Infinate or Limited Potential In Fanatsy?

[Valicor]

Okay do you believe that ones potential can only creach certain stages in a fantasy setting, or that they can go beyond the limitations of the average individual

Basically I want ot know if you push and excel, and master in somethign could you push it to newer and higher levels repdedatly?

I say you can, anyone disagree?

 

[Tsyr]

It depends what type of fantasy you LIKE.

I know many people who are perfectly happy to play "average joe" characters, and their games tend to reflect this. "Grim-N-Gritty" style games are often this way.

Other people, on the other hand, prefer "high" or "epic" type fantasy... in those, players and other main characters normaly DO eventualy (or at least have the potential to) exceed the norm.

It's not a simple "yes/no" question though. It's a question of what you enjoy.

 

[Desdichado]

In fact, I think that's one of the defining aspects of grim-n-gritty: player characters are normal folks, and they are scared to die, which is a very real possibility. Those seem to be just about the only constants to grim-n-gritty.

And I'd agree, grim-n-gritty seems to be pretty popular around here.

 

[Valicor]

In fact, I think that's one of the defining aspects of grim-n-gritty: player characters are normal folks, and they are scared to die, which is a very real possibility. Those seem to be just about the only constants to grim-n-gritty.

And I'd agree, grim-n-gritty seems to be pretty popular around here.

Iv'e heard of this grim-n-gritty before, could someone explain it in alittle more detail for me please?

 

[Patrick-S&S]

Look at this THREAD for some explanations by the various forum members. Another is here for my own personal gritty and favorite RPG, named Hârn

 

[hong]

At the rate we're going, "grim-and-gritty" will soon be as meaningless as "munchk*n"....

 

[Geoff Watson]

Iv'e heard of this grim-n-gritty before, could someone explain it in alittle more detail for me please?

It's where the world sucks, PCs have no chance of meaningful victories, and all the NPCs are better than the PCs.

Geoff.

 

[Reprisal]

It's where the world sucks, PCs have no chance of meaningful victories, and all the NPCs are better than the PCs.

And let me repeat that again...



That's not unlike me saying that "High/Epic Fantasy" is nothing more than power-hungry player-characters stroking their egos through the subjugation of the NPCs.

"Heh heh heh, we killed Asmodeous... heh heh heh."

(Not that I believe that High Fantasy is like that, but...)

Once more, everyone!




More on topic, I think that there's way too much of our collective energies focused on the two extremes of "High Fantasy" and Geoff's much maligned "Grim & Gritty" games. It's very much up the GM and Players to decide what's going to happen with the power level, flavour and campaign focus.

The term "Grim & Gritty," as I understand, comes from a variant Hit Point and Damage system where even 10th+ level characters could fall to a single strike from another character. It's meant to be very deadly. It's meant to make threats of nearly any enemy... I've not looked at it, since I'd use a different game system altogether to do that, but that's pretty much the origin of the use of "Grim & Gritty" as a term.

Personally, I think that one can do just as much as one wishes to do with a "fantasy setting." The limit to that is not the genre itself, but one's interest, and knowledge of the themes, flavour and milieu of what makes a "fantasy setting."

 

[hong]

The term "Grim & Gritty," as I understand, comes from a variant Hit Point and Damage system where even 10th+ level characters could fall to a single strike from another character. It's meant to be very deadly. It's meant to make threats of nearly any enemy... I've not looked at it, since I'd use a different game system altogether to do that, but that's pretty much the origin of the use of "Grim & Gritty" as a term.

That's Ken Hood's rules you're thinking of. The concept, if not the phrase, predates him, though.

Also, deadliness can be achieved in a variety of ways. RttToEE is infamous as a "meatgrinder" dungeon, with multiple PC deaths apparently quite a common occurrence. And yet that's straight by-the-book D&D.

The way people are using the term, it seems that the opposite extreme to "grim and gritty" isn't "high fantasy", but "munchkin". People define munchkin however they like, and they define grim and gritty as whatever it's not.

 

[rounser]

That's not unlike me saying that "High/Epic Fantasy" is nothing more than power-hungry player-characters stroking their egos through the subjugation of the NPCs.

"Heh heh heh, we killed Asmodeous... heh heh heh."

(Not that I believe that High Fantasy is like that, but...)

No, it's not unlike that at all. But it's so much more common for the GnG enthusiasts to take pot shots at high fantasy that it's somewhat refreshing to see the shoe on the other foot for once.