Are Fantasy RPGs always D&D spin-off's?

[Bastoche]

Heroquest
GRUPS
D&D

None among the above are in any way similar to the other in terms of actual play.

"The "core story" of D&D is:

A party of adventurers assemble to seek fame and fortune. They leave civilization for a location of extreme danger. They fight monsters and overcome obstacles and acquire new abilities and items of power. Afterwards they return to civilization and sell the phat loot. Next week, they do it all over again."

Here's the entry of Mike Mearls journal talking further about this:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/mearls/97347.html

So, is this core story the basic core story of every fantasy RPG? If not, how are these games specifically different? What makes a fantasy game different than D&D?

"obstacles" becomes a problem with this definition. What is an obstacle is the very difference between the 3 games I mentionned above.

"obstacles" in D&D = Challenge Rating. In other words, slaying a monster, disarming a trap, uncovering a plot. In such a game, the PCs are in cooperative competition among each other. Performance is important. As an illustration of that, count the number of threads where a guy (player or dm) complains about the guy who "plays a halfling with 10 as it's highest score". Or the guy who multiclass fighter mage rogue or the guy who dual wield longswords as a ranger, etc. Or any other "inneficient" combo. They also are more or less in direct competition with the DM (or it's monsters/traps/minions call them however you like). This is illustrated by thread inquiring about what should grant XP or not. If the players finds a clever way to "avoid" the challenge, it doesn't deserve XP in D&D. That's why people used to 2E finds that 3E has a "CRPG" feel.

"obstacles" in GRUPS is anything that the imagined life can throw at the PCs as long as it's self consistent/coherent rules-wise. It's a simulation. The goal of the game is to emulate an alternate reality as precisely as possible.,

"obstacles" in heroquest are inner conflicts about what should be done until the end of the world. You KNOW how your character will end up but how is the "obstacle" or what overcoming the "obstacles" thrive to address.

The riddle of steel is another game that fits the "heroquest" definition though differently. "Obstacles" are about when should you fight or not. What is worth fighting for.

 

[sword-dancer]

Simple question: do you think (medieval) fantasy role-playing games other than D&D (like Stormbringer, Warhammer, etc) are bound to become spin-offs of D&D itself?
.[/i]"

Neither one is the last related to bD&D
EDIT for clarification:

Here's the core story of D&D according to Ryan Dancey:

"The "core story" of D&D is:

A party of adventurers assemble to seek fame and fortune. They leave civilization for a location of extreme danger. They fight monsters and overcome obstacles and acquire new abilities and items of power. Afterwards they return to civilization and sell the phat loot. Next week, they do it all over again

Here's the entry of Mike Mearls journal talking further about this:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/mearls/97347.html

So, is this "D&D story" the basic core story of every fantasy RPG? If not, how are these games specifically different? What makes a fantasy game different than D&D?

A very one sided concept, there area few others

Yes, but I'll qualify that statement because, like all things, any thing that comes after will always be compared to the first. D & D has evolved but the basic premise, fantasy, magic, swords, monsters, dungeons and treasure are going to have to be present in any game of this sort. If not, they are kind of lame and quite unsuccessful King Arthur RPG, Lord of the Rings RPG, Wheel of Time RPG are solid games but very limited and limiting, and get old quickly. So, because of this similarity, yes, they will always be compared to and therefore emulate D&D.

Dungeons? When was I last playing Dungeon ?
The military infiltration of a space station? Were their swords? No Magic? No. Monsters? Only if you count humans.

Wheel of Time unsuccessful?
Which facts do you`ve?
LotR?
A bit overpriced.

Look for example at GURPS, Runequest, Heroquest, Orkworld, Amber, Which if these ius familiary to D&D?

 

[sword-dancer]

However, in a given adventure, AM and D&D are very similar -- many adventures centre around leaving your common surroundings, finding places of extreme danger, fighting monsters (or general opponents), and acquiring abilities and powers by overcoming them (advancement points). They then return with goods (often in the form of vis) that will make their lives happier, more profitable, and more powerful.
.

My last on centered about the academy, where we must find our way between an Inspecteur of the magi andthe support the old academy chief had given local nobles, we ended not with one more bit of power,because we must break the pact he made before the flambeau would done what flambeau like to do.

 

[Akrasia]

Of course not. Buffy and Angel are both 'fantasy', but clearly not D&D-ish in nature. Ars Magica is not a D&D 'spin off'. Neither is Pendragon. And so forth.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Yeesh, a person doesn't even need to venture beyond d20 to realise the answer is a resounding 'no'.

 

[mythusmage]

Ars Magica is not a D&D 'spin off'.

Ah, actually ...

Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein•Hagen had a D&D group. Somebody in that group made the observation that magic-users wound up the most powerful character class at high level. Jonathan and Mark decided to run with that, designing a set of rules in which mages were the most powerful, and everybody else came in second best. The end result was Ars Magica first edition. New mechanics, new system, but it grew out of D&D. Which makes it a D&D spin-off.