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What is "grim and gritty" and "low magic" anyway?
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<blockquote data-quote="tauton_ikhnos" data-source="post: 1424771" data-attributes="member: 16195"><p>For me, low magic == some combination of following factors:</p><p></p><p>- rare magic</p><p>- lack of strategic magic, possibly tactical magic</p><p>- magic which has high cost (such as 1 CON per spell level)</p><p>- magic which is culture/society restricted (cast Invis, go to Jail)</p><p></p><p>From story perspective, successful game stories are about either <em>challenge</em> or <em>relationships</em>. Magic (high, low, or other) only affects <em>challenge</em>.</p><p></p><p>It affects other things as well, but they are not story. At most they are "feel", "mood", "genre". Star Trek was Old West stories in space - only difference from story perspective was what challenges they faced.</p><p></p><p>I prefer high magic. I like the feel, mood, genre. And I am good at challenges at that level. But that's all it is.</p><p></p><p>To use Odysseus & Poseidon example:</p><p></p><p><em>Fundamental relationships</em> are Poseidon & Odysseus, Odysseus & His Men, Odysseus & Strange/Dangerous Places. The <em>challenges</em> are what Poseidon puts in way of Odysseus.</p><p></p><p>In a low magic game, that is distance and man-eating islands.</p><p></p><p>In a high magic game, that is interplanar journey on River Styx, with Odysseus divinely cursed with dimensional anchor... sure, he could send men home, but can't get there himself.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tauton_ikhnos, post: 1424771, member: 16195"] For me, low magic == some combination of following factors: - rare magic - lack of strategic magic, possibly tactical magic - magic which has high cost (such as 1 CON per spell level) - magic which is culture/society restricted (cast Invis, go to Jail) From story perspective, successful game stories are about either [i]challenge[/i] or [i]relationships[/i]. Magic (high, low, or other) only affects [i]challenge[/i]. It affects other things as well, but they are not story. At most they are "feel", "mood", "genre". Star Trek was Old West stories in space - only difference from story perspective was what challenges they faced. I prefer high magic. I like the feel, mood, genre. And I am good at challenges at that level. But that's all it is. To use Odysseus & Poseidon example: [i]Fundamental relationships[/i] are Poseidon & Odysseus, Odysseus & His Men, Odysseus & Strange/Dangerous Places. The [i]challenges[/i] are what Poseidon puts in way of Odysseus. In a low magic game, that is distance and man-eating islands. In a high magic game, that is interplanar journey on River Styx, with Odysseus divinely cursed with dimensional anchor... sure, he could send men home, but can't get there himself. [/QUOTE]
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