D&D General A Tall Tale Setting

[Tonguez]

I've always assumed the reason we use the word "tall tale" is that Americans have an aversion to thinking of themselves as having "folk culture."

tall in the sense used in tall tales is an archaic term meaning "skilled, active, capable" - So we see phrases like tall in his hands and tall of tongue. A tall tale is about a person of exaggerated skill and capability.

A "tall man" was a bondsman skilled at arms and refined in speech and from there (post-16th C) it took on its association with comeliness and height, which is the primary meaning we have today

as to OP, I'd like to see a setting like that in Alvin Maker series where PCs have minor knacks and become the figures of the tall tales

 

[Indagare Nogitsune]

tall in the sense used in tall tales is an archaic term meaning "skilled, active, capable" - So we see phrases like tall in his hands and tall of tongue. A tall tale is about a person of exaggerated skill and capability.

A "tall man" was a bondsman skilled at arms and refined in speech and from there (post-16th C) it took on its association with comeliness and height, which is the primary meaning we have today

as to OP, I'd like to see a setting like that in Alvin Maker series where PCs have minor knacks and become the figures of the tall tales

There are already the Dragonmarks, so making knacks that are somewhat similar to them should be possible. The main thing is that to be the figures of tall tales they'd need to do some really extraordinary things. This isn't impossible, especially for spellcasters, but there could be a mechanism for allowing them to try some really odd stuff like creating canyons or making lakes or such.