Category talk:Members of the hichikung nio

Proper title?
This sounds like an official organization. Should this group name/title be capitalized? Artemas (talk) 11:51, July 18, 2015 (UTC)


 * In the source, it's always lower-case, "hichikung nio". Which is frustrating as no translation is given either, and online searches and translator turn up nothing. The Koryo chapter of Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms is so sloppy. I decided to go with the lower-case name for faithfulness. — BadCatMan (talk) 12:15, July 18, 2015 (UTC)


 * Gotcha. Are you using the Kara-tur: The Eastern Realms boxed set? If so, how do you like it (aside from the errors)? I've been looking for that boxed set for a long time but they are a bit over-priced on eBay. Artemas (talk) 12:28, July 18, 2015 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I borrowed it. I've really only studied the Koryo chapter (I went through a Korea-phile phase), which isn't the best of them. I found it frustratingly vague and contradictory. There are a lot of intriguing hints, but too little to tie it together. The introductory passage (each chapter is introduced by an NPC or two from that area, in their own POV, which is a nice touch) is set a few years before the main content, so you need to pay close attention to when and who is speaking. There are no clear or consistent dates, so the history is guesswork. Apparently, Koryo had major wars with Kozakura, but you won't find a mention of that in the Kozakura chapter. Koryo just exists in its own bubble, not referred to by any other section. It's like the authors didn't communicate or collaborate.
 * There's a common criticism that all the names, faiths, and social set-ups are pinched wholesale from real-world Asia, and that's true to a greater or lesser degree for each realm. Most places in Koryo share names with places in Korea, even names in different languages for the same place becoming two separate places. It feels lazy; the borrowed names are the only ones that actually sound Korean. Other places pinch historical events and historical periods (the two Japans of Wa and Kozakura). To a point, that's necessary to emulate the real culture, but it's clear fans have never been satisfied with the extent. On the other hand, more could have been done to be inspired by the myths and legends of the respective real-world nations they emulate. There's a good attempt to integrate D&D and FR stylings, of heavy magic, interesting NPCs, and secret societies, but lacks Faerûn's structure and detail.
 * It's interesting as an artefact of the Forgotten Realms and has some good ideas. It may be useful as a basis for an Asian-styled campaign, as it should be, but a DM should know the real-world places they want to emulate quite well and will need to develop or alter it to suit both them and an FR flavour. Else it's just a generic D&D setting with ninja and samurai and token Asian flavour and some dickish xenophobic feudal systems (and too many of those to be fun). — BadCatMan (talk) 13:22, July 18, 2015 (UTC)