Creating a Fantasy World

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2005-03-23 02:45pm

In this thread: http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0 SD.net created a home-grown sci fi universe. I had the idea that we could do something similar with a fantasy setting. Is anyone interested?. (I don't expect to be controlling this idea if it does get off the ground, presumably any mod who's interested would do that)

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2005-03-23 02:58pm

Start by banning elves, dwarves and hobbits/bobbits/halflings/halfbits or whatever.

Elheru Aran · Post by **Elheru Aran** » 2005-03-23 03:00pm

Well, we don't have to ban them-- but we can certainly use them better than they usually are... don't make the Elves all nancy-boy archers, the Dwarves all short axe-wielding miners, etc.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2005-03-23 04:01pm

Why use them at all. They already have a lot of baggage, like the whole longevity thing, coupled with the extremely low population, lack of creativity, predisposition for magic, etc. Why not make up your own races. Some can have pointy ears if it means that much for you.

Honestly, have dwarves and elves in a game and it's Another Tolkien/D&D Clone(TM), even if elves are macho weighlifters or if all dwarves are fashion designers and hairdressers.

Make a race of, say, 3-eyed people instead. Or winged bat-people, whatever. There's a lot you can do with some imagination without having to rehash the stereotypical Fantasy(Copyright(C) 19xx Tolkien All Rights Reserved) universe.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-03-23 04:11pm

Elves and dwarves are unnecessary. The Tiste races in The Malazan Book of the Fallen have a number of characteristics that are associated with elves without being elves. Nothing prevents us from doing the same kind of thing if we want to fit something into the "ancient and powerful human-like race " slot.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-03-23 08:10pm

Morlocks and the Watch.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2005-03-23 08:16pm

I demand that radiation be the only resource

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-03-23 08:19pm

Really you'd need to put a few parameters in. What kind of setting, what kind of conflict, is there magic and if so of what kind or scope?

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2005-03-23 08:55pm

How about a world where the human species is the Elder Race, for a change

Maybe they built giant powerful civilizations, with rare and mystical artifacts, discovered the secret of whatever, and there are only few left, either isolated in a few hidden cities, or spread amongst the other races' as sages and scholars (not necessarily old), or both.

And there's a race of sentient lobsters.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-03-23 08:57pm

Slartibartfast wrote:How about a world where the human species is the Elder Race, for a change
Maybe they built giant powerful civilizations, with rare and mystical artifacts, discovered the secret of whatever, and there are only few left, either isolated in a few hidden cities, or spread amongst the other races' as sages and scholars (not necessarily old), or both.

And there's a race of sentient lobsters.

Hmm, the crumbling civilizations of the humans being picked apart by the evil Zoidburgs?

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2005-03-23 09:23pm

And there's a race of sentient lobsters.

Screw that, give me a specis with a backbone at least man.

darthdavid · Post by **darthdavid** » 2005-03-23 11:09pm

frigidmagi wrote:
And there's a race of sentient lobsters.
Screw that, give me a specis with a backbone at least man.

Sentient rotissery chickens.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2005-03-24 02:04am

Sentient ice cream.

Post by **Dalton** » 2005-03-24 05:54am

Superintelligent shades of the color...red.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2005-03-24 12:32pm

No "magic is innate" bullshit. If there is magic, anybody should be able to learn it, and it shouldn't have to do with being born with a power (the chosen one idea is overdone). Maybe to balance it out, link the magic to some physical object like a mana stone and perhaps to manuals and textbooks or ancient scrolls to learn the techniques.

I like the idea of humans being the elder race.

Brian

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2005-03-24 12:41pm

I also like the idea of humans being the elder race.
I'd personally like to drop the idea that humans are all-rounder, not-very-good-at-anything-but-not-very-bad-at-anything-either, types, surely there's something we do better than anyone else.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2005-03-24 12:58pm

Yeah, that's the worst cliché that shows up in every single fantasy/space opera, and the obvious reason is that other races are almost always an exaggerated aspect of humans, like an entire race that only likes mining, or only likes reading, or only likes war, or only likes wearing the latest trends in fashion.

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2005-03-24 04:23pm

How about this for the cosmology--

The world was a dead and bare rock, devoid of life or variation, until the arrival of the first two Gods. A goddess (having the same name as the planet), who was the stronger of them, went into the earth and gave it life. The sun, the plants, animals, water, landforms, all sprang from her and are facets of her being. Her consort, jealous that she had abandoned him and seeking to outdo her, gathered up clay and began to build a race. To each he gave a bodily form and into that a consciousness in imitation of his own. He then went into the sky, and built his kingdom there, including the clouds, stars, moons, etc.

This was the race of Men. Because they were crafted of the clay but imbued with the intellect of their creator god, they were of two natures. The first, of the body, is impermanent. The second, of their consciousness (soul) is immortal, and upon the extinction of their mortal vessel it rises to join the creator in his kingdom of paradise. Because man's intellect was built in the image of an elder god, they are the cleverest with the labors of the mind and hands. [Humans are the best at engineering, the sciences, and other mental pursuits]

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2005-03-24 06:10pm

How about having the other races be creations of the humans? Trying to equal their creater or give him the ulimate flattery or something?

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2005-03-24 06:35pm

frigidmagi wrote:How about having the other races be creations of the humans? Trying to equal their creater or give him the ulimate flattery or something?

Does this mean the other races would be furries or some kind of golem-like beings (if they were made from humans they wouldn't be creating a new intelligent race, just altering the original, as opposed to making a new one from an unintelligent race or inanimate matter).

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2005-03-24 06:38pm

Does this mean the other races would be furries

No, furries have been done to death IMHO.

or some kind of golem-like beings (if they made the other races from humans they wouldn't really be creating anything, just altering it).

Not really, you're forgetting the great equalizer that is mmmmaaaaaggggiiicccc.

These races could anything we want from purple people who exist off of sunlight to Centaurs, it's our damn world right?

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2005-03-24 06:45pm

frigidmagi wrote:
Does this mean the other races would be furries
No, furries have been done to death IMHO.

or some kind of golem-like beings (if they made the other races from humans they wouldn't really be creating anything, just altering it).
Not really, you're forgetting the great equalizer that is mmmmaaaaaggggiiicccc.

These races could anything we want from purple people who exist off of sunlight to Centaurs, it's our damn world right?

Hmm, I was thikning they'd have to either change animal races or animate some inanimate matter to make new races. I suppose if they got powerful enough the humans could do the same thing as they're creator and make fully biological beings out of mud.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2005-03-24 07:04pm

In one of my favorite novels, a giant race of creatures is created by a mixture of mud and life-blood. Nasty bastards.

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2005-03-24 07:08pm

frigidmagi wrote:How about having the other races be creations of the humans? Trying to equal their creater or give him the ulimate flattery or something?

I was more thinking of having "lesser gods" come into existence under the concept that if there is a cosmic need, someone will arrive to fill it. The two elder gods would represent most natural phenomena, but there could be other factors. For example, the afterlife I construct initially makes no provisions for punishment--everybody goes to heaven. As men grew to know wickedness, a gatekeeper god who punishes evil men would have appeared.

Some of these Gods would naturally want to make their own mark. That's a possibility.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2005-03-24 07:10pm

I was more thinking of having "lesser gods" come into existence under the concept that if there is a cosmic need, someone will arrive to fill it. The two elder gods would represent most natural phenomena, but there could be other factors. For example, the afterlife I construct initially makes no provisions for punishment--everybody goes to heaven. As men grew to know wickedness, a gatekeeper god who punishes evil men would have appeared.

Some of these Gods would naturally want to make their own mark.

That would work to. How would you feel about doing both Pablo?