Folklore/Mythology is your game?

[resistor]

I've noticed recently various discussion where people are saying that they want their campaign worlds to be more firmly rooted in real world mythology/folklore/culture. For example, see the current thread about fey, and lots of discussion on the changes to the default cosmology in 4e.

For me, however, close ties to real world mythology/folklore/culture are a distinct turn-off. I've read fairy tales and the Greco-Roman myths and other collections of folklore. I've read Paradise Lost and the Odyssey and the Aeneid and Gilgamesh. I want something different when I'm playing D&D! If I wanted those worlds, I'd go back an reread them!

So, in the interest of science, how many people agree with me and how many people think my opinion is a load of dingo's kidneys? Feel free to tell me why.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I am pro-folklore.

RC

 

[GreatLemur]

Earth's mythology belongs on Earth. Which isn't to say games set in mythic Rome or China or whatever aren't something I'd play . . . but when I'm doing D&D, I generally ain't setting it on Earth, and the familiar conceptions of angels and demons and such are just as out-of-place as the religions that shaped them would be. And don't even get me started on the absurdity of adopting Norse or Egyptian deities into D&D setting...

 

[resistor]

Earth's mythology belongs on Earth. Which isn't to say games set in mythic Rome or China or whatever aren't something I'd play . . . but when I'm doing D&D, I generally ain't setting it on Earth, and the familiar conceptions of angels and demons and such are just as out-of-place as the religions that shaped them would be. And don't even get me started on the absurdity of adopting Norse or Egyptian deities into D&D setting...

I completely agree with the above. I'm fine with having real-world tropes in game that is explicitly alternate or mythic Earth, but when I'm playing D&D, I want D&D, not Earth!

 

[DragonLancer]

Count me in as pro earth mythology.

 

[Imaro]

My biggest problem with using folklore/myths is that it inevitably becomes mostly european based folklore/mythology spattered with more common mythology. I think if it was a broader range then I would find it both alot more interesting and better bang for my buck. I look at it like this, there are plenty of common & european based mythology and folklore books for less than just one of the core books...so why do I want to pay for something that can easily be found for less money (actually most of it can be found for free on the internet)? I think this is one of the reasons I was attrcated to the game Scion...yeah it covers common ( Greek, Egyptian, Norse) pantheons...but it also covers some that are alot more esoteric to the general gaming audience (Loa, Aztec and Japanese).

Another note I'd like to make is for me mythology/folklore=/=religion. I think some of the new D&D's concepts are treading the line between the two and it could go either way as far as it being attractive to potential gamers or not.

 

[Stormtower]

It seems logical that since we D&D gamers on the Earth cannot help but be born into a mythological frame of reference vis-a-vis Joseph Campbell (the Hero's Journey, etc.), our game mythologies frequently contain echoes of Earth mythology.

Even those who attempt to "play against type" probably can't avoid all the archetypes that Campbell identified, since those myths are what inform our real-world cultures and thus our game cultures, to some extent.

For me personally, the most compelling D&D mythologies are those that echo Earth mythology but are different enough to stand on their own even if one has never read Campbell (or watched the PBS series, either).

 

[dmccoy1693]

My answer is far more complex then yes/no. I like general mythology (trolls, faeries, goblins, etc) in D&D. I do not like specific mythology (Thor, Christian Angels, etc) in my D&D. I like concepts that cross cultures. I don't like stuff that is specific to one culture. And lastly, if it doesn't work in a Lord of the Rings-ish type story, I don't like it in my D&D, period.

 

[resistor]

It seems logical that since we D&D gamers on the Earth cannot help but be born into a mythological frame of reference vis-a-vis Joseph Campbell (the Hero's Journey, etc.), our game mythologies frequently contain echoes of Earth mythology.

I agree in so far as it's more or less impossible to create any fantasy work (game, story, novel, or otherwise) that does not have at least some influences from mythology and folklore. The question, for me, is one of degree: should the game be explicit in its homage to mythology/folklore, or should it try to re-imagine its inspiring elements into something different and original?

For me, the answer is the latter.

 

[resistor]

My answer is far more complex then yes/no. I like general mythology (trolls, faeries, goblins, etc) in D&D. I do not like specific mythology (Thor, Christian Angels, etc) in my D&D. I like concepts that cross cultures. I don't like stuff that is specific to one culture. And lastly, if it doesn't work in a Lord of the Rings-ish type story, I don't like it in my D&D, period.

This mirrors my feelings as well. I should probably clarify my initial post: it's obviously not possible to have fantasy with no mythological/folklore influences, but I prefer them not to be recognizable in terms of "this thing really obviously comes out of X myth."

As an example, I have no problem with demons/devils/celestials as present in the Great Wheel. Obviously they're inspired from Christian stories, but they're not the same as the Christian originals. Contrast that, then, with 4e's devils-as-fallen-celestials, and I get a bad "get your Paradise Lost out of my D&D" taste in my mouth.