WotC Why WotC SHOULD Make A New Setting

[Paul Farquhar]

That is what most self-professed "fan of urban fantasy" folks would want.

I would consider myself a fan of urban fantasy. I like the Dresden Files, I like Rivers of London. And what I look for is a combination of crime fiction and fantasy.

They would not want "Lord of the Rings, except it's a fantasy megacity."

There are no fantasy megacities in Middle Earth, because Tolkien looked to create a nostalgic past, and escape the modern world, not mirror it.

But D&D settings are not Middle Earth. Most of them, from Forgotten Realms onwards, are mirrors of the real modern world in fantasy drag.

 

[Corinnguard]

So you are redefining urban fantasy as “must be set in the US” now?!

The Nightingale would like a word.

The article was pointing out locations within the US that were used in various Urban Fantasy story series. It was, in no way, defining a limitation of the sub-genre. I am aware of Urban Fantasy stories set in other parts of the world.

Kylie Chan's Dark Heavens trilogy series takes place in Hong Kong.

 

[Corinnguard]

I mean, yo could easily describe K-Pop Demon Hunters as Urban Fantasy if you like. Or The Exorcist. As with any attempt to define a genre, the more tightly you try to define it, the more it slips through your fingers, excluding things you feel certain should be in, and including things you feel sure don't belong.

Everyone here has their own subjective idea of what an Urban Fantasy ought to be like based on past reading experiences.

My feeling is that the zeitgeist of Urban Fantasy is a mash up of D&D style fantasy with crime fiction. The important thing about Harry Dresden is not that he lives in Chicago, the important thing is his job is Private Investigator.

Agreed.