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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 3505699" data-attributes="member: 3887">It might, rabbit, it might. Whether it does or doesn't isn't germane to my point. That's not quite it. I think fantasies involving personal power are an integral part of the appeal of the literature (including film and television) that underlies D&D. And whether it's problematic or not, I do see RPG's as an outgrowth of a couple of literary subgenres, as much, if not more so, than the outgrowth of certain wargames. Reading stories about (and identifying with) Conan, Kirk, and Aragorn, et al, is indulging in power-fantasy. Playing games rooted in those kinds of stories even more so. Not to mention that in D&D, the rise from destitute to demigod is inevitable, given a long enough time frame (which is usually 1 year of play time, BTW).Or I'd simply believe that the players of low magic/grim-and gritty games were exercising their tastes for power-fantasy of a slightly different flavor. Put another way, beer and whiskey are both still booze.  See, I've had good and I've had bad, but in the end it's what we all were doing, though our methods might have differed.Hell, all games are all about power. I'm trying to beat you. It's locking horns, humiliating rivals, practicing for war, the whole nine yards. My enlightened view of games must come from all the chess I played as a youth... pitiless as the sun, that game is. At least with RPG's the framework isn't zero-sum. We're supposed to take turns indulging in our power-displays. Even lend a hand (which is exactly how my gaming groups tend to operate. I've made some memorable characters, but I couldn't have done it with the support of the other players and their characters... aww... I feel a group-hug coming on...)That was a joke, son...My point was that even Frodo wasn't a normal guy. He was exceptionally humble. Fantasy is rarely, if ever, about truly unexceptional people... which is another way of saying its almost always a kind of power-fantasy, even when it's pretending otherwise.</blockquote>

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