Yea, you had changelings and demonic possession and “brats” and “back talk”, and kids that were “not all there”, your aunt who’s “crazy”, and your second cousin no one ever talks about cuz he’s “special”, and if you’re fucking lucky, your elder uncle who lives a nice quiet life with his 70 lego sets and writes grocery stores about changing the light bulbs cuz they’re too harsh.
not to put this user on blast, but ohmygod this may be the funniest thing i’ve ever seen ????????
Isn’t it kind of thematically weird how many traditional D&D baddies have a strict “might makes right” ideology as a core aspect of their villainy (orcs, gnolls, hobgoblin, sahuagin, etc) only to have the game explicitly support this as a fact?
I know that earlier editions of the game were a thin veneer of LOTR over a more pulp fantasy world, but you don’t have to copy that much of Tolkien’s homework to come away with themes that the reckless pursuit of strength only leads one to becoming more like the power hungry villain. The whole trilogy HINGES on Frodo being meek, merciful, and having no desire for power, all of which are seen as heroic virtues.
Thing is, trad d&d also misses the themes of the pulp stories it seeks to emulate. Conan adventures because adventuring is FUCKING SICK, and through him the reader gets to fantasize about engaging with all the wonders and dangers of an unknown world.
…… I’m going to have more of a think on this. I feel like there’s some storytelling/game design wisdom to be gleaned from analyzing this balance of power.
