I'm putting the finishing touches on my Sindbad game at GenCon, and I had a couple of questions I was hoping the Swami of Sindbad (meaning Ian) or someone else could help me answer.

1. What was a port on the Indian Ocean during the time of Sindbad that Obi-wan Kenobi would say "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" about?

2. Who would be the leader (as in day-to-day) of said hive?

ruckusmanager wrote:
I'm putting the finishing touches on my Sindbad game at GenCon, and I had a couple of questions I was hoping the Swami of Sindbad (meaning Ian) or someone else could help me answer.

1. What was a port on the Indian Ocean during the time of Sindbad that Obi-wan Kenobi would say "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" about?

Hmm. There is nothing that quite answers that description. No Port Royal.

I've started games in Basrah in Iraq, in Mukalla in southern Yemen (but it's a tiny place), and Khasabon the Musandam Peninsula in the Emirates (again, tiny, but definitely a backwater). I'd say run with Khasab. It's located perfectly for smuggling and piracy.

2. Who would be the leader (as in day-to-day) of said hive?

Complete guess--I think there'd be an amir running the place. Corrupt, of course.

Of course, you could always make up a secret "Pirates' Island" (And yes, I know you didn't say pirate.)

Is there a city or town in ancient Sindbad-land that you could turn into a reasonable pun of Mos Eisley?

Mos Islamabad? (which is no where near the sea, I know...)

Khasab/Khumzar seems to fit my needs perfectly. The obscure language thing (The writing on this ring seems to be Khumzari, you'll need to go to Khasab for further investigation) makes for a perfect plot hook.

I also like how the residents there have to abandon their houses in Khumzar from May to September because it's too hot (and then live in second houses in Khasab). Also, how even now they are known as a smuggler's haven (currently smuggling products into Iran). It's nice to see how some things never change over hundreds of years!

Or you could do Karachi.