02-28-2021, 03:05 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2007
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[DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
The question may be unfair because DF never tells us to default to any particular sort of world. But all the same, the GURPS DF game worlds I've seen tend to have similarities. Perhaps the most obvious one is that DF game worlds tend to be much more cosmopolitan than most dungeon fantasy. Due to all the race options for PCs, there tend to be towns where members of all the races live and hang out at the tavern together. A Pixie, an Ogre, an insect person and a half-elemental might easily all be seated at the bar.
So do you think there are distinctive features of the worlds GURPS DF games tend to default to? If so, what would you say they are?
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02-28-2021, 04:11 AM | #2 | |
On Notice
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
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Then there is the fact that DF is GURPS and can be tweaked and altered to the point one could argue it wasn't DF anymore. GURPS Fantasy and Thaumatology allow mammoth tweaking of magic for example.
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02-28-2021, 05:36 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
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I get that you can build a world where the only sentient race is Elves. I'm sure somebody somewhere is doing that. But that's not how I'm seeing the game played.
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02-28-2021, 06:45 AM | #4 | |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
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I don't know about other dungeon fantasy, but they are certainly more cosmopolitan that other fantasy settings. By default, DF leans heavily into good-evil-bunny-squid, and that's not unique, but its probably played up more there than other places. DF feels a lot more magic heavy than most other Low TL fantasy settings I see in gurps.
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02-28-2021, 07:39 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Denver, CO
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
I think what's distinctive about it is how unformed it is. It's a great study in soft world building. If you're interested in world building, I strongly recommend the videos by Hello Future Me on this (and every other) subject.
Here's the one on hard and soft world building. In quick examples, though, Middle Earth is a product of hard world building, where studio Ghibli does soft world building. Much is left unknown, unformed, unexplored. It's deliberate and is better that way. Harry Potter used to be this way too, and was better for it. |
02-28-2021, 08:07 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: traveller
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
I don't play a lot of DF, but I do refer to Infinite Worlds all the time. In my IW-inspired campaign, I use "Yrth-2" as shorthand for "whatever world it is that DF depicts."
Concur with ericthered about the cosmology: OD&D had Elder Things, but not nearly as prominent or as integral to the setting. DF's demons are somewhat idiosyncratic and different than (say) TFT's. "Hell gnomes" as dungeon maintainers has a different flavor than the imps of Dungeon Keeper or ignoring the question entirely. |
02-28-2021, 10:22 AM | #7 |
Aluminated
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
I assembled a list to work from when I was doing my revision of the "Wellsprings of Creation" setting because I wanted to be sure I hit all the tropes. Naturally, I can't find it now. Things I remember include:
There's more, but not a lot more.
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02-28-2021, 02:29 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
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02-28-2021, 08:01 PM | #9 | |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
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02-28-2021, 08:37 PM | #10 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: [DF] What's Distinctive About the Default Worlds of DF?
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Societies are not super organized (not as rigid or codified as high medieval era). I guess I have been influenced by the like of Titan (Fighting Fantasy). |
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