But what if I LIKE Anime/Video-game tropes in my D&D?

[The Little Raven]

No - I think that Anime and JPRGs should not be an influence on D&D because I don't like them. It's a very subjective point of view, but I think I was pretty open about that in my initial post.

Well, as FF7 is still the most popular entry in the series, and the FF series outsells D&D, I'd say you're in the minority there, friend.

The fact that FFVII and most other JRPGs feature terrible writing and make for a really poor standard for judging other fiction by is another issue altogether.

The writing is fine. It's the translation that is the issue. It's like the difference between watching a foreign film that is dubbed or subtitled. Dubbed makes it easier to follow, since you're not directing your eyes to the bottom of the screen constantly to know what's being said, but suffers from the problem of cutting down the meaning in order to fit in the limited space allowed (a problem with both film dialogue and game limitations). Subtitled, however, gives you a better understanding of the original writing.

 

[The Little Raven]

If you are marketing a RPG to the mass audience, why would you not focus it on what people want?

Because, according to some, tradition is more important than market viability.

 

[PeterWeller]

REH's stories are about the battle between civilization and savagery. Civilization will lead to decay, corruption and corpulence if it doesn't receive a nice injection of savagery from time to time.

They're also about gore and t*tties.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Good for you then. Personally I don't actually see any anime influences in what has been revealed so far. 4e doesn't look like it'll be to my tastes, but it doesn't look any more anime than the last. Just that some mechanical improvements have been made. You'll be able to color those mechanisms to represent anime fairly easily at least because that's what makes D&D, the ability to easily twist it to your vision.

However as a person who finds many anime so annoying and insipient they give me the urge to nuke their place of origin I really hope D&D stays far away from anime. Anyway I think it's the characterization and cultural tropes that turn me off anime, it can be artistically beautiful. I just can't stand most of the characters or plots.

 

[FireLance]

You young whippersnappers are making me feel old.

Growing up as I did in Singapore in the 70's, I was exposed to what you might call Western fantasy tropes: Tolkein, Arthurian legends, fairy tales, Greek, Roman and Norse mythology, etc., as well as to what you might call Eastern fantasy tropes: wuxia, anime, Chinese and Japanese folklore, etc. I think Henry has a point that D&D seems to be adopting more Eastern tropes in 4e, and this is a development that I, at least, am quite happy with, as it allows me to employ more of the stuff that I enjoyed when I was young in my gaming.

 

[mmu1]

Well, as FF7 is still the most popular entry in the series, and the FF series outsells D&D, I'd say you're in the minority there, friend.

So quality is now measured by popularity? Does that mean you're going to come around on LotR, since it has sold over 100 millions copies worldwide?

 

[Rechan]

Because, according to some, tradition is more important than market viability.

On the other hand, I'm not a fan of tradition when it's just "It's done that way because it's just always been done that way".

 

[The Little Raven]

So quality is now measured by popularity?

No, but a game that has pretty much always been an adaptation of popular fantasy tropes of the time should take into account the popular of modern fantasy tropes. Anime fantasy is a popular fantasy trope right now, even if you don't like it. Lots of people don't like Moorcock, Vance, Tolkein, or Howard, but that didn't stop developers from drawing on those sources. So, just because you and some other people don't like anime doesn't mean they shouldn't draw on it.

Does that mean you're going to come around on LotR, since it has sold over 100 millions copies worldwide?

I like LotR. My personal opinions on it have nothing to do with the fact that, subjectively, you can look at it and see Tolkein's shortcomings as a writer.

 

[Piratecat]

Despite your claim of "three years of Japan-o-philia," it sounds like you know dick about the diversity and range of anime and manga.

This sort of comment is not okay. Turn the hostility WAY down, please.

 

[The Little Raven]

This sort of comment is not okay. Turn the hostility WAY down, please.

Edited to be less inflammatory. Sorry about that.