The good old times (in settings). Or?

[Derren]

Pretty much all fantasy settings I know, no matter if used for RPGs, books or movies, have one thing in common.
In the past there was a big, powerful, much more knowledgeable (and magical) empire which fell and people are looking for artifacts from that time. Ok, maybe Conan doesn't have this background, but I do not know enough about it to be sure.

This theme also gets used quite often in Science Fiction. And there are several reasons for why it is so popular. It mimics the real world (at least the medieval times which is the time which corresponds most to most fantasy settings, being build upon the ruins of the roman empire) and having a powerful and destroyed kingdom gives an explanation where all those dungeons come from and why all the "good stuff" is found inside those trap filled, monster infested dungeons instead of the manufactories of the great cities. Besides, many people seem to have a fascination for the past, so why not make the past "good"?

With that in mind I would like to ask if someone runs a fantasy game where this is not the case. A setting where the present has completely (or nearly so) eclipsed the past which does not hold any more ancient, forgotten secrets and where the artifacts of old are at best only 2nd rate compared to what can be created anew (not everywhere of course). How does adventuring in such a world look like (of course there is always politics)? And have you noticed if such a setting promotes a different tone or feel, intended or not, than from setting which does have old, fallen empires?

 

[Evenglare]

I know what you are talking about, most of these big settings that have that old empire (be it rome/egypt for earth, elves for middle earth, Istar for dragonlance or whatever) usually there are novels detailing these events and what happened to them (usually some major event that caused the downfall). So while it's not exactly what you are looking for, you might find what you are looking for by reading these past stories. What adventurers did during those times and go from there. /shrug That's all I got but I think it's a pretty good starting point. I mean... history can't go on forever, so just go to the first of the big stories where these things/events happened.

 

[Dioltach]

I'd say that a setting in which the present civilisation is more advanced than any previous civilisation would make for pretty poor dungeon-crawling. "So, we defeated the lich guarding the ancient tomb, what's the treasure? Oh look, another stone hammer. Yay.!

 

[delericho]

Yeah, the big advantage of the "old ruined empire" is that they typically leave loads of ruins about the place, complete with treasure that is worth having.

IIRC, there have been a couple of games set in the "First Age" of their setting. IIRC, the "Sword & Sorcery" setting developed by White Wolf was one, and I think Monte may have talked about one at some point for his home use. But I've never tried it myself, so can't say how (or even if) it changes the game dynamic.

 

[amerigoV]

Maybe the game would actually evolve beyond "kill things and take their stuff".

 

[delericho]

Maybe the game would actually evolve beyond "kill things and take their stuff".

If you mean the game globally, then I wouldn't count on it. It's such a simple idea that it will remain forever popular.

If you mean individual tables, then there's nothing stopping it. Indeed, the vast majority of games I play have gone beyond that point - for "kill things and take their stuff" we tend to go for video games and/or the D&D boardgames - a perfectly good representation of the model with much less hassle.

 

[Dioltach]

Maybe the game would actually evolve beyond "kill things and take their stuff".

I personally consider "kill things and take their stuff" to be the highest evolved form of the game.

 

[jcayer]

I think the easiest solution is to either open a portal from somewhere else(dimension, hell, plane, etc) or some sort of invasion from somewhere else on the planet. Your time could be spent trying to take back a city and then exploring it to loot it, rather than an ancient dungeon. You can still make it a dungeon crawl, the premise is just a little different.

 

[amerigoV]

I personally consider "kill things and take their stuff" to be the highest evolved form of the game.

~

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I am preparing to run a campaign where the world is (somewhat) newly created. The player characters, having been a portion of the pantheon of gods who created the world have been depleted of power and will begin as 1st level characters whose goals are to reclaim their place among the heavens while protecting the world that they worked so hard to create from the ravages of the evil gods and from the mortals who now inhabit it.

There will be occasional dungeon crawls, as the PCs venture into caches that they themselves have set up (along with traps and tests to ensure that no unworthy may get their hands on the treasures within). But mostly, the adventures will revolve around the machinations of the current societies.

I also have an alternative method for gathering personal power and crafting magic items, so treasure will generally not be the primary pursuit in adventuring.