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Fantasy world inconsistencies

Started by Arohtar, December 28, 2014, 09:42:25 PM

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Gronan of Simmerya

#345
January 15, 2015, 01:25:40 AM
D&D as written is SUPPOSED to have inconsistencies.

"It's just a stupid game."  -- Gygax and Arneson
You should go to GaryCon.  Period.

The rules can\'t cure stupid, and the rules can\'t cure asshole.

Sommerjon

#346
January 15, 2015, 02:10:59 AM
Quote from: Old Geezer;809473D&D as written is SUPPOSED to have inconsistencies.

"It's just a stupid game."  -- Gygax and Arneson
Which makes their "soap opera" with each other even more lip-smacking delicious.
Quote from: One Horse TownFrankly, who gives a fuck. :idunno:

Quote from: Exploderwizard;789217Being offered only a single loot poor option for adventure is a railroad

Doom

#347
January 15, 2015, 12:23:33 PM
Quote from: Sommerjon;809476Which makes their "soap opera" with each other even more lip-smacking delicious.

The soap opera wasn't about the game...it was about the money.
(taken during hurricane winds)

A nice education blog.

Sommerjon

#348
January 15, 2015, 01:12:40 PM
Quote from: Doom;809586The soap opera wasn't about the game...it was about the money.
Think about it....
Quote from: One Horse TownFrankly, who gives a fuck. :idunno:

Quote from: Exploderwizard;789217Being offered only a single loot poor option for adventure is a railroad

Omega

#349
January 15, 2015, 04:01:48 PM
Quote from: Old Geezer;809473D&D as written is SUPPOSED to have inconsistencies.

"It's just a stupid game."  -- Gygax and Arneson

Its still fairly cohesive despite, or because of that.

Wasnt it you who recounted the encounter with orcs or some other whatsit that is usually considered evil, that werent the bad guys that day?

jhkim

#350
January 15, 2015, 05:13:41 PM
Quote from: Old Geezer;809473D&D as written is SUPPOSED to have inconsistencies.

"It's just a stupid game."  -- Gygax and Arneson

I agree, and I think that this is a much better answer than trying to disprove any given inconsistency. It's OK for a game (or book) to have some inconsistencies, and indeed can be part of the fun.

It's pretty rare in any of books, movies, and games for the creator to really follow through on all consequences of the premises. There is hard sci-fi that tries to do this, but the vast majority of fantasy worlds come up with what the world is supposed to be like first - and then throw in different kinds of magic and monsters to spice it up. To get consistency, you have to come up with Trek-isms like powerful beings working behind the scenes to keep the world the way it is supposed to be.

TristramEvans

#351
January 15, 2015, 05:36:15 PM
Quote from: jhkim;809641I agree, and I think that this is a much better answer than trying to disprove any given inconsistency. It's OK for a game (or book) to have some inconsistencies, and indeed can be part of the fun.

It's pretty rare in any of books, movies, and games for the creator to really follow through on all consequences of the premises. There is hard sci-fi that tries to do this, but the vast majority of fantasy worlds come up with what the world is supposed to be like first - and then throw in different kinds of magic and monsters to spice it up. To get consistency, you have to come up with Trek-isms like powerful beings working behind the scenes to keep the world the way it is supposed to be.

Yeah, that was what initially attracted me to RPGs as a kid...the interactive part of it. These big tombs of random rules from the 80s that you had to parse together like some sort of archaeo-linguistic puzzle. Especially with the casual use of wargame terminology and unexplained redefining of words. It was a hobby that ignited and springboarded my imagination, not just handed me a finished product of someone else' creativity.

rawma

#352
January 15, 2015, 09:28:43 PM
Quote from: jhkim;809641To get consistency, you have to come up with Trek-isms like powerful beings working behind the scenes to keep the world the way it is supposed to be.

Now I want a fantasy equivalent of Redshirts. (Is there a good one?)

TristramEvans

#353
January 15, 2015, 09:31:12 PM
Quote from: rawma;809730Now I want a fantasy equivalent of Redshirts. (Is there a good one?)

Skavenslaves

Rincewind1

#354
January 15, 2015, 09:31:20 PM
Quote from: rawma;809730Now I want a fantasy equivalent of Redshirts. (Is there a good one?)

Goblins.
Furthermore, I consider that  This is Why We Don\'t Like You thread should be closed

Bren

#355
January 15, 2015, 09:38:00 PM
Quote from: rawma;809730Now I want a fantasy equivalent of Redshirts. (Is there a good one?)
Spear-carriers.
Currently running: Runequest in Glorantha + Call of Cthulhu   Currently playing: D&D 5E + RQ
My Blog: For Honor...and Intrigue
I have a gold medal from Ravenswing and Gronan owes me bee

Brad

#356
January 15, 2015, 10:04:00 PM
Serious, non-rhetorical question: is there ANY fantasy setting that is consistent?
It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.

Bren

#357
January 15, 2015, 10:09:42 PM
Quote from: Brad;809767Serious, non-rhetorical question: is there ANY fantasy setting that is consistent?
I'd say that Glorantha (pick a version) could be said to be self-consistent. Of course as Glorantha has developed the creator has strongly embraced subjectivity to that point that almost any inconsistency could be argued to be subjectively consistent and all consistency could be argued to be subjectively inconsistent.

When I think of consistency in a setting I think of a setting without internal contradications. What defintion of consistent are you suggesting we use?
Currently running: Runequest in Glorantha + Call of Cthulhu   Currently playing: D&D 5E + RQ
My Blog: For Honor...and Intrigue
I have a gold medal from Ravenswing and Gronan owes me bee

Brad

#358
January 15, 2015, 10:15:35 PM
Quote from: Bren;809769When I think of consistency in a setting I think of a setting without internal contradications. What defintion of consistent are you suggesting we use?

Sure. I think the issue I'm having with this whole conversation is with the assumption that consistent means, unless it isn't explicitly stated, use whatever makes sense in the real world. Not by you, just in general. You can extrapolate all sorts of stupid crap if you think in real-world terms about how dragons exist, even though Middle Earth might operate on completely different physics. That sort of thing...
It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.

Rincewind1

#359
January 15, 2015, 10:19:00 PM
Quote from: Brad;809767Serious, non-rhetorical question: is there ANY fantasy setting that is consistent?

Perhaps not 100%, but there are ones more consistent than others, as well as there's an issue of consistency regarding emulation of genre rather than the world itself, which, of course, is a whole another bowl of stew as well.
Furthermore, I consider that  This is Why We Don\'t Like You thread should be closed
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