Honestly? I think it's because of its biggest strength, namely the fact it was thoroughly plotted through from start to finish and unapologetically stopped airing once they were done. It's an unfortunate reality in western TV that producers & consumers mutually enable Sequelitis so shows that stick to a limited run time kind of fall out of public consciousness tremendously quickly since only the people that watched it as it aired tend to care & talk about it, meaning less episodes translate into less exposure. Let's look at another show that aired around that time: Andromeda. They canned the main guy because he - presumably, but his various statements as well as the way it went after he was out - wanted to wrap the show up. Instead we got a bunch more seasons and it disintrigrated into complete nonsense, but hey. People talk about it.
Serious answer? It doesn't look great visually, and the acting is frankly awful. Cringeworthy. I get that older scifi fans are very attached to it but if you come in later it's not very impressive.
Mystara is the quintessential D&D setting, it's weird and creative and extremely idiosyncratic, just like D&D itself. So many things that make you scratch your head, but it kinda makes sense since most of it is just an arbitrary kludge caused by various immortals and other powers having a try a "betterifying" the world.
In addition to a great Geoff Tate reference, you got plenty of other oddball shots in there. Bravo, sir Incidentally, my next benevolent king will be called Evil McNaughtybad XII.
The downward spiral started when the author fo GoT, Mr. Martin, Left because the writing staff at the time kept asking him when he was going to finish the books so they could have more material to adapt.
I personally, Love Talons of Night! Never really got the rulebook Wrath of the Immortals. I guess I am just an "OG Purist". But I think the Talons of Night module was terrific. (Players are now altering the landscape of Global Politics for a LONG time with their actions!)
So, when making the jump to 5e, or honestly anything post-2e, seems like Alphatia, with it's heavy magic, obsession with the elemental planes, and blue skinned folk, would be the perfect place to introduce a couple things that weren't in vanilla Mystara. I'm specifically thinking of sorcerers and the genasi. The blue skinned nobility being air genasi doesn't seem like a stretch, and making a "planetouched" the result of magical energies and influence on the child's birth rather than extraplanar parentage has precedent (one of the things I really liked about Eberron). Plus, that much magic being thrown around, the idea of spontaneous casters like sorcerers just showing up (the "arcane" bloodline from Pathfinder comes to mind) also makes a bit of sense.
Something that came up in a campaign ages ago was the question of how did Alphatia work economically? With everything given about Darokin and Minrothad, and how their economies worked with other nations, Dawn skimped out on this area. For a nation as big and powerful as it is, it's economics demand a better exploration than what was written. Our DM let the chaotic neutral nature of the wizards carry the day. The economy simply doesn't work, and no one cares. For the nobility, magic is currency. For the poor, they suffer. But this let us explore the plight of the lesser nobility, those low level spell casters who survive, but don't thrive. That made for brilliant motivation for adventurers seeking the means to rise up. you can't cast high level spells if you can't afford the components.....
i like this idea of just an apathetic empire. not something thats always crumbling, no, just that these hyperwizards just dont care all that much for things not concerning them.
Alphatia (and Glantri) are probably the most 'realistic' realms in all of D&D, if you go by the rules as written: dysfunctional wizard ancapistan where quadratic wizards do what they want, and the muggles have to lump it. Oooh, the neighboring fighter lord has marched his army into your territo- Agh! Summoned monsters, elementals, poison gas clouds, curses, weaponised natural disasters, etc. etc. Why did we pick a fight with someone who can set everything we love on fire with his mind?! Bruce Heard's blog has a bunch of expanded information on the kingdoms, people, history, classes, cultures, climate, magical disaster areas, economy, etc. of Alphatia. It makes all those plain green hexes interesting with the kind of stuff that really, really should have been in _Dawn of the Emperors_ . Still nothing happening in the last 2000 years in Bellisaria though.
The fact you brought queensryche blew my mind that’s my dads like favorite band he had his guitar signed by Chris degarmo and to this day I’m salty I can’t ever play it because he’s right handed and I’m left handed and am unfortunately not as bad ass as Juno hendrix
Mr Welsh - side question on the HOllowworld. I recently discovered Edgar Rice Buroughs 'Pellucidar' series. Do you know if this was a direct influence on Mystara's hollworld? Have any of the authors of the setting explicity said anything about this? An inner Earth is not a new concept, but the eternal Sun, Polar passage etc just seem a bit too close to Mystara's! Mny thks
That’s a first for me. Quick question, where does it mention that the Alphatians have light blue skin? I could have swore that the source book said that “pure” Alphatians simply had very pale, almost white skin?
@@johnbalk6091 Page 6 of the Alphatian book (red one). Talks about the Emperor making sure the pure blood Alphatians interbred, and mentions they had pale skin with blue tinges. Not smurf blue, but more like blue baby syndrome.
Sweet. Did you guys ever hear about the blue Fugates or some such? They were a family of hillbillies that turned blue due to their excessive inbreeding. Really blue.
Great video. I always thought it funny-peculiar that Alphatia as written seems an appalling place, but the contemporary Dragon articles/Princess Ark had them more or less as the good guys. I suppose they were fighting the Heldannic Knights and the Master of Hule. 😬 Elitist fascist wizard slavers Vs religious maniacs and demon worshippers. Can't they both lose? 😅
Oh snap. I see that GoT dig you did there XD
I loved the image from Babylon 5! I'll never understand why that show seems to be so underrated by so many.
Honestly? I think it's because of its biggest strength, namely the fact it was thoroughly plotted through from start to finish and unapologetically stopped airing once they were done. It's an unfortunate reality in western TV that producers & consumers mutually enable Sequelitis so shows that stick to a limited run time kind of fall out of public consciousness tremendously quickly since only the people that watched it as it aired tend to care & talk about it, meaning less episodes translate into less exposure.
Let's look at another show that aired around that time: Andromeda. They canned the main guy because he - presumably, but his various statements as well as the way it went after he was out - wanted to wrap the show up. Instead we got a bunch more seasons and it disintrigrated into complete nonsense, but hey. People talk about it.
Best sci-fi show of the last 30 years
Best show ever
Serious answer? It doesn't look great visually, and the acting is frankly awful. Cringeworthy. I get that older scifi fans are very attached to it but if you come in later it's not very impressive.
Mystara is the quintessential D&D setting, it's weird and creative and extremely idiosyncratic, just like D&D itself. So many things that make you scratch your head, but it kinda makes sense since most of it is just an arbitrary kludge caused by various immortals and other powers having a try a "betterifying" the world.
Thank you for all the work you put into this video Mr Welch. Despite its many many many flaws, Alphatia is probably my favorite nation in Mystara.
In addition to a great Geoff Tate reference, you got plenty of other oddball shots in there. Bravo, sir
Incidentally, my next benevolent king will be called Evil McNaughtybad XII.
Always great to watch and good to see someone else doing Mystara content on TH-cam
9:15 7th & 8th seasons of their stories felt compacted and rushed and didn't provide any kind of payoff for their audience.
I didn't watch it but that tracks
The downward spiral started when the author fo GoT, Mr. Martin, Left because the writing staff at the time kept asking him when he was going to finish the books so they could have more material to adapt.
@@draconisaganata They were probably banking on him finishing a book in the 7-ish years it took them to adapt the existing ones.
@@EvilDoresh Eeyup, and Mr. Martin considered that being pressured into doing his job.
Talons of Night is a better end to the War than Wrath of the Immortals.
On another note, @19:00 gave me a new appreciation for the city...
I personally, Love Talons of Night! Never really got the rulebook Wrath of the Immortals.
I guess I am just an "OG Purist". But I think the Talons of Night module was terrific. (Players are now altering the landscape of Global Politics for a LONG time with their actions!)
Thanks for all of this Glen! I love your content. I can't believe that first TSR, and then Wizards let this setting get away.
Sometimes dead is better.
Anything WotC touches inevitably returns as a shambling, woke monstrosity wearing the skin of the once great property.
So, when making the jump to 5e, or honestly anything post-2e, seems like Alphatia, with it's heavy magic, obsession with the elemental planes, and blue skinned folk, would be the perfect place to introduce a couple things that weren't in vanilla Mystara. I'm specifically thinking of sorcerers and the genasi. The blue skinned nobility being air genasi doesn't seem like a stretch, and making a "planetouched" the result of magical energies and influence on the child's birth rather than extraplanar parentage has precedent (one of the things I really liked about Eberron). Plus, that much magic being thrown around, the idea of spontaneous casters like sorcerers just showing up (the "arcane" bloodline from Pathfinder comes to mind) also makes a bit of sense.
If it's weird and can talk, it's probably from Alphatia.
Alphasian keeps making me think of alsatians…so I keep thinking a super race of magic dogs
Something that came up in a campaign ages ago was the question of how did Alphatia work economically? With everything given about Darokin and Minrothad, and how their economies worked with other nations, Dawn skimped out on this area. For a nation as big and powerful as it is, it's economics demand a better exploration than what was written.
Our DM let the chaotic neutral nature of the wizards carry the day. The economy simply doesn't work, and no one cares. For the nobility, magic is currency. For the poor, they suffer. But this let us explore the plight of the lesser nobility, those low level spell casters who survive, but don't thrive. That made for brilliant motivation for adventurers seeking the means to rise up.
you can't cast high level spells if you can't afford the components.....
One of the reasons it deserves its own book. As written as written it is just straight-up feudal
i like this idea of just an apathetic empire. not something thats always crumbling, no, just that these hyperwizards just dont care all that much for things not concerning them.
Alphatia (and Glantri) are probably the most 'realistic' realms in all of D&D, if you go by the rules as written: dysfunctional wizard ancapistan where quadratic wizards do what they want, and the muggles have to lump it. Oooh, the neighboring fighter lord has marched his army into your territo- Agh! Summoned monsters, elementals, poison gas clouds, curses, weaponised natural disasters, etc. etc. Why did we pick a fight with someone who can set everything we love on fire with his mind?!
Bruce Heard's blog has a bunch of expanded information on the kingdoms, people, history, classes, cultures, climate, magical disaster areas, economy, etc. of Alphatia. It makes all those plain green hexes interesting with the kind of stuff that really, really should have been in _Dawn of the Emperors_ . Still nothing happening in the last 2000 years in Bellisaria though.
Yeah, Silent Lucidity still tears me up. 😁
Empire; campfire.
The fact you brought queensryche blew my mind that’s my dads like favorite band he had his guitar signed by Chris degarmo and to this day I’m salty I can’t ever play it because he’s right handed and I’m left handed and am unfortunately not as bad ass as Juno hendrix
Solid Down Periscope picture
"Burnanated" and "Hurricananated"... someone call Webster's, have those words added IMMEDIATELY!! 🤣
We might start to need links in the descriptions to your related videos! Please! :D
Huh. Those Thyatians look like they could use a Miracle...
Empire - retire - satire
I probably write it wrong. But there are rimes for empire.
Mr Welsh - side question on the HOllowworld. I recently discovered Edgar Rice Buroughs 'Pellucidar' series. Do you know if this was a direct influence on Mystara's hollworld? Have any of the authors of the setting explicity said anything about this?
An inner Earth is not a new concept, but the eternal Sun, Polar passage etc just seem a bit too close to Mystara's! Mny thks
They even admitted Burroughs was a huge imfluence
12:19 oo what is this pic off? King George? Is there an annotates photo of this anywhere that says who everyone is? ty
Was the only picture of most of the European kings at King Edward's funeral iirc
@@Mr_Welch Go it ty.
And there 7th and 8th seasons….
Dude, what’s happening? The video wouldn’t load.
Think the video wasn't finished processing when TH-cam put it up.
That’s a first for me. Quick question, where does it mention that the Alphatians have light blue skin? I could have swore that the source book said that “pure” Alphatians simply had very pale, almost white skin?
@@johnbalk6091 Page 6 of the Alphatian book (red one). Talks about the Emperor making sure the pure blood Alphatians interbred, and mentions they had pale skin with blue tinges. Not smurf blue, but more like blue baby syndrome.
Sweet. Did you guys ever hear about the blue Fugates or some such? They were a family of hillbillies that turned blue due to their excessive inbreeding. Really blue.
Great video. I always thought it funny-peculiar that Alphatia as written seems an appalling place, but the contemporary Dragon articles/Princess Ark had them more or less as the good guys.
I suppose they were fighting the Heldannic Knights and the Master of Hule. 😬
Elitist fascist wizard slavers Vs religious maniacs and demon worshippers. Can't they both lose? 😅
The most fitting Mystara country for an overacting Jeremy Irons.
He's the only reason we even remember that movie. Granted he was also the only actor in that movie that understood what kind of movie he was in