Is Coffee IC? Yes.

[Dr. B]

I find coffee very immersion breaking.

I have two observations:

1. Coffee is mentioned in the opening chapter of the Hobbit (An Unexpected Party), and Tolkien's legendarium is often regarded as the locus classicus of the modern high-fantasy genre.

2. Coffee already exists in the Forgotten Realms, anyway:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kaeth

[DarkDreamer]

Perhaps they just need a name change to Kaeth.

[One Two Three Five]

The first problem is the assumption that forgotten realms, a setting with space travel and robots, takes place pre-coffee, and entirely in the parts of Europe that were too busy giving themselves the plague to learn math

On the upside, I'm now totally immersed in like seven different tabs about coffee
Edit: That said, I remember seeing something about how if there was to be discussions on suggestions, there'd be comments allowed on suggestions so maybe lock

[Cortex]

can we have cola

[One Two Three Five]

We currently do have cola! Granted, it's gnomish fire-breath cola but same idea.

[Seven Sons of Sin]

Coffee existed in Europe in the 1500s, post Siege of Vienna, when Holy Roman Empire soldiers found sacks of it left by Ottoman forces. The first coffee shop in Europe opened up in Vienna circa 1550.

We can only thus assume that coffee existed in the Near East well before 1550. And Faerun isn't an European analogue entirely, nor is it a medieval analogue. I always argue anything pre-World War 1 is probably far game in Arelith. I guess cola fits inside of that, but it's still a little strange.

However, and we've only alluded to this in other threads, and 12345 has discussed about the "3.0-ness of FR", but it's going to become only more and more difficult to maintain the cultural norms of Arelith in its 1353 AR setting. You really have to dig for this information.

Anyways. Coffee is fine. Tea is fine. Cola is fine. I'd never call it "soda" or "pop" because those are post-WW1 sayings, and I think that's skirting the line a bit.

[Durvayas]

Some people think coffee is not IC, and I'd agree... if Amn wasn't literally FR portugal, and hadn't conquered Maztica, which is basically the FR aztecs, which have coffee. I have greater issue with the idea that the coffee that is sold on the module being from Baldur's Gate, than I do that coffee exists.

I do think tea should help the rest meter though, since it also has caffiene.

[yellowcateyes]

if Amn wasn't literally FR portugal, and hadn't conquered Maztica, which is basically the FR aztecs, which have coffee.

You're likely thinking of chocolate. Coffee was first cultivated in Ethiopia and was disseminated through the Islamic world.

Either way though, the OP's sources do note that coffee's an established part of the FR setting. Coffee houses are popular in Athkatla, Waterdeep and Calimport, which are the most influential cities in the region.

[PinataPlethora]

We currently do have cola! Granted, it's gnomish fire-breath cola but same idea.

So, it's Four Loko.

[Kreindis]

There is an item sold by the Fool's Clover called Moonshae Soda.

[Durvayas]

if Amn wasn't literally FR portugal, and hadn't conquered Maztica, which is basically the FR aztecs, which have coffee.

You're likely thinking of chocolate. Coffee was first cultivated in Ethiopia and was disseminated through the Islamic world.

I... Hmm. It seems I am thinking of chocolate. Whoops. I stand corrected.

[Black Wendigo]

DM fiat says there can be coffee in Arelith, even if it were true that it doesn't exist in FR,

[Ork]

People that get hung up on this probably get hung up on a lot more than coffee.

[Huelander]

Amn already has a colony in Maztica called Helmsport. So if cocoa is only available on the setting's version of the Americas, then Cordor is literally one of the most reasonable places to find it. Being an Amnian protectorate between the Swordcoast and Maztica.

And yes, Zakharans would have been drinking coffee for a while now. And given the close proximity of Luiren to Zakhara, the halfling species would be rather Familiar with it, along with the Durpari, Halruaans and everyone along the southern coast between Chult and Zakhara.

All in all; Faerun is not in the dark ages.

[Twily]

I was going to leave the Forum's general response to the coffee suggestion I made untouched, but this thread is one post too far.

-Dr. B
If you read the edit to my post made well before you started this thread, You would see my stance changed.
DM Sollers informed me coffee is a part of the FR setting and so I changed my stance.

I don't see why a thread about a suggestion(something that is supposed to be avoided to begin with as OneTwoThreeFive said), is needed to argue that coffee is appropriate to the setting when no one is claiming otherwise.

All this thread achieves is forming a lynch mob of "You're wrong", when I already admitted to that point before this was made.
Edit: Made smaller in response to Dr. Bs reply




To everyone else who has thought it appropriate to post troll suggestions in reply to mine, or make posts such as Ork's:
I am entitled to my opinion just as you are entitled to yours. Please respect my opinion just as I would yours.

Making troll suggestions or posting things such as "Wow, you must get hung up on a lot of things"(albeit written in the passive) is not okay.
It's entirely unconstructive and achieves nothing other than to attack the creator of a post.
PS: I'm not saying every suggestion in response to mine was trolling, but there was certainly at least one.

[Dr. B]

Oh, I didn't see your change. Sorry.

[RedGiant]

This totally opens the door to an evil coffee trading conglomerate operating from one of these port cities. It will sell overpriced, exotic coffees spiked with addictive substances such as guaji and it will be farmed from near slave labor in functional economic colonies . While the organization is really a front for the Church of Umberlee (as alluded to in their logo...an only slightly sinister looking mermaid figure,) the front company maintains a sterling reputation in the urban centers it serves through a facade of social responsibility donating token amounts to charities presently popular amongst the urban intelligencia.

Anyone think of a good name for my totally original idea?

[Cortex]

danged trolls

[RedGiant]

danged trolls

While catchy, I actually don't think that works for my proposed organization.

I'm thinking "star"...because even the umberlean ships use them to navigate the high seas... Star - something.

Maybe second word "lux"? This is clearly to position the brand as an everyman's luxury.

[Freyason]

Good idea RedGiant. They should also have at least 5 locations just in mercantile building, 2 of them being side by side.

[RedGiant]

You SEE my vision!!! Okay, time to take this to the build thread. We need a Max appraise build who is rogue based, because...you know...in essence we will be thieves.

[Opustus]

My main gripe with coffee is that it's a diuretic. Any toddler knows coffee DEHYDRATES the body. Sheesh.

[Ork]

Had no idea that was your suggestion, Twily. I responded specifically to the above pretext that did not include your name. All the same, all opinions aren't equal and not everyone's opinion is necessarily valid or above ridicule. If you're getting hung up on coffee being immersion breaking, you should re-examine the setting, the game, and your own involvement in it.

[The_Queen~s_Rebuke]

Here is a canon supplement to the Forgotten Realms called Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. Coffee is not only known about, it is widely sold across the lands.

[The Salt Elemental]

Arelith is it's own setting. It's based on forgotten realms, but it has cannon lore specifically to Arelith. So even if coffee wasn't around during the 'time period' that Arelith is set in, it still is possible to have it in Arelith cannon lore.

Furthermore, forgotten realms doesn't base exact details off of history or times. Forgotten realms also has weird gnomish stuff that resemble modern technology and Halruaa has airships. Sooo, I think it's safe to say that coffee is ic.