Sword & Sorcery or High Fantasy?

[Jack7]

In my setting and game arcane magic is very dangerous, though not evil. But it can cause bad things to happen as side effects.

Magic is more like nuclear radiation than electromagnetism.
Especially powerful magic.

But on that world the setting is more High Fantasy.
I'd say almost mystical (mystical religion plays a big role in both worlds, but in opposite ways) high fantasy, mixed with, for lack of a better term, technologically-mythic fantasy.

On our world the setting is semi-historical leaning heavily towards historical, but our world is being invaded by creatures and influences from the other world.

So I'd say it is a cross between semi-historical and mystical-mythic high fantasy.

Histo-Mystical High Fantasy?
Mythical Historic High Fantasy?

I've never really thought to classify it in that way, per se.

Anywho I voted other.

 

[Jack7]

The Hawkmoon stuff always struck me as closer to the High Fantasy side

When you consider individual stories and elements, like Elric, or Stormbringer (and how dangerous he is), and the gods of Law and Chaos, then Moorcock is much more like S&S.

But when you look at all the stories as a whole, and of the underlying ideas, like that of the recurring Hero being reincarnated time and again in different worlds and in different guises, and of Elric actually being an instrument of Stormbringer, rather than the other way around, and of Silver Arms, and so forth, then Moorcock is much more like mythical and mystical High Fantasy.

And I think he wanted it that way.
As if he wanted his works to be one thing, but look much like another.

High mythic and mystical and even religious ideas glossed over in a facade of, for lack of a better term, popular fantasy.

 

[pawsplay]

Mainly S&S, but with less manly violence and more moral challenge.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I doubt this will be a surprise to anyone who follows my games, but Sword and Sorcery for the win.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I always felt magic was a natural part of the D&D world, just based on the way the rules were written. I also always felt that spending as much time as one spends to run a D&D game was only worth it if there were some really earth-shattering events within the game world and a strong philosophical and artistic statement was being made by the plot of the game. Apparently that makes my style 'high fantasy'.

What amazes me is that other people play the same game totally differently.

Not that this is a bad thing, quite the contrary...

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I put "Other" what I like may... may fit in one or both of those but it is divergent enough that I would more willingly place it in "Other".

I would say, "Steampunk", "Alternative History", "Magipunk", etc. are more what my games are like. I love mixing genres and specifically technology. For instance my current campaign setting combines:

• Cyberpunk-themes and aesthetics
• Noir and Hardboil themes and aesthetics as well
• Victorian era technology
• Cyberpunk technology converted for fantasy. So stuff like, "spirit hacking", "spirit boxes" (if you have seen Ghost in The Shell you get what I mean), "Ley Line internet", stuff like that.
• Mainly urban adventures. Less combat and more mystery and moral dilemmas and such.
• Magic wise in 4e terms stuff like Primal, Psionics and Shadow (or what we would determine reasonable for those last two).

I guess it could be considered High Fantasy since there is magic and isn't that extremely uncommon or evil. But swords and bullets are just as effective and powerful as magic, and technology continues to supersede magic.

 

[blargney the second]

Noir!
-blarg

 

[Remathilis]

I guess I'm in the minority.

I like High Fantasy with epic quests, Bad Guys with a Capital B, magic a force of good and evil, four person parties with knights, scholarly-mages and reformed thieves, elves, dwarves, hobbits etc, and characters that rise from lowly origins to become great and noble heroes of the land.

Of course, I don't mind a little S&S thrown in (devil-blooded humans, mysterious warlocks, uncaring mercs, and magic so black that its practitioners simply must be put to the sword, but generally I prefer a mix more high fantasy leaning.

 

[Jasperak]

Where would Warhammer Fantasy RPG fit in?

 

[S'mon]

Most of my campaigns have been more towards the high fantasy end; though I'd like to do a more low fantasy campaign next time. Either run the Myriador Fighting Fantasy 3e adaptations or a Wilderlands/City State campaign.