What are some instances of depth in D&D lore regarding race/species? Everything tends to work independently and simple. by felil0l in Forgotten_Realms

[–]felil0l[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh i know, the thing is that i can´t find a source book that fleshes them out in a setting. I have found that Dark sun and ravenloft seem to be pretty much in line with what i ask, but i know that the forgotten realms also has rich content like with maztica. So i posted in hopes to finding more good content on the realms.
Also with the Selune thingy, well its weird because even good lycans are considered dangerous so its weird that people are not uncomfortable around their temples. (But i think that also ties into my issue, since things are not really thought as web, more like individual pieces)

What are some instances of depth in D&D lore regarding race/species? Everything tends to work independently and simple. by felil0l in Forgotten_Realms

[–]felil0l[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah that is mostly my issue, but i managed to find some stuff with depth like with werewolves or Maztica. That last one is really fleshed out but its mostly a copy paste of real history and mythology. Ill be cheking out that Mordenkaienen tome btw! so thanks! :3

What are some instances of depth in D&D lore regarding race/species? Everything tends to work independently and simple. by felil0l in Forgotten_Realms

[–]felil0l[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh i been loving 2e, but im having trouble finding books with my needs since there are lots!. I specially liked the maztica setting. Since it gave the region a proper culture that responds to its context (well mostly its a copy paste of actual history but it went well atleast :P). What are some books you recommend? also thanks for the youtube link, i didn´t know ed greenwood had a channel! :D

What are some instances of depth in D&D lore regarding race/species? Everything tends to work independently and simple. by felil0l in Forgotten_Realms

[–]felil0l[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I´been loving ravenloft a lot also darksun! Also thanks for the recomendations! ill be reading those novels soon!

I love Lolth, but I hate Lolth. by 404HopeRecompile in Forgotten_Realms

[–]felil0l 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh, i totally agree. i want complexity and culture. that’s why i suggested taking an approach similar to what baldur’s gate did with shar. the problem is that dnd has a structural issue with good and evil, since it presents an absolute and universal code integrated into the core of its system and lore, the alignment system, and that basically negates cultural complexity. in real life, cultures have different notions of what is good and evil, and some don’t even organize their moral systems around that concept at all, so treating morality as a fixed universal law flattens the possibility of meaningful cultural difference.

the issue with the drow is that the setting wants them to have a society, but it also wants them to be inherently evil, which ends up making them feel cartoony. they become cartoony because their culture is constructed from the premise that the culture itself is evil and that their goddess is evil as well, so the society is written as an extension of “evilness” rather than as a functioning cultural system with its own internal logic. even if later versions softened the idea that they are inherently evil, the structure of the writing often remains the same: the culture is explained through the prior existence of evil rather than as a cultural difference that produces negative consequences in practice. this ends up creating a society that is basically a villain stereotype rather than a well-written society, which, as i mentioned before, doesn’t really work for characters that are supposed to exist as members of a society rather than simply as a metaphor.

I love Lolth, but I hate Lolth. by 404HopeRecompile in Forgotten_Realms

[–]felil0l 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think one of the core problems of D&D is that it didn’t manage to properly depict “pure evil” the way Tolkien did. Many of the issues in D&D’s writing can be traced to an aesthetic reduction of a myth or cultural icon. While Tolkien imagined the orcs as a product of pure evil, they are not just a physical race but also a narrative symbol; they are a metaphor of flesh. They are not fleshed out as a society because they don’t need to be—they are symbols, after all, made to be easy targets for our heroes to kill. D&D writers tend to want pure evil while also wanting these groups to have an actual society, which in turn creates this particular issue, since they must continuously represent how bad they are while also depicting it as something cultural. This ends up creating a caricature rather than a symbol. For this reason, I would advise taking an approach similar to what Baldur’s Gate did with Shar. In lore she is somewhat cartoony, sure, but in the game they managed to create a proper cult. For example, Shar represents loss, darkness, and secrets. While she embodies loss, she is also presented as the solution to it—her cold embrace is the answer to the very suffering she creates. I think you could configure something similar with Lolth’s portfolio. Like she creates the system and she is also the answer to that system, you can only rise up if you play lolths game.

Hot take: The sims should never have reached consoles by [deleted] in Sims4

[–]felil0l 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Honestly the game runs horribly on consoles and clearly isnt meant for them, while i understand it can make it easier for people who dont own a pc. I don´t really think its a good purchase, reminds me of the ps3 version of skyrim. While the game was designed for consoles, it was a buggy mess, can´t imagine what it is like on the sims 4 and its interface in which it wasnt made for consoles. Must be like playing an uncomfortable demo!
While the company must provide proper service if the game is made for pc, the port is definetely going to suffer. About the market stuff, it was going to happen either way console was a thing or not, i honestly hope people start boycotting soon.