This came up in another thread and I'm curious how widespread my view on this issue is. It usually comes up when somebody says something like "We have dragons in the game, so why not giant, carnivorous, acid (chemical or pharmaceutical, take your pick) marshmallow peeps? Is your imagination so limited that you can't handle that?"
My view is that making the game as close to realistic as possible while still incorporating the desired fantastic elements allows players to use their real-world intuition to make in-game decisions and increases both verisimilitude and immersion. I'm fine with having a 30 pound halfling just as strong as the 500 pound half-ogre, if having such things is one of the premises of the game. If it isn't I would like the half ogre to be vastly stronger, because that's what I would expect in real life.
The other issue of course is playability. Some things are too much trouble to actually model realistically, and others (hello hit points!) make the game more fun even though they're very unrealistic.
Anyway, opinions?
Greetings!
I agree, Mishihari! In the fantasy game world, I want everything to be more or less realistic as possible, except for A, B, and C, or whatever as you described as the premises of the world. Dragons, witches, demons, whatever, are all good, but there are a zillion aspects of the game world that routinely operate along realistic expectations, strength, gravity, thirst, and on and on.
I have a humanoid race, influenced by strong demonic heritage and regularly embracing dark magic, where this race of evil humanoids are typically monstrous in appearance, having oversized heads, large mouths full of teeth, strong claws, and generally having a stretched, gaunt look to them. Most of them are 5-feet tall, or shorter. Despite being generally short in stature, and having a thin, grotesque appearance, the creatures are very swift moving, agile, and possess formidable, unnatural strength. Their skin is a pale gray or charcoal black in colour, with bright, luminous amber coloured eyes. They are savage, bloodthirsty, and monstrous, typically preying upon humans and other humanoids, as well as creatures of Light. These horrible creatures typically make their lairs from dugout tunnels and chambers, subterranean dungeons and complexes near graveyards, cemeteries, or abandoned areas on the fringes of a civilized community. The creatures venture out to make daylight raids on occasion, favouring dark, cloudy and somber weather, though the monsters are very active and aggressive at night. Such terrifying creatures serve the Dark Gods, and love to devour humans. The creatures eagerly capture and enslave victims, especially the young, the innocent, and beautiful, using them as breeding slaves. Other captured enemies deemed unsuitable for breeding are tortured and ripped apart and eaten in terrifying feasts by flickering bonfires, or stretched upon a stone altar and sacrificed to their Dark Gods.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK