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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 6:23AM
#161
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Pfft, Frodo was a whinger and lame. Bilbo was quite a good adventuring halfling thief, but my favourites are Pippin and Meriadoc. Those guys had bags of class.
I personally like Gully Dwarves, but I don't want to see Warforged, Dragonborn, or Tieflings shoehorned into my fantasy setting, particularly the Forgotton Realms. There is certainly a place for those races, but they definitely put a spin on traditional fantasy, that people may or may not like. Tieflings for example would be great in a Planes adventure, Warforged are very very Eberron, and various kinds of dragonny humanoids have show up all over the place in fantasy history.
Not a fan of tieflings, deva(aasimar) and dragonborn in the Forgotten Realms either. But I think its one of those things that can be easily removed or simply made rarer. You can express that in your Realms, those races are extremely rare to the point of mythical and just don't allow your players to pick them. Certainly the breeding of dragons, demons and angels with humans should be a rare occurence in my opinion.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 12:44PM
#162
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Date Joined:
Feb 25, 2008
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Is this a joke? You DO realize that Tolkien is the one who revolutionized the genre? The fantasy we know today is because of Tolkien.
Seriously, show a little respect.
On the contrary, I like tolkien's vision because he understood that a world should have limits in order to have heroes. Today's vision of science-fantasy leaves little room for the 'little guy' to have any hope of making a difference. This is why my interest in the realms started to dwindle, because we could never live up to those epic level characters who are essentially gods.
I find putting too much fantasy in fantasy removes the 'human' aspect to a game. Players rely too much on rediculous races and not enough on PERSONALITY. If you want to be a brave and honourable dwarf, then be one! Your race should only dictacte your physical traits. The TRUE CHARACTER is what you make of it, what voice you portray, the clothes you wear, how you fight, your morals etc..
Calm down bro. Yes Tolkien was pretty much the founder of modern fantasy, so what? Thinks need to evolve especially tired old unrealistic cliches that have been stale sense the 70's. I don't need weird races, I don't even really want to see weird races, I'd be fine with the core four if they weren't such terribly racist stereotypes. All elves can't live in the forest, elves shouldn't feel superior to humans because of their long lives, they die just as easily from all the other ailments in the world.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 1:06PM
#163
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Date Joined:
Sep 11, 2008
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Thinks need to evolve especially tired old unrealistic cliches that have been stale sense the 70's.
haw... haw...
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 1:14PM
#164
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Date Joined:
Jun 20, 2012
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Is this a joke? You DO realize that Tolkien is the one who revolutionized the genre? The fantasy we know today is because of Tolkien.
Seriously, show a little respect.
On the contrary, I like tolkien's vision because he understood that a world should have limits in order to have heroes. Today's vision of science-fantasy leaves little room for the 'little guy' to have any hope of making a difference. This is why my interest in the realms started to dwindle, because we could never live up to those epic level characters who are essentially gods.
I find putting too much fantasy in fantasy removes the 'human' aspect to a game. Players rely too much on rediculous races and not enough on PERSONALITY. If you want to be a brave and honourable dwarf, then be one! Your race should only dictacte your physical traits. The TRUE CHARACTER is what you make of it, what voice you portray, the clothes you wear, how you fight, your morals etc..
Calm down bro. Yes Tolkien was pretty much the founder of modern fantasy, so what? Thinks need to evolve especially tired old unrealistic cliches that have been stale sense the 70's. I don't need weird races, I don't even really want to see weird races, I'd be fine with the core four if they weren't such terribly racist stereotypes. All elves can't live in the forest, elves shouldn't feel superior to humans because of their long lives, they die just as easily from all the other ailments in the world.
I think you are interpreting the percieved superiority of elves in the wrong way. Even older humans often look on the follies of the younger generation and having lived through those follies themselves, there is often a sense of bemusement at their young counterparts who have eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear and minds that do not fully comprehend.
The longevity is not a terrible racist stereotype. Also... to get the full scope of Tolkien's world, and the full scope of its variety, you might read the Silmarillion or even better, read Unfinished Tales. There are elven characters presented there that are more anti-hero than hero who are far from stereotypical.
..."window.parent.tinyMCE.get('post_content').onLoad.dispatch();" contenteditable="true" />Why can't all elves live in the forest?
A rogue with a bowl of slop can be a controller.
WIZARD PC: Can I substitute Celestial Roc Guano for my fireball spells?
DM: Awesome. Yes.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 1:19PM
#165
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Date Joined:
Jul 31, 2007
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Seriously, show a little respect.
Tolkien deserves respect as the "father" of high fantasy. That's it, though. It's bigger than him, now. Tolkien fantasy is a small subset of the genre. And, it's a subset of which a number of people are tiring.
On the contrary, I like tolkien's vision because he understood that a world should have limits in order to have heroes. Today's vision of science-fantasy leaves little room for the 'little guy' to have any hope of making a difference. This is why my interest in the realms started to dwindle, because we could never live up to those epic level characters who are essentially gods.
I believe the opposite. Since magic is the great equalizer, making the frail the equals of (or even superior to) the strong, making it more widely available would make for a more egalitarian society. But, that's also why I think magic should be more restricted, as the powerful will not want to share power with the unworthy. It's why wizards treat sorcerers and warlocks with animosity: they have not earned the right to wield such power.
I find putting too much fantasy in fantasy removes the 'human' aspect to a game. Players rely too much on rediculous races and not enough on PERSONALITY. If you want to be a brave and honourable dwarf, then be one! Your race should only dictacte your physical traits. The TRUE CHARACTER is what you make of it, what voice you portray, the clothes you wear, how you fight, your morals etc..
I'm sure you'd get many people to agree with this opinion. However, I think the definition of what would be a "ridiculous race" would vary widely from person to person. For me, dragonborn, tieflings, deva and changelings are perfectly acceptable as player characters. I do not accept kobolds, goblins, orcs or minotuars, though. They're what I consider "ridiculous races", fit only for serving as targets of the party's aggression.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 1:23PM
#166
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[
Is this a joke? You DO realize that Tolkien is the one who revolutionized the genre? The fantasy we know today is because of Tolkien.
Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile industry, but are we all riding around in Model Ts?
Another day, another three or four entries to my Ignore List.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 3:13PM
#167
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Date Joined:
Sep 11, 2008
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Fantasy was largely founded on racism and ignorance. Half remembered stories passed down in the oral tradition over hundreds of years. Tales of foreign people with strange ways and bizarre appearance. Poor descriptions of exotic animals became manticores and dragons. Children born with deformities and genetic defects where changelings left by the fairy-folk who had kidnapped the human baby. Disease was a magical curse.
I read a Conan story that recounted how East-Asian people were descendants of troglodyte humanoid reptiles who crossbred with humans.
The Star Trek crew scours the galaxy to find a paradoxical kind of diversity. Each race is extraordinarily homogeneous with each member being locked into a crude stereotype reflecting that race's culture. Their culture seems to be enforced on an instinctual level and they cannot escape their social drives even if raised among humans.
Other games have taken elves, dwarves, orcs and trolls to different places. I, personally, love lore of Shadowrun. This is D&D and the core of this game rests firmly in the tradition of Tolkien and the body of work that the Dungeons and Dragons name has inspired and amassed over the years. To ignore this would be to deny it's nature.
There is unlimited potential for new settings to work within this framework. Make a setting that you don't find tedious or bigoted.
Enjoy the core as either inspiration to draw from, or lodestone to guide you far, far away from it's heavily tread paths.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 3:43PM
#168
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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[
Is this a joke? You DO realize that Tolkien is the one who revolutionized the genre? The fantasy we know today is because of Tolkien.
Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile industry, but are we all riding around in Model Ts?
No, However many are riding around in Ford automobiles today aren't they?
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 3:54PM
#169
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...Thinks(sic) need to evolve especially tired old unrealistic cliches that have been stale sense the 70's.
I call into question the notion that there exists an absolute, imperative need to evolve. With what would you replace those tired old unrealistic cliches? Tired, slightly-less-old unrealistic cliches? "Stale?" One man's trash is another's treasure...
I'd be fine with the core four if they weren't such terribly racist stereotypes.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 18, 2012 - 7:19PM
#170
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Date Joined:
Jan 15, 2009
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Fantasy like all genres are ... built on trappings and tropes .... if you fail to include or follow them sufficiently your fiction will suffer a break with the genre, up to a point that can be refreshing and exciting. The degree of this is pretty darn subjective.
Oh and I love Tolkein in his own context but feel like every race similar to his ought to diverge in one or more fashion ie they ought to be have fresh elements..
So that I know I am not riding a model T just something related ;p (Love my Cougars and Mustangs).
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