What's Sci Fi Got that Fantasy Don't Got?

[Prince Atom]

Hey all,

Recently one of my friends sold almost all of his fantasy game books. I'm talking several versions of D&D, Warhammer, Palladium (including Rifts), All Flesh Must Be Eaten, etc.

I asked him why, and he said he was worried that it would damage his cred when he was witnessing to someone about his beliefs, like it would come up in the conversation or something and totally fox his attempt to bring someone into his church.

But he kept his Sci Fi and Superhero books, such as Heroes Unlimited and Mutants & Masterminds. He's not going to stop roleplaying, he's going to stop playing certain genres.

I admit, I'm a bit baffled. What's the difference between fantasy and sci fi that precludes one from the fold, but not the other? Sure, one has magic and strange life, while the other has high technology and strange life. Is this just part of the old "D&D = evil" meme?

TWK
P.S. This is a thread about genre differences, not "What's wrong with religious group Y?"

 

[Phaedrus]

I would say it's the D&D is evil bit. I mean, c'mon, there are demons and devils right there in the MM!! And pentagrams and magic circles. And druids. And all sorts of bad things.

 

[Ferret]

I think one is just more mainstream, people might find 'trekies' odd but not strange and weird.

 

[trancejeremy]

Magic seems to be the obvious difference. While many SF things have basically the same thing, "Psionics" or such, magic has a kinship to the "occult". And the supernatural. Demons, Devils, Ghosts. Generally sepaking, a lot of it is based on real world stuff. While in SF, there really isn't. Maybe you find the Greys as an alien race, but most of the rest is generally just completely made up.

 

[ElvishBard]

There is also the fact that (ideally) the scifi makes sense and could one day happen, where as I am pretty sure that fantasy can't happen. I am rather curious about why he felt he had to sell the books, he could have turned them the other way so no one could read the spine, at least that is what I would have done.

 

[WayneLigon]

But he kept his Sci Fi and Superhero books, such as Heroes Unlimited and Mutants & Masterminds. He's not going to stop roleplaying, he's going to stop playing certain genres.

I admit, I'm a bit baffled. What's the difference between fantasy and sci fi that precludes one from the fold, but not the other? Sure, one has magic and strange life, while the other has high technology and strange life. Is this just part of the old "D&D = evil" meme?

That's how a guy I knew who was very religious handled his gaming; he just did sci-fi.

Magic is the difference. The use of magic fundamentally conflicts with most religious beliefs because it makes the user into the mover and shaker instead of the god. Instead of submitting to the god's will about when it will rain or when the crops will grow, the magus takes matters into his own hands and says 'It'll rain now, because I say so', and uses his knowledge or (in your later interpretations) contacts with evil beings who want to overthrow the god to make it rain or the crops to grow.

In a broader sociological theme, the mage does not humble himself; he does as he wishes because he can do these things. He does not depend on others because he needs few others - his magic provides him with warmth, food, and the like. Notice how in most legends mages and witches and the like always live apart from others. They often have unconventional ideas. All those ideas are pretty much anathema to most of the world's religions regardless of origin, ethnic belief, etc.

Now, to me, that's no different from the farmer who sprays his crops with pesticides to keep the bugs away rather than relying on devotion and faith, but I never claimed to understand these things.

 

[sniffles]

I've never really been able to understand differentiating between the two genres. Most so-called sci fi is fantasy; the likelihood of being able to create androids that can mimic all human behaviors is very small, as is the likelihood of faster than light travel, or terraforming, or many of the other concepts popular in sci fi. And the descriptions of the science behind such concepts isn't much different from magic - remember the famous Arthur C. Clarke quote?

I can't understand the idea that superheroes is okay, either. Superpowers are usually even less defined than magic, and all the heroics are up to the heroes in most superhero genre material; you don't see anyone but Bible Man giving thanks to a diety. Many superhero RPG sourcebooks contain demons or demonic-looking entities, and also magical characters.

But I guess if that's what he has to do to make himself feel better... Preferably it would be nice if he would do his witnessing by showing what a good Christian he is without having to put on a front. :\

 

[IronWolf]

Laser Cannons. Sci-Fi has Laser Cannons!

 

[jester47]

Lack of staying power.

 

[Steverooo]

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