D&D 5E What’s So Great About Medieval Europe?

[Todd Roybark]

While I realize every thread seems to eventually descend into being about US politics, this thread is NOT about US politics.

Thank You, for the above.

Respectfully, I would like to posit....when a thread begins with copious “America” references, the end result of US politics raising it’s Ugly American head, is nigh assured.

Don’t get me wrong, I love reading the different perspectives, and I am assuredly not trying to get banned or sanctioned.

xactly. Star Trek is American.

Don't you guys spend a lot of your time online telling us in the UK about a little war where you categorically declared you were not part of our culture?

I do enjoy being judged of my worthiness by members of the most powerful country in the world!

Oh, definitely. D&D feels very American to me. More so, I think, than it used to; but I might be misremembering.

An American ren-faire-ness?

 

[Morrus]

Thank You, for the above.

Respectfully, I would like to posit....when a thread begins with copious “America” references, the end result of US politics raising it’s Ugly American head, is nigh assured.

Don’t get me wrong, I love reading the different perspectives, and I am assuredly not trying to get banned or sanctioned.

At what point did you think picking through my every post to quote every time I said the word "America" in response to moderator comment to avoid politics was a good idea? Please don't post in this thread again.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

While traveling to different areas of the US, there have been noticeable differences concerning what happens when I have been pulled over by law enforcement officials versus how things go when a girlfriend of mine has been pulled over by law enforcement officials. In one instance, it was late at night and I had my passenger seat pushed back, to get some rest while she drove. There was a drastic difference in how they spoke to her before noticing that I was in the vehicle and how they spoke to her after they noticed I was in the vehicle.

I imagine that such situations might arise more often in a world were physical differences are more pronounced than superficial features. (Mages might also face scrutiny, and this idea is explored in comic books in terms of whether or not mutants and supers should be regulated.)

Whether or not that is included in a game is dependent upon the situation that people interacting with the game want. In some cases, it may be that a group plays a game for escapism and wants to get away from real-world concerns of that nature. In other cases, it may be that a group finds value in touches of reality and exploring real-world concepts through the lens of play and fantasy.

I'm not quite sure how someone writing a product or a setting should approach that split.

Yep, it could increase, or it could be lessened in a world where the neighboring town has people who have scales or live 7 times longer than your folk do or can talk to small animals.

My point of contention is the suggestion that (to paraphrase) “of course there’d be (often violent) bigotry against the weirder looking races”.

 

[Zardnaar]

Culture doesn't just mean theatre and classical music.

As a kid in 80s things we grew up with. Pre D&D.

Fairy tales. Grimm brothers and others.
Old Disney movies. Snow White, Robin Hood, Sword in the Stone (King Arthur)
Robin Hood BBC TV show.
Movie Excalibur.
Asterix and Obelisk cartoon books
More stories if King Arthur
Robin Hood movie (1991)
Stories and tales of Knights.
Damsels in distress (Rapunzel)
Bible stories

Hell I knew about Rome before I knew where Rome was.

 

[Argyle King]

Yep, it could increase, or it could be lessened in a world where the neighboring town has people who have scales or live 7 times longer than your folk do or can talk to small animals.

My point of contention is the suggestion that (to paraphrase) “of course there’d be (often violent) bigotry against the weirder looking races”.

Arguably, violent bigotry is the entire basis for why slaying orcs is deemed a "good" thing to do.

 

[Yardiff]

More than said my piece on the subject of cultural appropriate and this thread, so I think I'll walk away now before I get irritated and bow out by saying "Watch Baahubali."

It's two films. Both were on Netflix. It's like 300 but over two generations and with song-and-dance numbers.
You'll want to forget everything I said about cultural appropriation (if you already cared) and run a game in fantasy India.

Watch Baahubali.

I just watched "Bahubali: the Beginning" and am wondering why you think this movie makes you think f D&D? To me it was just another over the top wuxia style movie, not as good as some but also not as bad as some.
Not really what to me is D&D.

 

[Minigiant]

I just watched "Bahubali: the Beginning" and am wondering why you think this movie makes you think f D&D? To me it was just another over the top wuxia style movie, not as good as some but also not as bad as some.
Not really what to me is D&D.

That's the thing

D&D was marketing itself directly and indirectly to different people as different genres.
Some saw a more grounded game. Some saw a more high powered game. Some ssaw over the top wuxia. Some saw Medieval Europe. Some saw Renaissance Eurasia. Some saw mied up cultural tropes from all over.

People came to D&D at direct angles. And D&D didn't turn them away. It just handled it poorly for decades.

 

[MGibster]

People came to D&D at direct angles. And D&D didn't turn them away. It just handled it poorly for decades.

Given the popularity and success of D&D I'm not so sure they handled it poorly.

 

[Minigiant]

Given the popularity and success of D&D I'm not so sure they handled it poorly.

I didn't say D&D handled itself poorly.
I said " It just handled it poorly for decades"
It being the multiple demographics.

It been corralling D&D players around a specific central genre or offering elements to tailor itselfto multiple genres. Many of the arguments in D&D discussions are boiled down to D&D never really handling the multiple audiences it had well. This very one is proof.

D&D's success mainly came from its vitual monopoly on the fantasy tabletop RPGs keeping it most popular. Had D&D any real competition back in the day, it would look very very different right now or been a minor player.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Arguably, violent bigotry is the entire basis for why slaying orcs is deemed a "good" thing to do.

Not even arguably, it just is.
Which...isn’t good, and isn’t necessary to the game.