Every fantasy game I've ever played, from the Zelda games to Warcraft, all involve some kind of epic struggle of good vs. evil, etc. Games with other settings can have all sorts of stories, many of them not so epic. Is there some reason fantasy games don't have more down to earth stories? Would players get bored with something simple like one where a corrupt local official has taken over your family's farm and you've got to get it back? Are the epic stories, by definition, part of the fantasy game genre?

I think the problem is that if you have a non-epic fantasy, you tend to not have a reason to justify the fantasy setting. Why have a world where wizards can summon hundred foot walls of flame unless you give the wizards a chance to create the hundred foot walls of flame?

This is also a common issue in genre fiction. Unless you have a reason for the fantasy elements, it's hard to justify including them.

There are some rpg, like fallout or fallout 2.
They are set on earth, but in future.

But a fantasy game has to be played in fantasy. It has to be something that you can imagine and that doesn't realy happens. Otherwise it wouldnt be a fantasy game :)

I don't know if you could have a fantasy game, as in rpg, without some "epic" struggle to give a sense of urgency to the game. In the good times people tend to be less concerned about being destroyed by some great evil and spend less time thinking in terms of fighting. I don't believe an RPG would be any fun without a struggle. But if you want to test it play a game like Morrowind but try not to involve yourself in combat at all. Just pick reagents and such. I think it would become very boring in a rather short time. Just my opinion of course.

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Original post by BradDaBug Would players get bored with something simple like one where a corrupt local official has taken over your family's farm and you've got to get it back? Are the epic stories, by definition, part of the fantasy game genre?

Gaining experience and leveling up is a major part of the design of all modern rpgs really. If the baddie only lives on the other side of town and has only a handful of henchmen, it's not going to make for the most entertaining of quests. (100xp for crossing the road, 100xp per henchman you punch etc) That said, I've always thought that it would be interesting to make a spoof rpg that did have silly quests, like going to the shops for beer or something.

Discworld puzzle games/rpgs? I'm not sure, as I haven't played them, but the discworld novels generally don't involve epic battles between good and evil.
(unfortunately, they're also quite old games now - might be difficult getting them, and if you do get them, it might be difficult getting them to run)

John B

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Original post by Bezben Gaining experience and leveling up is a major part of the design of all modern rpgs really. If the baddie only lives on the other side of town and has only a handful of henchmen, it's not going to make for the most entertaining of quests. (100xp for crossing the road, 100xp per henchman you punch etc) That said, I've always thought that it would be interesting to make a spoof rpg that did have silly quests, like going to the shops for beer or something.

There are hundreds of modules like this NWN, spoofing things like this, and monty python skits. Very fun to play between bigger modules. Althought, the ones that were unintentional spoofs and comedies were a bit funnier. [lol]

I dont think a fantasy has to be epic. Wizards summoning 100-foot walls of flame are part of an epic, not part of a fantasy. The first few Harry Potter novels did a wonderful job of telling a fantasy story that wasn't necessarily epic (though it has grown into a much bigger story).

Why can't fantasy mean interesting characters and creatures in a unique world, instead of always having to be magic and huge trolls and dark wizards?

Animal Crossing?

I think for a fantasy plot to be interesting it has to be epic
the reason for this is because epic stories involve a lot of traveling and fighting, which are 2 important factors in a fantasy game (well, fighting for any games that require fighting: RPG, Action, Strategy, etc)

My game is indy so we will require a smaller story. For such a small team I believe our story won't be too much of an epic, so we are yet to see how interesting it turns out to be.

There will ALWAYS have an epic struggle, maybe not between good and evil, since the definition that defines good and evil are vague.

What are the goods? Defend the helpless and smite/kill evil? If killing is something for evil to do, isn't the goods and doing something evil?

There is no clear line between good and evil. One don't exist without the other. The good will always be the victor, since the history book are written by the victor, the victor defines what is good and what is evil.

An example of an epic struggle without the good and evil part is Romance of The Three Kingdoms.