Realms of Dark Fantasy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Realms of Dark Fantasy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
SixGunLover
11-01-07, 04:40 AM I am an avid roleplaying game and fantasy fan looking for willing volunteers interested in creating a richly detailed original low/dark fantasy roleplaying campaign setting. My hope is that this campaign setting will then be used for a variety of roleplaying games - perhaps DMs might like to use it as a setting for their Dungeons & Dragons campaign, aspiring writers might like to write original fiction using the setting, a freestyle roleplaying kingdom might be established, and so on and so forth.

My key inspirations in the world-building process include Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and the realms of Michael Moorcock's Elric novels, but other influences include the Elder Scrolls series, the Warhammer Fantasy tabletop setting, the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Nosgoth of the Legacy of Kain series and the Forgotten Realms, among others.

Anyone who shares similar influences, is interested in learning more and/or has ideas to contribute should join the group and make contact via the forum. While experienced DMs, Storytellers and roleplayers are great, no experience is required in order to be creative and I would be glad to hear from anyone who would be interested in making this vision a reality.

Here is a link to the group:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/realmsofdarkfantasy/

I've only started tonight, but once things get off the ground most of the discussion will occur in the group. That said, posts and replies here are welcome!

Thank you for your time - I look forward to meeting you!
queenfange
11-01-07, 02:07 PM I'm interested. I've actually just been starting to read up on possibilities for horror campaigns, and I've always loved realistic settings, so the dark fantasy is very appealing. How much do you have planned for the world thus far? I'll join the yahoo group once I get a response from you here (and I finish with all the stuff I need to do today!). Cool idea; I hope to get involved with it.
Return of the Flumph
11-01-07, 02:48 PM "Realistic" campaign setting? What exactly does that mean?
Orloff
11-01-07, 03:49 PM I'm interested.

I've always striven for a realistic campaign in my DMing experiences. To answer Flumph's question, what a "realistic campaign" means to me is "what the world could have been like if there were certain fantasy elements." This changes, of course, depending upon what fantasy elements you include, but all events and situations of such a world should have a logical cause.

Nothing can be taken for granted, nothing can be allowed because "that's how it's always been done" in fantasy. For example, if dwarves evolved in caves, and throughout history lived and fought within caves, they will not be fighting with axes. Besides there being little use for an axe inside a cave (no trees to cut down), they are difficult to swing in combat when fighting in a narrow tunnel. Instead, they would probably have gotten their martial start fighting with picks (something which <i>does</i> have a use to a race presumably made up of miners), then realize that it is far easier to hold someone off in a narrow tunnel using spears.

A realistic campaign is not something to be undertaken lightly, as it requires thinking about things that can generally just be ignored. That said, that sort of thought is exactly what I enjoy doing as a DM. So I'm in.

I won't be joining the group right away, because I don't have a yahoo account at the moment and will be too busy for much of the afternoon to get one. Hopefully, I'll be on by some time tomorrow.
Koofoo95
11-01-07, 03:56 PM I'd love to sign up! Now that exams and assorted essays have finally finished and I'm broke I'll need something to fill up all my free time. Now by dark setting do you mean more of a Warhammer Fantasy "life sucks then your mutated" or a Song of Ice and Fires "Life sucks then your farm is burned and sacked, your daughter kidnapped, and your tortured, twice."?

I've always like the idea of a more gritty setting, more gritty then eberron, but less mind blowing than Cthulhu Mythos. I'll join the group ASAP
SixGunLover
11-01-07, 06:37 PM Hello everybody - thank you all for your interest.

I see some of you have already become members of the group - that's great. I hope to send out a ream of invitations today, but right now word of mouth is our only form of advertising, so if you know of others of a similar mindset who might be interested, I encourage you to let them know.

In response to queenfange: basically, what I have is a basic vision and a whole vault of ideas floating around in my head. The whole idea behind the group however is that this world won't simply be mine - it will be the end product of a long process of brain storming, discussion and creation by any group members willing to contribute.

In response to Return of the Flumph: Orloff has already given you a fairly decent response on realism. I'd also stress the emphasis on dark/low fantasy - I suggest you refer to the Wikipedia articles on these genres if you want further explanation.

Koofoo95: Closer to a Song of Ice and Fire's version. Though the supernatural forces of darkness/evil, the powers of magic and the machinations of deities/demons/god-knows-what will play a part in the setting, they will be more subtle/rare than in the typical fantasy setting. The concerns of the average citizen will be plague, war and famine rather than the war between good and evil. The line between good and evil itself will be much more indistinct, due to the very nature of morality in such a world.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
SixGunLover 11-01-07, 04:40 AM	I am an avid roleplaying game and fantasy fan looking for willing volunteers interested in creating a richly detailed original low/dark fantasy roleplaying campaign setting. My hope is that this campaign setting will then be used for a variety of roleplaying games - perhaps DMs might like to use it as a setting for their Dungeons & Dragons campaign, aspiring writers might like to write original fiction using the setting, a freestyle roleplaying kingdom might be established, and so on and so forth. My key inspirations in the world-building process include Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and the realms of Michael Moorcock's Elric novels, but other influences include the Elder Scrolls series, the Warhammer Fantasy tabletop setting, the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Nosgoth of the Legacy of Kain series and the Forgotten Realms, among others. Anyone who shares similar influences, is interested in learning more and/or has ideas to contribute should join the group and make contact via the forum. While experienced DMs, Storytellers and roleplayers are great, no experience is required in order to be creative and I would be glad to hear from anyone who would be interested in making this vision a reality. Here is a link to the group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/realmsofdarkfantasy/ I've only started tonight, but once things get off the ground most of the discussion will occur in the group. That said, posts and replies here are welcome! Thank you for your time - I look forward to meeting you!
queenfange 11-01-07, 02:07 PM	I'm interested. I've actually just been starting to read up on possibilities for horror campaigns, and I've always loved realistic settings, so the dark fantasy is very appealing. How much do you have planned for the world thus far? I'll join the yahoo group once I get a response from you here (and I finish with all the stuff I need to do today!). Cool idea; I hope to get involved with it.
Return of the Flumph 11-01-07, 02:48 PM	"Realistic" campaign setting? What exactly does that mean?
Orloff 11-01-07, 03:49 PM	I'm interested. I've always striven for a realistic campaign in my DMing experiences. To answer Flumph's question, what a "realistic campaign" means to me is "what the world could have been like if there were certain fantasy elements." This changes, of course, depending upon what fantasy elements you include, but all events and situations of such a world should have a logical cause. Nothing can be taken for granted, nothing can be allowed because "that's how it's always been done" in fantasy. For example, if dwarves evolved in caves, and throughout history lived and fought within caves, they will not be fighting with axes. Besides there being little use for an axe inside a cave (no trees to cut down), they are difficult to swing in combat when fighting in a narrow tunnel. Instead, they would probably have gotten their martial start fighting with picks (something which <i>does</i> have a use to a race presumably made up of miners), then realize that it is far easier to hold someone off in a narrow tunnel using spears. A realistic campaign is not something to be undertaken lightly, as it requires thinking about things that can generally just be ignored. That said, that sort of thought is exactly what I enjoy doing as a DM. So I'm in. I won't be joining the group right away, because I don't have a yahoo account at the moment and will be too busy for much of the afternoon to get one. Hopefully, I'll be on by some time tomorrow.
Koofoo95 11-01-07, 03:56 PM	I'd love to sign up! Now that exams and assorted essays have finally finished and I'm broke I'll need something to fill up all my free time. Now by dark setting do you mean more of a Warhammer Fantasy "life sucks then your mutated" or a Song of Ice and Fires "Life sucks then your farm is burned and sacked, your daughter kidnapped, and your tortured, twice."? I've always like the idea of a more gritty setting, more gritty then eberron, but less mind blowing than Cthulhu Mythos. I'll join the group ASAP
SixGunLover 11-01-07, 06:37 PM	Hello everybody - thank you all for your interest. I see some of you have already become members of the group - that's great. I hope to send out a ream of invitations today, but right now word of mouth is our only form of advertising, so if you know of others of a similar mindset who might be interested, I encourage you to let them know. In response to queenfange: basically, what I have is a basic vision and a whole vault of ideas floating around in my head. The whole idea behind the group however is that this world won't simply be mine - it will be the end product of a long process of brain storming, discussion and creation by any group members willing to contribute. In response to Return of the Flumph: Orloff has already given you a fairly decent response on realism. I'd also stress the emphasis on dark/low fantasy - I suggest you refer to the Wikipedia articles on these genres if you want further explanation. Koofoo95: Closer to a Song of Ice and Fire's version. Though the supernatural forces of darkness/evil, the powers of magic and the machinations of deities/demons/god-knows-what will play a part in the setting, they will be more subtle/rare than in the typical fantasy setting. The concerns of the average citizen will be plague, war and famine rather than the war between good and evil. The line between good and evil itself will be much more indistinct, due to the very nature of morality in such a world.