How much fantasy is too much fantasy?

[Humanophage]

Any amount of magic is fine. What seems to be missing are low-level adventures in magical settings. Low-level adventures seem to only be common in low-magic gritty settings. Anything high-magic quickly degenerates into a dragons and demons power trip. If low-level combat is fun in low-magic settings, it should also be fun in their high-magic counterparts, if only enough attention is paid to tactics (as in ToEE). In terms of exploration/plot, the less over-the-top starting parts of a game are often more intriguing and atmospheric. For example, take pre-Ravel urban adventures in Sigil, which is a high-magic setting even if non-traditional. The problem with those early parts is that because it's just the first bit of the game, you are not supposed to have very diverse skills. However, if an entire game were to be dedicated to this level, then you could simply concentrate on making it more detailed.

Also, there is plenty of "fairy tale" rare magic in high-magic settings, especially in adventure games. In an RPG, "mind-boggling" fairy tale and one-off magic operates through the adventure component, while in combat you get more mundane and regular magic. One-of-a-kind magic is generally too puzzle-like to be relevant for tactical combat.

 

[Sranchammer]

If there is even a word about people with pointy ears, I toss the book into the fire.

 

[Night Goat]

For most forms of fiction I prefer low fantasy, where the fantastic is rare and mysterious it's much more interesting than when every party of bandits has a wizard in their number. Games are different though, because it isn't just a story - you also need to make gameplay varied and interesting, and magic and monsters allow you to do that. I have little interest in an RPG where almost every encounter is just human fighters vs human fighters.

 

[adrix89]

I just want fantasy and magic that isn't just boring Tolkien rehash with its own rules,myths and creatures.

 

[laclongquan]

Baldur's Gate of Forgotten Realm is definitely High Fantasy.

Let's take a look at grassroot level.

A basic farming village. They grow crops to survive and prosper.

Now, a basic medieval village will be very limited in what they can do. Farming will have to rely on organic fertilizer or they are going to be starved half of the time. They dont have light at night. Their medical level is low at the bandage level if they know how. Maaaaaybe their midwife know a few poultice made from local plants.

A basic BG/FR level will be quite better. Farming can be rely a bit on Druid or Cleric of Chauntea, who even at level 1 can be quite helpful with knowledge to grow crop, fighting plant disease etc... The level0 cantrip light can be a big help at night. And a level1 Cleric can provide cure small wound which is much advanced than on Earth~

Of course, the dangers are increased. Aside from the usual medieval threats, BG/FR villages might have to face magical wild animals running amok, and foreign sentient invasion, like gnolls band, goblins horde, wyvern flights (this is stronger than any Earth can offer), or ankheg tunnel the ground....

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

For anyone who wants more simple, ritualistic type of magic, I'd recommend checking out Outward. Outward has a quaint magic system which lets you combine spells to create different effects which are mostly necessary to win a combat encounter. You can throw, say, a Firestone on the ground, making a sigil. Then when you cast your normal Spark spell while in the sigil, it creates a fireball, meaning you have to maneuver on the battlefield as well to cast it and be inside the sigil often. Other things are the combining of runes for Runic Magic. Cast a Protection spell and then cast the reverse of it to get a healing spell. Create an ethereal sword and then upgrade it to a decay damage claymore. All by casting various runes in succession of one another and in different patterns.

 

[laclongquan]

Witcher series present a good high fantasy world in overall.

But if you cut out the sorceress part and Witcher's magic, the alchemy system make witcher villages a low-medium fantasy setting. Medium because of the monsters, they are too high level for low fantasy.

 

[jungl]

I want to see a supposedly established fantasy world like tolkiens or game of thrones but it breaks its established norms every now and then with how characters in the world are supposed to act and how events should unfold. Always with a bullshit explanation why where it makes the audience and nerds flip out and foam from their mouth that "THAT" happened. Lord of the rings where a orc suddenly joins the hobbits cause he enjoys eating bugs instead of men and causes a division in the fellowship that causes more causalities to compared to soyruman. Game of thrones where the white walkers sue for peace demanding baby sacrifice taxes to strengthen their planateer protection force and are actually the good guys. Jon Snow joins them is actually their chosen one and demand dany and all the stronk women in the show to step down cause they supporting tyrant.