The impacts of Fantasy on (fantasy) society

[Ed_Laprade]

@Ed_Laprade - just commenting on your comment.

I'm not sure if it's sadly really. What do you want the game to be? Is it a game of heroic fantasy where big damn heroes go and do heroic things? Or, is it a fantasy world simulator a la Harn?

Sadly because I want it to be both, but that's really hard to pull off. And pretty much impossible when everyone has their own idea of what they feel is the right combination of the two. Not that there's much that anyone can do about it, except hope that most people are reasonably comfortable with whatever combo your game uses.

 

[Incenjucar]

4e still has magical healing but no midwifery or farming spells.

The Growth ritual. A few "make animals bigger" rituals also help here, if you want to get your pet squirrel to pull the plow. Thing is that rituals are freaking expensive unless you raid dragon hordes for a living.

However you also have an extremely powerful transportation ritual in "Linked Portal", one that would completely change long distance travel for the wealthy. Likewise sending and voice/hand of fate. Enchantment is now readily available, even more so than in 3e where you had to be a spell caster to do it.

These have been factored into a variety of fluff materials. Enchantment is as readily available as giant sums of gold, sure. Enchantment has level requirements.

In theory in 4e every single canton or town should have someone trained in Arcana and with knowledge of that ritual. So where are the heat-your-house/plow-your-field items? All you need to make one is that ritual and cash. There ought to be wandering enchanters exactly like the old wandering smiths. You still have powerful mages who have spent decades building magical power and from have gained ... more boom. They can't even fly anymore, not for more than 5 minutes. Why do they bother?

Magic item creation has a level requirement. A mere +1 plow would cost more than a farm.

For wziards, there are ways to get overland flight, and they can do some pretty crazy stuff, even if they aren't gods anymore.

At any rate, how does 4e's magic setup with less useful spells but vastly easier magic item construction make the world less full of plot holes?

While I'm sure there are plenty of plot holes, it's hard to discuss them when you are making things up as you go.

 

[Argyle King]

Sadly because I want it to be both, but that's really hard to pull off. And pretty much impossible when everyone has their own idea of what they feel is the right combination of the two. Not that there's much that anyone can do about it, except hope that most people are reasonably comfortable with whatever combo your game uses.

There's no reason it cannot be both. In a world which is more grounded in reality, even a small departure from that reality is going to have a big impact. Drop even a lowly +1 magic sword into our own world's history, and it's going to have a big impact.

Another example (though not a fantasy one) is the Watchmen. With a few exceptions (Dr. Manhattan,) a lot of the super heroes are a lot more low key than someone such as Superman, The Green Lantern, The Hulk, and etc. However, being that that level of uber-super doesn't typically exist and the rest of the world is more mundane, it allows people with even a slight advantage to shine. This could be done with a fantasy rpg.

Have the PCs be the special people who can break the norms. However, realize that it will take less of an advantage to set them apart from a world which is more grounded. As said, even a +1 sword would have a powerful impact on a setting where magic items and D&D style magic are not the norm and/or common.

I believe it's easier to start from a grounded base and add the more gonzo elements (and have them make sense,) than it is to start with all the dials turned to 11 and then try to pair things down to a more grounded experience. On the other hand, what I did in the game I previously mentioned was to embrace the over-the-top nature of the game and just assume everyone was capable of it.

 

[Hussar]

The Watchmen make a good example though. Guess what happens when you have super-dudes? They take over the world, essentially. Sure, the muggle governments can do whatever they want, but, if they step out of line, the super guys rise out of the ocean and squash them flat.

OTOH, Johhny3D3D, I do totally agree that in order to have a believable setting, the game has to be designed with that goal from the outset. Trying to go the other direction is an exercise in futility.