Quote from: RPGPundit;741002Endurance is a pretty important stat in Amber, but I think most people go for Psyche or Warfare.

my point isn't that endurance is the primary stat of any game but that in heroic fiction of all stripes its the primary stat of the protagonist.

From that perhaps we should try to do something that replicates it in game play but that wasn't really my aim it was more an observation really.

Quote from: jibbajibba;741210my point isn't that endurance is the primary stat of any game but that in heroic fiction of all stripes its the primary stat of the protagonist.

From that perhaps we should try to do something that replicates it in game play but that wasn't really my aim it was more an observation really.

Well alot of fantasy fiction bases around the "fighting man or woman" type adventurer. And in general one tends to intertwine endurance with prowess by very dint of the profession. And the warrior is near guaranteed to get nicked, cut, bit, slashed, bashed and at some point perforated. It is going to be a short story if they keil over at the first poke.

In D&D at least HP covers the endurance part fairly well since it doesnt just represent the meat. And it ties oft into constitution as high CON means more HP and better chances to survive the odd CON check.

Quote from: jibbajibba;741210my point isn't that endurance is the primary stat of any game but that in heroic fiction of all stripes its the primary stat of the protagonist.

It was a joke, son!

What you're talking about has been going on a while now, but I'm willing to bet this thread is based on the massive increase in that type of story in movies and TV shows since 2007.

That's when The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers was published. The author took Joe Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" and turned it into a scriptwriting guide for Hollywood.

Sure, books about monomyth have been around a long time. But this book and others on the classic heroic journey broke down exactly how to tie the common bits of all myths to a three-act structure that's popular in movies.

The result is that every hero goes through a major ordeal and death (or near death) and triumphs to win the day. That is why it seems like endurance is so highly rated -- the other traits are diminished by the structure Campbell outlined.

A bold hero who always rushes in without thinking doesn't make sense when you plot must have the hero reject the call to adventure early on so an old wise man can point him on the right path.

Quote from: ForthrightRay;741895What you're talking about has been going on a while now, but I'm willing to bet this thread is based on the massive increase in that type of story in movies and TV shows since 2007.

That's when The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers was published. The author took Joe Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" and turned it into a scriptwriting guide for Hollywood.

Sure, books about monomyth have been around a long time. But this book and others on the classic heroic journey broke down exactly how to tie the common bits of all myths to a three-act structure that's popular in movies.

The result is that every hero goes through a major ordeal and death (or near death) and triumphs to win the day. That is why it seems like endurance is so highly rated -- the other traits are diminished by the structure Campbell outlined.

A bold hero who always rushes in without thinking doesn't make sense when you plot must have the hero reject the call to adventure early on so an old wise man can point him on the right path.

nice summary

There are certainly 'tough heroes', and I think John McClane and Rocky are great examples, but the other hero archetypes haven't exactly gone away.  

Sherlock Holmes is a perennial protagonist and is enjoying some recent popularity due to the BBC production.  

Tricksters are also a popular archetype, but they're often used as the Villain - at least since the 1950s, duplicitous characters have been distrusted (probably for good reason).  But that doesn't mean they don't exist!  I really enjoy the BBC production of 'Hustle' that features a gang on Con-men.  They're a little like Robin Hood - they steal from the bad guys.  In fact, Robin Hood was cast as a fox in the Disney production for a reason.  Even the Kevin Costner version (Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves) relied on being tricky as part of his campaign against the more powerful forces of the Sheriff.  

I think Superhero movies are a good example of types of popular heroes.  If you look at X-Men, sure, Wolverine is a great example of a 'tough' hero.  But you're right - Tony Stark is a 'smart' hero.  Someone like 'Black Widow' isn't particularly strong or smart...  Well, maybe a little of both - but she's more 'highly skilled'.  

The 'artist' as hero is also popular.  From Samurai movies to gunslinger movies to kung-fu movies to super-hero movies, the 'specialist' gets some love.  Think of Nicholas Cage in The Rock.  What makes him the hero?

Quote from: deadDMwalking;742196The 'artist' as hero is also popular.  From Samurai movies to gunslinger movies to kung-fu movies to super-hero movies, the 'specialist' gets some love.  Think of Nicholas Cage in The Rock.  What makes him the hero?

Taken. "What I have are a very particular set of skills..."