The gaming/fiction disparity, or "Why are dark elves cliche?"

[RangerWickett]

In D&D games, most players think that dark elves are cool.

In fantasy fiction, unless you're writing for a D&D setting, it seems like dark elves are cancer. People can't stand them. You can have adventuring parties, spellcasters that memorize spells, gods that have militant clerics, angsty broody rangers, and dragons of different colors that do different things, but if you have an underdark, or anything from D&D associated with it, people think you're cliched and derivative. Is anyone else seeing this, or is this just something I'm getting from my friends?

They're cool with Dragonlance or Song of Ice & Fire or Wheel of Time, but mention the Forgotten Realms novels and their first complaint is Drizzt and the dark elves. I've had dark elves in my games, and the players have enjoyed meeting and fighting them, but when they're in fiction, my players think they're 'too D&D-ish.' I can't figure out what the problem would be, except perhaps that dark elves are over-saturated in D&D fiction. But if that's the case, why is it okay to have them in games?

Can you help me figure this out?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

It's because dark elf chicks look hot in lingere.




I'm pretty sure I'm not kidding, too.

 

[Planesdragon]

In fantasy fiction, unless you're writing for a D&D setting, it seems like dark elves are cancer.

No. They're just controversial, because a perennial bestseller for fantasy fiction is a mid-brow dark elf.

Wizards seems to be doing well enough with their dark elf fare--and they even snuck them into Dragonlance novels a couple of times.

 

[JimAde]

Maybe it's because they are so "D&D-ish". By which I mean they were invented specifically for the game. All the other potentially cliche things you mention have an origin outside the game (folklore, Tolkien, or another literary source or even history). I believe even color-coded dragons have SOME reference in myth and folklore, in that golden dragons are a chinese schtick and they're good.

But elves with ebony skin that live underground are original to D&D. So maybe they see anything that uses them as "fanfic".

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Partly because while dragons, elves, etc., are common fodder for fantasy fiction since day 1, drow/dark elves are (at least to my recollection) a D&D creation, and so unavoidably associated with it.

Also, D&D dark elves were originally presented as the embodiment of a purely evil race more powerful than elves, humans or dwarves, and kept in check only through the alliance of the surface dwellers. Then along comes Drizz't, the 'dark elf with a heart of gold', and every munchkin power-gamer in the world says 'I'm a drow, but a good one, cast out from the Underdark. I get to keep all the perqs and suffer none of the drawbacks.' Throw in the goth wanna-be's who think dark and brooding = cool on top of that, and most D&D players I know really, *really* hate having Drow show up anywhere, game or fiction. I only have three rules across all my campaigns -- no Drow PCs, no monks, no katana's.

 

[reanjr]

In fantasy fiction, unless you're writing for a D&D setting, it seems like dark elves are cancer. People can't stand them. You can have adventuring parties, spellcasters that memorize spells, gods that have militant clerics, angsty broody rangers, and dragons of different colors that do different things, but if you have an underdark, or anything from D&D associated with it, people think you're cliched and derivative. Is anyone else seeing this, or is this just something I'm getting from my friends?

While most of the things you mention have historical, mythological, folk-lore, or at least fictional heritage, dark elves (as far as anyone wants to write them) were created and heavily used by D&D. Therefore they ARE cliche and derivative.

If you wanted to actually create something original to do with dark elves (like Dragonlance did), I do not believe anyone would complain. But if you are using the same old dark elves, then you had better expect them to appear cliche. Because they are.

 

[reanjr]

No. They're just controversial, because a perennial bestseller for fantasy fiction is a mid-brow dark elf.

Wizards seems to be doing well enough with their dark elf fare--and they even snuck them into Dragonlance novels a couple of times.

You're missing the fact that in DL, dark elves are absolutely nothing like the standard D&D dark elves.

 

[reanjr]

I only have three rules across all my campaigns -- no Drow PCs, no monks, no katana's.

Damn, I wish I could play in one of your campaigns.

I can't count how many times I've had to argue with players because they were pissed that a katana wasn't a d12 18-20/x3 weapon that could be used with weapon finesse.

 

[diaglo]

if it is evil it has to have a different color skin.

the races of colo(u)r get no respect.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

You're missing the fact that in DL, dark elves are absolutely nothing like the standard D&D dark elves.

... with the exception of my lingere theory.