Working on an essay for publication about the need to remove politics from genre fantasy. It strikes me that much of the art of the genre (in the new D&D books) has shifted away from traditional heroic exploits into a sort of cozy-core, distinctly feminized aesthetic, with as
The Wheel of Tiiiiime! It keeps on turning, keep's on turning...
It returns once more. Last week I upset the old guard, now to sully my reputation with the new. Wheelchairs make no sense in medieval fantasy.
This does not mean to say you cannot do what you want at your own
New Dungeons and Dragons looks to be homogenised slop stuffed with as much ideologically imposed diversity as they can muster.
@Wizards_DnD
seek to represent California. Not a Fantastical World.
Repost for Apolitical Fantasy.
#TTRPGs
#TTRPG
#OSR
#DnD
On a world-building level explain to me this group of people. I doubt you can without reaching or name calling.
Cultures and ethnicities are shaped through environment; especially in medieval-esque settings.
Represent their world. Not ours.
#TTRPG
#TTRPGs
#OSR
#DnD
Humans are only boring if one's idea of creativity is that of a five year old's. Your character is not interesting due to their skin colour, their possession of wings or a tail, or even pointy ears. Your character is interesting based on their, you know, character.
Escapism is a high calling. To present a world free of a political aim or bias is a true achievement. One may represent political systems in fantasy without bashing the reader over the head with one's message.
Repost if you agree.
#Fantasy
#Writing
#TTRPG
#TTRPGs
#DnD5e
#OSR
#FantasyArt
by Renato Casaro of the Conan (1982) film. I have quite the fondness for this sort of pulp style fantasy
#art
. Beautiful women and handsome men with larger than life... personalities.
It can be tempting for the creative to insert his or her political beliefs into their creation. This is a bad idea. It dates the work, offering messages purely of the moment from which they arise. Instead we ought seek the removal of the political from work and seek rather the
@RagingOwlbear
On this point, women enjoy being desired. And lesbians enjoy desiring women.
My wife is the sort of lady that will see the scantily clad woman and go 'nice'. You've just generalised 50% of the population with your own stereotypical view, no?
The best part about the new Wizkid's model changing the warrior from male to female is that its a re-writing of Dungeons and Dragons history for no real reason outside of 'modern day' messaging.
Elmore has some fantastic female artworks for D&D. Use one of those.
If you think
The wife and I watched The Sword in the Stone this week. I remembered the film fondly and thought I would have my rose-tinted spectacles removed.
Not so. It still remains better, and by a wide margin, than most modern entertainment inflicted on me.
A thought occurs.
If Gary Gygax was truly a woman hating misogynist, then he would not have hired the woman that would one day proceed to take everything he had worked for from him.
Funny how things work out.
#TTRPGs
#OSR
#DnD
Baldur's Gate 3 is not as good as the original Baldur's Gate but it is an adequate D&D video game. It is let down by poor writing and story decisions, a sub-par cast of companions, and from being constrained to three main areas.
What do you think?
#BG3
#BaldursGate3
#TTRPGs
Much like the Sword in the Stone, I remember fondly the Black Cauldron. So much so that it is one of the few films I have made my wife watch.
It is severely underrated and the messaging of selflessness and courage in the face of evil is timeless.
Woke up to many people saying I don't think disabled people should exist in medieval fantasy worlds.
I implore them to read the part of the post where I talk about cool ideas for disabled people existing in fantasy worlds.
Astarion is a terrible character. Not only is he a badly written gay stereotype, he is an actively evil monster.
You may like what you like, of course, but I think we'd be doing better at writing 'gay' characters by now. Yes, I know he is not canonically gay. Wyll and Gale make
Having posted about the Black Cauldron film it was brought to my attention that I really ought read the novels it sprang from.
As a lover of old fantasy I agree. The box set is on the way. I should also do the same with the Sword in the Stone, though my to be read pile is
Heaven forbid my world even begin to approach the level of depth and love lavished upon Middle-Earth by the Master of Fantasy JRR Tolkien.
Play your TTRPGs the way you want. Your table, your world, your way.
Just offer me the same courtesy.
Karlach is a terrible character. She is a focus grouped mess, the equivalent of dangling keys in front of a toddler to keep them occupied.
Did that catch your attention? Good. Let me explain.
Karlach is the epitome of an 'over designed' concept. She's a Tiefling, already
I argue for apolitical escapism in Fantasy.
My detractors are fond of ad hominems and of saying that all human interaction is political. If such is the case, is anything truly political? Or is it all just an ineffable soup?
#TTRPGs
#Fantasy
#Politics
#DnD5e
#OSR
#Writing
#BG3
I have been reading old fantasy fiction for much of this year so far and I must say it has been quite refreshing.
My heart longs for true and proper genre Fantasy from years gone by.
#TTRPGs
#OSR
#Reading
#Books
#Fantasy
This is where I can and do restrict my players. I denied several of my group the ability to play 'exotic' races for the current campaign - and this is the best one we've had yet. Why? Banning exoticism seems to also do away with the meme-ification of the campaign.
Working a full time job six days per week and still trying to pursue my creative goals is, and this may be hyperbolic, cripplingly exhausting. From planning for TTRPGs to slowly chipping away at writing my book all activities are done on fumes.
Do you struggle with maintaining
Having now finished two of the Elric books, and having no time to read more of them for a short while, I think I should like to heartily recommend Moorcock's work to my followers. I had wanted for a while to expand my fantasy reading beyond what I knew and Elric is a huge, if
@fellawhomstdve
Seems pretty typical to be honest.
Thirteen years of Skyrim has turned it into an anime fan service game. The modders are just gearing up for this one.
I've been thinking somewhat about the argument that states that, if one can believe in one thing, why can't one believe in another?
I have decided not to name the particular mode of transportation that this argument is often made in defence of. If you know, you know.
The reason
The Terrible Story Hook of Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3, despite being a marvel and a true achievement in gaming, has some terrible flaws that often go overlooked by the game's more serious fanbase.
The greatest of these flaws is its main story hook.
The sheer bombastic
Apolitical Escapism in Fantasy
Repost if you're for Apolitical Escapism in Fantasy.
Over the last little while I've been poking the 'everything is political' crowd. From the now thousands of replies I've had, it is clear to me that there is a certain strain of authoritarianism
Would you look at that... Princess Bride is trending. As it should be.
My oldest brother watched this many times. He was the one who introduced the movie to me. Since then, I've watched it countless time. It's my Christmas movie.
#PrincessBride
#NovaScotia
Hm, that was quick. The Chronicles of Prydain have just been delivered to my office several days ahead of schedule. Now to ruin the Black Cauldron film for myself by seeing how much grander the books are!
The idea behind fifth edition paladins is terrible.
Power from an oath? Weak.
Power from a deep, rich faith rooted in crusader ideals and romantic knighthood? Strong.
The TTRPG Milestone Levelling debate has brought up the idea that the GM of any game has a lot of duties to fulfil for his players. He is made out to be the beginning, middle, and end of the table's gaming experience.
What duties does the player have to the GM if any?
Well, well, well. If it isn't
@Wizards_DnD
's corporate greed showing through once more. Just in time for their new Virtual Table Top to go live and micro-transaction your wallet dry.
Physical books and products reign supreme.
#TTRPGs
#TTRPG
#DungeonsAndDragons
#DnD5e
#OSR
Yesterday afternoon I finished making my way once more through the Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring.
I often harp on about the need for Apolitical Escapism in Genre Fantasy; a disconnected escape from the toxic and often frivolous pursuits of power by modern people.
Debunking "Human Fighters are boring"
Episode Three
Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Heir of Isildur
Rightful heir to the Kingdom of Gondor, the last of the line of Isildur, and Strider. Aragorn is the quintessential hero whether you chose to take him in his film adaptation or as he
About half of the way through another Elric book and I do have to say...
What the did Michael Moorcock smoke before he wrote this?
And can I have some?
@Wizards_DnD
Absolutely not. These upcoming books are only essential to your treasure horde. At this point you ought just call yourselves Wizards of Thay. Your pre-order package is predatory.
It looks like
@Wizards_DnD
is making some rather silly design decisions. Here are my two pennies on the matter taken from an earlier stream. Dungeons and Dragons 2024 looks like it will be a very bland experience.
Do tell me your thoughts below, likes and reposts are also much
The only correct way to play Dungeons and Dragons, or any TTRPG for that matter, is your specific way.
That's right. You. Reading this right now. You're right. Everyone else is wrong.
Congratulations!
@LostHistory9
I actually wrote a blog on this a few days back. I hope you don't mind me linking it here. If you do then I'll delete the reply.
"On the necessity of evil races in fantasy"
@AramVartian
Ad hominem.
More positive portrayals of women in fantasy? Friend, you really ought take another look at the genre. We are bursting at the seams with them without the need for this lazy rubbish.
I did not claim men are marginalised.
You are whining about my whining.
Debunking "Human Fighters are boring"
Episode One
Arthur, King of the Britons
The mythical King of England is not a moral paragon by any means. Yet he, and his knights, inspire glorious feelings of chivalry even to this day; over a thousand years since he allegedly lived. There
I do find it quite funny that many of the accounts complaining about Elric's lovely damsel in distress there are also posting quite niche, and in some cases hardcore, porn.
Those in glass houses should not throw stones.
Live and let live.
#TTRPGs
#OSR
#DnD
#Fantasy
Working on an essay for publication about the need to remove politics from genre fantasy. It strikes me that much of the art of the genre (in the new D&D books) has shifted away from traditional heroic exploits into a sort of cozy-core, distinctly feminized aesthetic, with as
Help! I can't stop buying books!
David Eddings' 'Elenium' Trilogy has just arrived. I only meant to buy the first book, this is a happy accident. Read the first book in school and need to finish! Time to rejoin Sparhawk once more!
@Adesso_eFortuna
Aye, as I said I can see casters having them, though for my suspension of disbelief it would still be a stretch. They'd also really need to remain out of melee.
@Deviija
This is going to end poorly, friend. These sorts of things require a lot of thought. I fear that this bulldozing of story in favour of politicking will be cause for most to not play the game.
Decisions made for politics are weaker than those made for consistency of narrative.
"Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?"
Rest in peace, Bernard Hill.
Hey TTRPGers, writers, readers, and other fantasy enjoyers!
Do you find Human Fighters boring? Mechanically, narratively, both? Or are they interesting to you?
I'm five episodes into making a series on them and want to know your thoughts!
#TTRPGs
#TTRPG
#DnD5e
#OSR
#Fantasy
@reset_by_peer
My thanks for the quotation.
Rescuing a damsel is not patriarchy. Having a feudal setting does not count as a pro-feudal message.
What you are doing is called eisegesis.
@BenRiggs_
It appears to me that much of what Gygax wrote and said here was evident sarcasm.
As a sarcastic jerk myself I'm not sure that makes him a senior considering the first part of the books he is involved with tout that D&D is for everyone.
The Tiamat quote for example is a