If you were going to take the "Fantasy Counterpart Culture" route where each fantasy culture is based on a historical one, which one would you pick for the Bugbears?

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1128116If you were going to take the "Fantasy Counterpart Culture" route where each fantasy culture is based on a historical one, which one would you pick for the Bugbears?

The darkest and most cinematic take on US outlaw motorcycle clubs (biker gangs).

The AD&D Monster Manual binder came with some dividers that had very evocative art. When someone mentions bugbears, I think of this:

Spoiler

Quote from: HappyDaze;1128122The darkest and most cinematic take on US outlaw motorcycle clubs (biker gangs).

That's actually a pretty good depiction for bugbears in a modern fantasy world. I could just imagine a brute like this wearing a leather jacket and rolling into town on a lowrider with his gang trailing behind.

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Quote from: deadDMwalking;1128801The AD&D Monster Manual binder came with some dividers that had very evocative art. When someone mentions bugbears, I think of this:

Spoiler

I freaking loved the art of that era of D&D, and it's always been some of my favorite fantasy art--far better almost anything they put out today. But when to comes to bugbears in particular I never saw any functional or aesthetic difference between them and hobgoblins or orcs, and always fell into the camp of people that simply portrayed them as just a caste of elite big goblins, with better hit dice and combat abilities. It wasn't till I saw the broad faced bearded depictions of bugbears with huge ass ears that became prevalent from 3e onwards that I considered bugbears cool enough to be their own thing.

Quote from: VisionStorm;1128918That's actually a pretty good depiction for bugbears in a modern fantasy world. I could just imagine a brute like this wearing a leather jacket and rolling into town on a lowrider with his gang trailing behind.

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I freaking loved the art of that era of D&D, and it's always been some of my favorite fantasy art--far better almost anything they put out today. But when to comes to bugbears in particular I never saw any functional or aesthetic difference between them and hobgoblins or orcs, and always fell into the camp of people that simply portrayed them as just a caste of elite big goblins, with better hit dice and combat abilities. It wasn't till I saw the broad faced bearded depictions of bugbears with huge ass ears that became prevalent from 3e onwards that I considered bugbears cool enough to be their own thing.

Greetings!

Yes, my friend. Huge ass ears, furry bodies, and broad mouths full of teeth. Tall, strong and powerful. Always armoured and armed to the teeth with large, savage-looking weapons.

I always interpreted such details and have built an entirely separate and unique culture for Bugbears in my World of Thandor.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

My goblinoids are always furries like evolved predatory mammals, goblins like weasels or whatever Timon was, bugbears as more bear-dog types.

Quote from: Wicked Woodpecker of West;1128941My goblinoids are always furries like evolved predatory mammals, goblins like weasels or whatever Timon was, bugbears as more bear-dog types.

Greetings!

Nice! Yeah, I have never really seen Bugbears as being racially related to Goblinoids. I like Bugbears being their own race and culture.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Well I started with 3.5 bestiaries so they were described together Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears.
Now in terms of culture and race - I think fact that those three are kin does not mean they are not separated - I mean there is no interbreedings so technically they are more their own races than elves, men and orcs
I don't think goblin/hobgoblin crossover would be even physically possible, and each three has distinct separate nature.

Nevertheless I prefer furry predatory goblins and kin to gremlinoid goblins of Pathfinder, or big nosed classical goblins - furry features seems to me more natural, I look at this and I can imagine such being real, functional organism,.

In most of my fantasy campaigns, goblinoids of all kinds (including orcs) are so hateful of all other races that whether or not they could interbreed, they never would.  Sometimes some races (ogres, for example) might use other goblinoids (like goblins or kobolds) as slaves or soldiers, and the latter race might even go along with it for the extra protection that the larger stronger race would grant them, but they still hate each other.