Caliphate Nights

[aaronil]

Hi! My name is Aaron, and I'm the writer for Paradigm Concept's Caliphate Nights. If you have any non-production questions about the setting, I'll be glad to answer them here.

And a hearty thanks to the staff at Green Ronin for their setting search!

[Tim Gray]

"Islamic Empire"?

(I realise I really don't know what Muslims think about the interaction of religion and state/politics.)

[Jonathan Moyer]

Hi! My name is Aaron, and I'm the writer for Paradigm Concept's Caliphate Nights. If you have any non-production questions about the setting, I'll be glad to answer them here.

And a hearty thanks to the staff at Green Ronin for their setting search!

Congrats on getting selected!

Is Caliphate Nights set during the reign of any Caliph in particular, such as Haroun ar-Rashid?

I presume there are Backgrounds for PCs, which may or may not be tied to cities (it may be more general, like AQ's Askar or Desert Rider kits). Can you give us any inkling about how, mechanically, a citizen of Damascus might be different from a citizen of Bagdhad?

I'm sure I'll have more questions later...

[aaronil]

Hi Tim,
While Muslims would not call it an empire, I use the term to help people unfamiliar with the term "caliphate" to understand that this is a nation that has grown so big its leader can no longer run the whole thing himself and so relies on an extensive bureaucracy. "Islamic Empire" is accepted by most historians, though of course "Caliphate" is more precise and is used within the book.

Hi Jonathan,
Thank you! Caliphate Nights is set during the reign of Harun al-Rashid after he had his vizier Ja'far killed, so the official timeline is around 800 CE. However, many historic elements are being used earlier in time, such as the House of Wisdom (~830 CE), the Assassins (~900 CE), and coffeehouses (~1500 CE), so the sense of history is used to create the appearance of reality. It is a pseudo-historical setting.

As for the difference between a Damascene native and a Baghdadi, it would be up to the player to use information in the book to create a character themed to a particular city.
For example, a man of Damascus would probably know something about gardens and would certainly begin with weapons made of Damascene steel; his background would very likely be Oasis Dweller or Caravan Driver.
On the other hand, a man from Baghdad would probably be literate and have some form of education, taking either the Madrassah Studies or Institutional Education feat, reflecting the numerous scholars coming to Baghdad. The Baghdad man could buy Damascene weapons, but he'd have to pay a higher price. After all, any new invention only takes 1 year to travel from Samarqand to Corboda. His background might be Aristocrat or Scribe.

The player gets to decide whether to play into trends or stereotypes of their city. Backgrounds and feats facilitate this. Hope that answered your question.

[langeweile]

so, how close do you stay to the "real world" compared to how far you go into 1000 & one night tales, referring to supernatural ?

and, speaking of tales, how fitting would the setting be non-rpg'ers, for example for some little girls how do not just want to hear those tales, but play them themselfs ?

[aaronil]

Hi Langeweile,
There are lots of "real world" mature elements in the game, such as the nature of Prophets, women's rights, race relations, and the rights of a ruler. However, this is also pure fantasy. The approach to magic stays fairly close to Arabian tradition - for example, magic carpet weavers have been terribly persecuted. I think the setting is fairly balanced in regard to the mundane and the supernatural; weaving these two together is one of the themes of the book.

I think you could run a game for little girls, you'd just have to tailor the setting to your audience. In fact, there's a short section on role-playing with children in the book. And I discuss a method of character creation using group art that children love. I've included simple diceless role-playing guidelines that can be explained in a couple minutes to an 8 year old. While the diceless rules are intended to be used with frame stories, there's nothing stopping you from running your entire game that way.

[langeweile]

thanks - sounds terrific

one last question: concerning the magic in arabian tradition, will there be any "direct use" of magic (powers) ? or if, will it be available for everyone or only quite high level, like adept 5th+ ?

[aaronil]

Yes, powers work as normal and are available for all adepts. I think Caliphate Nights is best described as "middle fantasy." By this I mean most threats are not supernatural, but when fantastic things do appear they are very dangerous, wondrous, and talked about for a long time. However, there are also overtones of magic being persecuted.

Story qualities are ideas that empower the Narrator to shape the way the story works. For example, in regard to magic, a Narrator could choose the High Magic or Low Magic story qualities to change the way magic works in the game.

[Jonathan Moyer]

Hi Jonathan,
Thank you! Caliphate Nights is set during the reign of Harun al-Rashid after he had his vizier Ja'far killed, so the official timeline is around 800 CE. However, many historic elements are being used earlier in time, such as the House of Wisdom (~830 CE), the Assassins (~900 CE), and coffeehouses (~1500 CE), so the sense of history is used to create the appearance of reality. It is a pseudo-historical setting.

This is a good way to go. I like it!

Have you made any changes to True20 with respect to summoning djinn? Is there any info on statting them up? Can adepts specialize in genie lore or genie summoning, like the sha'ir in Al Qadim?

[JongWK]

I am so getting this setting. You've got yourself a buyer, Aaron.

[aaronil]

Jonathan,
Yes, djinni summoning and sha'ir are in the setting.

Jong,
Thanks!

[tsadkiel]

Am I correct in assuming that all PCs are human?

(Silly question, I know.)

[aaronil]

All heroes are human, though some may be djinn-touched.

[JongWK]

Random setting questions:

Assassins?

Scheherazade?

Non-believeing Westerners?

Alchemy?

Janissaries? (ok, these are from Ottoman times, but still...)

[Jonathan Moyer]

Jonathan,
Yes, djinni summoning and sha'ir are in the setting.

Actually, I see now that djinni summoning was mentioned in the one-line blurb earlier in the thread.

I also found this on Enworld:

The stories come from Arabia, Persia, India, even China. They tell not only of fearsome djinni and fantastical palaces, but also of profound spiritual insight and transformation. They reflect the enormous Islamic civilization during the ninth to thirteenth centuries, which stretched from Spain across North Africa to Cairo, across the Arabian peninsula, up to Damascus and Baghdad, further north to Samarkand, across what is now Afghanistan, down into India, and beyond. A traveler could wander across this vast region speaking Arabic, studying and praying in mosques, and trading with fellow Moslems. The stories are erotic, prejudiced, and fantastical, and at the same time redeeming, illuminating, and grounded. The stories are best known as the Thousand and One Nights.

If you are unfamiliar with the Nights, the term “Arabian Adventure” should bring to mind devious genies twisting the wording of wishes, cunning damsels quick with sword and spell, mistaken identity in the harem, mad sultans, flying carpet chases, outrageously lucky escapes, assassin plots, heretical cults, nobles hiding among the populace, death-defying horse races, haggling in the bazaar, bluffing with Bedouin, getting cursed, shapeshifting duels, enchanting storytellers, and scimitar-wielding princes swapping witty repartee. Mythic Arabia is a world based on a time that never quite was, during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, the pious tyrant. While it resembles the Golden Age of Islam circa 800 CE, it mixes fact and fantasy into a unique new landscape. Though it is a land of plentiful sex and violence, it is also filled with mystical quests, redemption, and forgiveness.

[aaronil]

Assassins?

Oh yes! They're a blend of the historical Isma'ili assassins and popular fantasy, and play a decisive role in politics. Their hideout is the fortress Alamut in the mountainous kingdom of Daylam, which "God hideth from all eyes."

Scheherazade?

Shahrazad's style of story-telling, the frame story, or story-within-a-story, is a fundamental part of the game. Players can take over storytelling for short periods to relate a framed story by spending a Conviction point. Shahrazad, Shahrayar, Sinbad, Nur al-Din, and other characters from the nights are not described as characters for use in the game. Examples from their tales are used, however, to inspire players.

Non-believeing Westerners?

Heretics galore. My favorites are the Radhanites, who are Jewish merchants whose extensive network allows for a credit system to work across international borders. The Radhanites keep trade open between the Muslims and their traditional enemies the Carolingians & Byzantines.

Alchemy?

There are brief rules for alchemy in the setting, and Jabir ibn-Hayyan, the father of alchemy, is described as a character.

Janissaries? (ok, these are from Ottoman times, but still...)

Well, there are Mamluks, enslaved boys, usually Turks, who were trained as soldiers only loyal to the Caliph. Many believe the Janissaries were based off the Mamluk hierarchies.

Hey Jonathan, Thanks for posting that; I had forgotten all about it!

[JongWK]

Shahrazad's style of story-telling, the frame story, or story-within-a-story, is a fundamental part of the game. Players can take over storytelling for short periods to relate a framed story by spending a Conviction point. Shahrazad, Shahrayar, Sinbad, Nur al-Din, and other characters from the nights are not described as characters for use in the game. Examples from their tales are used, however, to inspire players.

Care to expand on this Conviction/story mechanic?

Heretics galore. My favorites are the Radhanites, who are Jewish merchants whose extensive network allows for a credit system to work across international borders. The Radhanites keep trade open between the Muslims and their traditional enemies the Carolingians & Byzantines.

Ok, just to be clear: This is a variant Europe/Middle East, or are you using a brand new world? If the latter is true, should we assume then that other RL states will be featured?

Well, there are Mamluks, enslaved boys, usually Turks, who were trained as soldiers only loyal to the Caliph. Many believe the Janissaries were based off the Mamluk hierarchies.

Ever read the Dago comic book? That's why I'm asking. The main character is a Venetian noble turned Janissary in the early 1500s.

[aaronil]

Hi Jong! I'll do my best:

Care to expand on this Conviction/story mechanic?

Sure. There are a few approaches to this, so I'll highlight two:

A spontaneous framed story
All of a sudden, without any planning, a player launches into a framed story. They may be narrating from their character's perspective or be narrating on behalf of a supporting character (an NPC), either way is kosher. Because there's no preparation, diceless rules are used (provided in the book) whereby each character is described with 6 trait points and conflict is handled with sacrifices. The player becomes Narrator temporarily, and everyone else adopts a character in their story: wicked step-mother, talking camel, cowardly soldier, etc. Once the story concludes, the character who was narrating the story (usually the player's character, but not necessarily so) gains a bonus to an interaction check based on how entertaining their story was. Narrative control then returns to the regularly scheduled Narrator.

A planned framed story
If a player is planning a framed story they might put some more work into it and design characters for the story that suit each player in the group. These may be standard True20 characters or the may be diceless characters (the player's choice). Such a framed story will probably last for a longer period of time than a spontaneous story but otherwise plays out and is resolved in the same way.

Ok, just to be clear: This is a variant Europe/Middle East, or are you using a brand new world? If the latter is true, should we assume then that other RL states will be featured?

Mythic Arabia is a very close representation of the actual Near East. So yes, you could expect to find other nations of the time (of course with Arabic names, e.g. Franji = Franks)

[amethal]

Congratulations on winning the search.

This is the setting I was looking forward to the most, and you've made it sound even better than I was hoping for.

[aaronil]

Have you made any changes to True20 with respect to summoning djinn? Is there any info on statting them up? Can adepts specialize in genie lore or genie summoning, like the sha'ir in Al Qadim?

Hey Jonathan, I wanted to give you a meatier answer. The djinni in Caliphate Nights are closer to Arabian lore and fairly removed from their Hollywood status as wish-granters (though there are djinni feats which allow for such things). Rather, the six tribes of djinni (Ghul, Ifreet, Jinn, Jann, Marid, Shaitan), have their own society in the magical world of Jinnistan. According to Islam, djinni were created from smokeless flame thousands of years before the coming of humanity, but when humankind was created from a clot of blood, the djinni were asked to obey humanity's supremacy and renounce their positions as the rulers and gods of humanity. Slowly, fracture lines began to form in djinni society, and the tribes began to form. With the coming of Islam, the growing divide was cemented when the Choice was made. Jinn and Jann sided with God and humanity, while the Ghul, Ifreet, and Shaitan made ready their resistance. The Marid sheikh, not wanting to offend the sensibilities of his proud people, let each marid choose for themselves. While there are wicked jinn and pious ifreet, these are the general trends of allegiance.

"Djinni" will appear as a new creature type, and there are guidelines for creating djinni of each of the 6 tribes.

The fatiguing Djinni Summoning power allows an adept to summon a djinn of a specific tribe or to summon a djinn by name. The power check Difficulty is 10 + twice the djinn's level. Once the djinn is summoned, you must negotiate with it (there are detailed guidelines for negotiating with djinni) to secure its service.

The Djinni Summoning power introduces powers of "consequence." Basically, there are consequences for failing your power check, and these consequences increase the greater the degree of failure. For example, an adept who fails their power check by 5-9 might accidentally summon a mischevious djinn of an opposed allegiance from the one they intended to summon; the mischevious djinn attempts to disguise itself and to trick the adept.

Sha'irs exist as an adept Archetype. They gain other powers like Djinni Binding and Spirit Sense, as well as long-winded feats like Apprehend the Djinni's Hand and Ambassador to the Djinni.

Congratulations on winning the search.

This is the setting I was looking forward to the most, and you've made it sound even better than I was hoping for.

Hey, thanks! I'm also eager that the book will live up to the gushing descriptions I've given it.

[tsadkiel]

Sha'irs exist as an adept Archetype. They gain other powers like Djinni Binding and Spirit Sense, as well as long-winded feats like Apprehend the Djinni's Hand and Ambassador to the Djinni.

Adept Archetype? I'll bet you aren't allowed to tell us what that is yet, are you?

[Jonathan Moyer]

Hey Jonathan, I wanted to give you a meatier answer.

Thanks! That sounds really cool.

[Waldo]

I'm never going to play a True20 game but I do have an interest in arabian dnd and a lot of the mechanics you've decribed really interest me. How easy/difficult do you think it would be to integrate some of this stuff into a standard d20 game? How much work on my part would that require?

[aaronil]

Tsadkiel,

Each Role is given 7 "Archetypes" that are a blend of Islamic history, Arabian folklore, and Hollywood. Each archetype describes what a character can do, what principles they represent, and what challenges suit the character. Like in Blue Rose, they also provide suggested starting skills & feats, as well as suggested feats/powers for the character to take as they advance. For example, the seven Adept Archetypes are: Astrologer, Dervish, Elementalist, Hakima, Natural Philosopher, Saint, and the Sha'ir.

Waldo,

Not too much work on your part, it would seem to me. Basically, the main areas to translate would be feats that reference unique True20 mechanics (there aren't too many of them), powers (some of these are D&D spells like Dispel, Find the Path, or True Seeing, but others are fairly unique), the new uses for Conviction (easy if you're using action points), and the various antagonist/ally stat blocks. Most of the book is about story, the *feel*, language, and setting of the Nights, so it's useful as is.

[The Shadow]

In essence, the archetypes are like Blue Rose's "Heroic Paths". You aren't bound to them, but they help give structure to your role.