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"Fantasy" withoiut Magic


Michael Hopcroft

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Re: "Fantasy" withoiut Magic

 

No' date=' it ceases to be fantasy without magic. Magic is what makes it a fantasy setting rather than simply historical or science fiction. Elves, Dwarves swords, monsters etc all fit just fine in sci fi, or even alternate history. You have to have magic or it's simply not fantasy.[/quote']

 

Well, you're welcome to your opinion, but for me, any story set in the "non-real" world is fantasy. So, stories set in alternate universes are fantasy. "The Handmaid's Tale" is fantasy, though it has no rockets, aliens, wizards or elves.

 

A techical definition of fantasy is:

[n] *imagination unrestricted by reality; "a schoolgirl fantasy"

[n] *something many people believe that is false; "they have the illusion that I am very wealthy"

[n] *fiction with a large amount of fantasy in it; "she made a lot of money writing romantic fantasies."

 

After all, if stories set in imaginary worlds, are not fantasy, what are they? If Babylon 5 is not fantasy, because it has psionics but no magic, then Robin Hood's Farseer/assassin series which has dragons and knights and castles and psionics instead of magic is not fantasy.

 

Frankly, the Fantasy = Magic definition seems needlessly restrictive - and not very sensible, to me.

 

cheers, Mark

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Re: "Fantasy" withoiut Magic

 

To me fantasy implies the fantastic, and that doesn't require magic at all. Conan, for example, would be equally fantastic with or without the presence of magic. Likewise, creatures like trolls, goblins, and dragons are fantastic because they're so far removed from our reality. Magic makes a convenient explanation for their existence, but they don't stop being fantastic creatures just because they're in a non-magic world. In terms of rpg genres my definition wouldn't be as broad as Markdoc's (although it's a legitimate dictionary definition it also makes all genres fantasy) but it definitely wouldn't include requiring magic. Actually I've wanted to try playing in a non-magical fantasy world for a long time. If done well it could be very interesting.

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Re: "Fantasy" withoiut Magic

 

I had an idea for a campaign today. I'll start with modern-day society. I'll use the USA as an example, since I live there. Now I'll twist it around to make it into a fantasy.

 

1. First, technology takes the place of magic. All the modern inventions are around. However, modern weapons are reserved exclusively for the military. Any civilian caught with a firearm is executed on the spot, without a trial.

 

2. The USA didn't become a republic, but an elected monarchy. A monarch is elected, but he serves for life. Congress would be the "nobility," although they are also elected.

 

3. Scientists, clergymen, and the military are held in higher status than the common man. Just about the only way for a commoner to go up in status is to join the military, the clergy, or become a scientist. However, his status won't be much higher unless he becomes a state scientist, a bishop (or equivalent), or an officer in the military.

 

4. Melee weapons may be allowed, as long as they are not concealed. Carrying one would also require a licence. Real swords would be expensive, so only the wealthy would be able to afford them.

 

What do you think?

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  • 5 weeks later...

Re: "Fantasy" withoiut Magic

 

I just thought of another option. Instead of having the usual elves, dwarves et al., populate the campaign with different human ethnicities (European, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc.) with their respective cultures. There would be some strife over culture and religion, which would give the players lots of roleplaying opportunities.

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