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<blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 8612868" data-attributes="member: 59082"><p>While I generally agree that WotC has shifted its tone of late towards a broader, and younger, demographic, I wouldn't equate "whimsical, light and fluffy" with childish, and "grim and gritty" with adult. </p><p></p><p>First of all, children are drawn to darkness - to scary stuff. Certainly, we generally don't tell our children stories involving gore and the darkest sides of human nature, but they are fascinated by the dark side. One of my professors illustrated this to me years ago, when he talked about telling his young daughter stories at night and wanting to keep it light and happy. His daughter became impatient, and said "Get to the trouble!" I also found this the case with my own children. I used to tell my oldest daughter bed-times stories about a unicorn and she was bored until Something Bad happened. Or as soon as I allowed her to watch horror movies, she became obsessed. </p><p></p><p>I think someone said upthread, it is more a matter of taste and flavor, at least as far as the "whimsy vs grimdark" spectrum. </p><p></p><p>Now it may be that the whimsical is a tone that arises first in childhood, and grimdark is more of an adolescent emergence. But they carry on, develop, and can be re-embraced and enjoyed as an adult. </p><p></p><p>And more importantly: it is only a narrow band. There are a lot of tones and flavors that exist outside of whimsy vs. grimdark. Personally speaking, my favorite fantasy tones couldn't be described as whimsy or grimdark. Or rather, those aren't the things I emphasize or look for. My favorite elements have to do with deep history and mythology, exploring the remnants of lost civilizations, touching upon ancient stories, and uncovering the deeper secrets of the world. I like exploring fantastical locations, and whatever stimulates a sense of awe and wonder, or at least curiosity. None of which is necessarily whimsical or grimdark.</p><p></p><p>So as far as the direction that WotC is taking, I see a combination of factors: appealing to a younger demographic; appealing to more contemporary sensibilities; focusing on certain flavors of fantasy - more <em>Guardians of the Galaxy </em>than <em>Dark Knight, </em>certainly, but also more <em>Stardust </em>than <em>Excalibur. </em>More <em>Pirates of the Caribbean </em>than <em>Game of Thrones.</em></p><p></p><p>That doesn't mean they won't broaden and expand again, or explore other tones and flavors. It is an ever-shifting and evolving game. Trends rise and fall, sensibilities change and evolve.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mercurius, post: 8612868, member: 59082"] While I generally agree that WotC has shifted its tone of late towards a broader, and younger, demographic, I wouldn't equate "whimsical, light and fluffy" with childish, and "grim and gritty" with adult. First of all, children are drawn to darkness - to scary stuff. Certainly, we generally don't tell our children stories involving gore and the darkest sides of human nature, but they are fascinated by the dark side. One of my professors illustrated this to me years ago, when he talked about telling his young daughter stories at night and wanting to keep it light and happy. His daughter became impatient, and said "Get to the trouble!" I also found this the case with my own children. I used to tell my oldest daughter bed-times stories about a unicorn and she was bored until Something Bad happened. Or as soon as I allowed her to watch horror movies, she became obsessed. I think someone said upthread, it is more a matter of taste and flavor, at least as far as the "whimsy vs grimdark" spectrum. Now it may be that the whimsical is a tone that arises first in childhood, and grimdark is more of an adolescent emergence. But they carry on, develop, and can be re-embraced and enjoyed as an adult. And more importantly: it is only a narrow band. There are a lot of tones and flavors that exist outside of whimsy vs. grimdark. Personally speaking, my favorite fantasy tones couldn't be described as whimsy or grimdark. Or rather, those aren't the things I emphasize or look for. My favorite elements have to do with deep history and mythology, exploring the remnants of lost civilizations, touching upon ancient stories, and uncovering the deeper secrets of the world. I like exploring fantastical locations, and whatever stimulates a sense of awe and wonder, or at least curiosity. None of which is necessarily whimsical or grimdark. So as far as the direction that WotC is taking, I see a combination of factors: appealing to a younger demographic; appealing to more contemporary sensibilities; focusing on certain flavors of fantasy - more [I]Guardians of the Galaxy [/I]than [I]Dark Knight, [/I]certainly, but also more [I]Stardust [/I]than [I]Excalibur. [/I]More [I]Pirates of the Caribbean [/I]than [I]Game of Thrones.[/I] That doesn't mean they won't broaden and expand again, or explore other tones and flavors. It is an ever-shifting and evolving game. Trends rise and fall, sensibilities change and evolve. [/QUOTE]
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