Phandelver's Geographic Problem, Explained!

[@carpma11]

I personally prefer fantasy to be grounded in as much reality as possible so this kind of content is absolutely tremendous.

[@BryanCmpbll]

Right? He quickly eclipsed Colville in my opinion as the most inspirational D&D KZbinr imo. Really solid useable stuff.

[@PalleRasmussen]

Forgotten Realms really makes no sense to a military historian and IP specialist.

[@MedievalFantasyTV]

​@@PalleRasmussen Care to elaborate? Some examples, maybe?

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@MedievalFantasyTVI am sorry. I cannot actually do so in depth without spending more time than I have. It just feels wrong, too volatile even compared to European history - which is one long bloodbath. There are too many world-ending threats. Not to mention the problem of firearms that has changed nothing in the world. I am sorry I cannot elaborate more, but it would take time that I do not have.

[@sci7zo]

@@PalleRasmussen the most up to date canon we have is Baldurs Gate 3, 1492DR. I remember a lot of things but I have no recollection of shoving a flintlock down an Illithid's throat. You may be mixing it up with Eberron which is more advanced technologically. But lets assume Faerun has basic firearms. A flintlock .50 ball might kill someone instantly but will more likely kill them slowly. You'd probably need a double barreled weapon to have even a shot at killing a half-orc. On the other hand you have magic. Guns will never come close to the level of power a wizard can achieve. A militia all armed with basic .50 ball rifles would still be near instantly wiped out by a lich. Guns in large scale would definitely affect the world a bit but as of the latest timeline date? There's no shot. Also I feel like early European history would be different if there were a pantheon of very real gods and demons getting involved. But even still Faerun is a really hard place to be a commoner. But the people living there can't just leave. All in all it's really weird that you would make such a bold but vague claim and not even remotely try to back it up.

[@Merlinstergandaldore]

A Wild West 'Gold Rush' style scenario set in that region could be lots of fun.

[@richfredrickson2604]

That's basically Lost Mines of Phandelver.

[@alarin612]

Leilon is actually a fishing village, also supported by Neverwinter. When my heroes went there, after setting up a fortress near Conyberry, they had to be careful not to be seen as trying to take over.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

It has large interest in both fishing and mining

[@parttimehero8640]

The maps legend would indicate both Leilon and Conyberry as ruins since both are marked by a black square

[@alarin612]

@@parttimehero8640 Leilon is in an in-between state, depending on when you're talking about. The follow on adventures to Dragon of Icespire Peak have the heroes helping to rebuild the ruins of Leilon and make it a viable fishing town again.

[@alarin612]

@@DungeonMasterpiece It does? Interesting. It makes sense given where it is. I just remember the fishing stuff from the adventures that come after DoIP. Their economic diversity would give them an advantage over Phandalin in disputes, I think. Along with being more secure right along the high road and closer to Neverwinter. A savvy entrepreneur would do well to combine various interests around Phandalin - like Butterskull ranch - with a new central town or fortress at Conyberry. This would give them leverage in deals with Neverwinter. Makes one wonder - did Neverwinter just ALLOW Conyberry and Icespire fortress to be destroyed by orcs on purpose?

[@Grimmlocked]

The only thing that would put phandalin above it is if it was close too some sort of magic weapon forge@@alarin612

[@pjotor869]

When we finished up Lost Mines I set up something similar. Considering that Dagult Neverember is the one in charge of Neverwinter and his likely hatred for Waterdeep after being ousted I have set it up where he is trying to grow Neverwinter at Waterdeep's expense. To that effect he is extremely interested in gaining control/allies in the surrounding area. Here I have set up Phandalin as a rather important transit town. Waterdeep is dependent on goods arriving from the inland to use for trade. Dagult seeks to redirect this to Neverwinter which makes Triboar running right next to Phandalin a huge potential asset to tap into trade from the inland. So far Dagult is making innocent enough moves where he offers the players (who has become the Lords of Phandalin) support in the form of patrols in the area to keep threats away. This however is going to materialize into a situation where he essentially demands fealty from them in his moves against Waterdeep.

[@benvoliothefirst]

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter, goodsir! Awesome ideas!

[@RenartRegal]

@pjotor869 I’m also about to run some friends through this campaign soonish. Your write up on what happened in your campaign was fun to read - how did things continue from there between Dagult and the party?

[@pjotor869]

Not all that much has directly happened there yet. The party has been away on business first in Ampahil and then Waterdeep for the last month or so. But while in Waterdeep the player who is the Baron of Phandalin decided to go back home (he wanted to switch characters) because he received a sending spells of a bunch of problems cropping up, and Dagult sending soldiers to the area to secure it. My players never killed the Venomfang the green dragon you can encounter in Thundertree, so he is now causing all sorts of mischief there. When the players dealt with Cragmaw castle Venomfang moved in and has set up shop there, taking over the remaining goblins. He has driven the local trolls from their home in the hills to raid the roads in the area (which has caused Hamun Kost the necromancer the players can encounter in Old Owl well to experiment with creating rot trolls). He has also started to exert influence over tribes of Bullywugs and Lizardmen in a nearby swamp that I invented. And lastly and perhaps most interestingly he has essentially paid for a newspaper in Phandalin which sole purpose now is to stir up shit in the town. Mostly by pitting the human villagers of Phandalin against the dwarven settlers in Wave Echo cave (bla bla, we should get more of the riches bla bla). So lets just say that there is a nice little sandwich of mixed toppings for them once they get back home ;)

[@pjotor869]

Venomfang is very intersting, beacuse you can essentially use the Dragon in a way where he exploits the power vacuums that the players leave behind whenever they deal with a situation.

[@RenartRegal]

@@pjotor869 Thanks for sharing! I’m definitely going to keep this in mind when my players finish the starter campaign and in case they want to continue (or if they want to start new characters in the same ‘timeline’).

[@KnarbMakes]

Brilliant video that sparks the imagination of DMs everywhere. Thanks again!

[@JestaKilla]

Er... many of the things you describe as towns are actually, according to the legend, just ruins: Thundertree, Conyberry, Leilon, etc. Not sure if the boxed sets describe them as intact, but assuming that they are ruins, I think it says a great deal about the danger level in the area. Phandalin really is a "point of light" in the sense that 4e used the term.

[@derekludwig3945]

You're correct; he mischaracterized the state of some of the locations. IIRC Leilon's described somewhere as *just* starting to rebuild, like Phandalin but a few years behind in terms of resettlement. If Phandalin and its outlying farmers, miners, and loggers comprise around 500 or so, it's probably fair to estimate the population of Leilon numbers 10-20% of that.

[@DrTenochtitlan]

@@derekludwig3945 Officially, Leilon's population is about 200 people at the time of the events of Lost Mine of Phandelver, but it is definitely beginning to rebuild. The town had been abandoned during the Spellplague (and the effects of the eruption of Mount Hotenow certainly didn't help things either). Leilon does not currently have any mining activity, but is rebuilding its fishing industry on the edge of the Mere of the Dead Men, a swamp. It does have a port that is useable, but dangerous, as it is run down and has to navigate through the edge of the Mere.

[@derekludwig3945]

@@DrTenochtitlan good info. The official number seems like a high-ish population, but not unreasonably so.

[@sirmclovin9184]

I wanted to comment that as well. The map clearly labels them as ruins. But still, many ideas to work with. I'd probabily lead my party into the Underdark though.

[@thor30013]

@@derekludwig3945 It's also worth remembering that the population likely includes anyone within probably 1 hex (or 5-10 miles) of the town on the map.

[@CraigBogun]

Wow, just wow. That sort of background info would have been so useful for when I played this. Just a chapter in the starter box with this level of detail on the issues that can come up after the players do the "main" story line would have made this a must buy for any new GM. Great content.

[@alcahuetasanonymous]

Hmmm this is interesting! Makes me think that Sildar Hallwinter from LMoP may not be welcomed by some of the townsfolk of Phandalin due to his association with the Lords Alliance. This can give some more context for why the Redbrands/Glastaff have taken over and why Halia Thornton (Zhent) is already in town pulling strings. The Wild West feel is so, so right!

[@Grimmlocked]

I modeled Sildar after marshal Matt Dillan there were those in town that liked him and those that hated him. Harbin was the beurocrat who everyone put up with because he was "in charge" but nobody took seriously

[@alex-ul]

I love a comparison of Phandalin to Deadwood so much. Just finished recently watching this show (very sad about 4th season tho) and it gave me a lot of inspiration. finally I can understand relation between Neverwinter and Phandalin (like Chicago and Deadwood). And why is Phandalin such a deal for people from greater towns.

[@benvoliothefirst]

Also Ian McShane stomps ass everywhere he goes.

[@RenartRegal]

I just picked up the starter set to introduce some friends to D&D, and it’s my first time attempting to DM as well. This gives a LOT of food for thought - thank you Dungeon Masterpiece!

[@leandrochavez6480]

My party wanted a river crossing phandalin for this exact reason, they solved it with engineering, high magic and gold.

[@IamKnucks]

From your haircut, to your chin beard, to your mismatched clothing, to your many rings, i can tell you are deep into high fantasy geopolitics. And im right there with you.

[@Giantstomp]

These I'm sure take a lot of work to put together but your deep dives into geopolitics and geography videos for DM's are hands down your best work, great job.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

they are brutal to make, but i love geopolitics, so it's fine. If they weren't so well recieved, i'd def slow down on them tho.

[@Giantstomp]

@@DungeonMasterpiece They make you stand out from the crowd of D&D youtubers

[@eddokter]

Two considerations I'd add are, 1) foothills with plenty of grassland would be perfect for sheep, I feel like there would be a large amount of this industry in the high valley around the city. 2) create water is a first level spell any cleric or druid could have, this could make 10 gallons of water per casting per level per day. It's not a replacement for a full river but it could allow some additional farming in the region. Barley, rice, or amaranth would all grow well in foothills with some irrigation.

[@sable2146]

My players never fully cleared Crawmaw hideout or castle. They managed to sneak in, stumble upon their objective, and slip out. They only ended up killing King Grol and left the Dark Elf that was there alive I'm going to have so much game in the post-module game... especially when they find out Glasstaff disappeared from his captivity somewhere along the road to Neverwinter...

[@duolingo0552]

That was one of the best sponsor segways I’ve ever see

[@Southpaw_Blue]

Another fantastic video Baron. Love how they’re informative yet to the point.

[@benvoliothefirst]

Editing is a lost art for much of the youtube population. Baron gets it right. If your video is 30 minutes long, guess what? I'm only watching the last two minutes.

[@martincalmet549]

Can you make a Ravenloft Geopolitics? It would be super interesting to analize a society trap in time and space

[@mrgunn2726]

Al Swearengen, now there is a character and what a performance by Ian McShane, some of the best acting on TV. Deadwood is a FANTASTIC place to emulate for a campaign background. In the same vein, Hell on Wheels, could also be the backdrop for your road paving adventure from Neverwinter to Phandalin. Good video M'Lord!

[@agilemonk6305]

Thanks!

[@nickandrusin7122]

I'd be SO curious to see one of these for Icewindale!

[@Rex1987]

this is really good! this adds a lot of details and better understanding of the different towns in the region.

[@StoryboardsbyStuffPOP]

I’m running an outpost mining town sandbox rn, except it’s more remote and there is a river nearby. A lot of the conflicts are related to the trade difficulties you bring up here, as well as mystical/monstrous wilderness encounters.

[@badgerburns521]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect here. This was a nice surprise and very thought provoking. I always use LMoP when I am running with a new group. It has given me plenty to think about.

[@throwabrick]

This is 100% the video I needed. I have been working on a post-LMoP setting and this definitely helps. Also Phandalin as Deadwood is EXACTLY what I was thinking... I am already making a Charlie Utter character to run the wagon delivery business and wondering if I should turn Halie Thornton into Al.

[@tradingclasses6012]

This is one of the best DND videos I've seen. I'm gonna watch it again later.

[@kenlove9186]

I was reaching for the subscribe button in less than 2 minutes. This is outstanding, thank you for this great content. Bonus points for a classy ending, if i had not already subbed, i would have after that. Great job!

[@keithcurtis]

Love your geopolitics series. You have a good foundation in the field obviously, and is something no other rpg channel offers.

[@PiiskaJesusFreak]

Thanks! I'm making preparations to start my first campaign, and had decided to use one of the official adventures for easy access to maps etc. This offers a great way to proceed from there!

[@adamb3918]

Really appreciate commentary like this. I, like a few in this section, like to keep my worlds rooted in a measure of realism, and this helps me consider things that I am personally pretty weak on.

[@storytellinsteve]

This video was wildly delicious for my creative apatite! Please continue making this type of content!

[@gmkgoat]

I've never run Lost Mine or Icespire Peak and probably never will, but insight into the politics surrounding mining towns and their benefactors is always interesting. I also appreciate that picture-perfect example of Law vs Chaos at 3:10

[@VaughnRipley]

Fantastic! We've needed this video for years! Thanks! Keep up the excellent content!

[@alextouchstone1334]

Currently running Icewind Dale. I would LOVE a video about the Ten-Towns on this topic to see what else I could throw into the campaign to help the realism set in for players.

[@themcchuck8400]

Farming, even on large scales, does not require irrigation. Grain is a type of grass, so a large, flat grassland is perfect for growing wheat and barley. Not to mention grazing cattle and sheep.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Wheat does grow well on marginal farmland!

[@krinkrin5982]

We are going to be running through the starter sets soon. I'm definitely pointing my DM this way.

[@josuelservin]

Thank you for this nice overview and analysis, I would love to hear another one for Neverwinter, and the surrounding area, like Helm's hold, Luskan and the fantastical Gauntlgrym and Evernight.

[@benvoliothefirst]

Seriously, do this for literally everything, I'm gonna join your Patreon RIGHT MEOW! This was AWESOME!!!

[@samchafin4623]

Love the Deadwood shout out. Such a great show! Love this breakdown of the geography and the tensions going on in a small are; I wish WotC had put as much thought into it as the modules were being written.

[@SpiritWolf1966]

I enjoy all of Dungeon Masterpiece videos

[@HeavensUndertaker]

Excellent analysis. I especially like how your observation on socioeconomic tensions offers justification for the presence of the Zhentarim, the Lionshield franchise, and other influential groups. If I had to take exception to something, it’d be the claim that farming wouldn’t be substantially lucrative. While there are no surface rivers, it can be inferred from Wave Echo Cave and Old Owl Well that irrigation is possible through a series of underground water sources, that may also transport minerals to enrich the soil.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

that's a fair point! I forgot wave echo cave was actually flooded!

[@derekludwig3945]

If you look at the lore on the Netherese construction of Old Owl Well, it's like a 5-mile-deep aquifer that never runs dry, but was only possible to access through the efforts of the most magically-advanced (human) civilization to have ever existed on the planet. There's no way current (15th century DR, i.e. post-apocalyptic) powers in the area, even Neverwinter and Waterdeep, would be able to build something comparable. That's not to say that the plains of the northern Sword Coast are arid, but driving/digging wells is far from guaranteed to strike enough water to maintain a community of ~500 like Phandalin and its outlying populations, let alone countless square miles of agriculture. That being said, while the maps don't show any major watercourses through the region around Phandalin, it's worth noting that the northern Sword Coast generally has bitter winters with likely feet of snowfall annually. This means a lot of water on the plains in the spring and likely numerous small streams weaving through the rolling hills carrying snowmelt from the northern face of the Sword Mountains at least through mid-summer when the mountain glaciers start drying up. For agriculture, this likely means crops that overwinter (plant in the fall, dormant until spring, harvest in late spring to early summer, e.g. winter wheat) and spring-planted crops that are ready for harvest before autumn would likely have plenty of water to thrive, though without modern agrotech or the magical equivalent, it's still not going to look like the endless oceans of corn in the American Midwest, as that's just not manageable without combines, etc., or a whole lot of slave labor. The further from the Sword Mountains you go, the drier it likely gets, so the plains north of Phandalin might be more suited to grass- and scrubland ranching/husbandry while the plains to the southwest grow more staple crops. This leaves the regional ranchers more exposed to the threats posed by Neverwinter Woods, like Big Al Kalazorn's ranch getting raided by orcs in DoIP, while the burgeoning farmers to the southwest might gravitate toward a nearby, rebuilding Leilon* if they feel that Phandalin...(-ers? -ites? Phandalites?) are too concerned with the mining, logging, and ranching businesses. Where the two meet and mingle, are there conflicts between ranchers and farmers like those seen in the American West and Midwest, with farmers building fences to protect their crops and ranchers cutting down fences to let their herds graze, especially if barbed wire gets invented and starts injuring their cattle? This could lead to conflict between Leilon, the fishing town with farming interests, and Phandalin, the mining and logging town with ranching interests, all stoked by Neverwinter as described in the video. *Note that lore-as-written, both Conyberry and Leilon are basically ruins, with Conyberry nearly razed to the ground and abandoned, while Leilon is slowly being resettled and rebuilt, much like Phandalin but maybe a few years behind. This is in contrast to BdR's description in this video of both locations as noteworthy farming communities.

[@Stuugie.]

@@derekludwig3945 I always think that the powerful organizations would want some caster to do Plant Growth on the plants in areas like this too. Convince a druid to do that and their food output is doubled for the year

[@DrTenochtitlan]

According to the box set and some information in Acquisitions Incorporated, Phandalin receives about 18 inches of rain per year, but also has three deep wells that provide a reliable water supply to the town.

[@Lusa_Iceheart]

Icespire Peak also confirms the area uses windmills, we see this in the infamous TPK quest with the manticore. You don't normally find a windmill in an area only at sustenance level agriculture. The famous dutch windmills for instance were developed b/c there was such a surplus of grain that it became necessary to find a more efficient way to grind it all into flour. In addition to snowmelt from the mountains, the region is also going to get sufficiently high rainfall b/c it's basically a funnel in between the mountain ranges; all the moisture from the ocean hits the Sword coast and much of it in the Neverwinter-Waterdeep corridor will come running right down that alley between the mountains towards Triboar. I really don't think lack of water is a debilitating factor. There's probably lots of small creeks and streams that are simply just too small to warrant mention on a map set in the scale of what, 10 miles to a hex? The whole area is probably crisscrossed in small streams and modest rivers just like the Ohio River Valley. It's a coastline adjacent region, not in the center of the continent hundreds of miles inland like most grasslands are. Geographically, I just don't see reason why there wouldn't be plenty of water access.

[@KaelinGoff]

This is a great look. i'd watch this sort of thing all day

[@sjhhej]

This is absolute gold content. Thank you!

[@odinulveson9101]

Wow! Subbed. Geopolitics of the different planets, moons and their diverse regions is exactly what I was looking for! It brings extra immersion and make the places more real. I have just joined and started a group at my local boarfgame club here in Norway, Im just a player and almost every Thorsday we play. I will use the experience to be a d.m for my siblings. Hope you will cover more locations from the region of Faerun and the rest of Abeir-Toril!

[@toufexisk]

A great break down! Fun and informative, thank you!!

[@arkdeniz]

I am currently in the early stages of a campaign loosely based on the ‘what if’ scenario of what happens in the Dark Lord’s lands after the Dark Lord has fallen. Prospectors, missionaries and adventurers abound. And this video contains lots of ideas for me. Thank you!

[@13579zod]

Just wanted to say great video. It’s definitely given me some ideas I could use when I run my mash up of Lost Mines and Icespire Peak. Not sure if you’re aware, Claugiyliamatar appears in Sleeping Dragons Wake. It’s a expansion adventure for the Essentials box. It’s the second module in a three part adventure. I haven’t had a chance to run it yet but I’ve heard good things.

[@derekstein6193]

What a coincidence that you should be covering this topic. I ran my players through Dragon of Icespire Peak, and now they are in the middle of the Lost Mine of Phandelver (but with necessary difficulty boosts). Side note: Thundertree is an abandoned town, not a lumber camp. The camp is further east, within the Neverwinter Wood.

[@ttiagoox]

I absolutely loved this, i already had set up a bunch of charater driven plothooks for next campaigns once the players finish the content of Lmop but the intrigue and powervacums can certainly make for some really cool interactions and callbacks i hadnt considered before.

[@jacobklunder8552]

I would LOVE to see you do some geopolitical analysis of parts of the Old World, especially The Empire, from Warhammer Fantasy.

[@smilemore7431]

In the map of phandeln from the ice fire peak it shows a small stream running next to the town.

[@Jeromy1986]

This is a phantastic assessment!

[@MH-hu5pi]

This video is fantastic. Now make one for each part in forgotten realms & Dragonlance

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

it will take a while, but that's the goal

[@alarin612]

This is always fun to think about. My Dragon of Icespire Peak ended with the heroes making a stronghold at the Savras temple. I wanted to keep going and make their stronghold a point of contention between Waterdeep and Neverwinter, the two cities both trying to make the heroes an ally against the other city.

[@alarin612]

... the Fortress at the old Savras temple is actually very well positioned. It's got Butter Skull ranch nearby for horses and food, Phandalin for ore and magic from the forge of spells, Triboar not too far away for trade and mutual defense, and Conyberry to rebuild. It made sense that this would make the greater powers in the region nervous.

[@mikecarson7769]

Thanks for sharing the informative review! I often become stuck when trying to comprehend the physical and cultural geography of the Forgotten Realms, even while knowing that it is a fantasy and not reality. Your video is very helpful in this regard. Otherwise, I become frustrated in trying to justify mentally why the coastal areas mostly are abandoned, the Trade Way generally is 10+ miles inland, and many of the inland towns are nowhere near major rivers or lakes.

[@tabletopbro]

Good god this video's fantastic. I can't stand the Sword Coast as a campaign setting and this made me want to run a game there and explore all of these possible issues. Well done sir!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Believe it or not, I usually am right there with you about the sword coast, but making this video actually made me want to run a dragon hunting campaign where my players tackle fighting off venomfang, cryovein, and caugillimauter, who are all mind controlled by an evil cleric from lielon

[@mikeb.1705]

I agree! Great example of how to set up area dynamics in your home game. ...or just start your next campaign with Phandelver!

[@TheDragonshunter]

​@@DungeonMasterpiece The dragon's greed alone would be enough, no need for evil clerics... After word of a lost mine rediscovering got Neverwinter investors moving. Those 3 dragons could be working together to keep the mountains riches for themselves.

[@JMtheGM]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Our campaign is escalating in exactly that direction. It is a merging of LMoP & DIP. Venomfang was driven away and into the forest by Cryovain, so HE is behind current depredations on the western Triboar Trail. The orcs, likewise are driven into the more eastern reaches and are raiding that end of the trail and gearing up for battle (the party is potting the two against one another). Cryovain is breeding draconian children and seeking to use the power of the mine personally, so keeping possession of it is a dangerous proposition. Then throw in factions from Neverwinter and Leilon (cultists there stirring up the dragon of Kryptgarden), and the whole thing is a powder keg. Great video!! More like this, please!

[@tyleremery7088]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Heck, you could even throw in some stuff from Stormwreck Isle. It's only a few miles off the coast of Neverwinter (not shown on the LMoP/DoIP maps but it would only be like a hex or two away).

[@DanSolo41]

For such a "starter kit" adventure, this one has proven to be a hotbed for adventure/quest/mercenary work. Some things would absolutely make sense to install. A military presence would absolutely make the area safer overall. Building a keep on one of the hexes between Phandalin and Leilon makes could be okay. A small keep, traveller inn, and trading post in one could be a stabilising presence, as well as provide jobs in the construction and staffing. It could also be a storehouse for ore (and other stuff) from Leilon and Phandelver, as well as anything coming from or going to Conyberry. How much wood they can have, will definitely be an issue to take up with the local druids. A portion of the ore mined could be kept for forging weapons, metal armour parts, horse shoes, wagon fastenings, as well as farming and cooking implements. The armed presence would naturally provide security for the road, and would justify maintenance of the road and the Triboar Trail. Who finances the keep, builds it, manages it, are points of political and economic interests, so there could be a lot of intrigue there. These things alone, along with the rebuilding the ruined locations, and many other issues, are already heaps of inspiration for adventure seeds. And since they're apparently expanding the adventure into a full campaign, this kind of further adventure prompts/seeds/ideas is rife for expansion.

[@anachronisticon]

Ore would not be exported to a large settlement with it's own extensive fuel needs (the size of settlements was previously closely related to the radius of efficient fuel transportation, only being freed from this consideration by seaborn transport of coal). Ore would be moved to the closest (accessible) forested area to be smelted. Thus solving the issue of forests harbouring bandits, as the old-growth forest is brought into orderly coppiced management. In this way, smaller quantities of finished metals would be exported from the hinterland, only needing to import negligible amounts of the rarer refractory clays required for efficient large-scale blast-furnaces.

[@anaximander66]

Great stuff! I tried this level of detail with a group new to rpgs (scary similar actually) but they didn't really appreciate the intricacies. They are starting to catch on though.

[@CODEFORTYTWO]

I'd love to see a breakdown like this for the moonshae isles, also really cool to see the use of midjourney art in this video

[@detectivelizard9532]

This is a great video. The only thing that's missing is a rough estimation on the population growth of Phandalin. Given that it's now a mining boom town after the events of the Lost Mine of Phandelver, I'd assume that there'd be thousands more inhabitants than what's originally in the beginning of the adventure within the next few years.

[@midshipman8654]

this is a really good overview of potential macro-scale relationships.

[@edwardheppenstall8690]

The way I'm running the dragon of icespire peak is that in response to the dragon the Lords alliance has sent a small garrison to occupy tresendar manor and train a local militia in phandalin. And the villagers are steadily warming up to sildar hallwinter due to him being a more effective leader than harbin wester. I'm also implementing that the newly reopened mines have prompted a boom of business and growth for the village so the ruined stone buildings are being steadily rebuilt and the town will grow throughout the campaign

[@kevinbaird6705]

I'd be interested in your take on the Gold Dwarves of Faerun and the Great Rift.

[@mynos]

This is gonna be a huge help! Thanks for such useful topic! Currently have a table doing a fair bit of this. They went WAAAAAAY off script about 3/4 thru LMoP. The end of last session they stumbled upon a Crossing into the Feywild (the table very much deserved some time dedicated to their characters' backstory arcs so we're doing that for few/several sessions) but when they return, regardless of success/failure/completion, due to the malleability of time wrt Feywild & Prime Material Plane, I decided that 2 years will have passed. Based on how 5e suggests these two planes related to each other, I had already decided that since my version of Neverwinter has 5 factions. The feywild will also have 5 factions. And the choices the party made influencing the balance of power in one the Feywild will have a corresponding impact on the corresponding faction back in Neverwinter. And these consequences will be carried to some sort of logical conclusion. (Oh, full credit to the Dungeon Dudes, because w/o their faction video I'd have been improving the last 10 sessions) So when the party returns to the Prime Material Plane, if things went Full Hamlet, it's entirely possible The Black Spider will have successfully accessed the Lost Mine. The Red Wizards of Thay will have usurped power at Neverwinter Academy. The Harpers will have been largely forced out of the city. And Lord Neverember will have been deposed in favor of some other outside faction less concerned with the well being of the population. The first of the dominoes being the party not getting around to saving Rockseeker. And just before the actual players start throwing rocks at me, the adventurers will be discreetly contacted by an emissary of the Lords' Alliance, who are seeking a potential independent strike force who are their last hope to stave off a regional war. There are of course about MANY other combos of circumstances more likely than the one above, but when I started the "What if X went badly?" thought process, imagining the specific scenario became addictive. But whichever scenario ends up occurring, this video is gonna help me keep everyone immersed, because there will be more logical consistency to things than I could have created w/o the ideas expressed here.

[@calebchristensen900]

Upon further study into creating a “Phandelver Kingmaker” style campaign the region should have anywhere between 10-15 settlements anywhere from hamlets to a moderate sized town. I’d surmise the region should have a rough population of 10k-16k: depending on how developed towns are, and if you wish to include locations like the Tower of Storms, Helms Hold, Wyvern Tor, and Old Owl Well as potential settlements.

[@genghiskhan6809]

And that’s even to mention the threats from the underdark such as drow from LMoP and other possible threats such as duergar and mindflayers.

[@Mr_Putts]

Awesome analysis.

[@kgoblin5084]

Something to keep in mind with the whole geopolitics angle is that it's a fantasy world, which can expand the number of factors... Eg a teleportation circle is MUCH more disruptive than a telegraph line, and basically gives Neverwinter the potential to outright control phandelin in a way that just wasn't possible with IRL historical analogs. By the same token, phandelin also has potential access to other forms of food beyond the nearby subsistence farming... Fungus farms in the under dark mean a higher potential production of food per square mile than would exist in reality, or they could just hire wizards to continually cast create food spells and pay them in raw ore.

[@TheFirstTriplefife]

I just got done running the mines of Phandelver module for a couple friends. We had a good time, but there was so little info on the surrounding towns and cities that they have access to. I know I'll have to look the information up online at some point, its just frustrating that there is no real support from Wizards.

[@andrewshandle]

Great video as always. This video highlights some of the major flaws in Faerun, and the Sword Coast in particular. Greenwood started creating FR when he was 8 years old, and so it's pretty clear he didn't really understand what made up a "real" world, the lack of waterways (either natural or man-made canals) in the area are a great example of that. I'd be curious based on the location of the Sword Mountains where a natural river would emerge (north, south or both sides) and would the Triboar Road be replaced (or be accompanied) by a Canal. I lived in England for a bit and canals were everywhere in the countryside and you'd think economic powerhouses like Waterdeep and Neverwinter would have the same.

[@throwabrick]

In the LMoP, Phandalin has only been inhabited for a few years, at most a decade. There is no way anybody would have dug a canal to access what is barely more than a hamlet. But your point about the lack of rivers coming off the mountains is something to consider. You would expect a lot of rivers running East to West along the whole coast.

[@andrewshandle]

@@throwabrick I should have been more clear, I was thinking more of a canal to Triboar along the Triboar Road, not to Phandalin specifically.

[@jgr7487]

if shit hits the fan, Cregmaw's hideout can become a small fort & evolve into a village, as it's at the crossroads between th High Road & the one that leads to Phandalin & Conyberry.

[@OldOneTooth]

worth remembering the gilded eye out of helm's hold can expand their control to teh lucrative holy weapon mines of cold iron

[@johncounts2182]

* subsistence keep up the good work, I like your analyses on geopolitics; you're enabling a lot of more grounded and realistic world building

[@tony4028]

So interesting take that my players tried and allowed fun: After completing the adventure and gaining their 10% of the mine, they slowly saved up their wealth from various other adventures and bought out the other shareholders from Neverwinter piece by piece. During those adventures (Dragon of icespire peak- Divine contention ) they also gained influence in Leolin, eventually being elected into government and further developing fishing and sea trade, and brokered a trade deal with the gnomes of Gnomengarde selling raw materials from the mine in return for finished products as well as closely working with the party's artificer to devise new arcane and mundane technologies. Over the course of 5 years in game and many adventures later they are now "The Council of Give" ( formerly " The Phandelin Five) and have grown Phandelin and Leolin into small cities with farming counties in the grasslands between, set up a few new small towns to act as physical and political buffers to the surrounding areas, and take over/ reestablished fortifications in many of the old forts and holds. The crafty bunch even managed to successfully negotiate treaties with surrounding druid populations to further cement their boarders and now have allies on almost all sides that also aid in food production. The nat 20s on that conference was crazy. And now, 5 years later, control a significant portion of the Sword coast interior, control access along a significant portion of Triboar trail (having paved the spur road now called Phandelin road), and are now trying to broker a treaty with Neverwinter that will, if accepted, unite all this land under their new empire: The empire of Kalavandria. Gotta say, although it ended up being way more political than I ever thought it would be, and I probably let them roll persuasion more times than I "should've, we've had a blast slowly building this empire, and now I kinda hope they pull it off. At this point it's up to the dice at the next big treaty conference.

[@T1M1FY]

My party completed Lost Mines and we are currently playing Icepire Peak as a sequel. It’s a bummer that Icespire doesn’t use the events of Lost Mine as a starting point.

[@nickr1818]

I'll echo the appreciation for more grounded threats in a fantasy setting. Though I do wonder what this same level of thinking would result in when applied to the Spelljammer setting. What happens when you factor in spelljamming speeds or the nature of the Astral plane?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Spelljammer astropolitics is coming up soon!

[@mmardh799]

very interesting, thank you!

[@Dreamfox-df6bg]

Not knowing the details I'd say that Cragmaw Castle sounds like one of those places ripe to be taken over by the players after the adventure. It wouldn't be easy of course (where would be the fun of that), but from protecting Phandalin from whatever is still in the woods to supplying the villages and towns with lumber and meat

[@Thelegend27891]

There’s a small creek near phandalin, not sure if food would be the biggest problem for them, plus they have 3 wells of water… tons of water underneath them, food won’t be a problem

[@CptPanda29]

My players moved Venomfang to Cragmaw Castle. Combined with the Zhentarim agent taking over as Townmaster of Phandalin they enter a deal where Zhentarim wagons and mercenaries can move along the Triboar Trail no problem, while everything else is fair game for the remaining Goblinoids under new management - all while the former Redbrands have been reformed into Phandalin's Militia funded by the Zhentarim also. It's all very orderly but when the Forge of Spells is up and running there's a very big customer just waiting.

[@christianszychoski7149]

Is there any book you would recommend to learn more about the concept behind this series, I would love to learn more about how different geographical terrain can determine the politics of an area?

[@kirkmcmanus8716]

Love your content keep it coming

[@flumpet38]

Great video!

[@vincentcleaver1925]

Keying up the Wild West angle, why aren't there ranchers raising and driving cattle up to phandelver or down to Neverwinter?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Good question!

[@benweinberg3819]

I think just on the other other side pf the sword mountains, the dessarin valley is a big livestock region with Triboar as a popular stop for wagoneers

[@Brian_Rogers]

My players managed to convince Venomfang to take up residence in Cragmaw Castle. There could've been interesting consequences stemming from that but we didn't continue that campaign beyond the end of Lost Mine. For what its worth there is a more fleshed out Phandalin campaign book coming next year, though if it's of similar quality to the Spelljammer release you might want to just keep making your own stuff up.

[@EricVulgaris]

"well patrolled" is just code for heavily taxed. Pacifying the triboar to connect to the high road likely costs them more than the odd robbery.

[@Chardansearavitriol]

I would like to mention, Lord Neverember has a lot of covert motives since his exile from Waterdeep. He likely exerts a lot of pressure on Phandelin. Also, Leilon may be dangerous, with Dragon Cultist etc., and a black dragon has maurauded in the Mere of Dead Men to the South, making travel to Waterdeep along the High Road nigh inpossible.

[@kevindaniel1337]

Please more DnD Geopolitics. Video Series idea if you ever need more content: Have people submit their homebrew worlds, and you analyze the geopolitics with no context beyond what's on the map.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I think i might do this on live streams

[@kevindaniel1337]

@@DungeonMasterpiece I'd watch the shit out of that.

[@geoDB.]

I saw the Pathfinder:Kingmaker art and thought OwlCat / DeepSilver sponsored you for the release of the next DLC of Pathfinder WOTR tomorrow. Naive of me, obviously you would have made a video on Golarion if that was the case.

[@geoDB.]

TheReportOfTheWeek for DnD

[@Robisme]

Whoooohooo, more geopolitics in Faerun. They really do need to update these maps. There must be smaller streams in this area. This dry strip of land is in between two forests? And the northern forest has a major river going through it?

[@JayJayFlip]

I would note the lord's Allegiance is also a factor here in being a law enforcement faction that ties the communities together. The lord's Allegiance was founded by Adventures but alot of the key members are also of the ruling class and enforce law in the territories of the sword coast. This means that phandalin is not as autonomous as they would surely prefer to be no matter how self governing they are they rely on the common law being upheld by a separate faction but also will be a factor in stopping mining disputes. I also believe the town is under the regional control of Neverwinter in the first place.

[@rainey82]

My players left the Rockseeker Brothers well established to activate the Wave Echo mines and potentially repair the forge. I hope that by the end of Rise of Tiamat, I will have Phandalin transformed into a place for finished magical goods in addition to raw ore processing.

[@TheLastSoundNL]

How I would handle the agriculture needs is taking a look at Icespire Peak. The fact that there is no river flowing from there at all in any direction is curious. This dragon or frost giants probably magically kept the region cold meaning no water down from the glaciers. With that gone there is potential for the river to form down the slope of the mountain range. Or pumping up water from an undergroundriver. This could lead to flooding first as there is no riverbed. To solve there could be the construction of a cannal and irregation.

[@JakePyre]

Another angle to consider is that almost any mine can reach the Underdark if the miners go deep enough or are just careless with where they tunnel. Run-ins and mining disputes with Deep Gnomes and Duergar would not be out of the question.

[@keithvanboskirk7327]

have you submitted any of this for the upcoming Phandalin campaign book yet. Maybe Rangers from Triboar can establish safe trading route that direction.

[@TheTYMONGER]

My first thought was when I saw the distance before you got too far into the video. I would build a chain of forts about day travel apart to keep the law.

[@AzraelThanatos]

I kind of wonder how well this is going to age considering that Phandalin is going to be the next campaign book...

[@kaedrys]

Wouldn’t the Sword mountains produce rivers from snow and drainage? Icespire Peak is called, well, ICEspire Peak after all :P I hadn’t thought of that problem until now but I think a river is easy to add based on geography alone.

[@10urion]

I find the lack of ports other than Neverwinter disturbing. A port town just west of Leilon would rake in so much money and make transport so much more efficient in combination with building a more direct road from the port to Leilon to Phandalin even with the mentioned tension between the different parties.

[@DrTenochtitlan]

Leilon is *technically* a port, though the map doesn't show it very well. They have some really poor docks, and though it is hazardous, they can transport goods to the coast along the edge of the Mere of the Dead Men, which is a swamp.

[@10urion]

@@DrTenochtitlan And boom, questhook by establishing a "security" and shipping company and yes, that Leilon is supposed to be a port is not readable on that map at all

[@DrTenochtitlan]

Another reason why there aren't many ports is that a good portion of the coastline is lined with rocks and cliffs. There just aren't that many good natural ports to be found. In this respect, it's a bit like the coastline of Italy, which does have ports, but many of them are not very good ports, and the great ones are few and far between.

[@10urion]

Yeah, but you could still have a big ship anchor a little off the coast and bring the goods via smaller vessels. Loads of work but not unheard of. Also, thank you for giving those details and making me understand it a little more as I am not wellversed with the DnD worlds at all