Why Fantasy?

[Cadence]

In a vain attempt to drag this thread back on its actual topic(s):

Who prefers a genre other than fantasy for TTRPGs? What games do you prefer? What would it take for that preferred genre, do you think, to better compete with fantasy in the TTRPG mindspace?

I think I equally prefer pseudo-science fantasy (like Gamma World or Steam Punk or Dying Earth) settings.

 

[Reynard]

To give an example: A friend of mine once used GURPS supplements and research to build a campaign around modern day characters investigating weird mystic happenings in and around Afghanistan, that built on real world mythology and archaeology. Unfortunately, he finished putting things together during the summer of 2001, and as you may remember events unfurled in September of that year that led to Afghanistan going from a somewhat obscure region of the world to front-page news. With the US invasion of Afghanistan the tone of any adventures in the region would change, and if he set the game in a different year or alt history it would still have had an extremely different feeling since it would be 'look for mystical happenings in the Taliban Zone' to Americans rather than 'look for mystical happenings in this unfamiliar place with a rich and complicated history'.

The real world events wouldn't affect a fantasy campaign based around history from the region the same way, since the locations, names, and personalities would be be based on the real world but not directly copied, and obviously current events wouldn't be taking place.

I don't know, hunting supernatural relics in war torn Afghanistan sound pretty great. Trying to get them out before the Taliban destroys them or the US weaponizes them sounds even better. Or, set it in 1987 or so and make the Russians the bad guys. Either way, I'd sign up for that game.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I think I equally prefer pseudo-science fantasy (like Gamma World or Steam Punk or Dying Earth) settings.

Yes, I like this too!

There is, IMHO, not nearly enough Thundercats in ttrpgs!

 

[Reynard]

Yes, I like this too!

There is, IMHO, not nearly enough Thundercats in ttrpgs!

::stares menacingly in Thundarr::

 

[Deset Gled]

::stares menacingly in Thundarr::

And it stares back.

Either way, another talking point for swords.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

::stares menacingly in Thundarr::

Yas! Gimme Thundarr, gimme He-Man...

(in Family Guy voice) but not you John Carter, no no, not you...

 

[Parmandur]

So, this will sound pedantic, but sometimes that's how we denote what we actually mean.

I think you'll find today there's a difference between the older "romantic literature" and modern "romance literature".

Poe, Malory, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Woordswoth, Shelley (Percy and Mary both), and Keats are romantic authors.

Modern romance literature is a different beast.

I totally agree with you , just explaining what @Fenris-77 was saying.

 

[Fenris-77]

By all means. Show me your research and authorities show that Tolkien was not heavily influenced by mythology and that Dunsany was not heavily influenced by fairy tales.

I have no idea what point it is you are trying to make. Feel fo unobfuscate your point. Or not, I don’t actually care much.

 

[Desdichado]

Wargaming started in Prussia around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, so firearms and cannon were a given. but in a 1:1 wargaming adventure game, it makes every encounter the sword vs. gun scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Archery would mostly have had the same effect, though. There's a reason why the various horse archer barbarians were so successful against peoples who were less likely to use that strategy throughout the Classical and Middle Ages from the Scythians to the Huns to the Mongols, etc. And even including the Comanche, although they were much more modern. A Comanche archer could "hide" behind the neck of his horse and shoot six arrows underneath its neck before the first one hit its target. Until the invention of the Colt six shooter, you couldn't really beat archery with personal firearms unless your foe was determined to just march out in formation the same as you did.

 

[zarionofarabel]

Who prefers a genre other than fantasy for TTRPGs?

Me!

What games do you prefer?

Contemporary, Sci-Fi, Historical, Horror, Cyberpunk, really anything but Fantasy!

What would it take for that preferred genre, do you think, to better compete with fantasy in the TTRPG mindspace?

Because of the overwhelming dominance of D&D I don't think it will happen. Too many TTRPG gamers get in to the hobby with D&D and never even try other TTRPGs. With the prevalence of the new "D&D lifestyle brand" that includes things like Critical Role and many other popular "DungeonTubers" I doubt the monopoly will be broken anytime soon. I do see some movement towards non-D&D TTRPGs by the newest "generation" of TTRPG players, the ones that came in during the Covid Era. It's been enough years that the newest crop of TTRPG players are finally maturing beyond D&D. However I do follow a number of old geezers (like me) who have literally spent their entire "muh 40 years" playing nothing but D&D, so never moving on from D&D for the entire span of ones time in the hobby is a thing. I don't get it, but I didn't really like D&D even when it was the only TTRPG I knew of, and I moved on as soon as I discovered non-D&D TTRPGs. As long as D&D is the dominant TTRPG fantasy will reign supreme.