Why do people like low magic so much?

[denizsi]

Come on guys, I'm waiting dicksmoker treatment so I can become butthurt about it, go nerdrage on you and put silly and irrelevant links to your posts in my sig. You're disappointing.

 

[laclongquan]

Sorry to disappoint you, then.

 

[kris]

* I see now where you got the impression that stuff randomly happens. The explanation was the powerful mage destroyed an entire naval fleet by sinking the ocean floor beneath it. However, this was done somewhat near the island the mage was attempting to defend, and he underestimated the effects of sinking the floor of the ocean (obviously a dangerous proposition) in addition to not being entirely in control of the forces he manipulated. it's not entirely unreasonable to assume that removing a large chunk of the ocean floor near an island would have side effects leading up to the island sinking a little while (a couple days i think, i dont quite remember) later, especially if more of the ocean floor was altered than originally anticipated.

Tsunami. What he did is exactly what creates a tsunami. Unless the island is all higlands it would have been washed away in this scenario.

Some the things you wrote are otherwise more along the concepts I written, except I haven't used much magic on the really high scale. What I mean is that I have written down "disadvantages" for all magic. If destructive they are likely fatal for the caster.

 

[J1M]

aren't you over analyzing this? why does the seabed have to fall into solid rock? why can't the mage cause an earthquake which in turn causes a tsunami? it's pretty well known that earthquakes have a tendency to create after shocks. alternatively, the mage the could have transported the seabed into another plane, disrupting a section of tectonic plates and setting off a slow reaction that destabilized the island and caused it to sink.

You listed things in an attempt to show that the setting was internally consistent. I simply pointed out that it was only skin deep. The point about the Tsunami is exactly what I'm talking about. An earthquake in the ocean creates an amazingly destructive force. An entire island and part of the sea floor just 'sinking' would completely destroy any coastal towns, change gulf streams (weather patterns), and all around fuck shit up.

In the book it's just a "well that was a quick way to destroy a navy but uh oh magic is dangerous LOLZ". What I'm talking about is that no sane person, living in a world where that sort of thing can happen, would have a house in any populated area because you just never know if your friend down the street is going to cheat a mage in a poker game and get everyone in the city killed. Also, as a matter of pragmatism, children would be tested for magic ability when they are born and killed. etc etc etc

In short, you were drawn in and satisfied by the choices... so you never looked for the consequences. I hope you continue to enjoy your book. But now you might understand why other people can't.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

That is like that thing Stormwatch: Team Achilles was talking about.

 

[kris]

You listed things in an attempt to show that the setting was internally consistent. I simply pointed out that it was only skin deep. The point about the Tsunami is exactly what I'm talking about. An earthquake in the ocean creates an amazingly destructive force. An entire island and part of the sea floor just 'sinking' would completely destroy any coastal towns, change gulf streams (weather patterns), and all around fuck shit up.

In the book it's just a "well that was a quick way to destroy a navy but uh oh magic is dangerous LOLZ". What I'm talking about is that no sane person, living in a world where that sort of thing can happen, would have a house in any populated area because you just never know if your friend down the street is going to cheat a mage in a poker game and get everyone in the city killed. Also, as a matter of pragmatism, children would be tested for magic ability when they are born and killed. etc etc etc

In short, you were drawn in and satisfied by the choices... so you never looked for the consequences. I hope you continue to enjoy your book. But now you might understand why other people can't.

This goes into another discussion we had at least once before here. Internally consistance and realism. That things need to make sense, even in a fantasy world, needs to follow its own rules.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

This goes into another discussion we had at least once before here. Internally consistance and realism. That things need to make sense, even in a fantasy world, needs to follow its own rules.

It's actually pretty interesting how such a thing eventually became the norm in comic books following the 80s stories that experimented with the "real" superheroes.

And Alan Moore is still right. There is nothing as terrifying as a world where a man can tear steel with his bare hands and incinerate cities with his eyes.

One of the most interesting things about the WildStorm universe was how terrifying the world was for ordinary humans. Particularly how it was treated in Stormwatch: Team Achilles and Captain Atom: Armageddon.

 

[kris]

Yeah, who would want to live in Marvels New York? I mean it has been torn a new one more than 30 times. Suffered a demon invasion, been turned medieval once, been "quarantined" by Magneto and entire city blocks have been obliterated so many times.

 

[Lockkaliber]

Good use of magic would be Ursula K Le Guins Earthsea books.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

The only superhero setting that would actually be livable would be DC, since the superheroes there aren't prone to cause collateral damage and are professional enough to save people.

 

[Stalin]

magic is the only way nerdy chars can beat jocks (or anything with muscles/pulse) in games (yes using a bow requires some skill dex and strength which the average basement dweller does not possess so archer chars don't count) certain people identify with that others think its pathetic wishful thinking