Bye Bye, Medieval Times...

So Wizards of the Coast is doing a lot with the so-called races; namely, they no longer use race, which they find problematic, offering species as a safer alternative. Whatever. I've always maintained there's no wrong way to do fantasy (with the exception of Gor), and that extends to WotC. I strongly believe it nudges D&D towards an Iron Age Star Trek I accept on pinciple but remain ambivalent to; but there's absolutely nothing wrong with exploring a universe where this is so. Even the puerile Gor I so despise has its place... 

But medieval fare is inherently anachronistic. Now I agree we shouldn't subject our players to racism and/or sexism or certain (to-remain-nameless) violations despite their otherwise historical context. Even so, there's real value to conveying the mindset of a more primitive society. Heliocentric (or even flat) worlds are well within bounds; and viewing non-humans as seperate races seems more in line with pre-scientific times. Erroneous perhaps, but being wrong about stuff is essential to medievalism and part of its charm.

And what constitutes medieval anyway? Chainmail? Swords? It only exists in historical context; more specifically, our historical context. That said, medieval is civilization fumbling ever-so gradually out of its dark ages towards an inevitable renaissance (they're not the middle ages for nothing). It lies between two extremes, and that's part of its charm. It clings to the past while embracing an emerging, if flawed, new thinking. A faulty science of wonky syllogisms (humors, angels on pinheads) straddling both sides of the coin...

Which leads to the gist of today's offering. Modern D&D, with its artificers and scientific pretensions, may no longer be that fantastic medieval wargame. These days, it's more like a post-renaissance, pre-modern game (with decidedly modern social values) bordering on steampunk. Still, the odd throwback exists. The world is big, and there's always barbarians to crash the modern party. Now no system survives the GM, who reserves final veto authority; but we have to be honest about the default setting of D&D nowadays. 

Now I initially thought species couldn't interbreed, a seemingly glaring oversight; but a kind reader corrected me. This calls for an update. Humanoid races could certainly interbreed, producing fertile offspring depending on how we define them. But given what we've learned about genetics, the whole concept of species might bear changing, which further argues against its use as a panacea. Another chum suggested folk as a suitable alternative, archaic for sure, and in keeping with the medieval roots of a fantastic medieval wargame.

Lead Age: Tom Meier's Elves...

I've professed my love (indeed, preference) for Dungeon Dwellers and Grenadier for their delightfully amateur aesthetic. But here's the part where yours truly confesses a tawdry affair with Ral Partha's excellent line of realistic (then and now) figures by Tom Meier. It was the storied 1980s; and being your typical young person, I appreciated beauty. My devotion to the amateur was already fermenting, but boy did I love the cool factor...

Take the Tom Meier's high elves. From the curly locks to pointy shoes (not to mention the folds of his adventuring cloak), this rendition really sticks the landing; and while its technical precision is clear, it also captures that vital something that nails elvenkind befitting one of Meier's artistic pedigree. This guy represented Elvor, an 80s rebirth of my 1970s character, resurrected for a return engagement in the MTV decade. Thank you, Tom.

Precision aside, I really appreciate the medieval authenticity. Pointy shoes are medieval, but also wedded to the later folklore of elves. Modern depictions vary, but all too often devolve into overdone, half-dressed, and/or donkey eared. There's no wrong way to do fantasy, and I mean no offense here; but it's nice to see miniatures bow to the mediveal/folkloric origin of tabletop's most valuable players, although that's just my preference...  

Meier continued to work in and out of gaming circles, founding Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures and doing commissions. I've seen his hand in those delightful figurines (pewter, mostly) you'll sometimes see at flea markets. Anyway, his gorgeous depictions hold up alongside anything currently available. These days we enjoy a wealth of miniature options; but gaming's Lead Age was special due to the variety of its traditional creations.

Dragon Magazine's Banner Year...

1982; it was a banner year for AD&D, and a banner year for yours truly, both thanks to Dragon Magazine. Not only did its awesome Out on a Limb feature connect me to the wider roleplaying community (a thing beyond price), the magazine, an organ of TSR Hobbies, fostered D&D in new and exciting ways. Indeed, it marked the transition from a quaint, mostly wargaming phenomenon to the mainstream sensation it would soon become... 

With this in mind, and because I'm feeling nostalgic, here's a rundown of each monthly instalment from that year. I'm sure everyone knows where they can download these issues online (if not, ask someone), assuming you don't own the CDs. If so, read 'em again to appreciate my all-too-brief survey of each issue's historical importance:

Issue 57 (January, 1982): A slow start as far as long-term impacts; but I'd vote for Bloom's Play a Villain and Moore's Dungeons Aren't for Men Only opinion pieces (from Dragon's superlative Up on a Soapbox feature) as indicative of the hobby's maturation.

Issue 58 (February, 1982): It gets better. The Dwarven Point of view helped codify the dwarven race and its assorted deities, who persist into the latest edition.

Issue 59 (March, 1982): And here it got real. We see the first official mention of (magic-user) cantrips and the excellent Halfling Point of View feature, with more undeniable impacts to D&Ds emergent mythology. This issue nicely previewed AD&D's Unearthed Arcana.

Issue 60 (April, 1982): The Elven Point of View did for our pointy eared friends what the other demi-human features did for their kind. True springtime in D&D land...

Issue 61 (May, 1982): And the fun continued with The Gnomish Point of View, illusionist cantrips, and exotic weaponry. In short, a treasure trove of content, with Wormy's intensifying adventures rounding out what might easily be one of the year's standout offerings. 

Issue 62 (June, 1982): Ok, so the Larry Elmore cover signaled a seismic shift going forward, with The Half-Orcish Point of View rounding out the player races quite nicely.

Issue 63 (July, 1982): Readers were treated to a preview of the Barbarian class (more presaging Unearthed Arcana, a thing Gary hinted at with the sublety of a heart attack), while The Humanoid Point of View offered a useful perspective on D&D's best villains...

Issue 64 (August, 1982): Whew! Readers got a break from all that great content; but an excellent Assassin's Guild article by Elizabeth Cerritelli and Lynda Bisson highlighted the role of women, already growing in the hobby, as game content designers of note. 

Issue 65 (September, 1982): Another quiet issue; but Gygax offered a guest editorial speaking to the convention scene, signalling the growth of the hobby, and suggested some new character classes and a few ideas for customization, which admitted the changing expectations of a fanbase wanting more than mere wargaming figures. Good stuff.    

Issue 66 (October, 1982): This one debated giving clerics edged weapons, presaging future editions in this regard. Impact-wise, this was an important, if subdued, advance.

Issue 67 (November, 1982): Gygax's influence is strong here, with new magic user spells, Greyhawk creatures, and deities. This is Gary's issue through and through, and it really spoke to the growth of the pastime and its collective content. Given what would eventually happen, this was Gygax at the height of his powers - and control over the D&D game.

Issue 68 (December, 1982): Another quiet issue; but there's more interior color (already a growing trend), signalling a growing budget and general mainstreaming of the hobby. I'll admit to having mixed feelings here; but the scene had to grow, and history had spoken.

Of course, each issue was loaded with other important content. I'm just singling out what seems (to my admittedly biased eye) to be the most historically significant events from 1982's assembled pages. Everything Dragon related is historical at this point; but I'd like to think I saw firsthand a major shift in the hobby over the course of that year. A move towards greater cohesion, maturity, and incusiveness. For those who remember, it was a banner year...

Funneling the Fantasy Sausage...

There's an ascending (or rather, descending) structure to our fantasy campaigns*, which hopefully enforces the specialness of its magical elements while preserving a basic humanity, even when roleplaying elves. The rule of the day is mundane above, fantastic below, with ascending danger through descending levels. And all of this punctuated by the odd outsized evil that exists not to be fought, but to be avoided - because, realism...

So first, the SURFACE. This is faux medieval; think stock peasantry who've never seen anything more exotic than some dwarven merchants at the fair, and never more than a dozen coins of any denomination in one place. Barring some adjacent Mordor-styled land barred against intruders and home to nameless evil, it's primordial forests stocked with wolves and the scourge of humanity. Maybe orcs. We've talked about this. 

Next, we enter the DUNGEONS. All that normalcy on top? Gone. Here monsters dwell, an endless assortment of fantastical creatures. Basilisks? Check. Hellhounds? One among many terrifying foes. And these come neatly ordered by dungeon level. You know where the easiest monsters dwell - and where the best treasures await. The deeper the deadlier, all packaged in a bounded sandbox of infinite choice and a real sense of purpose.

Finally, we paunctuate this with UNBALANCED foes to spice things up. Think a minotaur on level one or a red dragon living on level three. Why would there be this strangely perfect sorting of monsters except to ensure game balance? Games require this abstraction; but life isn't fair, and these serve mainly to be avoided while the party seeks better odds and lives, hopefully to confront them eventually. It's abstraction meets realism...   

And lo, the funnel. Start with a (relatively) normal surface with (rare) demihumans and a faraway land of darkness. Add an extensive underworld stocked with incredible foes, sorted by level - but punctuated by overpowered enemies to remind everyone how arbitrary this arrangement can seem, and that not everything is meant to be fought. Magical characters are special and combat encounters balanced - except when they're not, so stay sharp!

*Your mileage may vary; but this is our take, and we welcome your thoughts...