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Author Topic: Ravnica, It's a Small World After All  (Read 3698 times)

Manic Modron

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #30 on: November 20, 2018, 07:46:27 PM »
Yeah, that just doesn't gel with what I've been reading about them.  Getting a different vibe from a sourcebook vs the original material isn't a good sign at all.

Manic Modron

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #31 on: November 20, 2018, 07:50:09 PM »
Quote from: HappyDaze;1065541
So, is there a comprehensive source (online is fine) that tells me about the greater cosmology that contains Ravnica? I know D&D online has some other Magic-inspired PDFs, but how do they fit together?

You could probably do worse than to start here.

HappyDaze

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #32 on: November 20, 2018, 08:15:00 PM »
Quote from: Manic Modron;1065542
Yeah, that just doesn't gel with what I've been reading about them.  Getting a different vibe from a sourcebook vs the original material isn't a good sign at all.

I have a few quotes:
"The Lyev Column enforces the law as Ravnica's police force" (p. 32).
Under why you might want to play a member of the Azorius Senate: "You're drawn to the idea of a hard-bitten police officer trying to impose order on a chaotic world" (p. 33).
"Most Azorius adventurers belong to the guild's police force. They are soldiers or spellcasters who patrol the city in teams or singly, preventing crimes or stopping them in progress. If you want to pursue a career in law enforcement, choose the path of the lawmage, the precognitive mage, or the arrester" (p. 33).
"Map 4.1 depicts an arrester station, which serves as the law enforcement hub for a precinct or neighborhood" (p. 129).

OTOH, the Wojek are only mentioned briefly:
"This special order serves as a combination of military police and military intelligence, giving it a fair degree of independence within the guild" (p. 43).
"Secondarily, the Wojek League is responsible for policing the ranks of the Legion" (p. 43).

From that, the Wojek in GGR are not what the vast majority of Ravnica would consider the police.

HappyDaze

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #33 on: November 20, 2018, 08:16:58 PM »
Quote from: Manic Modron;1065543
You could probably do worse than to start here.

That helps a little, but some of it doesn't make much sense to someone coming in without previous exposure. I did track down where it noted that Ravnica is/was isolated from the other planes, but I don't know if this is current or if it happened a long time ago.

HappyDaze

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #34 on: November 21, 2018, 12:09:06 AM »
Here's some more contradiction:
"Citizens of Ravnica aren't born into guilds" (p. 29).

After reading over the guilds, this is bullshit. The Orzhov Syndicate specifically spells out that certain privileges can only be held by those born into the guild. The Selesnya Conclave is a giant hippie commune that doesn't let its people (which probably includes thier progeny) leave easily. The Gruul Clans talk about "born and raised" members. The Boros Legion has its own family line of minotaurs. Many of the Contacts table entries make it sound as if most PCs' families are associated with the same guild and that members in other guilds are unusual exceptions.

In short, the idea that people are not born into the guilds is crap. If your parents were of Guild X, they probably raised you into Guild X, and that's really where the Backgrounds come from. Sure, you can abandon your upbringing, but that's hardly the norm.

Batman

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #35 on: November 21, 2018, 07:06:33 AM »
Over half the citizens of Ravnica aren't in a Guild. You're not forced to join one either, despite parental upbringing.

The way I would look at it is sort of like those religions that require you to confirm later on in your early adulthood. Sure you're going to go to church with your parents but there's no guarantee you're going to stick with that later in life
" I'm Batman "

HappyDaze

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #36 on: January 13, 2020, 04:28:58 PM »
This one's bumped for SHARK.

SHARK

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Ravnica, It's a Small World After All
« Reply #37 on: January 13, 2020, 05:22:00 PM »
Quote from: HappyDaze;1118985
This one's bumped for SHARK.

Greetings!

Excellent, HappyDaze! Yeah, reading over some of this...yeghh. Ravnica holds no interest for me, for certain. *Laughs* WOTC can keep their weird, hippy commune city!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK
"It is the Marine Corps that will strip away the façade so easily confused with self. It is the Corps that will offer the pain needed to buy the truth. And at last, each will own the privilege of looking inside himself  to discover what truly resides there. Comfort is an illusion. A false security b