@@heroeshomebrew not really grim, although being osr, it will be gritty. Basically think of a colony ship landing on planet and the local biome's magic starts interfering with the scifi tech kinda akin to Harry dresden or I think maybe shadowrun settings have. Causes some trouble for the colonial forces. Forces them to go native, but the native population ain't human, they're the fantasy folks.
I think there’s probably lots of valid arguments or interpretations. I just went over some ideas I had but I’m sure there are far more that I have never thought of.
It's not a theory. Ancient ruins and magic from a forgotten time is the basic trope of most settings. Just off the top of my head, Forgotten Realms had the Netheril, Greyhawk had Blackmore. Mystara had ancient cities with high tech and robots and references to nuclear power. That crashed spaceship in barrier peaks was a nod to Metamorphous Alpha. Good video to get people thinking
Am literally running a BECMI campaign for my players set in the region we live in long after a nuclear war has reduced civilisation to atavistic slag. The players live in a stockaded village that is running out of food because of acid rain storms, and strange lights and sounds are seen and heard from a mountain in the distance... to get there, they are going to have to brave the monsters in the forest and cross an ancient road... one of my first games was not AD&D but Gamma World. Imagine my delight when I discovered Gygax encouraged crossovers into the "other worlds" of Boot Hill and Gamma World!
Greyhawk is definitely post apocalyptic, at least at itself inception. I always imagined magic items were really just ancient technology. The logic doesn’t bear out completely… but still.
DnD isn't one single setting today, so let's talk about the most popular one. As I see it, Forgotten Realms isn't post-apocalyptic because it isn't an interregnum period: There are existing developed civilizations in the Forgotten Realms right now, varying in tech level but going as far up as Renaissance level. I would use the term post-apocalyptic for interregnum scenarios after a civilization has fallen, but before a new one arises. For example, a setting inspired by the fall of Rome and the migration period would be post-apocalyptic in this terminology. A setting inspired by Renaissance Italy, on the other hand, wouldn't be, even though it technically also exists on top of the ruins of an older civilization (Ancient Rome).
That’s a very fair assessment. The post-apocalyptic idea is more apparent when looking at older editions. The idea that everything is on the edge of the known land but unexplored wilderness is teeming with ancient ruins and dungeons points to some cataclysmic event. However of course it all depends on how you want to create your setting or interpret an established setting.
I think you nailed it when you said cataclysmic. Oldest editions point towards cataclysmic not apocalyptic. Cataclysmic being some great event(s) that caused large scale destruction and ruination accounting for all the lost wonders, civilizations, dungeons, and kingdoms but apocalyptic referring to the end of the very world type events. I dont get the sense in any edition of d&d that the world is dying and the end is nigh.
@@captaindudeman3613 I tend to use the two interchangeably, which is probably an oversight. But you’re right. I think most people understand post-apocalyptic as a term used for the end of the know world in a sense more akin to cataclysm than the true meaning of apocalypse.
Yeah this definitely doesn’t apply to forgotten realms. Forgotten realms is popular because it’s the most plain vanilla setting and thus easily accommodates all generic fantasy needs
@@xavierp7658 Forgotten Realms is a kitchen sink setting. Literally everything is in there, it’s uninteresting and seems to have drifted far from what it was when it was first introduced.
What do you think? Does your campaign setting resemble a post-apocalyptic fantasy world or a medieval one in the process of advancing?
Failing/Failed scifi colony interacting with fantasy dark age world is what I'm working on for my next set of campaigns
@@shellbackbeau7021 that sounds grim. I like it.
@@heroeshomebrew not really grim, although being osr, it will be gritty. Basically think of a colony ship landing on planet and the local biome's magic starts interfering with the scifi tech kinda akin to Harry dresden or I think maybe shadowrun settings have. Causes some trouble for the colonial forces. Forces them to go native, but the native population ain't human, they're the fantasy folks.
@@shellbackbeau7021 very cool, sounds like it will be a lot of fun.
0:06 I have heard this theory before but I cannot remember the arguments.
I think there’s probably lots of valid arguments or interpretations. I just went over some ideas I had but I’m sure there are far more that I have never thought of.
It's not a theory. Ancient ruins and magic from a forgotten time is the basic trope of most settings.
Just off the top of my head, Forgotten Realms had the Netheril, Greyhawk had Blackmore.
Mystara had ancient cities with high tech and robots and references to nuclear power.
That crashed spaceship in barrier peaks was a nod to Metamorphous Alpha.
Good video to get people thinking
I feel like it’s become so standard that the question of what happened to the civilizations that were before never gets asked or answered.
Am literally running a BECMI campaign for my players set in the region we live in long after a nuclear war has reduced civilisation to atavistic slag. The players live in a stockaded village that is running out of food because of acid rain storms, and strange lights and sounds are seen and heard from a mountain in the distance... to get there, they are going to have to brave the monsters in the forest and cross an ancient road... one of my first games was not AD&D but Gamma World. Imagine my delight when I discovered Gygax encouraged crossovers into the "other worlds" of Boot Hill and Gamma World!
@@rlbink2498 that sounds like a really fun campaign.
Greyhawk is definitely post apocalyptic, at least at itself inception. I always imagined magic items were really just ancient technology. The logic doesn’t bear out completely… but still.
The early original setting definitely have that vibe. It would be pretty easy reskin wands and rings as some lost technology.
@@heroeshomebrew It’s more than just wands and rings. The Helm of Comprehending Languages and Reading Magic? That’s nearly a universal translator.
@@Eastwood_Ravine very true. Pretty much any magical item is some ancient tech from a lost civilization.
What do you think? Does your campaign setting resemble a post-apocalyptic fantasy world or a medieval one in the process of advancing?
DnD isn't one single setting today, so let's talk about the most popular one. As I see it, Forgotten Realms isn't post-apocalyptic because it isn't an interregnum period: There are existing developed civilizations in the Forgotten Realms right now, varying in tech level but going as far up as Renaissance level. I would use the term post-apocalyptic for interregnum scenarios after a civilization has fallen, but before a new one arises. For example, a setting inspired by the fall of Rome and the migration period would be post-apocalyptic in this terminology. A setting inspired by Renaissance Italy, on the other hand, wouldn't be, even though it technically also exists on top of the ruins of an older civilization (Ancient Rome).
That’s a very fair assessment. The post-apocalyptic idea is more apparent when looking at older editions. The idea that everything is on the edge of the known land but unexplored wilderness is teeming with ancient ruins and dungeons points to some cataclysmic event. However of course it all depends on how you want to create your setting or interpret an established setting.
I think you nailed it when you said cataclysmic. Oldest editions point towards cataclysmic not apocalyptic. Cataclysmic being some great event(s) that caused large scale destruction and ruination accounting for all the lost wonders, civilizations, dungeons, and kingdoms but apocalyptic referring to the end of the very world type events. I dont get the sense in any edition of d&d that the world is dying and the end is nigh.
@@captaindudeman3613 I tend to use the two interchangeably, which is probably an oversight. But you’re right.
I think most people understand post-apocalyptic as a term used for the end of the know world in a sense more akin to cataclysm than the true meaning of apocalypse.
Yeah this definitely doesn’t apply to forgotten realms. Forgotten realms is popular because it’s the most plain vanilla setting and thus easily accommodates all generic fantasy needs
@@xavierp7658 Forgotten Realms is a kitchen sink setting. Literally everything is in there, it’s uninteresting and seems to have drifted far from what it was when it was first introduced.
Sounds like dragonlance
Yup and most other settings.
I’m shaken!!!!! Noooooooooo!!! It’s not truueee!!!!!! (J/K)
My work here is done lol
Your audio is really low, I am struggling to hear you
@@shellbackbeau7021 strange, it sounded fine when I was editing it.