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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
waxing philosophical on "low magic" versus "high fantasy"
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<blockquote data-quote="der_kluge" data-source="post: 1920759" data-attributes="member: 945"><p>I've been thinking about this topic lately. </p><p></p><p>In working on my campaign previously, I set out to make a "low magic" game. I also set out to make a realistic campaign, complete with knights and peasants, and nobility. </p><p></p><p>Then my sister was over at my place and she put in my Fantasia CD collection, and on the third collection (the collector's edition set) there is an image of a scene of a barge floating in the water in a swamp with these skyscraper-sized trees in the background - a very fantastical kind of place, that really inspired me.</p><p></p><p>So, it struck me, perhaps what I wasn't shooting for after all wasn't really "realistic" but something with some very fantastical elements. I came to the conclusion that when people yearn for "low magic"/"low fantasy" what they really seek is detail coupled with verisimilitude. The level of fantasy can be achieved completely autonomous from the level of magic or reality. I can still create a highly fantastical game that still is rich in detail and verisimilitude and garner the same results that I ultimately want to achieve.</p><p></p><p>This attitude shift has forced me to re-evaluate my campaign world on the whole. I *want* castles in the clouds, and I *want* dark, dreery swamps with sky-scraper tall trees, and cities beneath the water, and dungeons, and all the other weird and wonderful things about the world that I can dream up. I think what makes an interesting world for me is to explain them, and create them with detail, and history, and believability. I no longer see this as mutually exclusive of the magic level, and previously I had felt like they were tied.</p><p></p><p>Anyone else come to the same conclusion? Am I making any sense? Anyone disagree?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="der_kluge, post: 1920759, member: 945"] I've been thinking about this topic lately. In working on my campaign previously, I set out to make a "low magic" game. I also set out to make a realistic campaign, complete with knights and peasants, and nobility. Then my sister was over at my place and she put in my Fantasia CD collection, and on the third collection (the collector's edition set) there is an image of a scene of a barge floating in the water in a swamp with these skyscraper-sized trees in the background - a very fantastical kind of place, that really inspired me. So, it struck me, perhaps what I wasn't shooting for after all wasn't really "realistic" but something with some very fantastical elements. I came to the conclusion that when people yearn for "low magic"/"low fantasy" what they really seek is detail coupled with verisimilitude. The level of fantasy can be achieved completely autonomous from the level of magic or reality. I can still create a highly fantastical game that still is rich in detail and verisimilitude and garner the same results that I ultimately want to achieve. This attitude shift has forced me to re-evaluate my campaign world on the whole. I *want* castles in the clouds, and I *want* dark, dreery swamps with sky-scraper tall trees, and cities beneath the water, and dungeons, and all the other weird and wonderful things about the world that I can dream up. I think what makes an interesting world for me is to explain them, and create them with detail, and history, and believability. I no longer see this as mutually exclusive of the magic level, and previously I had felt like they were tied. Anyone else come to the same conclusion? Am I making any sense? Anyone disagree? [/QUOTE]
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