i dnt realy understand why you are so upset about the renaissance aestheitc.
it appeas to mirror FR pretty well.
note that FR is a kitchen sink setting and that the level of aesthetic and technology vary greatly based on wehre you are in it.
Rashemen was always based on the Kievan rus and thus it mirrors that ancient vikings and slavic aesthetic.
Baldurs gate was always a bit odd in that.
I guess a lot of people assumed an early middle ages level of technology and fashion.
Quite frankly, thats more Greyhawk than Forgotten Realms.
Now, id actually find it refreshing to go full Dark Ages again with DND, but the current Art just doesnt look that way, and it hasnt since ADnD
Not particularly upset; it's a personal preference arising from playing DnD ( including Greyhawk & Blackmoor ) in the 1970s. I have no problem with other systems addressing other settings, but DnD to me has always meant classic swords & sorcery in a pre-handgun world.
FR is heavily reliant on real-world historical, geographic and cultural parallels ( as are many other settings ) for their sense of familiarity and ease of assimilation for the player. That doesn't mean I will like how they choose to develop it, if it goes against my sense of what DnD means ( which is definitely not clothing elements from 1600CE ).
Astarion would be a particular problem as he has no other redeeming features, in my eyes. As it seems I can discard or kill him, that problem is solved.
