What’s Fantasy Roleplaying?

The phrase “fantasy roleplaying” usually refers to roleplaying in a fairly specific type of setting. It’s a universe populated by various beings inspired largely by fiction writers (particularly J. R. R. Tolkien) and more recently, other roleplaying games. A fantasy world is populated with lighthearted elves, bearded dwarves, stupefyingly idiotic trolls, and many others in addition to your basic humans. Fantasy civilization is based very loosely on a blend of aspects of ancient, medieval, and modern Western culture and folklore, usually with bits from other cultures thrown in here and there. It’s made of vast kingdoms and small villages, strange geographies, and economies based on precious metals. Tribal cultures, feudal monarchies, and other governments dominate various areas. Though fantasy technologies are generally primitive (suspended perpetually in the early gunpowder era), magic is a powerful force that more than makes up for these limitations in most respects, making possible everything from fireballs to floating cities. Supernatural creatures are fairly common, and the gods are real and sometimes quite active in mortal lives. As a whole, the world is a mysterious place, full of dangers and unknowns. There are invasions and revolutions. And there are lots and lots of big dungeons. Perhaps the most essential elements of fantasy roleplaying, though, are the adventurers — the wizards, fighters, thieves, clerics, and so on who venture forth on quests, providing the players with characters.

Gygaxia is definitely fantasy roleplaying in this sense of the phrase. However, it’s also fantasy roleplaying in a much broader sense — it’s imaginative fiction. In Gygaxia, fantasy means more than just gaming in a world with castles and kobolds — it means you take a totally open-ended approach to what can happen. In other words, there are no more restrictions on what kinds of concepts you can incorporate. If you can think of a way to make it fit, then it does.

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