'REALISM' Many people have a hard time understanding the relationship of fantasy and realism. They are under the mistaken impression that fantasy = no realism. Well, here is a new flash: Realism is an important part of Fantasy. Imagine if Merlin was simply able to slay Mordred outright for Arthur. Or if Raistlin wasn't affected by his sickness. Or if Frodo was able to waltz through the Ringwraiths on his way to get rid of the Ring. If any of these were the case, there would be nothing to read. No excitement, no drama, just a yawn, stretch and a 'Well, I guess I just saved the world again'. If heroes and wizards don't adhere to realism, then the entire fantasy genre would consist of two line works. "An evil came to the land. A powerful hero vanquished it." Just because a drow doesn't exist in whatever you happen to call reality, doesn't mean that it has to disobey all of the structures of your reality. Sure, drows exist on Abandoned Realms. And yes, they have to adhere to everything everyone else does. They have to eat, drink, rest, etc. Because they have to do these things doesn't mean that it isn't fantasy. We will try to have as much realism as possible without sacrificing the fun of playing here. This does not mean that it will not be a challenge, it just means that we will not get bogged down with making this a virtual reality. For example, we think that it is very hard to recite complex, magical runes (which are totally foreign to you...if you could memorize them, you would be a Wizard), while getting all of the inflections and syllables perfectly, from a piece of parchment while someone is standing right in front of you with the intent to kill you with their sword. The basis for Abandoned Realms is a world where many races of humanoids have developed. The technology of this world can be likened to medieval times. Magic does exist as a part of this world, but this does not mean that people can do whatever they want. There are limits to everything.
12.16. SUMMARY > ROLEPLAYING > REALISM