Colourless Fantasy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Colourless Fantasy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Storm_Wolfe
09-15-06, 10:17 PM As someone who grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons alongside such games as Illusion of Gaia for the SNES, or Lunar for the Sega CD, part of the allure of fantasy was that it was genuinely magickal and colourful.

And that's something I'm finding vacant from how fantasy is presented post Lord of the Rings films. There's a distinct lack of colour. Grit and darkness has replaced bright greens and stark blues. I wonder if this has anything to do with the white washed look that became so en vogue with films in the wake of Saving Private Ryan?

I'm not opposed to a grim sensation dominating a genre, but I feel I've lost a bit of connection with fantasy as a whole since it's all taken on this air of bleakness. Not everyone wants dark fantasy served as the main course all the time.

So I turn to the community and ask, what level of importance does colour and an underlying sense of optimism play in your universes?
ornitholestes
09-15-06, 11:18 PM First off, I would like to say I agree with your statement that color and hope are important for the fantasy genre. I like a gritty game, but I prefer light-hearted adventure game to gritty realism (though both styles can be fun of course).

That said, I certainly don't think recent fantasy movies have been gray or white washed (or particularly grim). You specifically mentioned The Lord of The Rings. While these movies had their dark aspects, they were full of beauty and optimism. I can think of many scenes that left me utterly breathless and full of emotion, the lighting of the beacons, the last march of the ents, and many more. I still can't think about the scene where the eagles pluck Frodo and Sam from the slops of an erupting Mt. Doom without tearing up (not just the drama but the sheer beauty of the light streaming through the eagle's feathers while the mountain erupts below). Granted, LoTR had little magic in the spell-casting wizard sort, but the I feel the wonder was certainly there. :)

I think there has been a general wave of colorful and wonderful fantasy. Take the Harry Potter movies as another example. These also have their dark spots (which are necessary to make the heroes heroic of course), but they are full of exotic creatures and locations. I find them very colorful, both literally and in tone. The Chronicles of Narnia are another example, sharing many of the features of LoTR and Harry Potter.

Video Games may be a different matter. I will have to admit I don't play many electronic games any more, but I did work in a used game store and the current titles were often on the dark side (though there were many light-hearted games as well).

As for paper and pencil games, I think the tone is what your group makes of it. Most published games can be played in a variety of ways, depending upon your preferences. I certainly agree, a constant feeling of hopelessness and dread could kill the fun of a game if done incorrectly, but I don't think recent products push that style.
Ezell Pike
09-15-06, 11:26 PM You pose an interesting question.:) I havent really considered it before but I have inadvertently been working against that trend only very recently. I would say that the gritty-ness of which you speak is one of the primary wellsprings for the creation of new base classes. It appears, at least within my group that players no longer seek to emulate characters they read about in books. They look to movies and comic books for inspiration. Edit: and video games (thanks ornitholestes)

Opitmism and color seem to be taking a backseat. This is unfortunate since many of the most enjoyable and entertaining games I have played ever were a little more lighthearted.
theotherdraxen
09-15-06, 11:30 PM Don't forget that many aspects of LotR were very dark and gritty. While I do agree that fantasy demands color, it can be hard to apply without it coming off as...well, I'll probably get censored if I write that here. Anyway, while I wish other players would go for bright and colorful, some find it less than heroic.
The Ubbergeek
09-15-06, 11:58 PM There is stylistic, artistic and theme difference between occidental fantasy and the japanese version...
Aaron L
09-17-06, 12:34 PM I like both, they each have thier place. But in general I prefer a darker, more pessimistic fantasy, with the forces of Good fighting an uphill (but not overwhelming or impossible) struggle.
The_Jester
09-17-06, 01:36 PM I would argue that we're going BACK to darkness and grittiness. Lord of the Rings was one of the first fantasy tales and was horrific at times with war, unkillable foes, weak heroes being chased by insurmountable odds.
This gave rise to a number of dark and depressing fantasy epics with small glimmers of hope (Thomas Covenant for example).

Then, later, the books got lighter in the wave of knock-offs, shared worlds, clichés and fairy tale inspired worlds. Stories where good always triumphed, even against absurd odds and darkness was just a pack of paper tigers.
D&D in the early days certainly reinforced this, with company rules that good must win, evil must lose and morality upheld.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Storm_Wolfe 09-15-06, 10:17 PM	As someone who grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons alongside such games as Illusion of Gaia for the SNES, or Lunar for the Sega CD, part of the allure of fantasy was that it was genuinely magickal and colourful. And that's something I'm finding vacant from how fantasy is presented post Lord of the Rings films. There's a distinct lack of colour. Grit and darkness has replaced bright greens and stark blues. I wonder if this has anything to do with the white washed look that became so en vogue with films in the wake of Saving Private Ryan? I'm not opposed to a grim sensation dominating a genre, but I feel I've lost a bit of connection with fantasy as a whole since it's all taken on this air of bleakness. Not everyone wants dark fantasy served as the main course all the time. So I turn to the community and ask, what level of importance does colour and an underlying sense of optimism play in your universes?
ornitholestes 09-15-06, 11:18 PM	First off, I would like to say I agree with your statement that color and hope are important for the fantasy genre. I like a gritty game, but I prefer light-hearted adventure game to gritty realism (though both styles can be fun of course). That said, I certainly don't think recent fantasy movies have been gray or white washed (or particularly grim). You specifically mentioned The Lord of The Rings. While these movies had their dark aspects, they were full of beauty and optimism. I can think of many scenes that left me utterly breathless and full of emotion, the lighting of the beacons, the last march of the ents, and many more. I still can't think about the scene where the eagles pluck Frodo and Sam from the slops of an erupting Mt. Doom without tearing up (not just the drama but the sheer beauty of the light streaming through the eagle's feathers while the mountain erupts below). Granted, LoTR had little magic in the spell-casting wizard sort, but the I feel the wonder was certainly there. :) I think there has been a general wave of colorful and wonderful fantasy. Take the Harry Potter movies as another example. These also have their dark spots (which are necessary to make the heroes heroic of course), but they are full of exotic creatures and locations. I find them very colorful, both literally and in tone. The Chronicles of Narnia are another example, sharing many of the features of LoTR and Harry Potter. Video Games may be a different matter. I will have to admit I don't play many electronic games any more, but I did work in a used game store and the current titles were often on the dark side (though there were many light-hearted games as well). As for paper and pencil games, I think the tone is what your group makes of it. Most published games can be played in a variety of ways, depending upon your preferences. I certainly agree, a constant feeling of hopelessness and dread could kill the fun of a game if done incorrectly, but I don't think recent products push that style.
Ezell Pike 09-15-06, 11:26 PM	You pose an interesting question.:) I havent really considered it before but I have inadvertently been working against that trend only very recently. I would say that the gritty-ness of which you speak is one of the primary wellsprings for the creation of new base classes. It appears, at least within my group that players no longer seek to emulate characters they read about in books. They look to movies and comic books for inspiration. Edit: and video games (thanks ornitholestes) Opitmism and color seem to be taking a backseat. This is unfortunate since many of the most enjoyable and entertaining games I have played ever were a little more lighthearted.
theotherdraxen 09-15-06, 11:30 PM	Don't forget that many aspects of LotR were very dark and gritty. While I do agree that fantasy demands color, it can be hard to apply without it coming off as...well, I'll probably get censored if I write that here. Anyway, while I wish other players would go for bright and colorful, some find it less than heroic.
The Ubbergeek 09-15-06, 11:58 PM	There is stylistic, artistic and theme difference between occidental fantasy and the japanese version...
Aaron L 09-17-06, 12:34 PM	I like both, they each have thier place. But in general I prefer a darker, more pessimistic fantasy, with the forces of Good fighting an uphill (but not overwhelming or impossible) struggle.
The_Jester 09-17-06, 01:36 PM	I would argue that we're going BACK to darkness and grittiness. Lord of the Rings was one of the first fantasy tales and was horrific at times with war, unkillable foes, weak heroes being chased by insurmountable odds. This gave rise to a number of dark and depressing fantasy epics with small glimmers of hope (Thomas Covenant for example). Then, later, the books got lighter in the wave of knock-offs, shared worlds, clichés and fairy tale inspired worlds. Stories where good always triumphed, even against absurd odds and darkness was just a pack of paper tigers. D&D in the early days certainly reinforced this, with company rules that good must win, evil must lose and morality upheld.