We can immediately recognize the trappings of "generic Dark Age Fantasy" on sight: Medieval architecture (castles, primitive villages, etc.), sword-wielding knights, Elves in the woods, Dwarves in the mountains, scenic hillsides dotted with ruins, and so forth. We have general agreement on some of the things a Fantasy world should not have, like technology reaching/surpassing the Industrial Revolution (so no cars, trains, guns, and so on).
But beneath that simple veneer, we have countless (far more now than when Fantasy RPGs began in the 70s) subgenres, for which we scarcely have the language to address their broad demarcations.
Many groups simply have accepted their “Fantasy gaming world” uncritically as part of the ‘RPG package’. But like all other elements, a greater enjoyment can come from identifying & then pursuing the gaming subgenre you really want.
We do possess some agreed-on literary Fantasy sub-genres categories
· “Epic Fantasy” (the stakes are huge and/or the wars involve true Good & Evil) a la Tolkien or T. Brooks,
· “Sword & Sorcery Fantasy” (the focus is more on adventure/battle) a la Robert Howard’s Conan,
· “Gritty/Dark Fantasy” (the world is generally dismal, finding “true goodness” is almost impossible) a la D. Gemmell or J. Abercrombie,
· “Portal Fantasy” (characters from the Primary World enter a Secondary World) a la Lewis’ Narnia or Kay’s Summertree.
Such categorizations may be helpful, but there are nuances within each subgenre that steer the exact feelings of each world. It’s useful to point at such landscapes in the breadth of the Fantasy realms.
Can you pinpoint where your Fantasy RPG world currently sits? Is it in the ballpark of videogames like Skyrim? World of Warcraft? Do you use (or replicate) traditional RPG worlds like Forgotten Reams? Krynn (Dragonlance)? Greyhawk? What about novels? Do you want (something like) Middle Earth? Westeros? Do you actually know what you most want?
For example, while I love both Tolkien and D. Gemmell, their subgenres feel quite different. Tolkien’s is far more ‘lofty’, beautiful/sacred, and guided by Fate, whereas Gemmell’s is far more like our own: a broken, perpetually unfair, ‘gritty’, etc. world.
While some people might clump all such settings into one “Fantasy crate”, there are a score of major (and a hundred minor) differences between these. Consciously or not, each subgenre of Fantasy generates its own feeling, and that specific feeling is a powerful draw with roleplaying groups. Identifying the specific subgenre you want is therefore imperative.
But as always, finding agreement with labels is precarious. Instead, I think that it’s better to address questions about the specific kinds of experiences you want. We can compare/contrast elements by asking a host of question starting with,
“Do you want a Fantasy world where…”
· …everyone in this world is familiar with magic? Is it just another skill, like smith craft or sword craft? Do we want people to be more or less blasé about it? Are magical items (like potions) for sale at the local market?
-Vs.-
· … everyone in this world is in awe of the mysterious, uncontrollable thing called
‘magic’, which virtually none of them have seen, let alone possess? Are magical items extraordinarily rare; would the notion of having a “WoW-Mart” seem absurd?
“Do you want a Fantasy world where…”
· Virtually everyone is literate, aware of other nations, & possessing maps of most (if not all) of their world? Is getting from A to B a simple matter of getting the right “connecting flights” (caravans/ships, etc.)?
-Vs.-
· Virtually everyone is illiterate, largely isolated, and what few maps exist in the world only cover a tiny fraction of the world (and even those are untrustworthy)? Is traveling to a distant location a recipe for getting utterly lost in the wild at best, and, more likely, getting eaten by unknown monsters?
And,
· “Fantastical” beasts (unicorns, dragons, demons, etc.) are common enough in the world, and if you go to the (equivalent of a) local “library” in this world, you can read up on them and probably find them?
-Vs.-
· Such creatures are the stuff of legend? While people do believe in them, they are out of everyone’s direct experience. Little of practical value is actually known, and they are impossible to go find on a map. Only Fate could bring you face-to-face with one.
And,
· “Adventurers” are a dime-a-dozen, wandering the world searching for treasure/fame, etc.?
-Vs.-
· People only leave their homes under extraordinary circumstances, usually because they have little-to-no choice in the matter?
These are just examples of questions to start asking yourself to determine what exact Fantasy subgenre you desire (and actually do) play in. Are they aligned?
Of course, everything is on a spectrum in between the extremes. While we may end up applying labels to our subgenres, the best starting place is to answer questions like these instead, & try for labels later.
The specific subgenre we use for our worlds has broad, perpetual effects on our RPG campaigns. If a group has little or no clear notion of what they want, disappointment & conflict are waiting right around the corner in every session. That is, if you really want a Middle Earth setting, and yet your GM has a setting like Westeros (Game of Thrones), you’re setting yourselves up for recurring problems. Far better to spend the time pondering what you really want before session one of a new campaign.
Daniel
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