287: Second-Hand Elf

[Arashi500]

I have no problem with the inclusion of elves, orcs, and dwarves and all that, but I think if you're going to do that, at the very least put a spin on it, or add a substantial amount of original creations to place with them and balance out what you already know will work with something new. It doesn't even need to be anything terribly thought out, like making golums or gem people a standard sentient race rather than an occasional monster.

 

[TheDuckbunny]

And the Dunmer are the most vividly and completely realized culture in a videogame, rivaling the best novels of the fantasy genre in the depth of their religion, psyche and aesthetics.

I can't agree more. The detail that went into crafting not only Vvardenfell but its people, their thoughts and beliefs still amazes me to this day. Playing through Morrowind and visiting its lands and people is like experiencing life in a long lost civilization firsthand.

 

[AssOnFire]

Maybe I'm an ignoramus, but when I get a fantasy-setting without the "standard" human/elf/dwarf dynamic I get really turned off. Like the Argonians and Khajiit in TES? Yeah, they're kinda there, but I'd not shed a single tear if they weren't. It always seems to me like: "Yeah, we GOTTA do something original. Uhm, we have elves and dwarves. Let's, I dunno, make some cat and lizard people, I guess? Yeah!"

It's like making a sci-fi movie without lasers. Would you wanna see a movie were instead of lasers they had guns that shoot corrosive alien snot? Wouldn't that be totally original? But wouldn't it also be LAME? I want my lasers back.

In my opinion, it's better to be original within the established bounds, not go totally overboard. Like what was already mentioned, how TES made the dwarves an underground offshoot of the elves? That's brilliant. Now, if instead the Dwemer had been a race of underground mole scientists ... not so much.

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood.

 

[beavinator]

I may get laughed out of here for posting this, but I'm kind of surprised that in this entire extensive thread, nobody has mentioned Zelda. Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri, Dekus, Sheikah, Rito, Picori, Kikwis, Twili...the list goes on, and they are all fairly original creations with few if any analogs in other works. Clearly it is possible to create entirely new races with unique traits which have little or no basis in Tolkien-esque "standards". Granted the Zelda series is known more for exploration and puzzle-solving than well fleshed out characters or dialogue, but those elements are still there to a degree, and I felt it worth mentioning.

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

I can't even read the article because the right hand margin is cut off. I thought it was all the script being blocked by my Firefox but I just opened it with IE and Chrome and right margin is still cut off. Anybody have a link to a printable view?

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

Anybody? I know I'm not the only one not being able to see all the text. Just sent the link to a friend and she couldn't read the right margin well either.