Tropes that need to die

[JacktheRabbit]

The "Big Bad Evil Leader" who when you kill ends the threat completely is a trope. But it is followed by a trope that is almost as big. This is the one where the party leaves after killing BBEG thinking their work is done only to have the evil group return under the command of a revived formerly dead leader or under the command of one of his "even more evil and dangerous" subordinates.

 

[Krensky]

The "Big Bad Evil Leader" who when you kill ends the threat completely is a trope. But it is followed by a trope that is almost as big. This is the one where the party leaves after killing BBEG thinking their work is done only to have the evil group return under the command of a revived formerly dead leader or under the command of one of his "even more evil and dangerous" subordinates.

Or one of his superiors. Or sibling. Or children. Or significant other.

Or some random guy the developers threw in at the last moment who isn't connected to the story or has even appeared elsewhere in the whole damn game.

Sorry, still confused by the end boss of Final Fantasy IX.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Or one of his superiors. Or sibling. Or children. Or significant other.

Or some random guy the developers threw in at the last moment who isn't connected to the story or has even appeared elsewhere in the whole damn game.

Sorry, still confused by the end boss of Final Fantasy IX.

Never got into those games. Way to much compensating going on by the game designers with those silly giant swords.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

See, Rounser, I'm not sure why I can't have my cake and eat it too. I mean, the "traditional" fantasy settings have had it all their way for almost thirty years. Is it really so much to ask for a couple of settings that don't have their heads firmly planted in fantasy written by dead people?

They're called "Homebrews."

Seriously, though, there ARE such settings out there. They're just rare because of marketability. The ones you'll find are generally tied to authors either with loooooooooong series of books or a key iconic novel.

Some that I can think of:

Thieves' World
Stormbringer (and all other games based on Moorcock's novels)
A Game of Thrones
Dream Park
Shanarra (although I think that one is online only)

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

Shanarra (although I think that one is online only)

Dragon #286 has some Shannara 3.5 material.

 

[Stoat]

They're called "Homebrews."

Seriously, though, there ARE such settings out there. They're just rare because of marketability. The ones you'll find are generally tied to authors either with loooooooooong series of books or a key iconic novel.

Some that I can think of:

Thieves' World
Stormbringer (and all other games based on Moorcock's novels)
A Game of Thrones
Dream Park
Shanarra (although I think that one is online only)

DarkSun
Spelljammer
Planescape
Eberron
Dragonstar
Iron Kingdoms

 

[Schmoe]

I think you're making a classic geek error.

We geeks like D&D and fantasy. But also -
We geeks like logic, and have a habit of extending logic to it's logical conclusions.

Problem: Extending fantasy to it's logical conclusion is like applying logic to romance, humour or music: It doesn't work, and you end up killing the magic that makes the whole thing tick in the first place. It takes us geeks a while to work this out, and generally a few girlfriends get annoyed before the penny drops. Meanwhile you're like Sheldon in Big Bang Theory - a guy who just doesn't get it if it can't be quantified logically.

The Eberron and Praemal settings of WOTC (both of which extend D&Disms that are game artifacts to their logical conclusions which to me is just ?#?@!$? whiskey tango foxtrot territory) was a major clue to me that D&D wasn't in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Luckily there was a backlash to this approach to the game, and we have the OGL, OSR, Pathfinder and Hackmaster to fall back on. Thank you Peter Adkison, Paizo and Kenzer for saving D&D from being restricted to one set of peoples' vision.

I definitely agree with this. Fantasy, to me, requires a certain degree of suspension of disbelief and a willingness to say "just because". The whimsical and the fanciful require casting logic aside, but the rewards are worth it. Slaving yourself to logical consistency will cut you off from a vast realm of possibilities.

 

[Hussar]

DarkSun
Spelljammer
Planescape
Eberron
Dragonstar
Iron Kingdoms

What is Dragonstar? I don't know that one.

They're called "Homebrews."

Seriously, though, there ARE such settings out there. They're just rare because of marketability. The ones you'll find are generally tied to authors either with loooooooooong series of books or a key iconic novel.

Some that I can think of:

Thieves' World
Stormbringer (and all other games based on Moorcock's novels)
A Game of Thrones
Dream Park
Shanarra (although I think that one is online only)

That's pretty much true DannyA. Was it this thread or another that someone talked about how stock fantasy is immedietely recognizable and much, much easier to sell.

I get that.

And, yes, I could write it myself, but, sorry, I'm a piss poor world builder, hate doing it and would much, much rather pay someone else to do it. I love playing D&D. I don't like world building as I always do a very bad job of it and find it a frustrating experience.

I just wish we could get a setting like Eberron, one that doesn't revolve around planar hopping or giant space hamsters, but one that takes it a couple of steps further.

 

[jonesy]

What is Dragonstar? I don't know that one.

http://stevencreech.com/images/posters/Dragonstar.jpg

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Or to put it another way, Dragonstar is D&D...in SPAAAAAAAACE!!

Some others:

Dragonmech
Oathbound
Etc.

However, D&D proper has had only those listed unthread...with Speljammer and DarkSun being my faves.