerun doesn't always match up with Europe exactly, there wasn't quite as much originality for the other (non-"European") regions, so there's usually some Earth correspondence. You can find a lot of this stuff in the supplements, a lot of the 2e ones you can download for free from wizards.com (or used to be able to anyway).

[leahnkain]

Aurora's catalog from 2nd edition has a lot of different items which might help with your comparisons.