Level Up (A5E) Sunset Riders Fantasy Western! (Campaign Setting thoughts)

[Steampunkette]

I think you could avoid colonization while still having Bad Guys by having the imperialists be also native to the continent and who have recently developed a desire/need for expansionism. Maybe they recently found or developed substance they want to mine or grow but it's easier, cheaper, or safer for them to get other people to do it and have become slavers. Maybe there was a war, they enslaved the POWs, and have kept on using slaves because it was easy. Or they could be completely inhuman--maybe they're all shapechanging dragons who have decided that building railways and therefore travelers brings in the gold well, and they use their humanoid servitor/slaves/indentured servants behind the scenes to create their own little paradise for said travelers. They could create a very early version of Vegas.

Plus, well, no matter how well integrated a community is, you're still going to have "Our Land for Ourlandonians!" people and "The Ourlandonians are erasing our Newcomer Identities!" people.

I do plan on having antagonistic characters. Both internationally and intranationally, for sure. Good old "Ourlandians" as a problem is definitely a part of that.

In fact I had plans for the majority of druids in the setting to be an antagonistic force for pretty much everyone, native, settler, or imperialist. Very much "Return to the natural order" rather than frittering about as friends to trees or whatever. Nature is harsh and cyclical. Kill or die, y'know?

And I -really- like the idea of Dragons as Robber Barons... especially robber-barons that form the essential backbone of the "Evil Empire". They've long been a strong narrative element of Greed in medieval fantasy. And while they will shapeshift it's not going to be a secretive thing or anything. They'll be Dragons taking on Dragonborn form to get into and out of board meetings or whatever before going back to being dragons and flying off.

Mainly 'cause I don't want it to get antisemitic.

But soulless robber baron dragons is -enticing-... no?

In the real world, sure, guns are probably easier than bows to use, but in a game setting it's still just the same old proficiency bonus.

Simple Weapon proficiency instead of Martial.

 

[Blue Orange]

And I -really- like the idea of Dragons as Robber Barons... especially robber-barons that form the essential backbone of the "Evil Empire". They've long been a strong narrative element of Greed in medieval fantasy. And while they will shapeshift it's not going to be a secretive thing or anything. They'll be Dragons taking on Dragonborn form to get into and out of board meetings or whatever before going back to being dragons and flying off.

Mainly 'cause I don't want it to get antisemitic.

But soulless robber baron dragons is -enticing-... no?

Simple Weapon proficiency instead of Martial.

Well, I'm half Jewish (the half that counts halakhically). I can't speak for eveyrone, and anyone else who wants to chime in is welcome to of course.

So...If you wanted to avoid the standard antisemitic tropes, the big one is deception and shapeshifting. So you might have them teleconferencing by crystal ball or something like that, since as far as I know nobody's argued Webex is a Jewish plot yet. You could play up the physical power of the dragons (the antisemitic stereotype works the other way), having them fly over to breathe fire, poison, etc. to keep their enemies in check and minions in line. Everyone knows they're a dragon. As the dragon was often a metaphor for greed in the Middle Ages it actually works pretty well, and the usual antisemitic monster is the octopus, not the dragon.

And everyone knows dragons love gold.

(BTW I support your right to do anything you want with your setting.)

 

[Steampunkette]

Well, I'm half Jewish (the half that counts halakhically). Anyone else who wants to chime in is welcome to of course.

So...If you wanted to avoid the standard antisemitic tropes, the big one is deception and shapeshifting. So you might have them teleconferencing by crystal ball or something like that, since as far as I know nobody's argued Webex is a Jewish plot yet.

Yeah, that's my thought. Skip over the angles of secrecy and have everyone know that they're literal dragons.

Could do different dragon types as different robber barons? A black dragon down in the swamps, a green in the rainforest, blue in the desert, white in the taiga... And a Red Dragon in charge of it all. And have various other dragons involved in stuff or opposing it. Could have the Essence Dragons fighting against the corpo-imperialist dragons. And various "Young" dragons and wyrmlings working with the big guys as local bosses and stuff...

Really liking that idea, now.

 

[Blue Orange]

Yeah, that's my thought. Skip over the angles of secrecy and have everyone know that they're literal dragons.

Could do different dragon types as different robber barons? A black dragon down in the swamps, a green in the rainforest, blue in the desert, white in the taiga... And a Red Dragon in charge of it all. And have various other dragons involved in stuff or opposing it. Could have the Essence Dragons fighting against the corpo-imperialist dragons. And various "Young" dragons and wyrmlings working with the big guys as local bosses and stuff...

Really liking that idea, now.

Yeah, that's perfect! They can divide and conquer easily because they're not in competition for the same territory.

I don't know how American you want to make it as previously discussed, but the USA has a number of mountain ranges so you could easily have an Appalachian red dragon, a Rocky Mountain Dragon...

 

[Steampunkette]

Interesting historical note: Pesos are the basis of the US Dollar sign.

I'll probably just straight up use dollars and cents. With gold as a dollar, silver as a dime, and copper as a penny.

Did you know the Peacemaker Revolver retailed at under $17? It was mail ordered and $17 included shipping.

Teachers and ranch hands typically earned $30 a month or so, though the ranch hand also gets room and board with it. Pony Express was $25 a week for riding the mail around. Wild Bill Hickok earned $150 a month, but that's nothing compared to carpenters during the gold rush who could earn $16 a -day- helping to build up boomtowns. The typical sex worker earned between $1 and $2 per roll in the hay...

And a soldier could expect $13 a month, but all other expenses covered. If you managed to make it to General, though, you'd wind up with $760 in your pocket every month!

Big money.

 

[Faolyn]

Mainly 'cause I don't want it to get antisemitic.

Eek! Yeah, I didn't even think about that part! I'm so behind on my stupid conspiracy theories that it was literally only last year that I learned that "lizard people" was supposed to be an antisemitic thing--I thought it was a "secretly being controlled by aliens" thing.

But yeah, I actually imagined them as being known as being dragons, but in humanoid form in order to better enjoy the finer things in life--it's hard to make a dragon-sized mansion, after all.

 

[DarkRainbowFiend]

Eek! Yeah, I didn't even think about that part! I'm so behind on my stupid conspiracy theories that it was literally only last year that I learned that "lizard people" was supposed to be an antisemitic thing--I thought it was a "secretly being controlled by aliens" thing.

But yeah, I actually imagined them as being known as being dragons, but in humanoid form in order to better enjoy the finer things in life--it's hard to make a dragon-sized mansion, after all.

not to mention a dragon-sized mansion would be expensive, and being what dragons are they would like to cut corners when they can.

I do plan on having antagonistic characters. Both internationally and intranationally, for sure. Good old "Ourlandians" as a problem is definitely a part of that.

In fact I had plans for the majority of druids in the setting to be an antagonistic force for pretty much everyone, native, settler, or imperialist. Very much "Return to the natural order" rather than frittering about as friends to trees or whatever. Nature is harsh and cyclical. Kill or die, y'know?

And I -really- like the idea of Dragons as Robber Barons... especially robber-barons that form the essential backbone of the "Evil Empire". They've long been a strong narrative element of Greed in medieval fantasy. And while they will shapeshift it's not going to be a secretive thing or anything. They'll be Dragons taking on Dragonborn form to get into and out of board meetings or whatever before going back to being dragons and flying off.

Mainly 'cause I don't want it to get antisemitic.

But soulless robber baron dragons is -enticing-... no?

Simple Weapon proficiency instead of Martial.

I also could see the whole dragon robber-baron thing being a good way to introduce a dragon-based patron archetype. I also suspect that the "evil empire" would either be ruled by dragons or something that is on-par with a dragon like giants.

Yeah, that's my thought. Skip over the angles of secrecy and have everyone know that they're literal dragons.

Could do different dragon types as different robber barons? A black dragon down in the swamps, a green in the rainforest, blue in the desert, white in the taiga... And a Red Dragon in charge of it all. And have various other dragons involved in stuff or opposing it. Could have the Essence Dragons fighting against the corpo-imperialist dragons. And various "Young" dragons and wyrmlings working with the big guys as local bosses and stuff...

Really liking that idea, now.

I do wonder how metallic dragons, the enemies of chromatics, would fit into this. Is Metalics just a rival set of robber barons, or are they the good guys in this. And gem dragons i have no idea how they would fit into this either.

 

[Tonguez]

Yeah, that's perfect! They can divide and conquer easily because they're not in competition for the same territory.

I don't know how American you want to make it as previously discussed, but the USA has a number of mountain ranges so you could easily have an Appalachian red dragon, a Rocky Mountain Dragon...

That would be awesome, Dragons as the regional lord of each of the mountain ranges, though there are lots of such ranges in north america.
I am wondering why dragons would need or want a railway though

 

[DarkRainbowFiend]

That would be awesome, Dragons as the regional lord of each of the mountain ranges, though there are lots of such ranges in north america.
I am wondering why dragons would need or want a railway though

if anything giants might need it more since they don't (usually) fly.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

if anything giants might need it more since they don't (usually) fly.

i mean, at that point the question becomes how the hell do they ride the railroad? thing must be MASSIVE for multiple giants to be able to ride it comfortably.

maybe most of the empire are devils or undead, and dragons mostly just make up the robber barons? that'd explain the need for railroads (they're for the devils/undead), as well as things like the psychopomp train (it's not a natural thing, which is why people can live disconnected from their souls - it's made by the empire to take people's souls as fuel or something).