How 'medieval' do you want the world of P:E to be?

[Death Machine Miyagi]

The description given of the game heavily implies a late medieval-ish kinda world. Most fantasy games and stories, however, don't take their medieval setting much beyond 'people fight wearing armor, use swords and bows, and there are some vaguely medieval-ish rulers and political systems around with titles like 'Lord' and 'Prince' and 'King'.' Medieval sensibilities and culture and customs and beliefs can crop up, but are much less emphasized.

 

Of course, there's a reason for that. The culture, sensibilities, customs and beliefs of the late middle ages were (in many cases) really, really awful by modern standards.

 

So the question: how much 'Medieval' do you want in your Medieval European Fantasy? Would you like to encounter cultures which more or less reflect the real late middle ages....that is, overflowing with misogyny, brutality, religious intolerance, disease, famine and all the other sordid unpleasantries that remind you why you should be happy to live in the 21st century? Or would you prefer that sort of thing be toned down in favor of the surface feel of the medieval without seriously delving into the worst of it?

[Ieo]

So the question: how much 'Medieval' do you want in your Medieval European Fantasy? Would you like to encounter cultures which more or less reflect the real late middle ages....that is, overflowing with misogyny, brutality, religious intolerance, disease, famine and all the other sordid unpleasantries that remind you why you should be happy to live in the 21st century? Or would you prefer that sort of thing be toned down in favor of the surface feel of the medieval without seriously delving into the worst of it?

 

I visited a Renaissance festival last month. I saw, in costume---all manner of stuff from classic Middle Age armoured knights and brigands to more Renaissance clothing to a barbarian fellow to pirates to.... furries and an Ent.

 

I can do without the furries, though I'm not so averse to some kind of creature race in PE. Basically, given the genre, I'm comfortable with using "Middle Ages" as a very basic framework upon which to hang all the fantasy stuff. However, PE is also a mature game--every single Age on our world is rife with the same issues, still overflowing with misogyny, brutality, religious intolerance, disease, famine and all the other sordid unpleasantries--just no longer in most of Europe. That means I expect PE to touch upon at least some of those themes as well.

[Osvir]

I won't lie. A certain Pulp Fiction scene comes to mind.

 

Berserk is a great example I s'pose (one of the best Manga's out there).

- Spoiler below -

If you know what I'm talking about I'll just say before the Eclipse.

Edited October 6, 2012 by Osvir

[Theobeau]

On the main point you certainly imagine parts of the narrative working over themes such as how religions interacted a la C1400's Europe. Whether we see something like the cycle of violence that was the Protestant-Catholic conflicts or the viciously brutal treatment of the remaining Muslims and Jews in Spain by the victorious Catholic Spanish monarchy remains to be seen.

 

Likewise plague on a scale like the Bubonic plague could be a feature of places you visit without necessarily making it so realistic that 1-2 of your party of 6 adventurers die.

 

I guess the extent of realism depends on whether it helps or hinders the narrative.

 

Aside:

The devs have suggested late medieval/early Renaissance which fits somewhere around C14-15th. There are such a large range of societies in that period; Byzantium reviving and then declining, city states in Europe rising in power, nations developing, Imperial China etc...

 

It gives the develops a large palate of cultural, religious and political systems to model the PE world and given the talent involved, the end result should be very interesting.

[kabaliero]

I just want a nonmagical full plate to have practical use. Guns disagree.

[Haerski]

It doesn't have to reflect entirely any real-world age. Technology level could be from medieval era, but culture and values from modern age or if devs are very brave they could play around with those even more. I don't find those "dark fantasy" elements have any absolute value. They need to serve the story, not just be there because they want to make "mature fantasy world" like everyone does nowdays.

[FlintlockJazz]

I want it to be as medieval as it needs to in order to have more people wearing padded armour rather than the leather armour people think was worn in medieval Europe but really wasn't (and to show that padded armour was actually generally better than leather despite the misconception otherwise). Plus, padded gambesons look cool!

 

 

Plus, don't kettle hats look awesome?

Edited October 6, 2012 by FlintlockJazz

[Majek]

On the main point you certainly imagine parts of the narrative working over themes such as how religions interacted a la C1400's Europe. Whether we see something like the cycle of violence that was the Protestant-Catholic conflicts or the viciously brutal treatment of the remaining Muslims and Jews in Spain by the victorious Catholic Spanish monarchy remains to be seen.

 

Likewise plague on a scale like the Bubonic plague could be a feature of places you visit without necessarily making it so realistic that 1-2 of your party of 6 adventurers die.

 

I guess the extent of realism depends on whether it helps or hinders the narrative.

 

Aside:

The devs have suggested late medieval/early Renaissance which fits somewhere around C14-15th. There are such a large range of societies in that period; Byzantium reviving and then declining, city states in Europe rising in power, nations developing, Imperial China etc...

 

It gives the develops a large palate of cultural, religious and political systems to model the PE world and given the talent involved, the end result should be very interesting.

The protestants are 16th century onwards <_<

[Infinitron]

Don't you guys know Josh Sawyer?

 

It's gonna be fantasy Darklands.

[Karranthain]

Don't you guys know Josh Sawyer?

 

It's gonna be fantasy Darklands.

 

Please make it so.

Edited October 6, 2012 by Karranthain

[Nonek]

Pet peeve of mine with Dragon Age, you've got the mage faction campaigning for the freedom that nobody else in a feudal monarchy has, invalidates the entire conflict. But yes if it's set in a medieval period obviously one has to show a consistent portrait of that time, god spare us from the horrendous trope of happy peasants frollicking in the fields and forced modern sensibilities. Issues can still be dealt with, because the primary issues facing humanity never go away, but i'd like to role play as an inhabitant of Eternity not a modern Englishman/European/American what have you.

[Majek]

Don't you guys know Josh Sawyer?

 

It's gonna be fantasy Darklands.

fantasy Darklands? Huh?

[Karranthain]

fantasy Darklands? Huh?

 

Darklands had fantasy elements, but it was much more grounded in reality than PE will be (at least that's the impression I got).

[Majek]

Still, how can you describe something as "fantasy Darklands".

[Vin]

As long as the buildings, trees, people, sky, cows, chickens, and ballrooms aren't all the same shade of dry mud. Except for the peasants; of course they're covered in mud.

Some fun, gritty areas being filthy and dark is fine with me. I just don't want the whole world to be like that. Medieval Europe? Sure, why not? Everyone loves medieval Europe. To pieces. As long as the fantasy bits don't amount to mud-colored characters slinging spells around a Dark Ages-esque mud-colored world with maybe an elf or a dwarf here or there looking dour and standoffish. Also the color of mud.

[Karranthain]

Still, how can you describe something as "fantasy Darklands".

 

PE setting is fantasy, but one that (allegedly) will be much more down to earth - hence the Darklands connection.

 

In other words - It'll be Darklands sans the historical background and with more pronounced fantasy elements; at least that's my understanding.

 

And if that's the case - I'm all for it

[curryinahurry]

Still, how can you describe something as "fantasy Darklands".

 

PE setting is fantasy, but one that (allegedly) will be much more down to earth - hence the Darklands connection.

 

In other words - It'll be Darklands sans the historical background and with more pronounced fantasy elements; at least that's my understanding.

 

And if that's the case - I'm all for it

 

 

Absolutely. Darklands is still the most living rpg setting I've ever played and its really the only sandbox type rpg I've ever truly enjoyed.

 

What made Darklands so immersive was the way Hendrick layered fantasy elements onto real world, historical facts. Taking that a step further into the fantasy realm, it means starting with the D&D/ Tolkien tropes and turning them in interesting directions. I am really getting that feeling from the art we've seen so far BTW.

 

Josh Sawyer being such a fan of the game and a student of how Arnold Hendrick created that world really bodes well for Eternity.

[TrashMan]

I want it to be very much medieval-ish.

 

Some people have a rather very dark image of medieval times...it wasn't really as horrible as some say.

[Shadenuat]

They already did something medieval - everyone in PE will percieve world through religious/myth like perspective of Souls.

[Sarog]

They already did something medieval - everyone in PE will percieve world through religious/myth like perspective of Souls.

 

From what little has been said of the gods, though, it seems likely that the world's religious ideas are not going to be very medieval at all. There is - or, should be - a tremendous difference between a monotheistic civilization that has a single, powerful church but a non-interfering deity, and a civilization with a diverse pantheon of active, meddling gods who interact directly with the world.

 

I'm curious how the game will handle that. I always found churches and religion in D&D settings to be very poorly thought through and not really fitting to the time period they try to encapsulate. If Obsidian manages to pull of a polytheistic medieval society with active gods with proper internal logic, that will make for an interesting medieval-but-not setting.

Edited October 6, 2012 by Sarog

[LadyCrimson]

I like "medieval" and such as a basic world backdrop but I'd like it if more of the details were more ... original. Or at least have different names. Do we always have to have "mugs of ale," stone castles, Kings and Queens and the like.

 

It would be interesting to me if the world felt more like a parallel development of a medieval-like culture (eg, just being low-tech period) rather than something that mirrored Earth's period over-much. Something that felt like something lo-tech societies on other oxygen-breathing planets might come up with, but not what we came up with. ... and that didn't feel overly sci-fi, either. Alas, I lack serious imagination in this area so I don't have many suggestions myself.

[rjshae]

Personally I'd like the medieval lands to be plausibly medieval, even if the world setting is different. Villages in dangerous regions have palisades and a militia, with the villeins living in hovels with thatched roofs, lords having a demesne and a hunting forest, medieval professions are represented, there may be a hedge wizard or a local herbalist witch, &c.

[Umberlin]

I prefer it be the high fantasy game that it is. I don't need it to replicate the medieval period, or any historical period, accurately in any way. I'd just like it to be a well fleshed out world, that makes sense within its own logical construct - not within a realistic construct.

[rjshae]

It would be interesting to me if the world felt more like a parallel development of a medieval-like culture (eg, just being low-tech period) rather than something that mirrored Earth's period over-much. Something that felt like something lo-tech societies on other oxygen-breathing planets might come up with, but not what we came up with. ... and that didn't feel overly sci-fi, either. Alas, I lack serious imagination in this area so I don't have many suggestions myself.

 

A big differentiator would be a medieval setting with a pantheon rather than monotheism. I'm not quite sure how that would work, but perhaps instead of a modest church with a priest, we'd see lots of little shrines and symbols with itinerant priests representing different gods.

[licketysplit]

I would like a late medieval setting, circa 1200-1300. Too many games seem to take place in dark ages, or have generic high fantasy settings like Dragon Age.

Edited October 6, 2012 by licketysplit