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<blockquote data-quote="Urriak Uruk" data-source="post: 8271906" data-attributes="member: 7015558"><p>Well, you've hit the crux of the issue with D&D; there honestly isn't much of a boundary for D&D in sense of genre. You've mentioned jeans/baseball caps, but even D&D 5E has dabbled with that with Unearthed Arcana articles (Modern Magic), and older editions played with science-fiction (Expedition to the Barrier Peaks). D&D 5E's Dungeon Master Guide actually provides rules for modern and sci-fi games (rules for guns/lasers) and even has an art piece depicting a Star Trek-esque laser combat with a monster.</p><p></p><p>I have snipped out a list of influences from Wikipedia that kind of exemplify how broad D&D really is in genre. The list is quite long, and diverse. Compared to Call of Cthulhu (it's in the name, the influence is Lovecraft) and other popular TTRPGs, D&D is arguably one of the broader and inconsistent game systems.</p><p></p><p><em>The world of D&D was influenced by world mythology, history, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine" target="_blank">pulp fiction</a>, and contemporary fantasy novels. The importance of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien" target="_blank">J. R. R. Tolkien</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings" target="_blank">The Lord of the Rings</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit" target="_blank">The Hobbit</a> as an influence on D&D is controversial. The presence in the game of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfling_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)" target="_blank">halflings</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)" target="_blank">elves</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-elf_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)" target="_blank">half-elves</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)" target="_blank">dwarves</a>, orcs, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)" target="_blank">rangers</a>, and the like, draw comparisons to these works. The resemblance was even closer before the threat of copyright action from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth_Enterprises" target="_blank">Tolkien Enterprises</a> prompted the name changes of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit" target="_blank">hobbit</a> to 'halfling', <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ent" target="_blank">ent</a> to '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treant" target="_blank">treant</a>', and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balrog" target="_blank">balrog</a> to '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balor_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)" target="_blank">balor</a>'. For many years, Gygax played down the influence of Tolkien on the development of the game.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-71" target="_blank">[71]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-Dragon95-72" target="_blank">[72]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-73" target="_blank">[73]</a> However, in an interview in 2000, he acknowledged that Tolkien's work had a "strong impact" though he also said that the list of other influential authors was long.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-74" target="_blank">[74]</a></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The D&D magic system, in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast and must be re-memorized the next day, was heavily influenced by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth_series" target="_blank">Dying Earth</a> stories and novels of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Vance" target="_blank">Jack Vance</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-75" target="_blank">[75]</a> The original alignment system (which grouped all characters and creatures into 'Law', 'Neutrality' and 'Chaos') was derived from the novel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Hearts_and_Three_Lions" target="_blank">Three Hearts and Three Lions</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poul_Anderson" target="_blank">Poul Anderson</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-lit_source-76" target="_blank">[76]</a> A troll described in this work influenced the D&D definition of that monster.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-Dragon95-72" target="_blank">[72]</a></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Other influences include the works of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Howard" target="_blank">Robert E. Howard</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs" target="_blank">Edgar Rice Burroughs</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Merritt" target="_blank">A. Merritt</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft" target="_blank">H. P. Lovecraft</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Leiber" target="_blank">Fritz Leiber</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Sprague_de_Camp" target="_blank">L. Sprague de Camp</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Pratt" target="_blank">Fletcher Pratt</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny" target="_blank">Roger Zelazny</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Moorcock" target="_blank">Michael Moorcock</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-77" target="_blank">[77]</a> Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_vogt" target="_blank">A. E. van Vogt's</a> "Black Destroyer", <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeurl" target="_blank">Coeurl</a> (the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displacer_Beast" target="_blank">Displacer Beast</a>), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll" target="_blank">Lewis Carroll</a>'s "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabberwocky" target="_blank">Jabberwocky</a>" (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorpal" target="_blank">vorpal</a> sword) and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Genesis" target="_blank">Book of Genesis</a> (the clerical spell 'Blade Barrier' was inspired by the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_sword_(mythology)" target="_blank">flaming sword</a> which turned every way" at the gates of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Eden" target="_blank">Eden</a>).</em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-lit_source-76" target="_blank"><em>[76]</em></a></p><p></p><p>So... I guess there aren't really boundaries. Most D&D games fall within pre-gunpowder age Western dress (which is still quite broad), but not all do. Very few games are modern/sci-fi inspired, but they still exist. Part of the charm of D&D is that there aren't boundaries.</p><p></p><p>Using Pathfinder as an example again (it's not technically D&D, but is reflective of a lot of D&D), there's a module where the adventurers travel to 1918 Russia to kill Rasputin, save Baba Yaga, and return to their own pre-modern fantasy world to face an ice witch. I really don't know what genre that's supposed to be beyond... well, fantasy ction-adventure.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Urriak Uruk, post: 8271906, member: 7015558"] Well, you've hit the crux of the issue with D&D; there honestly isn't much of a boundary for D&D in sense of genre. You've mentioned jeans/baseball caps, but even D&D 5E has dabbled with that with Unearthed Arcana articles (Modern Magic), and older editions played with science-fiction (Expedition to the Barrier Peaks). D&D 5E's Dungeon Master Guide actually provides rules for modern and sci-fi games (rules for guns/lasers) and even has an art piece depicting a Star Trek-esque laser combat with a monster. I have snipped out a list of influences from Wikipedia that kind of exemplify how broad D&D really is in genre. The list is quite long, and diverse. Compared to Call of Cthulhu (it's in the name, the influence is Lovecraft) and other popular TTRPGs, D&D is arguably one of the broader and inconsistent game systems. [I]The world of D&D was influenced by world mythology, history, [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine']pulp fiction[/URL], and contemporary fantasy novels. The importance of [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien']J. R. R. Tolkien[/URL]'s [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings']The Lord of the Rings[/URL] and [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit']The Hobbit[/URL] as an influence on D&D is controversial. The presence in the game of [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfling_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)']halflings[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)']elves[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-elf_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)']half-elves[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)']dwarves[/URL], orcs, [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)']rangers[/URL], and the like, draw comparisons to these works. The resemblance was even closer before the threat of copyright action from [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth_Enterprises']Tolkien Enterprises[/URL] prompted the name changes of [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit']hobbit[/URL] to 'halfling', [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ent']ent[/URL] to '[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treant']treant[/URL]', and [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balrog']balrog[/URL] to '[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balor_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)']balor[/URL]'. For many years, Gygax played down the influence of Tolkien on the development of the game.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-71'][71][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-Dragon95-72'][72][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-73'][73][/URL] However, in an interview in 2000, he acknowledged that Tolkien's work had a "strong impact" though he also said that the list of other influential authors was long.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-74'][74][/URL] The D&D magic system, in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast and must be re-memorized the next day, was heavily influenced by the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth_series']Dying Earth[/URL] stories and novels of [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Vance']Jack Vance[/URL].[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-75'][75][/URL] The original alignment system (which grouped all characters and creatures into 'Law', 'Neutrality' and 'Chaos') was derived from the novel [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Hearts_and_Three_Lions']Three Hearts and Three Lions[/URL] by [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poul_Anderson']Poul Anderson[/URL].[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-lit_source-76'][76][/URL] A troll described in this work influenced the D&D definition of that monster.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-Dragon95-72'][72][/URL] Other influences include the works of [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Howard']Robert E. Howard[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs']Edgar Rice Burroughs[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Merritt']A. Merritt[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft']H. P. Lovecraft[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Leiber']Fritz Leiber[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Sprague_de_Camp']L. Sprague de Camp[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Pratt']Fletcher Pratt[/URL], [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny']Roger Zelazny[/URL], and [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Moorcock']Michael Moorcock[/URL].[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-77'][77][/URL] Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works such as [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_vogt']A. E. van Vogt's[/URL] "Black Destroyer", [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeurl']Coeurl[/URL] (the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displacer_Beast']Displacer Beast[/URL]), [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll']Lewis Carroll[/URL]'s "[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabberwocky']Jabberwocky[/URL]" ([URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorpal']vorpal[/URL] sword) and the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Genesis']Book of Genesis[/URL] (the clerical spell 'Blade Barrier' was inspired by the "[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_sword_(mythology)']flaming sword[/URL] which turned every way" at the gates of [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Eden']Eden[/URL]).[/I][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#cite_note-lit_source-76'][I][76][/I][/URL] So... I guess there aren't really boundaries. Most D&D games fall within pre-gunpowder age Western dress (which is still quite broad), but not all do. Very few games are modern/sci-fi inspired, but they still exist. Part of the charm of D&D is that there aren't boundaries. Using Pathfinder as an example again (it's not technically D&D, but is reflective of a lot of D&D), there's a module where the adventurers travel to 1918 Russia to kill Rasputin, save Baba Yaga, and return to their own pre-modern fantasy world to face an ice witch. I really don't know what genre that's supposed to be beyond... well, fantasy ction-adventure. [/QUOTE]
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