This article talks about D&D's origins in medieval feudalism starting primarily in Greyhawk but then going beyond and branching out into new genres such as pulp and horror. If you got some free time on your hands, I recommend this nostalgically good article. Check it out.
Update 05/31/2021: Changed links. There's a part two in case you're interested.
When I read Shannon Appelcline's first article, it seemed like a pleasant stroll down memory-lane but it left me vaguely unsettled.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't decide if it was just my imagination or if there was a subtext implying that games based on Medieval European style feudalism are inherently bad or wrong, and that we have a moral imperative to get beyond it to something more acceptable. And was there a further implication that doing so was somehow difficult and we needed to struggle to "take the next step beyond [D&D's] feudal foundation", and "to wear away at the western ideas that bound its earliest creation" and eventually hope to break those bonds entirely.
His next article confirmed my suspicions: D&D as originally envisioned by GyGax & Arneson is just not Politically Correct enough.
Well I for one have no problem with "gonzo medievalism", regardless of whether it means dungeon crawls, or (gods forbid) European Feudalism or whatever else the amazingly versatile AD&D rules can create. And if that means the PC police disqualify me for the Multiculturalism & Diversity awards, such is life.
And if you do have a problem with "gonzo medievalism" (whatever that is), I invite you to try another game. I suggest Papers & Paychecks, the My Little Pony RPG or Kitten War