-
This Tweet is unavailable.Show this thread
-
ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs Retweeted eggwifeguy
2/ I think that Tolkien sort of defines it. Hard fantasy SHOULDN'T, in my opinion, be hard about physics or math. Analytical ways of approaching things are antithetical to faerie tales. The kind of hardness that is appropriate for fantasy is >>>https://twitter.com/simplic10/status/1251571013613019136 …
ⓘ Dogs don't have thumbs added,
1 reply 6 retweets 37 likesShow this thread -
3/ distinct from the kind of hardness that is appropriate for science fiction. "Hard fantasy" should be rigorous in the things that fantasy is ABOUT, not in the things that it is not about. Fantasy is about tradition, lore, hidden things, malevolent forces, etc.
2 replies 5 retweets 48 likesShow this thread -
4/ So Tolkien obsessing about millenia of history, slowly evolving languages, ruins of once great nations, etc. is hard fantasy. But to be analytical about the magic system, for example, would be to sperg in the wrong direction. Faerie stories are not about analytical magic.
4 replies 6 retweets 51 likesShow this thread -
5/ Wife has been telling about some F & SF author youtube videos she's watching, and a sub-sub-sub genre is people talking about how to design "magic systems". And ... oh no think this very bad idea / corruption / nonsense springs from being deeply unaware of roots of fantasy
2 replies 4 retweets 30 likesShow this thread -
6/ faerie stories -> Tolkien -> D&D / tabletop RPGs -> 1990s fantasy -> vidya RPGs and M:TG CTGC -> some modern fantasy so "magic systems" are about balancing white mana against black mana it's game mechanics crap, which is ENTIRELY anthetical to the core of fantasy
5 replies 3 retweets 32 likesShow this thread -
7/ like, yes, M:TG _needs_ a very good magic system and so do RPGs, whether TT or vidya ...but Merlin and Gandalf do not need magic systems ...and the more you try to write a system the more you depart the realm of fantasy. /exeunt
6 replies 5 retweets 35 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @MorlockP
I think another issue is in a lot of the foundational classics of fantasy like the works of Tolkien, Howard, and so on- magic is 1. fairly rare, and 2. mostly only used by either antagonists or enigmatic supporting characters. In that context, there's little need for a "system"
2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
yes ...and I think that's pretty good magic is potent (in a narrative sense) when rare
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.