The demihuman facial hair thread gave me an idea.

Yes that's right!  What does the mirror D&D universe look like?

The elves have goatees of course.  But are women strong and decisive rather than meek and submissive?  Okay, hot button topic though very apt to the Star Trek episode.

Dwarves aren't tall but maybe they're lazy and dishonest folk who pass off shoddy workmanship and then leave town.

Are the orcs noble warriors or are they down trodden pacifists oppressed by the violent and cruel humans.

Humans come in all alignments so it's a little trickier to flip flop them.  I think the noble knights wear black and actually follow their chivalric code but treat the lower classes and orcs like dirt.  Kind of the opposite of the knights who wear shining armor but are either pure or hypocritical that we usually see.

Are dragons dumb brutes who live in trailers, utterly lacking the dash and style of normal D&D dragons?

Is fantasy land a democracy or constitutional monarchy?  The latter is pretty funny but I'm not sure mirror universes should just be played for laughs.

Alternately, is it a darker universe where the top of the alignment grid goes lawful evil, neutral evil, chaotic evil, and the next layer goes lawful nihilist, neutral nihilist, chaotic nihilist, and the bottom goes lawful annihilator, neutral annihilator, chaotic annihilator?

Well, it's an amusing topic, go to it!

Quote from: David Johansen;943381The demihuman facial hair thread gave me an idea.

Yes that's right!  What does the mirror D&D universe look like?

D&D isn't a setting, its a game system that forms the basis of numerous settings. So the question makes little sense.

QuoteBut are women strong and decisive rather than meek and submissive?  Okay, hot button topic though very apt to the Star Trek episode.

Now I'm wondering if you've actually ever seen D&D books. What women are"Meek and Submissive"?

QuoteWell, it's an amusing topic, go to it!

meh.

I've played several Mirror Universe D&D campaigns over the decades, and they have been basically "play a monster" games, but now the monsters are the good guys and the Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings and Humans were the evil dudes. The only campaign that lasted was a Palladium Fantasy one because the Wolfen Empire are "good guys" (at least compared to some of their human neighbors) and the monstrous races aren't "auto-evil" in Palladium.

I'm totally down with the Goatee Elves.

Kender are mythical fairies who leave gifts for you. Find a coin? The Kender left it!

Gnomes are luddites, travelling the land destroying machinery with their pointy wooden clogs.

You get Dark Sun?:cool:

Tristram, as I said in the original post the comment on the women was more about the Star Trek episode Mirror Mirror than it was about D&D.  Love that painting though, did it appear anywhere before the second edition AD&D rulebook?

D&D most certainly does have an implied setting which the DM is free to ignore or follow as they like.

I do think that just making the good guys evil and the bad guys good and adding goatee's isn't much of a challenge.  And most of the general fantasy tropes have been twisted half to death by this point.

So what if we make the obscure and uncommon common place and the popular and common obscure.

Would that make the mirror universe one that primarily uses the Fiend Folio monsters perhaps?

The most fun bit would be mirroring the play style. You're outgunned defenders trying to keep your home safe against marauders but you know every inch of your home turf and you're ready for them. Basically playing as Tucker's kobolds.

Quote from: Daztur;943550The most fun bit would be mirroring the play style. You're outgunned defenders trying to keep your home safe against marauders but you know every inch of your home turf and you're ready for them. Basically playing as Tucker's kobolds.

https://www.gog.com/game/dungeon_keeper

Quote from: Telarus;943557https://www.gog.com/game/dungeon_keeper

There was actually a 2e supplement for that sort of thing, Reverse Dungeon.

Quote from: David Johansen;943381Dwarves aren't tall but maybe they're lazy and dishonest folk who pass off shoddy workmanship and then leave town.

so, halflings then?

What a goofy premise.

Anyways, yeah, if you were really talking about the core concept of D&D, I'd say that the opposite would really be the 'reverse dungeon' situation, where the PCs were humanoids trying to kill off invading adventurers.

Though I guess in some ways, my DCC campaign is a kind of 'mirror universe' of some of the standard stereotypes of D&D settings.

I think part of the problem is that just about every twist and reversal has been played out over the years.

Goofy is one way to go.  Ultrablack is another.  You could argue that Warhammer's Old World is the mirror universe D&D.  Even the bad guys are going to lose in the end, madness and insanity will reign.  Well or you get The End Times and Age of Sigmar which is stupid.  Stupidity reigns in the end perhaps?

A historical game where the magic reflects people's belief in magic and has game effect but everyone is human, mortal, vulnerable might be a mirror universe.

Quote from: David Johansen;944683A historical game where the magic reflects people's belief in magic and has game effect but everyone is human, mortal, vulnerable might be a mirror universe.

So, Dark Albion?

Quite possibly.  I always think historical roleplaying gets short changed.  Too many people want to play superheroes and monsters.

Quote from: remial;943694so, halflings then?

They are called "halflings" because they are a human and a half in stature.  Thin, well muscled giants who love simple food, the rough life of the wilderness and are known to be pugnacious and bold.  A common phrase heard when halflings are around is, "Better watch your tongue or that halfling is going to kick your ass!"