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If Native Americans need to be treated sympathetically because opinions about them are changing then it's hard to actually continue to use them to fill the same kind of roles they used to fill as faceless attackers. Now, if for example you had read a book by a British guy who had characters...

The 4e one has some issues around edge cases. Eg with Come and Get it, you can get crossbowmen from a wall that's 10ft high above you to jumb off the wall and land in front of you (possibly with a save). This seems ridiculous based off the fluff for the power, but if we're encouraged to focus...

The point, which seems to be continually getting lost, was not that D&D resembles westerns in any of those ways. The point was that it resembles westerns in particular structural ways such as outlined in my post above, or in the article linked by another poster, or in the role that Orcs often...

It wasn't designed to be independent of social context though. It was designed to be a game, and social context just wasn't considered all that much. It wasn't designed with any intention to be a blank slate to colour with cultural and setting details however you wish, so it's not surprising...

It's not clear what exactly makes Frodo a gentlemen other than wealth. It seems of little importance whether Sam eventually becomes a gentlemen or not. It seems more significant that there is a class divide at all. It's always "Mr Frodo" one way, and "Sam" the other. Given that's it's a...

And really doesn't apply very well to either without a social context to put them into. The author of the article is basically right that the model of lordship that is encouraged by the whole "get a castle when you're high enough level" is pretty much inconsistent with historical conceptions of...

I think 13th Age handles the Cantrips better. You have to commit a spell slot to have an at-will damage spell. So if you want the basic firebolt, you spend a level 1 slot for the day but can cast Firebolt as much as you like. If you want the improved extra damage version at level 5 then you...

Also think of it this way. You have a 10ft pit full of acid across a corrider. Five fighters can try and jump the pit. There's a good chance one of them will fail, even if by the odds any one of them will succeed most of the time. Now five wizards. All of them Misty Step across the pit...

It interesting. A while ago on one site someone started a poll asking what period of history the Hyborian Age most resembled and I was bemused that the 18th and 19th centuries weren't even an option. Yes. You can see the specific form of influence there. The Pictish frontier is inspired...

I strongly suspect though that part of the reason that Middle Earth is so much of an influence is because it can be fitted easily onto familiar templates. And of course no one has ever claimed that there were not other influences.

In D&D: The Two big generic settings (Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk) are clearly based on maps of North America. Early D&D settings contain huge amounts of wilderness, and it specifically North American wilderness (It's definitely not Australian or Central Asian). There is often huge spaces...

See this is what I meant by fish and water. The focus on the wilderness is a big part of the American influence. And yes. A game set in China will have Chinese influences, but unless the GM and players are very very deeply steeped in Chinese culture and language and history, if played by...

Yes. I said that first. Only in your imagination did anyone say they are. No. Imaginary material does not come from a culture less void. Yes. I also said this first. Also as I said, 'structure' not details. If you don't want to argue with a strawman you need to go back to what I said in...

Not many of them in the wilderness though. This is where you really aren't getting what I was saying. You seem to think that a western influence means that every tavern should be a saloon and then you tell me it's not as if that reveals anything than your failure to understand what I was...

So which other frontier do you think has a greater influence?

Small towns. Generally no. A housewife would brew up some ale and put a sign on her door. If you were looking for a place to sleep you would bed down in someone's house exchange for labour or money (or for free if you had some connection to them). Now where might this narrative structure in...

It would be yes. Were anyone doing that.

It would be yes. Were anyone making it.

It really isn't. The argument you and Maxperson think you are responding to probably is but the argument I was making isn't. Look unless you both get your misreading out of your heads and try to think about what I was actually saying, rather than what you are it there isn't really anywhere to...

No I mentioned it being British. It's a lot more urban in nature and not really a game with much focus on travelling through wilderness. I think maybe it's like trying to explain to a fish what water is.