D&D General On different tones and aesthetics in D&D

[Reynard]

One thing I have noticed over the last few years is that as new fans discover D&D -- especially younger and more diverse fans -- the aesthetic of D&D has grown more diverse along with that fanbase. Now, I know that D&D has always had a variable aesthetic -- Dark Sun doesn't look like Forgotten Realm doesn't look like Eberron, for example. But all those were still what we might generally call "adult fantasy" in the bookstore novel covers categorization.

But I am talking about the aesthetic and tone as presented by the fandom itself. It is interesting to me that there are examples of cartoon inspired, cutesy D&D characters alongside Diablo/Dark Souls inspired characters wherever you find such art. I think it is interesting that anthropomorphism has evolved to be more "all ages" compared to what we might have labelled "furry" art not too long ago. And while 5E has maintained a pretty strong art direction and identity, you do see things like the pink elephant from Avernus and the kobolds-in-a-trenchcoat appearing more often in official products.

Do you have a preferred D&D aesthetic and game tone? If so, what is it? If not, do you mix and match in one game (ie one PC looks like She-Ra and another looks like Raistlin Majere) or does each campaign have its own aesthetic for you? Do you like the general tone of the official 5E aesthetic? Are there any 3rd parties or fans that have a strong visual identity you love?

 

[jmartkdr2]

In my opinion, Dnd is only limited to being a "fantasy adventure" game, but can exist within very broad definitions of "fantasy" and "adventure", especially if you're willing to do some homebrewing.

The "adventure" part is the macro game loop: you go on adventures. (Enter dangerous area > face challenges > get rewards for overcoming challenges > rewards makes you better at facing challenges > go to more dangerous are with better rewards). Obviously you can do a lot of stuff beyond that, but if you're not doing that, the game system isn't helping you nearly as much. A game that's all about farm management can be done using 5e rules, but frankly most of the rules become chaff at that point.

The "challenges" are the main variable here: the rules do a lot to help you run combat challenges, and some to help you run a bunch of other kinds, but if you want to focus on something other than squad-level combat (ie army building) you may want to add some rules and you'll likely need to come up with a lot of target numbers. This is work: not hard or easy, but it can be a lot depending on how far away you get from the default assumptions.

The "fantasy" part is the content: races, monsters, classes, items, etc. The stuff you actually encounter in the game space. The default here isn't quite "generic fantasy" - it's "DnD fantasy", which is it's own thing that sits pretty close to the center of generic fantasy but has its own specific elements / is its own IP. But depending on how much homebrew content you're willing to make and/or find, you can do nearly anything that fits into the very broadest definition of fantasy - including most sci-fi. The only thing DnD does poorly is realism, although you can get a lot closer to realistic than the base content if you like. Again, it's not hard or easy, but the further you want to go the more work needs to be done.

(Although there's a lot of work already done out there in third party stuff and such. It's certainly easier to find homebrew than make it.)

Anywho: I personally don't have a preferred aesthetic, beyond 'something different from what I just did.' In fact, I'd really like to get away form the base DnD 'look' to do something more blatantly anime-inspired, but that's only going to be a desire until I actually do it a few times, at which point I'll be looking for something new again. I do like it much better when a campaign has a fairly consistent tone, but no one tone is best.

 

[reelo]

My preferred era of D&D art is definetly 2E: Easley, Parkinson, Elmore, Caldwell.

What I don't like: dungeonpunk (3E, Lockwood et.al.) and "newish" fanart with cute "monstergirls" , furries, and modern clothing (as opposed to pseudohistoric)
By that I mean characters in leather pants, laced "pirate-shirts" and wide-brimmed "musketeer-hats".

I know, I know, I'm decidedly old-school, but I rather see art that depicts a sense of realism (non-spiky armour, no humongous swords etc)

 

[ART!]

I guess I like a "realistic" aesthetic? (I'm not a fan of using "realism" to describe art, but it's a common term.) I like armor that looks like stuff that actual people would wear into combat. I like weapons that look like things actual people could carry, hold, and swing around. I don't like every illustrated character bedecked with dozens of little bits and bobs, ornate and impractical clothing, and spikes and protrusions that would just constantly get caught on things.

Why do I want this in a game that has wizards and dragons? Beats me! Maybe I just need practical-looking adventurers to ground my fantasy.

As for tone, I am very interested in altering tone from campaign to campaign, and figuring out how to do that within the mechanics of 5E, or by changing as little as possible mechanically.

 

[Blue Orange]

I like 1E fantastic Otus/Trampier-style work, personally, but don't see that as any more valid than any other aesthetic. If anything I liked the 2e setting proliferation--you can have lots of different 'looks', each literally in its own world. Each era and setting has its own aesthetic, and in some cases key artists--look at the work of Tony DiTerlizzi on Planescape, or Brom on Dark Sun.

 

[TwoSix]

Castlevania on Netflix is pretty close as to how I imagined D&D looking in my head. I like fantasy art that's a bit more modern, colorful, and elegant. More Dragon Prince or Avatar/Korra then She-Ra and Adventure Time.

 

[el-remmen]

I vary aesthetics by area and adventures rather than by setting (though all within a wide general boundary of what is acceptable for the game style). So I would totally run one adventure in a She-Ra style nation with magic crystals or whatever and another in a Lankhmar style blood and guts and weird ghoul-friends in the sewer style place.

Sometimes I even mash them together. Currently, I am running a lighthearted star-crossed romance adventure with a singing troll in the same area that the PCs are investigating the mystery of a terrible death cult that is kidnapping and dominating townsfolk and feeding children to snakes n' stuff.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I think a lot of what a person considers "in the pale" and "beyond the pale" regarding fantasy can be tied to early influences that one gravitated toward. For example, the works of Beatrix Potter...

... were very influential in the life of a young C.S. Lewis, and became the framework for his earliest imaginative works.

As Lewis's fantasy literature resources expanded, so did the shape that his fictive worlds. But there remained an impression left by his imagination's first love.

I think this is true of most people. I'm not really as wedded to the Tolkienesque tropes in D&D as a lot of people are, because I had been creating my worlds of imagination and even playing D&D, well before I had ever heard of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.

 

[Oofta]

For aesthetics? I like my games to be reality + magic. Not just magic that PCs cast, but also just enough magic for daily living that it makes sense. In other words, a world with jet fighters but no jet liners makes no sense to me. A world where wizards can run around casting fireball with a word but the rest of the world is 100% mundane makes no sense.

So along with that, I want my fighters swinging realistic swords and armor that (more or less) makes sense.

Tone? That varies from campaign to campaign and even within a campaign arc. I guess I'd say heroic fantasy with a side of mystery and paranoia. I do event driven campaigns (I personally find dungeon crawls boring) but also very much driven by PC action and choice.

 

[Coroc]

One thing I have noticed over the last few years is that as new fans discover D&D -- especially younger and more diverse fans -- the aesthetic of D&D has grown more diverse along with that fanbase. Now, I know that D&D has always had a variable aesthetic -- Dark Sun doesn't look like Forgotten Realm doesn't look like Eberron, for example. But all those were still what we might generally call "adult fantasy" in the bookstore novel covers categorization.

But I am talking about the aesthetic and tone as presented by the fandom itself. It is interesting to me that there are examples of cartoon inspired, cutesy D&D characters alongside Diablo/Dark Souls inspired characters wherever you find such art. I think it is interesting that anthropomorphism has evolved to be more "all ages" compared to what we might have labelled "furry" art not too long ago. And while 5E has maintained a pretty strong art direction and identity, you do see things like the pink elephant from Avernus and the kobolds-in-a-trenchcoat appearing more often in official products.

Do you have a preferred D&D aesthetic and game tone? If so, what is it? If not, do you mix and match in one game (ie one PC looks like She-Ra and another looks like Raistlin Majere) or does each campaign have its own aesthetic for you? Do you like the general tone of the official 5E aesthetic? Are there any 3rd parties or fans that have a strong visual identity you love?

One thing I have noticed over the last few years is that as new fans discover D&D -- especially younger and more diverse fans -- the aesthetic of D&D has grown more diverse along with that fanbase. Now, I know that D&D has always had a variable aesthetic -- Dark Sun doesn't look like Forgotten Realm doesn't look like Eberron, for example. But all those were still what we might generally call "adult fantasy" in the bookstore novel covers categorization.

But I am talking about the aesthetic and tone as presented by the fandom itself. It is interesting to me that there are examples of cartoon inspired, cutesy D&D characters alongside Diablo/Dark Souls inspired characters wherever you find such art. I think it is interesting that anthropomorphism has evolved to be more "all ages" compared to what we might have labelled "furry" art not too long ago. And while 5E has maintained a pretty strong art direction and identity, you do see things like the pink elephant from Avernus and the kobolds-in-a-trenchcoat appearing more often in official products.

Do you have a preferred D&D aesthetic and game tone? If so, what is it? If not, do you mix and match in one game (ie one PC looks like She-Ra and another looks like Raistlin Majere) or does each campaign have its own aesthetic for you? Do you like the general tone of the official 5E aesthetic? Are there any 3rd parties or fans that have a strong visual identity you love?

well that is a bit difficult, tbh that depends upon whether you imagine your char rather like a "real" being or like me, some times imagine it as being a bit like from one of your fav computer games or movies. Yes, even me as a boomer can't always evade the influence of media .
When it comes to art though, oh my, i like Corben and such, well i guess if the illustrations in an adventure are PG 6 - 12
then it's probably not my favorite style.