Which Fantasy?
The traditional fantasy campaign will take part in Europe during the later medieval period. There will be dwarves, elves, and Tieflings. Humans and other friendly creatures will join them. They will fight the machinations of hobgoblins, demons, and dragons. Other evil creatures will also pose a threat. Both sides will be capable of using various forms of magic. This can include innate spells or external devices, like scrolls, weapons, armor, or something else. There will be different societies that are some form of European kingdoms that existed during that period. Adventurers will be sent upon quests to clear the dungeon, save the kingdom, make some delivery, or something else. Are these the only available options? Can adventurers do anything other than such dungeon clearing or rescuing missions?
What Be That?
Something that many fantasy players claim impossible is to run a mystery campaign. Many spells allow scanning an area quickly. They help find the hidden clues the GM wants to keep secret. Spells also allow possibilities like reading the past, communicating with the dead, knowing when another is lying, among others. Remember that each is can be countered. When reading the past, it must then be interpreted and will not be recorded perfectly. Think about how many times the accountant recorded in the ledger $147 when it should have been $174. Human memory has been proven to be highly faulty. Consider those times that someone is certain about the suspect’s identity. They believe it was the six-foot, 250-pound black defendant. Yet, it actually turned out to be someone who is 5 foot 6 inch, 200-pound Asian person. Talking with the dead will generate similar problems. When talking with the dead person, they will tell the mage that they were reading something. Suddenly, a blow made everything go dark. There was nothing else afterward. Most victims will not see their killers. They won’t manage to tell someone later. This is especially true if society knows that such spells are common. Remember that even the best and most powerful spells should be a tool for good detective work. They should not replace it.
THIS MEANS WAR!!!
There are players who like to kill every opponent, if not everyone, they encounter. Meeting that hobgoblin? Kill him. Audience with the King? Kill him. That bystander? Kill him. There are many sites that tell GMs how to stop these players, known as murder hobos. Instead of trying to stop them, try to run a war campaign. In these campaigns, the primary purpose will be centered upon the hero’s fighting some war against this enemy. The enemy should be strong enough to be worthy of being a good challenge for the heroes. The concept could be the classic mirror image, some “all-powerful” being, that undefined enemy, or something else. Whatever the enemy happens to be, he will grant this murder hobo the reason he wants for unrestrained killing, as long as he limits it to stated enemy. The GM should have the war be declared at campaign start or come in mid-war.
Me, the (Epic) Hero
Something that most people who play tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) like is to feel important. The best method for doing this is to make them the center of the game. DnD achieves this by having players start at level one. They start as normal members of the place they come from and of the society. As they adventure, they will gather experience. With that experience, they advance in feats, traits, and skills. They gain weapons, armor, and magic. This provides them with everything they need for adventuring in a dangerous world. This is the model for every game that falls into the old school renaissance (OSR) mold. Some fantasy games try to use the heroic model and escape the OSR model.
There be Gods?
Some players wish to have power beyond power. These players simply create a campaign where they are gods. Many universal games will allow this. Also, traditional fantasy games will have their “high power” settings. In either case, the players will have the ability to become literal gods. They can interact with gods on an equal footing. These characters will live the lives of classic mythologies. These include Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Chinese, Native American, and many more. They will not be interested in the lives of “mere mortals”, those normal humans. Instead, they will only take interest with beings that they consider equal to them. Those beings would be other gods, titans, devils regardless of the faith. Powerful, immortal beings, like dragons, will not be considered as their equal and ignored. If anything, such beings will be treated as playthings. This category will often be wrapped up into the dark fantasy since both are viewed in a horror manner.
Does be Modern?
At times, people will want fantasy elements while keeping the modern world. This brings the urban fantasy. The conventional method for this will be to have two different worlds merged into one. There will be the primary world that everyone knows about with modern technology, beliefs, people, societies, and everything else. Then there is the fantasy world with the magic, mystical creatures, magical devices and everything that goes with it. There will be some reason that the modern world does not know, or acknowledge, the presence of the fantasy world. Mystical creatures will never draw attention. They can be several stories in size. They can breathe some form of energy. They have a powerful glow or stand out in some other manner. Spell casters can cast spells that are the equivalent of a bazooka. Some spells are even stronger. They can heal any damage instantly. They can teleport several miles at will. They also have many more fantastic abilities. If desired, the GM declare that both worlds know about each other and interact regularly. This will also have its complications. What happens when the mage becomes a superstar? Does that mage school qualify for government assistance? How does magical healing affect the medical field? Affect education?
Regional?
Does the fantasy need to stay in Europe? What happens when traditional fantasy is moved into some other region? Basically, medieval Europe can be transposed into some other region with little trouble. The first thing to consider is that the chosen region will have its own history and culture. It will also have its own beliefs, attitudes, and religions. Everything else specific to the region should be considered when moving the game there. Most traditional OSR games are based in Europe. Yet, players can choose the game Legend of the Five Rings, which is set in medieval Asia. Instead of the European knights, players will find ninjas and samurais. There will also be soul-based magic and other features from Asia during that time. Harn is a similar game taking place in England of that time.
Players often choose the classic version when playing a fantasy game. They hear about this version the most often. This is where the most books, movies, games and other places. This does not mean that these are the only possibilities. Players take on various epic roles. They become some gods or solve a mystery. They fight a war or be a citizen in the modern world. Alternatively, they can transpose to some other region. Each of these will grant adventures. Players can develop exciting stories that everyone will want to retell over the years.
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