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I'm running a 5th Edition D&D campaign and one of the players asked to be an Asura from Guild Wars 2. By talking it through with the player, we decided to use the Tinker Gnome racial characteristics, with a couple of small tweaks. So far, so good.

At some point in the campaign, the Asura will be returning to its home plane. I'm not a Guild Wars 2 player, so I need to collect some information regarding Guild Wars 2. However, I'm looking for setting information specific to RPGs (monsters, cities, etc.), rather than any game guidance or tips.

Would a question about where to find this information be on topic?

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    \$\begingroup\$ You will most likely get better answers over at Arqade, which is the video game SE, the reason being that it is likely more frequented by people knowing GW2. \$\endgroup\$
    – MrLemon
    Apr 16, 2015 at 14:32
  • \$\begingroup\$ I don't understand this part: "I need to collect some information regarding Guild Wars 2. However, I'm looking for setting information specific to RPGs (monsters, cities, etc.)". How can a non-RPG setting have RPG setting material? \$\endgroup\$ Apr 16, 2015 at 14:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ They mean that they are looking for setting (Guild Wars) specific information about monsters and cities and how it could be applied to a dnd 5e game I think rather than guidance on how to play the actual computer game \$\endgroup\$
    – Wibbs
    Apr 16, 2015 at 14:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ @wibbs essentially if they are asking how to port X from GW2 into D&D they need to research what X's story and core identifying traits and then use those small nuggets to ask a mechanically oriented question here. Then we can be like, oh use these rules from the DMG and borrow Z mechanic from creature Y and X mechanic from creature Q and itll probably be CR-something. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 16, 2015 at 14:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ Related, possible duplicate: Are campaign research questions on topic, part two? \$\endgroup\$ Apr 16, 2015 at 16:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SevenSidedDie re: your first question, play Dominions. Some non-RPG settings have lots of RPG-specific setting material. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 6:03
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    \$\begingroup\$ @thedarkwanderer Every fictional setting contains material that could be used in an RPG. That doesn't make those settings topical here though; if it did, that would be a significant leap of site scope creep. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 7:05
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SevenSidedDie I'm referring to RPG-specific setting details, like NPC stats for an existing rpg system (and racial modifiers, etc). But this is irrelevant here, GW2 doesn't have RPG-specific setting details. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 14:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ That would still include everything from Skyrim to Minecraft to Pokémon—much too broad and outside of the realm of RPGs to be in our bailiwick. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 22, 2015 at 6:29

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No

We can answer questions on offically published RPG settings because they are RPG materials but questions about settings completely beholden to other media are off-topic simply because the experts for those settings will exist on other SEs. Your example would be best served by Arqade because your actual question (story and setting issues in a GW2's world) is about something on topic there. Another example might be me wanting to run a version of Stargate in D&D 5e. If I had a question about how the various factions interact in the story of that setting Sci-fi & Fantasy could answer it, but not RPG.SE.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Note that being off-topic doesn't require the existence of other SEs with the right experts. Some things are off-topic regardless of whether there is a home for it on SE. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 16, 2015 at 16:17
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    \$\begingroup\$ @SevenSidedDie Totally agree, Im just saying the VTC, this belongs on another SE site reason would 100 percent apply here. Beyond though yes, its off-topic as well simply because its outside our scope. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 16, 2015 at 16:42
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    \$\begingroup\$ Note that once you have some setting material "how can I model the relationship between the Romulans and the Vulcans in X system?" may well be on topic. It's just the research part here that's specifically off topic (though it's okay if it's just background knowledge required by an otherwise good on topic question). \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 6:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ @thedarkwanderer Couldn't disagree more. Your example is still a worldbuilding, content request that would still be primarily-opinion based. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 11:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ @JoshuaAslanSmith rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/7960/… rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/29282/… rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/29095/… Community seems to have a pretty clear consensus here. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 14:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ yeah those have a granularity that actually means a mechanical good subjective vs bad subjective is possible. Your example does not have that. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 21, 2015 at 15:11
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    \$\begingroup\$ @JoshuaAslanSmith Those examples have granularity because there are paragraphs of text accompanying the question. Add a bunch of extra information, and "How can I model the relationship between the Romulans and Vulcans in X system" may well be on topic. \$\endgroup\$
    – DCShannon
    Apr 21, 2015 at 22:06
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    \$\begingroup\$ On a totally pedantic note, asking about setting running Stargate in 5e... can be worded in a way as to make it on-topic if it also includes porting the official game from 3e too... kinda...maybe. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tritium21
    Apr 22, 2015 at 1:27

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