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Post-apocalyptic fantasy: Avoiding cliche.
- Thread starter Ringan
- Start date
First, determine the difference between a cliche and a trope.
As soon as you've specified a sub-genre (like "post-apocalyptic fantasy"), you've bought in to a stack of audience expectations about what's in that book, and just because you think they are cliche doesn't mean you can avoid them - avoid the audience expectations enough, and you're not really even in the genre anymore, and the audience is annoyed at being sold something they didn't get.
I submit that cliche is largely an issue of presentation. Pick any "cliche" element - you'll find one author who handles it in a cliche manner, and another who handles it such that it doesn't feel like a cliche at all.
As soon as you've specified a sub-genre (like "post-apocalyptic fantasy"), you've bought in to a stack of audience expectations about what's in that book, and just because you think they are cliche doesn't mean you can avoid them - avoid the audience expectations enough, and you're not really even in the genre anymore, and the audience is annoyed at being sold something they didn't get.
I submit that cliche is largely an issue of presentation. Pick any "cliche" element - you'll find one author who handles it in a cliche manner, and another who handles it such that it doesn't feel like a cliche at all.
Razjah
Explorer
What caused you apocalypse? I'm growing tired of things like angels vs demons with earth as the battleground. Sure humanity (demi-humanity?) need to pick up the pieces and you have people trying to help rebuild and others just robbing to get by. You pretty much always have the re-builders vs the looters in apocalyptia, but I think the cause of the apocalypse can lead to a lot of interesting things in the setting.
If giant war machines caused untold devastation- are there parts to be scavenged, weapons to be looted, remnants of the armies?
If the gods grew tired of the mortals and sought to punish them- do some still have faith? Can the world be restored? Are priests driven from towns?
If dragons burned the world- do people worship them? Are there places with deals to protect a town as long as a tribute is paid? Do the dragons fight each other?
If giant war machines caused untold devastation- are there parts to be scavenged, weapons to be looted, remnants of the armies?
If the gods grew tired of the mortals and sought to punish them- do some still have faith? Can the world be restored? Are priests driven from towns?
If dragons burned the world- do people worship them? Are there places with deals to protect a town as long as a tribute is paid? Do the dragons fight each other?
Ringan
Explorer
Good point. I am leaning towards a megavolcano along the lines of Earth's Toba. This will result in drastic environmental changes - thickening atmosphere, cooling - which in turn will greatly hinder agriculture and any ensuing rebuilding efforts. Your point on re-builders vs. looters is also well-noted; I intend for that conflict to play a significant role.
Razjah
Explorer
1) That is sweet!
2)A few ideas:
-hotsprings as 'points of light'
-abandoned magma-tech stuff
-loss of literacy as books and scrolls were too heavy to carry and were left behind as the races fled towards the equator (or wherever is warmest)
-if you wanted the plane to power magic via leylines, you could have fire magic use lower caster levels or not have as high spells to reflect the loss of so much fire magic (ie. if this was E6 which caps at 3rd level spells, fire magic never gets past 2nd)
-cold magic could get a boost or many fire spells get reflavored- flaming sphere becomes chilling sphere, fireball is cryoball or something better
-digging to where is is warmer, the dwarves or whatever "miner race" may have found geothermal energy and dug deep to stay warmer.
-ash storms hinder breathing, visibility, flight of animals, and even movement on the ground with winds and increasing amount of ash on the ground
-if it stays cold enough for enough time you have sea levels drop, glaciers form, woolly mammoths (what party doesn't want to hunt one and have "woolly mammoth hide armor"
2)A few ideas:
-hotsprings as 'points of light'
-abandoned magma-tech stuff
-loss of literacy as books and scrolls were too heavy to carry and were left behind as the races fled towards the equator (or wherever is warmest)
-if you wanted the plane to power magic via leylines, you could have fire magic use lower caster levels or not have as high spells to reflect the loss of so much fire magic (ie. if this was E6 which caps at 3rd level spells, fire magic never gets past 2nd)
-cold magic could get a boost or many fire spells get reflavored- flaming sphere becomes chilling sphere, fireball is cryoball or something better
-digging to where is is warmer, the dwarves or whatever "miner race" may have found geothermal energy and dug deep to stay warmer.
-ash storms hinder breathing, visibility, flight of animals, and even movement on the ground with winds and increasing amount of ash on the ground
-if it stays cold enough for enough time you have sea levels drop, glaciers form, woolly mammoths (what party doesn't want to hunt one and have "woolly mammoth hide armor"
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
The first thing I think is to determine where the 'fantasy' part of your world comes from. A world where magic and monster predate the apocalypse is different to one where magic transforms a mundane world. part of this also involves issues to do with Tech levels pre and post 'Event'.
things that have gone to cliche levels though would be Crazy Survivalist, Biker Warlords and the lost Tech arms race. Also avoid any similarity to the Australian outback.
things that have gone to cliche levels though would be Crazy Survivalist, Biker Warlords and the lost Tech arms race. Also avoid any similarity to the Australian outback.
- First create your world, build it up as if you were going to play in it. This lets you and the players have a feeling of what has now become myth. It also helps you with your current game.
- Think about all the events and pick an one or two: Loss of magic, a great flood, a mini ice age, portal to another plane, just the colapse of the one nation that held everything together, zombies, vampires, mind-flayers, bad guy with a death ray, oh my, etc.
- Look at the world you created and now apply the event to it. Target where the event takes place and how it will ripple out.
- Do a lot of "what if".
- Apply time, how long ago was the event.
You now have your setting.
Ringan
Explorer
Thanks all for your suggestions. Definitely helping me channel things. I will avoid any Mad Max resemblances for sure.
Razjah - you are really kindling my creativity here. Loving these ideas, dwelling into the implications and consequences of the volcano. I am thinking of doing an exclusively underground-dwelling dwarven race influenced by the Norse myths, one that is alien, distinctly not-human. Ice ages & ash storms are musts.
Razjah - you are really kindling my creativity here. Loving these ideas, dwelling into the implications and consequences of the volcano. I am thinking of doing an exclusively underground-dwelling dwarven race influenced by the Norse myths, one that is alien, distinctly not-human. Ice ages & ash storms are musts.
Razjah
Explorer
No problem, I think the setting idea is really cool. Plus, I don't need to figure out how to make them work!
If you have dragons, you may want to consider what happens why they go into a hibernation from the cold weather. Perhaps they become a lot more lethargic, and raid less. Brave, and a little crazy, treasure hunters may go after a dragon's treasure troves in hopes of making one big score.
How far after the apocalypse is the game? If people are still running, for a safe place, then ignore my comment about dragons.
You will have a massive population drop. If you don't it was a pretty poor apocalypse. I would cut down on the types of monsters to help illustrate the bottleneck. Also consider having "elephant graveyards" for other creatures. A place filled with bones and dead rust monsters or chimeras would be pretty cool.
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