D&D 5E Fantasy Styles

[pukunui]

Hi all,

I understand there is a section in the DMG that talks about the following different styles of fantasy: heroic fantasy, swords and sorcery, epic fantasy, mythic fantasy, dark fantasy, intrigue, mystery, swashbuckling, war, wuxia, and "crossing the streams".

Since my DMG is still in the mail, I'm wondering if someone could tell me briefly what the definitions are for each of these styles and what, if any, specific examples are provided for them.

I'm not entirely sure what some of them are meant to be - or how some of them are different from each other. For instance, according to Wikipedia at least, "heroic fantasy" and "swords and sorcery" are more or less the same thing. "Epic fantasy" and "mythic fantasy" sound pretty similar to me, too, as do "intrigue" and "mystery". Does the DMG do a good job differentiating them?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Jonathan

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I think "swords and sorcery" = Conan books (everyone is a selfish jerk), heroic fantasy = Forgotten Realms (heroes try to save the kingdom), epic fantasy = classic Dragonlance (heroes try to save the world, hang out with gods), Hercules = mythic fantasy (heroes ARE basically gods or demigods), dark fantasy = Lovecraft (spoooooky), intrigue = Song of Ice and Fire (lots of politics and diplomacy rolls), mystery = Sherlock Holmes (solving crimes, Doberman optional), swashbuckling = Three Musketeers (adventuring with lots of travel, closer to renaissance technology), war = ... Uh... Other parts of ASoIaF (what is it good for? Absolutely nothing), wuxia = Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (fantasy Asia, lots of quasi-supernatural martial combat), and crossing the streams is, of course, Ghostbusters.

 

[pukunui]

Awesome. Thanks.

Where would you put things like Dark Sun and The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings?

 

[bganon]

I don't think these categories are really mutually exclusive. I don't have the DMG in front of me, but here are my thoughts:

"Sword & sorcery" and "heroic fantasy" are usually synonyms, but if I had to make a distinction I'd say "sword & sorcery" is the swashbuckling Conan-style stuff, but doesn't necessarily have characters who are "heroes". "Heroic fantasy" would then be more explicitly awesome people doing awesome things.

"Epic fantasy" taken literally is a story that spans lengthy amounts of time and usually involves a huge world - LOTR is a great example. "Mythic fantasy" overlaps a lot, but is really just a fantasy story that makes use of familiar myths and tropes. A game set in Ravenloft might be "mythic" (making use of vampire legends) without necessarily being "epic" (spanning nations and generations).

"Intrigue" often means political-style intrigue - scheming within the Queen's court and all that. There doesn't necessarily have to be much mystery to it. "Mystery" is usually criminal investigation of some sort, and often there's a lot of intrigue going along with that, but it could also be pulp-action "find out who stole the foozle, track them down, and beat them up".

Like I said, LOTR is pretty epic fantasy, often with some mythic elements but often trying to create its own mythology. The Hobbit is less epic, and might edge more toward heroic fantasy.

Dark Sun I'd put somewhere in the sword & sorcery and dark fantasy bins. Probably more the former than the latter; Athas is a terrible place but the setting as I've seen it doesn't usually have strong horror elements. Most settings support a number of playstyles, though.

 

[AmerginLiath]

To quote from a post on the Dragonlance Nexus forums:

Epic Fantasy (DMG p39)
An epic fantasy campaign emphasizes the conflict between good and evil as a prominent element of the game, with the adventurers more or less squarely on the side of good. These characters are heroes in the best sense, driven by a higher purpose than selfish gain or ambition, and facing incredible dangers without blinking. Characters might struggle with moral quandaries, fighting the evil tendencies within themselves as well as the evil that threatens the world. And the stories of these campaigns often inclue an element of romance: tragic affairs between stair-crossed loves, passion that transcends even death, and chase adoration between devout knights and the monarchs and nobles they serve.

There are apparently similar discussions for the other categories – Dragonlance is discussed in the DMG as the ur-D&D example of Epic Fantasy.

 

[pukunui]

Cool. Thanks guys.

 

[Parmandur]

One thing to note is that the section for Wuxia gives Chinese and Japanese names for all the weapons from the PHB, to add Oriental flavoring.

As far as how they discuss Sword & Sorcery vs. Heroic vs. Epic Fantasy:

Sword & Sorcery is gritty, dark characters trying to make a buck in a dark & gritty world.

Heroic fantasy involves powerful characters of potentially dubious motivations doing amazing things in a magical world.

Epic fantasy is might, noble heroes fighting evil in a cosmic conflict between opposing forces in black and white world.

So, Epic and Sword & Sorcery are pretty standard uses of the terms; by Heroic they seem to mean an archetypical D&D mishmash where Conan, Harry Potter, Han Solo, Captain America and William Shakespeare team up to alternatively rob graves & save the world, depending on the DM's plans that week.

 

[pukunui]

by Heroic they seem to mean an archetypical D&D mishmash where Conan, Harry Potter, Han Solo, Captain America and William Shakespeare team up to alternatively rob graves & save the world, depending on the DM's plans that week.

Sounds like a typical D&D game to me!


EDIT: OK, so does this look about right to everyone?

Heroic Fantasy: The Hobbit, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms
Swords & Sorcery: Conan the Barbarian, Beowulf, Dark Sun
Epic Fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance
Mythic Fantasy: Hercules, Exalted
Dark Fantasy: Ravenloft, Cthulhu
Swashbuckling: The Three Musketeers, Pirates of the Caribbean
War: ...
Wuxia: Kung-Fu Panda, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

 

[Parmandur]

That's close; however, they do call out Greyhawk as being S&S too; they actually assign every published setting to one of those genres,and call out Heroic as the default assumption for D&D.

 

[pukunui]

That's close; however, they do call out Greyhawk as being S&S too; they actually assign every published setting to one of those genres,and call out Heroic as the default assumption for D&D.

OK. That's what I was wondering. Would you be able to list the settings listed for each genre?