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The Chronicles of Counter Harn


Vondy

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Re: The Chronicles of Counter Harn

 

My take on fantasy is that if you have people able to harness magic, then magic becomes a tool by which the world is interacted with and manipulated, and that in turn shapes society, which is ultimately shaped by what power it has over nature.

 

I like to start with fundamental metaphysics and then figure out how a fantasy society evolves out of that. Which is not to say that you can't end up with a medieval society, but what sort of medieval society evolves where magic and strange beings are part of the commonly accepted fabric of society?

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Re: The Chronicles of Counter Harn

 

My take on fantasy is that if you have people able to harness magic, then magic becomes a tool by which the world is interacted with and manipulated, and that in turn shapes society, which is ultimately shaped by what power it has over nature.

 

I like to start with fundamental metaphysics and then figure out how a fantasy society evolves out of that. Which is not to say that you can't end up with a medieval society, but what sort of medieval society evolves where magic and strange beings are part of the commonly accepted fabric of society?

 

Its a method of world development, to be sure. But I don't think its an exclusive one. A lot depends on how easily "magic" is harnessed, what its potential outcomes are, and the philosophies of those who do harness it. If its easy and openly potent with few philosophical blocks, then yes, I agree. If its difficult, or has potent but subtle effects, or their is a philosophical impediment to its use - then this may not be the case.

 

There are several genre precedents for this, which include the arthurian mythos (only a few mages appear, or even appear to exist) in arthur's britian. Magic is there, but it is "otherworldly." Other's are the witches in MacBeth, which echoes the Witch of Endor in the Bible. In the Conan stories, while magic existed and was quite powerful, its practitioners were fairly rare and it had obvious drawbacks in terms of the risks of practice. It added a fantastic element, but the world itself was not fantastical (from my perspective). Then there's high fantasy, which is a different animal all together.

 

My fantasy tastes are more geared towards the arthurian and shakespearean style of magical interplay, and not to the high fantasy magic-interplay. I also have a preference for Howard and Moorcock (higher fantasy in truth). I guess I run "low fantasy," though magic can be world shaking in its implications. I just like it to be a more subtle element. My feeling is that when magic is common and easy it becomes ordinary and is no longer fantastical. Different strokes and all that.

 

I decided for this game that I would run with the arthurian/shakespearean model and would rely heavily on the midrashim (which are fairly fantastical in of themselves) for the inspiration for monsters and "magic." As a result, theurgy and dealing with demons are the mode of magic, and the practicioners who do so are few in number. Magic itself is potent, but subtle. And the beasties have a common heritage (though varied form).

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Re: The Chronicles of Counter Harn

 

I set up a blogspot blog for this as I don't want to take up board bandwidth for it in the absence of perceived interest. It would be neat get feedback on the turns from people if they're interested in what's going on in the game. It is set up so that you have to be registered to make a comment, but that can be changed if too many people find it annoying to register. The motivation is to cut down on spam! I'm all for compliments and constructive criticism. I will, however, prune abuse or spastic criticism. Anyways, here's the link:

 

http://caernurel.blogspot.com/

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