Bluegrime on 20/2/2011 at 17:51
If I didn't know better I would say OP just got done playing Arcanum, since it has pretty much everything except the technology using elf.. :eek:
That said I liked Arcanum and I usually enjoy an RPG provided its mechanics aren't terrible. However something I don't do now and never have done is seek out 'fantasy' novels to read. This might give me a somewhat higher tolerance for the sameness mentioned in OP since I haven't had the basic concepts hammered into me in a dozen or more stories before I even picked up a moue and keyboard.
I think that the sameness present in fantasy settings is because people love stereotypes, it makes immediately grasping the big picture of a setting much easier. Novels written prior to the 1900s tended to be just as categorical with the actual "races" of humanity and I think much of that has carried into high fantasy. Not to say its analogous and that the people who write the typical elves/dwarves/dragons settings are secretly racists, just that much of the same mechanic is present. Whereas older novels from the west tended to have important characters be white (and possibly male) and characters outside of that group be broken down to familiar stereotypes, in this case its humans as the group of interest and all the other fantasy critters being the subject of broad strokes. I think it has much to do with the nature of both readers and writers rather then a specific genre, tho its much more apparent in high fantasy since theres a definite set of stock races to work with.
Just my opinion on it tho. Hope this wasn't off topic.
ZylonBane on 20/2/2011 at 22:10
Sounds like someone needs to play Planescape: Torment.
Yakoob on 20/2/2011 at 23:00
I did. Big kudos for originality. But I quit after several hours cause I wanted to play a game, not read a book.
ZylonBane on 20/2/2011 at 23:14
Surprise, surprise.
june gloom on 21/2/2011 at 01:35
just so everyone knows, yakoob said it this time, not me, so adjust your aim accordingly
Angel Dust on 21/2/2011 at 02:19
GOD DAMMIT YAKOOB!
Yakoob on 21/2/2011 at 03:03
The difference between me and Deth is, I actually played the game. I didn't play it's fanfic.
re-aim your catapults, gents!
june gloom on 21/2/2011 at 03:36
a novel that is 95% text directly from the game isn't a fanfic, it's a text dump
and i played the game too, why else would i hat^H^H^H^H^H^H
oh for christ's sake pick a target and get it over with
Mr.Duck on 21/2/2011 at 06:26
I want someone to direct The Lord of the Forums or some fantasy parody of TTLG.
Plz.
Koki on 21/2/2011 at 07:10
Quote Posted by Yakoob
But see the thing is (and I forgot to mention it WHY it bothers my so much) - its the exact opposite. The authors DO SPEND HALF THE GAME EXPLAINING THE SAME SHIT WE'VE SEEN IN EVERY OTHER FANTASY RPG.
nah
