The Years of Rice & Salt D&D Campaign

[Darkmark8910]

A few weeks back I saw a post asking for a D&D campaign based around the world of Years of Rice & Salt, a well-regarded novel by Kin Stanley Robinson. It's an alternate history setting spanning from 1400 to the present day where the Black Plague morphs inside of Europe and kills 99% of Europeans instead of 30%.

I'm taking that premise and continuing from there, adding in the wide-spread institutionalization of magic after the discovery of mana in the Polynesian peoples of New Zealand and Hawaii by the Chinese explorers. The game map's below (credit goes to alternatehistory.com's Bruce Munro).

http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=82260&stc=1&d=1254959292

RACE:
Primary Races:
1. Chinese (Han)
2. Indian
3. Maghrebi (North African)
4. Iroquois
- Haudenosaunee
- Cherokee
- Huron
- Sioux
- Pueblo
- others by request

Significant Races:
5. Arabian
- Bedouin
- Turkish
- Berber
- Egyptian
- Iraqi
- Syrian
6. Persian (Iranian)
7. Norse (Icelandic)
8. African
- Mali
- others by request
9. Burmese
10. Japanese

Minorities:
11. Maori (New Zealander / Polynesian)
12. Byzantine (Ossetian)
13. Inca
14. Cantonese (southern Chinese)
15. Others by request

RELIGION:
Primary Religions:
1. Islam (Sunni)
2. Buddhist (Mahayana)
3. Hindu

Significant Religions:
4. Islam (Shi'ite & Ibadi) (Persian & some Bedouin)
5. Buddhist (Theravada) (Burmese)
6. Sun God (Inca)
7. Great Spirit (Iroquois)
8. Shinto (Japanese)

Minorities:
9. Greek Orthodox (Ossetian)
10. Coptic Christian (Ethiopian)
11. Jewish (Ethiopian & various areas)
12. Catholic (various areas)
13. Sikh (India)
14. Jain (India)
15. Buddhist (Vajrayana) (Tibet)
16. Islam (Sufi) (various areas)
17. Norse (Northeastern North America)

LANGUAGES
To be written, but each race basically has its own language.

WORLD HISTORY

World history is reflected in the map above! However, this world includes MAGIC! What if all of the religions in the world had gods / magical forces that intervened in the affairs of man D&D-style? Imagine the possibilities!

PRESTIGE CLASSES / STARTING CLASSES

I'm intending to make my prestige classes based around the selection of religion and race. For example, a Hindu can become a Thuggee, a Muslim cleric can become a Keeper of the Ka'aba, a Norse character can become a Viking, Iroquois druids can become an aspect of their clan animal, Catholics can become a Knight of Malta (with a paladin and a cleric track), Buddhists can unlock psionic powers, and Jains can go into a very nonlethal track. I'm working on more starting class details.

PLEA FOR HELP

Contributions are very welcome! What do you guys think I should put in here?

- Mark the New DM

[Corneel]

Are all the names of countries and races/cultures taken from the source material? Because I see some things that even with an alternate history explanation are somewhat bizarre (and would need some serious explanation).
E.g.: In our timeline the Maghreb has Arabian and Berber culture (and some smaller groups related to Berbers) so it is bizarre to have a Maghreb culture that is obviously not Arabian (nor Berber) since that is another culture. Turkish as a subgroup of Arabs also seems like an important error, as is Iroquois as supergroup for Sioux, Cherokee and Pueblo.

It would also be interesting to have at least an idea what races/cultures are living in which countries (for some it is obvious but for most it isn't) and what religions are practiced in which countries (clear for most but certainly not all).