Paul Farquhar
Legend
It worked for Deadpool!I suspect Marvel is seething that their main Aquaman-type's central personality trait is "He's a tremendous jerk" so Namor is probably not getting his own movie lol
It worked for Deadpool!I suspect Marvel is seething that their main Aquaman-type's central personality trait is "He's a tremendous jerk" so Namor is probably not getting his own movie lol
Deadpool is the good kind of jerk though! Whereas Namor is just a jerk. Then again, they did manage to make that work with Cable (also "just a jerk" most of the time) by having him play off Deadpool.It worked for Deadpool!
I think there's some truth in this, for sure, especially re: inclusiveness.I think if we are honest, its about presentation of the setting, way way more than about the setting actually being restrictive.
I can't say as I've seen any evidence for that, or much evidence for the opposite, wilderness vs urban seems much the same as it ever was. As evidence, I cite City State of the Invincible Overlord (1976).3) I think players now are a lot more interested in big complex cities, urban and semi-urban environments, and so o
I think this is more down to mechanics. Magic is a way of having a bunch of interesting things to do in a fight. It's a way to give PCs superpowers without officially being a superhero game.4) Level of magic.
I'm talking about in the setting. Not necessarily in terms of the PCs at all. Eberron's magitech for example.I think this is more down to mechanics. Magic is a way of having a bunch of interesting things to do in a fight. It's a way to give PCs superpowers without officially being a superhero game.
I don't think you can really separate them. It's very hard to fit high magic PCs in a low magic world, ergo the world the PCs occupy has to be high magic. Eberron was largely designed around (3e) game mechanics.I'm talking about in the setting. Not necessarily in terms of the PCs at all. Eberron's magitech for example.
You say "ergo" but that's certainly not really how worlds used to be designed, despite PCs potentially being very "high magic". So if there is an ergo, it's one that's developed in the 1990s and later.I don't think you can really separate them. It's very hard to fit high magic PCs in a low magic world, ergo the world the PCs occupy has to be high magic. Eberron was largely designed around (3e) game mechanics.
What like Waterdeep? Built on a massive magical dungeon, surrounded by a mythal, ruled by an archmage chosen of the goddess of magic. Policed by a wizards guild, defended my magic walking statues… etc etc.You say "ergo" but that's certainly not really how worlds used to be designed, despite PCs potentially being very "high magic". So if there is an ergo, it's one that's developed in the 1990s and later.
I think there's a pretty clear difference between worlds were massive magic is a day-to-day thing (at least in a certain locations in those worlds), like Eberron, Spelljammer and Planescape, and worlds like the Greyhawk or the FR, where if there massively magical places, they're far from civilization and haunted ruins and so on, for the most part.
Yeah, high magic PCs (and NPCs) had a big impact on the development of FR, and was at the core of Eberron design. And somewhat impacted Dragonlance in the 80s. If you view it as a change, it's a change that happened a very long time ago now.You say "ergo" but that's certainly not really how worlds used to be designed, despite PCs potentially being very "high magic". So if there is an ergo, it's one that's developed in the 1990s and later.
Greyhawk is about the last setting designed without high magic as a basic assumption. Pretty much every population centre in FR is ruled by high level spellcasters.I think there's a pretty clear difference between worlds were massive magic is a day-to-day thing (at least in a certain locations in those worlds), like Eberron, Spelljammer and Planescape, and worlds like the Greyhawk or the FR, where if there massively magical places, they're far from civilization and haunted ruins and so on, for the most part.
Probably some of the popular newer races would have a larger role in the world lore, with some of the less popular old races still present, but on the margins.Just listing traits as a bullet point for 2021:
Setting is inclusive/diverse (little in the way of sexism/racism/homophobia etc. - D&D has always avoided the latter for the most part).
Setting is "High Magic" - i.e. like strongly magical things can and do regularly happen.
Setting is "High Fantasy" - or "Epic Fantasy", as opposed to "Dark Fantasy" or "Low Fantasy".
Setting allows kitchen-sink-ish usage of elements like class/race, isn't about narrowing options
Nah.Probably some of the popular newer races would have a larger role in the world lore, with some of the less popular old races still present, but on the margins.
Waterdeep is a pretty good example for presentation, I guess.What like Waterdeep? Built on a massive magical dungeon, surrounded by a mythal, ruled by an archmage chosen of the goddess of magic. Policed by a wizards guild, defended my magic walking statues… etc etc.
I really strongly disagree.Nah.
A true 2021 setting would bring the new race, old races, and humans to equality of importance. And their would be good, evil, and nuetral factions of each.
Basically take every PHB race plus orcs and goblins and make 3-5 countries/factions/cults for each. Then take some of the other races like warforged and leonin and make them into nations and factions as well.
It would look like Total War Warhammer's Mortal Empire's Map.
4) Level of magic. With 1980s settings, there is often powerful magic that has happened or that is linked to an artifact or whatever, but things tend to be fairly or extremely low-magic generally, and even when Eberron came along in 2004 some people groused about it being "too magical". I don't think the mass market would agree now. I think, being raised on all sorts of very high-fantasy video games, that people want to see stuff that's more magical. And yeah, again this is a long-term trend. Spelljammer and Planescape I already mentioned. I feel like presentation can modify this but only so much.
The massive racial separatism you're describing is absolutely the opposite of a 2021 setting.
The 1980s in fantasy settings was utterly dominated by "basically an Earth society but renamed and with some tweaks"
There would be countries and cities with multiple races in them. A bunch of cosmopolitan cities and countries.I really strongly disagree.
The massive racial separatism you're describing is absolutely the opposite of a 2021 setting.
You're assuming people actually read the lore of a setting.There would be countries and cities with multiple races in them. A bunch of cosmopolitan cities and countries.
But having a home or ethnic country where your PC came from that isn't marginalized as a far away place would be a big thing.
The 2021 player wants to say his Tabaxi go to New Port City or Bondon then tell the bartender he is from Catistan not Felinia and have everyone know the difference.
It's not about the lore.You're assuming people actually read the lore of a setting.If you're talking about NPCs, not players, you're assuming people have broad knowledge of the world which even in today's day and age is sadly lacking.
I do think you could have more interesting factions and forces in a specific campaign world that for the most part ignores race. I do that to a certain degree in my own campaign world, but honestly I have a hard time getting people to read a page of lore so it's not worth the effort most of the time. So most of my factions are relatively local and campaign specific.
Early 00s. I remember White Wolf running an advertisement campaign where you could exchange your 3e PHB for an Exalted book, and that would make little sense after the release of 3.5.Exalted was quite popular when it was published, very high magic over the top and magitech influence. I think it predates Eberron but I really can't remember. Late 1990s?
It's not about the lore.
Catistan is House Cat people. Felinia is Wild Cat people.
The point is the 2021 gamer wants to have the same feeling of saying "My sniper is from Brazil" to the French driver, the Texan gunslingers, the Nigerian hacker, and the assassin from Hong Kong the in a modern RPG. So Brazil has to exist and be different from Columbia.
Huh? No that's not at all what I mean. This was a really common thing.I wasn't there in the 1980s anymore than I was there when Isildur... sorry. But if anything, I feel the current settings are more and more "Earth society", with values imported wholesales, including very recent ideals (like due process, individualism, nations yet tolerance...) into fantasy world without any explanation on how those ideas came into being. How could it be "even more Earthy" in the 80s?
Is the text where in like, four different posts, I've said "Most of these changes happened in the 1990s", like not showing up for people or something? That's not even sarcasm, I'm genuinely confused at this point. I've said it a bunch of times.I see what you're describing as a 2001 setting, not a 2021 setting.