I love to working with fantasy as a theme. That is also a big problem since I don’t like the stereotype way too look at this theme. There are two many games out there that uses the theme as there were copies of the Tolkien/D&D/WHFB world without give something new. The theme is easy to apply to a mechanism.
The traditional fantasy theme has two sides:
- It gives you the opportunity to create something that not is realistic but yet familiar.
- It can be extremely boring.
I can understand why some game publishers have a not on fantasy in there submission description (If you have a fantasy themed game, you have to add something extra to the game that gives the game its value). The problem is when you step outside the frame (make orcs good or let dwarfs do magic (this is just an example and the changes are mostly bigger and more exacting)) then you get complains that you don’t know what you are doing.
When I get a new idea for a game (as I normally starts with the theme or a detail in the game) around 50% of the times the start is themed fantasy. After the initial design I usually stop and check if I need just pure fantasy as a theme or it can be moved.
If the game is a game that is totally based on fantasy but seen from another angle (example: you are a dragon that wants to be the most famous dragon by kidnapping princesses , collecting treasures and terrorizing countries) then I exaggerate the fantasy part even more (and add humor).
If the game don’t require fantasy part (magic, good vs. bad, mighty creatures and so on) then this is removed and it can be placed in a pure unplacible medieval land. This both limits the options and gives me several new options to work with (and I can move outside the frame).
One way is also to move the whole game to a related theme. I have used fairytale worlds (Grimm Brother) and also the holyday characters (Santa, Easter bunny and more). That opened several new and interesting possibilities. To use a Mythology is another way.
When fantasy is necessary, then I see if I can move the time. Fantasy steam punk is an interesting time period that can be experimented with. I have also mixed fantasy with famous time periods and that also works fine (two known things that are mixed in a third) (example: place orcs, dwarfs and so on in a WWI trench warfare type game or mix 1930 Chicago with fantasy (I have not yet mixed the French revulsion with fantasy, but that would make a interesting challenge))..
// Johan
I do it the other way around (normally). Starting with a theme and build the game from that.
Agree, but if you include them, and not make them stereotyped, you get the Boring scream. Orcs can not be good, Dwarfs has to live in the mountains (and live in the cold north) and elf's... yes the worshipper of the elf's is the conservative of them all.
The example you have is a good example of a low fantasy conflict that could be both a board game, card game, table top or RPG.
The problem with humor is that has been done over and over again (Steve Jackson Games especially). If Humor is added, there still has to be with something new.
interesting characters then I can't take my eyes off it, I keep
thinking about it, wondering how it is.
Characters can make a game worth trying again. Runbound (first ed) had a interesting gallery of characters and a underlying conflict I liked, but after 5 games I put this game away. I will probably never play it again because of the crappy mechanism. But still the characters were a major reason why I tested the game so many times.
Have you had anything published?
// Johan